20 Oct 2007

EXPOSITION PREPARATIONS


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Each year in October my painting group has it's annual exposition here in Waterloo. The local politicians and VIPs are showing up of course pretending that they are very interested in art and of course all paintings are wonderful even if they are really not. Sometimes one asks to "buy" one in the hope that he would get it for free and is then very surprised that it is not even not for him. (Politicians a specialists for getting everything for free).

The preparation started Thursday with hanging up the paintings.

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These are mines

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This sitting lady is 84 !!

Usually it means that one is on the ladder and hangs them up while all the others (me included) are standing around and give their unwanted advices. This is of course a reason for continuous laughter. We also had a very extended coffee break, where everybody updated everybody on the latest news and the big question for all ladies "what do you wear ?"

Yesterday then, when all paintings were hanging on the wall, we had to prepare the tables with the other paintings and decorate them.

I was asked to do the flower arrangements, that's what I did during at least 2 hours, for about 10 flower arrangements and then my legs came out of my shoulders, my back hurt from the long standing. This means getting old at least the body becomes rusty !



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These are two samples of what finally came out. The cats on the table are pebbles which I had transformed into cats (of course). People usually like them very much as paper weights or other decoration purposes.

And today is the big day with the vernissage. I will be there the whole day to receive and explain to the visitors.

19 Oct 2007

FRIDAY FEAST

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Per I miei amici l'appartamento è qui




If you want to decorate your blog for Halloween, I have free Headers for you here. I amused myself !





Appetizer
If you were a dog, what breed would you be, and why?


A pug (Mops) ! He looks funny and sorrowful, is wrinkled, and puffs when he walks


Soup
What does the color purple make you think of?


Funerals, a nicely purple covered coffin, or a stone age old priest (anyway there are no young once anymore)


Salad
Approximately how long does it take you to get ready each morning?


Ready for what ? For cat feeding ? Television ? Telephone chattings ? Blogging ? Pick up the mail in the mail box ? I don't have to be ready for whatever in the morning I am not working anymore, lucky me !


Main Course
How many cousins do you have, and are you close to them?


I think I have three, but I am not sure about the moral and honorable life of my father's siblings. From my mother's side I am sure there were none.


Dessert
Take your initials (first, middle, last) and come up with something else those letters could stand for. (Example: SFO = Sweet Funny Otter)


Impossible ! I have twelve middle names, if I try to find adjectives for all of them , the Friday Feast would be over and I want to participate.



18 Oct 2007

THURSDAY THIRTEEN

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Per I miei amici l'appartamento è qui




If you want to decorate your blog for Halloween, I have free Headers for you here. I amused myself !



13 means to become a good politician

1. Never be yourself ! Can you imagine what would happen if people find out ??


2. Learn to talk about nothing for hours and still attract your audience


3. When you talk don't spit in the microphone, it could make strange noises


4. Make people laugh by telling jokes, but don't read them from the notepad your secretary had prepared for you ! It has to look spontaniously.


5. Promise as much as you can. To poor people that they all would become rich or at least lead a decent life and to the rich that you will reduce their taxes.


6. Never listen to your consience if you have any


7. Have a very healthy and seductive look ! Put brown make up on or take sun baths. Dye your hair in a decent color, silver grey(for men) or blond (for women) looks better on pictures


8. Always smile, but have your teeth fixed and whitened before, yellow horse teeth may disturb


9. Never kiss anybody in public you may be having an affair and read it next day in the newspaper.


10. Take handshaking courses ! You have to squeeze a hand in the right way, it is very important for your image. If the pressure is too soft you may be taken for a person without character, if it is too strong, a brute.


11. Pretend that you are not a racist even if you don't like blacks or whites, and not a sexist either ! Because if you don't like women (as politicians of course) you may be accused of being gay which is still not accepted everywhere. If you are a women you may be considered as a man hater and feminist.


12. Never rub your eyes because they itch or hurt. In the newspaper you then will read that you were crying, or your ears, one could pretend that you have a microphone in it.


13. Pay attention to your movements, you could get stuck with sciatica in a rather strange pose. As politicians are seldom younger than 50 with tendancy to 70/80 you are very vulnerable.




17 Oct 2007

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

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16 Oct 2007

COMPILED NEWS

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DENMARK'S Crown Prince Frederik should never have married Princess Mary and should have stayed with a former flame, says the author of a sensational new book on the Danish royal family. He must know it, but it is a little late ! I really admire the phantasy of some writers and the intelligence of the people who read him !

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Camilla's hair goes white ... Is it because of the 'third person' in HER marriage?

While getting over the Guards Chapel crisis, she has been doing a lot of thinking, some of it at her old home, Raymill House, which she insisted on keeping when she married Charles. It has become her occasional bolt-hole from the restrictions of royal protocol and Charles's pernickety habits.Since the Diana service debacle, shehas spent time both alone there and with Charles at Birkhall, in Scotland, licking her wounds and recovering her composure. Poor Camilla, still fighting with Diana's shadow ! Now I understand why she always wears a hat, it's to cover the white hairs !

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William and Kate flee to Balmoral for romantic weekend break
Prince William and Kate Middleton have flown off for a romantic break at the Queen's Balmoral estate.It is the couple's second break together since they were reunited this summer after a brief split and it is bound to fuel speculation about an engagement. Bookies are now refusing to take bets on William asking Miss Middleton to marry him. @#}%$ ! I just wanted to bet and become rich !

