What with meeting friends for lunch, rehearsals, a concert, having friends round for lunch, apèros, a Spanish lunch, wedding anniversary, ukulele lessons and other stuff, it has been a very busy time. Fortunately a short holiday in the Lot beckons, so we can re-charge in time for Hallowe'en. A road party is planned!
Our gig last Friday went really well. It's always a mixture of French and English songs, in different combinations of voices, different styles of song as well. There was a real challenge this time with a song called Quant on n'a que l'amour, a duet which I sang with and a French friend Christine. It's very popular in France, but also a big song to sing as it needs to be sung out and gradually builds up to a powerful finish which has to be held. Pleased to report we nailed it. I'm a mezzo-soprano and Christine is a soprano and we've steadily discovered that our voices are just great together. We always sing a couple of songs as duets, but we both want to do more and have got some fab songs lined up for the next gig. Mike and a French friend Patrick provide most of the musical accompaniment, but also sing. They have concentrated so far on songs by George Brassens, which are stunning pieces, immensely difficult to do, but they always manage to sing them well. The fact that they enjoy playing the songs and together, makes a huge difference. Others are involved at various points throughout the evening. This time eight people in all played or sang something. Very satisfying and a great atmosphere.
Tales from Cravant
A Cravant View
Monday, October 27, 2014
Sunday, October 19, 2014
Figuring it out
After a hectic summer, I'm back into book reading mode for the book club organised by one of our Anglo/French groups.Apart from two of us, all those involved are French. Fortunately most have some English, which means there is always something in that language within the monthly book selection. From my point of view it's fun to read in both languages.
On our reading list for dicussion in November three books - Le Vieux que ne voulait pas fêter son anniversaire/Jonas Jonasson, Train de nuit pour Lisbonne/Pascal Mercier and Oscar Wilde's Happy Prince. Fortunately all of them are available on Kindle. It's a cracking selection, but I'm not sure if I'll managed to get through them all. I read more slowly in French. Sometimes it's the meaning of a particular phrase that is trickier to grasp and I have to re-read it. Sometimes I'll come across an expression in French, with an equivalent in English, but rather than a straight translation, the terminology is completely differently.
Occasionally there are phrases where the context offers immediate understanding, but I stop because I want to find out more about it. I had one of these a couple of days ago.
English has various expressions such as dressed to the nines, dressed to kill, which describe someone's appearance when they look particularly fashionable or going somewhere special. As I've just discovered, the French equivalent is Etre sur son trente-et-un or se mettre sur son trente-et-un/ to put on his thirty-one. What's interesting is that both languages use numbers to express the same idea.
From what I can find out the French term, it comes from the word trentain which refers to a luxury fabric, but there is also a military connection with 31 representing dress uniform. We have a french neighbour who is in the military so when I can, I'll ask him.
As to where dressed to the nines comes from, the link here offers some possibilities.
On our reading list for dicussion in November three books - Le Vieux que ne voulait pas fêter son anniversaire/Jonas Jonasson, Train de nuit pour Lisbonne/Pascal Mercier and Oscar Wilde's Happy Prince. Fortunately all of them are available on Kindle. It's a cracking selection, but I'm not sure if I'll managed to get through them all. I read more slowly in French. Sometimes it's the meaning of a particular phrase that is trickier to grasp and I have to re-read it. Sometimes I'll come across an expression in French, with an equivalent in English, but rather than a straight translation, the terminology is completely differently.
Occasionally there are phrases where the context offers immediate understanding, but I stop because I want to find out more about it. I had one of these a couple of days ago.
English has various expressions such as dressed to the nines, dressed to kill, which describe someone's appearance when they look particularly fashionable or going somewhere special. As I've just discovered, the French equivalent is Etre sur son trente-et-un or se mettre sur son trente-et-un/ to put on his thirty-one. What's interesting is that both languages use numbers to express the same idea.
From what I can find out the French term, it comes from the word trentain which refers to a luxury fabric, but there is also a military connection with 31 representing dress uniform. We have a french neighbour who is in the military so when I can, I'll ask him.
As to where dressed to the nines comes from, the link here offers some possibilities.
