Hope is the thing with feathers—
That perches in the soul—
And sings the tune without the words—
And never stops—at all—

Autumn feather from Gog Magog Downs – not just some hills, but the giant who turned his back and went away after being rejected by the nymph Granta (River Cam).

The idea of doing Captain Corelli’s Mandolin came about at the Fringe in ’98 and the first production opened in ’99. Yes, at the Fringe. The original production cost less than 1000 pounds, and it’s amazing to see how a mosaic floorcloth with a motif of dolphins and mandolins, a painting, a bloodstained wall, 2 chickens, a tuba, a motorbike and a goat can help create a fantastic atmosphere. Real people, a “not-a-production-company-at-all”, no agent, no publicity officer, but passion and a policy that’s very close to my heart: “it’s got to be interesting, fun and available to everyone“

02.11 am :( back soon!

We’ve got time
Octavian Paler

We’ve got time for everything,
to sleep, to always be on the run,
to regret having made mistakes, then to mistake again,
to judge others and absolve ourselves,
we’ve got time to read and time to write,
to make corrections and to regret we wrote,
we’ve got time to make plans not to respect them,
we’ve got time to believe in illusions, then later to search through their ashes.

We’ve got time for ambitions and diseases,
time to blame the fate and its details,
time to look at the clouds, to watch the adverts or a random accident
we’ve got time to banish our questions,
to delay giving answers
time to shatter dreams and to then re-invent them
we’ve got time to make friends, then time to lose them
we’ve got time to receive lessons to then forget about them
we’ve got time to be given gifts and not to understand them.
We’ve got time for everything,

We only haven’t got time for a bit of tenderness
When just about to make time for it, we die.

I learned a few things in life and I’d like to share them with you!!
I learned you can’t make someone love you
All you can do is to be loved.
The rest… depends on others.
I learned that regardless of how much I care
Others might not.
I learned that it takes years to build up trust
And just a few seconds to destroy it
I learned that it doesn’t matter WHAT you’ve got in life
But WHOM you got
I learned that your charm helps you for about 15 minutes
After that though you’d better be good at it (…)

I learned that regardless of how you cut
Any thing has two sides

I learned that we have to say kind, warm good-byes to our loved ones
As it might be the last time we see them

I learned that we can keep on going long
After we said we can’t anymore.

I learned that heroes do what they have to, when they have to
Regardless of the consequences

I learned that there are some that love you
But don’t know how to show it
I learned that when I am angry, I have the RIGHT to be angry
But no right to be mean

I learned that true friendship survives the distance
And so does true love
I learned that when someone doesn’t love you as you’d like
It doesn’t mean that they don’t truly love you

I learned that regardless how good a friend is
He is still going to hurt you sometimes
And you’ll have to forgive him for that.

I learned that it’s not always enough to be forgiven
Sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself
I learned that even though you’re in pain
The world won’t stop because of that.

I learned that the past and experiences can influence your personality
But YOU’re responsible for who you become
I learned that if two argue it doesn’t mean they don’t love each other
Also, if they don’t argue doesn’t prove they don’t.
I learned that sometime one must come first
Then his deeds.

I learned that two can look at the same thing
And see totally different things
I learned that regardless of what the immediate result may be
Those who can be honest to themselves succeed in life

I learned that your life can be changed in a few hours
By some that don’t even know you

I learned that when you think you haven’t got anything left to give
You’ll always find the strength to help a friend crying for help

I learned that writing
Same as speaking
Can soothe the soul

I learned that the ones you care for most
Are taken from you too soon…

I learned that is too hard to see
The line between being kind, not hurting anyone and stating your opinion.

I learned to love
So I can be loved.

I learned,
by Octavian Paler

I am treating myself tonight: I’ll write something totally unrelated to anything I am supposed to doing at the moment. To be honest, writing here has always felt like a treat. Maybe because it’s an activity that doesn’t go anywhere, a hobby, carried on for its sake. Only allowed to write here when I’ve done a satisfying amount of work-work, college-work etc. Sadly, it doesn’t happen very often :( Unless I cheat. Which I do sometimes.

Ok, the two allies now: photography and Impressionists – two of my favourite subjects. I sort of felt there might be something going on between them, but I just couldn’t see how it could happen. Discovered the link tonight.

We’re all aware of the Impressionist struggle, of the nineteenth century public failure to recognise innovation and eventually of the final victory. Victory that came with the help of two allies – one of them being photography. This ally helped people to see the world with different eyes, helped them to appreciate rapid strokes caring less for detail, but for the general impression of the whole. Helped them to look differently at paintings, as there was photography now for exact reproductions and detail.

The rise of Impressionism and the development of the portable camera/snapshot began during the same years. And photography pushed artists further in their exploration; they had to go where photography couldn’t follow them. Same happened to Modernists: different quality of paint, different mediums and materials, impression of three dimensions and effects that could not come through in photos. It all looks like they’re trying to resist photographic reproduction!

A child who doesn’t like Jules Verne at all, but finds Edgar Allan Poe very, very charming will undoubtedly grow up (grow up? Ha ha, it’s getting FUNNY) to love Marry Shelley’s Frankenstein and find it one of the most Romantic (and romantic) novels ever.
I know it might sound odd, but when you think about it, you realise that horror is a very important feeling in Romanticism; Gothic is somewhere in between terror and romance and stereotypical characters like ghosts, Byronic heroes, mad women, angels/fallen angels and magicians are all very Romantic. Shall I go further and say prosecuted maidens and vampires could even become, in the right shade of light, erotic?

I haven’t thought about Allan Poe in ages (shame!) and I wasn’t particularly excited about this Halloween. What about an Edgar Allan Poe by Roger Corman Halloween all-nighter? The Raven, The Pit and Pendulum, The Tomb of Ligeia and The masque of Red Death. Temping, tempting, tempted!

And now, my go for the Wanderer above the Sea of Fog!

Nice try, but nothing like the ink and sepia of Caspar David Friedrich whom I greatly admire for managing to stay only “half mad”!

New favourite word at the moment, as I thoroughly enjoyed this not-as-culinary-as-it-sounds scrambling – lying in between hill walking and climbing! Already excited about the December one! Oh, and before I forget, that’s close to Edale, a charming village and a valley in the Dark Peak Area of the Peak District, the start of the Pennine Way – England’s most famous long distance footpath stretching from Derbyshire to the Scottish Border.

Now about sandwich: some of you might’ve already heard, yes, he was a real person – John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich (1718-1792); he is said to have once spent twenty-four hours at the gaming-table without other refreshment than some slices of cold beef placed between slices of toast. Soon his fellows gamblers started to order ”same as sandwich”.

I wouldn’t be very sure that gambling was the reason he needed bits of bread not to get his fingers greasy; there could’ve been many other reasons to stop him leaving his desk to have a proper meal. A busy schedule can stop you from making your bed, cooking, going to the gym, brushing your hair (I only know these things from my friends’ experiences, of course). So I guess the gambling bit is there only to make the story more exciting. But then I wonder what would cleaning-your-teeth-while-cycling be called tomorrow?

It really fascinates me to find out how words came about. Looking back, I happily notice that no one in my family was either a keen gambler, or an extremely busy person; otherwise, you never know, we could all be having Varbanescus! :))

Another interesting rock I’d like to write about is the Lover’s Leap. There’s a funny story to go with it, but no photos :( Got photos from the Devil’s Arse though… Be back soon!