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Snoop Dogg will spend 160 hours picking up rubbish in a Southern California park as part of his sentence for carrying an illegal weapon in an airport last year, authorities said. The rapper, whose real name is Cordozar Calvin Broadus Jr., will do "everything from raking leaves to painting benches" at an Orange County park. An illegal weapon ?? I thought all weapons were legal in the States. But anyway it's a good idea to have the parks cleaned. There are enough people around with legal (illegal) weapons. I imagine how clean all the parks would look !


Image Hosted by ImageShack.usIt's official: Tom Cruise is as mad as a cut snake. Forget global warming and the looming disintegration of democracy, the most pressing issue of the day in Cruiseland is the threat of invasion by … aliens. According to several mags this week, Cruise is building an "$11 million luxury underground bunker" at his property in Colorado so his family can survive an "alien invasion". I always thought that his brain size must be as big as his body size !

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A police station in Dunkerque (France) closed because of flees. The police station has been closed wednesday because of a flee invasion. It had to be evacuated completely and disinfected. The flees were all concentrated in one place but instead of disinfecting room by room it had been decided to disinfect the whole building. I wonder who was sitting in this room ? Must have been a nice view to see them jumping around and scratching themselves !

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An Australian performer who has had an ear grafted onto his forearm in the name of art has sparked controversy. Cyprus-born Stelios Arcadiou, known as Stelarc, says his extra ear, made of human cartilage, is an augmentation of the body's form. Stelarc, aged 61, said it had taken him years to find a surgeon prepared to perform the operation.
The most important is that he found one and now he probably can hear much better ! But why on the arm ? His forehead would have been much better, because in winter the arm is covered and the ear can't hear this well.

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More sex needed' to boost sperm
The more they get out, the better, the study suggests. Some men should have sex every day to maximise the chances of getting their partner pregnant, researchers say. Oh ! this news must make some women very happy and others run away and hide ! I think the picture would make a nice blog background !

15 Oct 2007

A 15th CENTURY APPARTMENT IN ITALY




Don't forget the Halloween Party ! Infos see above !

Today I will show you an amazing appartment in an ancient monastery built in 1462. It is attached to the most famous church in Rovereto* (Northern Italy) the Chiesa San Marco.

I saw this appartment for the first time in 1968 when I met Nino and Ileana, Mr. Gattino's oldest friends. They were not married yet and Ileana lived in there with her mother since her birth. When they married a year later as we did too, Ileana's mother moved out and the young couple took the appartment over. It is under protection of historic buildings and monuments. They only pay a very small rent but have to well take care of the place.


Since then a lot of things have changed of course, but the outside is still the same as in 1462.

Window frames had been replaced by modern once in hard plastic and there are also double window glasses. Alarms had been put in, an electric door opener, central heating and airconditionning and other things to make life comfortable.



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This picture I took out of the inside of a historical book about Rovereto. Nino and Ileana are represented in there as occupants of this old place. Nino is a big Motorbike lover therefore the moto had to be on the picture too of course !


and here we go :

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To arrive to the church and the ancient convent you have to go through very small streets.


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and then a lot of very high steps !

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and steps again

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but then you arrive at this beautiful church, the Chiesa di San Marco (1462)

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The inside of the church is very beautiful.

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and just besides the church's entrance is the ancient convent which had housed
the "Ginnasio Roveretano" (academic high school) in 1672, the Library in 1764 and the "Accademia delle Agiati" (The Academy of the affluents) in 1785, before being transformed into appartments.

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The entrance with it's huge and heavy oak door

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Inside a court

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and if you look up you see balconies which are the entrances to the appartments.

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but first you have to climb up the old used stone steps

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and you arrive at the entrance door of Nino and Ileana's appartment

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Just behind the door you find a long corridor

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nicely decorated with old weapons. Nino is the peacefullest man in the world but he likes to collect weapons.

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A glance in the living room

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and the combined kitchen and dining room. The door in the front leans to the guest room where we have spent quite a few nights when we were in Italy. I always remember the church bells ! It rings all hours and when we were there once at easter it rang all 15 min ! Even during the night. I can tell you it's so close that you fall out of your bed ! The bells are just besides !

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The dining corner, here dressed for lunch in the evening the table was pulled out for the supper.


Behind you can see a beautiful acquarium.

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and this is the kitchen. Very comfy and modern nothing is missing to make your life easy ! And both are excellent cooks !

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On the toilet I found this and found it funny.


But this is not all, because deep down in the basement, Nino has transformed his cellar into a party room on one floor and and one floor deeper into a storage room where he keeps his wine and makes his own vinegar.


The monks used these cellars too for storage. And just besides Nino's celler is another one with old skeletons and skulls from the monks. The door is locked and you can't get in but they are there ! (and not only for Halloween !)

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The entrance is located quite deep and these are the steps leading to the door. It is rather cool so deep down with these old thick walls. In summer when it is 30°C ( 86 F) outside it is only about 16° (60F) down there and you have to wear a cardigan. But with good food and wine you quickly warm up !

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Look how thick the walls are !

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He opens the door

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and here we are. There is also a stove for cooking and even a grill

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From there other steps lead down more deeper

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and here he makes his vinegar
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and stores his wine, and food.






The rest of the pictures are shown in this slideshow.


I have to say I was deeply impressed how he had transformed his cellar, it hasn't existed the last time I visited them. The idea that already so many centuries ago monks had their food and wine storages here and even graves made me feeling strange somehow.


I also made this little video, unfortunately it is a little dark but it gives you a little overview of the atmosphere.


There are many appartments of this kind around the church, from outside you still believe to be in the middle age but once inside you have the modernest households.


*The town Rovereto I will show you on a future cruise stop.