Thursday, October 9, 2014
Work and Play
Suddenly we're into autumn. Summer clothes have now been pulled out of the wardrobe and folded up ready for putting away. And we're back into rain mode, which isn't good timing as the vendange isn't over for some.
We were in vendange mode last Monday at Domaine de la Commanderie. Terrific day. There were about forty of us in all - a different scale of operation from the vendange we were helping with last year, where there were about fifteen of us. Arrived at 8am along with the rest of the gang, all of whom were regulars. Everyone was milling around having coffee and cake and then we piled into the vans and set off.
The vans didn't have windows so I'm not sure exactly where we were, other than somewhere in Panzoult. Having arrived, we were each given a grape picker's basket (panier), clippers and instructions as to which rows of vines were working on.
There's something really satisfying about being in the middle of vines, surrounded by gentle chatter and bursts of laughter. This team were fast, efficient and, obviously experienced. We were initially a little slower, but quickly got in the rhythm of rummaging around in amongst damp vine leaves, bending, crouching, stretching to get at the grapes, which we were cutting by hand. You get damp and sticky.
Grapes don't always grow in a shape or position that is easy to harvest. Some of them very inconsiderately wrap themselves round the wire climbing frames and are fiddly to get off. Others hide behind the vine leaves. A tactic which does not survive the beady-eyed. Whether a large and perfectly formed bunch or something smaller, any grapes that look in top condition end up in your basket. What you must ensure is that leaves don't get in there as well.
Pickers work on both sides of a row of vines and each side may have three or four people harvesting it. Forty people collect a lot of grapes, and quickly. A tractor with trailer and large containers was moving parallel to where we were working and edged its way along as we moved up the rows of vines. At regular intervals a call went out for everyone to push their baskets through the vines to the tractor, where the grapes were then poured into the containers. The empty grape baskets having been returned to us, we started picking again.
We worked until about 12.45, then we handed back the baskets, kept the clippers, got back into the vans and returned to the domaine for a quick bite. The weather was looking very dodgy. After about half an hour we drove back, but to another parcelle of vines and started picking straight away. We'd been going for about twenty minutes and then the rain started. It just got heavier and around 2.30pm we were told to stop. So back we went to the domaine, to have something to eat.
Not sure if you call it a late lunch or an early dinner, but it was delicious. The cave at Domaine La Commanderie had been laid up for the meal and a wonderful log fire had been started. Whatever horrible things the weather was doing outside, there was no chance it was going to spoil the mood inside the cave.
Lots of chatting, laugher, nonsense, wine and great food. It doesn't get much better than that.
Brilliant time. Here's to the next.
P.S. Chanel who took the super photo of Mike, is in the 'Play Collage' - the image immediately above the bottom thumbnail of wine bottles - Mike with Chanel.
The vans didn't have windows so I'm not sure exactly where we were, other than somewhere in Panzoult. Having arrived, we were each given a grape picker's basket (panier), clippers and instructions as to which rows of vines were working on.
 |
| Work |
Grapes don't always grow in a shape or position that is easy to harvest. Some of them very inconsiderately wrap themselves round the wire climbing frames and are fiddly to get off. Others hide behind the vine leaves. A tactic which does not survive the beady-eyed. Whether a large and perfectly formed bunch or something smaller, any grapes that look in top condition end up in your basket. What you must ensure is that leaves don't get in there as well.
Pickers work on both sides of a row of vines and each side may have three or four people harvesting it. Forty people collect a lot of grapes, and quickly. A tractor with trailer and large containers was moving parallel to where we were working and edged its way along as we moved up the rows of vines. At regular intervals a call went out for everyone to push their baskets through the vines to the tractor, where the grapes were then poured into the containers. The empty grape baskets having been returned to us, we started picking again.
We worked until about 12.45, then we handed back the baskets, kept the clippers, got back into the vans and returned to the domaine for a quick bite. The weather was looking very dodgy. After about half an hour we drove back, but to another parcelle of vines and started picking straight away. We'd been going for about twenty minutes and then the rain started. It just got heavier and around 2.30pm we were told to stop. So back we went to the domaine, to have something to eat.
 |
| Play |
Not sure if you call it a late lunch or an early dinner, but it was delicious. The cave at Domaine La Commanderie had been laid up for the meal and a wonderful log fire had been started. Whatever horrible things the weather was doing outside, there was no chance it was going to spoil the mood inside the cave.
Lots of chatting, laugher, nonsense, wine and great food. It doesn't get much better than that.
Brilliant time. Here's to the next.
P.S. Chanel who took the super photo of Mike, is in the 'Play Collage' - the image immediately above the bottom thumbnail of wine bottles - Mike with Chanel.
Saturday, October 4, 2014
The East Comes to Chinon Pt 3: Some Pioneers
The earliest film on show in this year's festival was the 1927 Russian film The Battleship Potemkin - a brilliant dramatisation of the mutiny that occurred in 1905, when the crew on board the Potemkin rebelled against the officers of the Tsarist regime. It is generally regarded as one of the most influential propaganda films of all time.
The Potemkin was built for the Imperial Russian Navy's Black Sea Fleet, which was defeated in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05. Political unrest throughout the Russian Empire along with the defeat at sea, led to revolutionary activity in the army and the navy. Morale amongst Russian sailors was very low, exacerbated by harsh disciplinary measures and severe service conditions. Groups were created inside the Black Sea Fleet, who were dedicated to the revolution and planned for wide-scale mutiny.
The mutiny on the Potemkin was triggered by the behaviour of some of the senior officers.
They served the crew rotten meat and when one protested he was shot by an officer. In the resulting struggle other officers were killed. Eventually the 700 strong crew seized control and they set sail for the port of Odessa, with a red flag flying. The link is an interesting read and provides a good explanation of events.
The version shown on Sunday morning, was the most recently restored. A fabulous copy, black and white and of course silent. What an experience. The film has five acts, each individually titled. The director establishes an extraordinary rhythmn that achieves such tension as the film progresses. The ability of a 77year old film to shock a 21st century audience was totally unexpected. An amazing piece of work.
A film regarded as the centrepiece of the new wave Czech films was made in 1966.It is available with English subtitles and another version with French subtitles. Trains Étroitement Surveillés. Black and White. The story is set in 1944 with the Germans occupying Czechoslovakia. Milo's father - the best railway engineer - has retired. His son Milo is now starting working in the same station but as an inspector. Milo is overwhelmed by his shyness with women and attempts to commit suicide. His right of passage and transformation, against a backdrop of war, resistance and occupation is totally compelling. We're going to get the DVD. Such a classy piece of work.
The Potemkin was built for the Imperial Russian Navy's Black Sea Fleet, which was defeated in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05. Political unrest throughout the Russian Empire along with the defeat at sea, led to revolutionary activity in the army and the navy. Morale amongst Russian sailors was very low, exacerbated by harsh disciplinary measures and severe service conditions. Groups were created inside the Black Sea Fleet, who were dedicated to the revolution and planned for wide-scale mutiny.
The mutiny on the Potemkin was triggered by the behaviour of some of the senior officers.
They served the crew rotten meat and when one protested he was shot by an officer. In the resulting struggle other officers were killed. Eventually the 700 strong crew seized control and they set sail for the port of Odessa, with a red flag flying. The link is an interesting read and provides a good explanation of events.
The version shown on Sunday morning, was the most recently restored. A fabulous copy, black and white and of course silent. What an experience. The film has five acts, each individually titled. The director establishes an extraordinary rhythmn that achieves such tension as the film progresses. The ability of a 77year old film to shock a 21st century audience was totally unexpected. An amazing piece of work.
A film regarded as the centrepiece of the new wave Czech films was made in 1966.It is available with English subtitles and another version with French subtitles. Trains Étroitement Surveillés. Black and White. The story is set in 1944 with the Germans occupying Czechoslovakia. Milo's father - the best railway engineer - has retired. His son Milo is now starting working in the same station but as an inspector. Milo is overwhelmed by his shyness with women and attempts to commit suicide. His right of passage and transformation, against a backdrop of war, resistance and occupation is totally compelling. We're going to get the DVD. Such a classy piece of work.
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