According to The Free Dictionary, a conspiracy is an “agreement to perform together an illegal, wrongful, or subversive act.” Other common sources confer on the word ‘conspiracy’ the implication of a plan or action that is wrong, illegal, harmful and/or secret. It has clear negative connotations. The origin of the Read more
It’s 5:30 AM and the night didn’t cool off. I’ve been awake since 4:00 brooding. Shadows are falling and I’ve been here all dayIt’s too hot to sleep, time is running awayFeel like my soul has turned into steelI’ve still got the scars that the sun didn’t healThere’s not even Read more
I had begun watching the evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic in the latter half of January. The lock-down of Wuhan, a city of 11 million should have set off alarm bells in the mind of anyone with functioning neurons. It did for me. When was something like this ever done Read more
In my last music post, Music for you – settings of the Ave Maria, I overlooked my favourite ‘Ave Maria’, the one by Franz Biebl. It has become a mainstay of the choral repertoire. I first heard it years ago performed by Chanticleer. Like most professional choirs the membership changes, Read more
Trees and Shrubs In the following table, “Z” stands for plant hardiness zone and “S” stands for the season when the fruit or seed is mostly available. Plant Z S Maximum Hight x Width; characteristics Bird species Attracted American bittersweet (Celastrus scandens) 3-8 W 30 feet; pollination needs one male Read more
Consider playing the following song, ‘Don’t Cry for Me Argentina‘ from the movie ‘Evita‘, while reading this post: I am a firm believer in Carl Jung’s synchronicity. Too often when I’m writing, disparate events and sources appearing in a very short period of time, come together as pieces of a Read more
The text ‘Ave Maria’, has inspired composers throughout the ages. The two most well known classical settings were by Franz Schubert and the Bach/Gounod arrangement. Here is the Schubert setting sung by Maria Callas: And here is the Bach/Gounod ‘Ave Maria’ sung by Luciano Pavarotti and the Wandsworth School Boys Read more