Hello everyone, I'm going to take the summer off from blogging - too difficult with lack of wifi at the cottage. Here are a few photos from my 2018 trek up Offa's Dyke Path, from Chepstow in the south, at the Severn Estuary, 177 miles/285 Km north, with a total elevation gain of 30,000 ft/9100 meters, to Prestatyn on the Irish Sea.
These particular photos were taken at Castell Dinas Bran, the remains of a medieval castle and, before that, an iron age fort near Llangollen in Denbighshire. I almost didn't go up there because there was a steep climb and it had already been a long day in which we had seen Chirk Castle and walked across the spectacular Pontcysyllte Aqueduct. Like a horse heading for the barn, I was just looking forward to getting to my B and B. The Dutch couple who befriended me urged me on and with the clearing weather and views so spectacular, it turned out to be my favourite place along the entire route. I can't look at these photos without marveling at the stunning beauty of Wales.
Canada Day 2021 is different. A spotlight is shining on racial discrimination in a terrible way.
Recently the remains of 215 children were discovered, buried on the grounds of a Kamloops, BC former residential school for indigenous children, part of Canada's history of the subjugation of native people. The entire country has been shocked and many people are feeling uncomfortable about being Canadian. We are mourning this year and face a future in which probing into other residential schools may uncover more shocking discoveries and horrible treatment of native children. It is not a happy time.
Cornelia Konrads is a German artist specializing in installations in gardens and public spaces.
I recently saw this first image on Twitter and was instantly intrigued.
Looking online for more of her pieces, I found that many of them have a delightful playful quality.
Traditionally the distilled alcoholic beverage known as vodka, as we generally know it, has been made from cereal grains or potatoes. Now farmers have found a way to make vodka using the by-product of cheese-making, whey, which is otherwise dumped at a cost to the dairy producer.
The Girl From the Channel Islands Jenny Lecoat
Staite holds demonstrations, workshops and provides photos and even time-lapsed videos.
100 kg of red cheddar were used to make this sculpture.
Gabriela Montero is a Venezuelan pianist well-known for her skill at improvisation. She can take any tune, even one she's not familiar with, and without any previous preparation turn it into a much more complicated piece, with key changes, inversions and so on. She enjoys interacting with the audience, asking them for suggestions, but suggesting that the tunes be well-known in order to enhance the audience's listening pleasure.
More of her work is available for all to watch/listen to on her YouTube Channel GabrielaMonteroTV.
Emma has just recently released an hour-long film documenting her journey to a remote island off the coast of Connemara in Ireland with 6 horses, two of them untrained, and her camping gear.
She says:
Alone on an island with just my Ponies for company - Over the years I have started many young horses but I've always wondered if I didn't have any tools such as a halter, lead rope, saddle or round pen would it be possible?
I found an island off the west coast of Ireland that had everything the ponies needed to live without needing me - they had water and food aplenty so the decision whether or not to interact with me would be based purely on a relationship, not through necessity.
I took two untrained Connemara Ponies and survived alone on a 70-acre island while trying to start these ponies without any tack or fences I took with me four of my trained Connemaras and they were the key to communicating with the new boys!
Now, if that wasn't hard enough, I thought, as I'm on an island, it would be fun to go all Bear Grylls and catch my food as well! I took just rice and for a month foraged and fished for my one meal per day...oh and filmed the whole adventure for your viewing pleasure! I hope you enjoy sharing my time on the island. Emx
If you would like to follow more please find me on all the usual Social Media Channels @EmmaMassingale
If you're looking for an alternative to Netflix and love horses, adventure and stunning views of coastal Ireland, you might really enjoy this film. Full disclosure, there are pop-up ads, but for the most part, they're either fairly short or you are offered the option to skip some of them. All worth it for this wonderful film.
The Island Project: Emma Massingale
St. Michael Garicoits de Cambo is a school in the southwestern French town of Cambo-les-Bains. The kids and staff have been active during the pandemic learning rhythmic exercises such as line-dancing and clapping. They recently put this outstanding performance on YouTube.
Julie Lee is an LA-based artist and photographer who freely confesses that she's a food-playing nerd. She visits farmers' markets, gardens and even forages in wilder places for inspiration for her collages which she then photographs and adds to the stock in her shop.
Next up:
