Away days and holidays

I'm going to be away for about two weeks.  I have prepared one or two posts myself, and two very helpful people have agreed to do guest posts for me.

On 4 May, Mike from My Thai Friend will be talking to you, and on 7 May you will meet Relax Max from Clarity 2009.  Be kind to them because they have been very kind to me.

Why do you blog?

Picture from Flickr/ciro@tokyo

I was prompted to start blogging in the first place by my attempts to help my mother record some of her memories. As she became more frail and unable to get about as much as she would have liked, I thought it would be a good way to keep her still very active mind occupied. She used to write her thoughts out longhand in an old exercise book, and I would type up her "stories" and print them out for her.

As time went on it became obvious there were all sorts of things she could tell us that weren't part of the collective family memory. I was recording some of these things but far from all. My blog was going to be a place for me to set down my own thoughts and memories - it seemed like a good idea at the time. I became diverted very rapidly when I started to translate Papillon's blog and became increasingly involved in the issues it raised. More and more people came to my blog to follow her story, and then I found what I liked best: meeting people, especially like-minded people, exchanging thoughts on subjects I found interesting, and hearing differing points of view.

I realise there are several other reasons people take up blogging:

To generate income though advertising.
To sell something - a book, art work, crafts.
To keep an online diary.
To keep in touch with friends and family.
To explain and interpret a subject whether an interest or a hobby.

The income generation/selling blogs will naturally want to attract the largest numbers of readers, but there are those at the other end of the scale who create the blog purely for their own entertainment but don't mind if anyone else reads it. In between are people who talk to a closed circle of friends.

I think I can understand all those motivations, and of course several can exist together at times. I am aware that there are some bloggers who neither reply to comments nor visit others' blogs, but I believe the majority welcome the interaction between people. For me the magic is that I can communicate as easily with people half way across the world as I can talk to my next door neighbour. I can learn about other countries, customs and cultures in a way that I never could as a tourist.

How did you start? And what keeps you going? I would guess that most of us blog to connect with other people in some way, or wouldn't you agree?

The season has started

The season for the local brocante or vide grenier. I find it hard to translate - flea market, car-boot sale without (most of) the cars, a community garage sale.

Everyone has something to sell, though whether anyone wants to buy is another matter.

And if we're very lucky, there is a local band.

Some bands are better than others, but where they may lack professionalism and skill, they always make up for it with plenty of enthusiasm.

Go to Small Town Snapshot Sunday to join in and find more small town shots.

PhotoHunt: protect

I know, I said I was going to stop PhotoHunting, but here I am again. I miss it, and today's theme fits with some shots I took yesterday.

The church and abbey of St Savin sur Gartempe.

According to tradition, in the 5th century two brothers, Savin and Cyprien, fled to escape being killed for their Christian beliefs. They were caught and beheaded near this site. Around the year 800 their relics were found and a church dedicated to shelter these relics was founded. The church exterior is fairly plain. The spire was added in the 14th century.

The nave.

Once inside you can see the amazing 11th and 12th century paintings on the ceiling and walls. The columns are intended to look like marble.

Ceiling of the nave.

The paintings on the ceiling depict various scenes from the Bible, chosen carefully to be suitable for the variety of people below who sat in different sections of the nave: monks, postulant monks, general public.

Needless to say, this treasure is protected. The site is on UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites.

Earth Day

Residents in the Langue de Barbarie section of Saint Louis in Senegal create rock or sand bag barriers to hold back the advancing sea

Photo IRIN/Phuong Tran

You may or may not think that the changing climate has anything to do with human activity on this planet.  You may or may not think that there is anything we can do about it.  The fact remains that the climate is changing,   and that the people who suffer the worst are those who can least afford to do anything about it.

The photo above shows the efforts of local people in Saint Louis, on the coast of Senegal, to combat steadily rising sea levels.  They think about it all the time.  Further north, the Sahara Desert is growing by 1000 sq km a year and people are having to travel further and further in desperate search of water.  In Mozambique, the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers flood with increasing frequency.  In Chokwe, people are learning to build grain silos in trees to keep the crops safe from floodwater.  Some communities are being moved to resettlement sites but then no longer have access to their farms or livelihoods.

Earth Day is not only about the environment, it's about people too.  People need to be able to live.

To those who have hunger, give bread.
To those who have bread, give a hunger for justice.

An alternative view

Entering this small town, you follow a boring and somewhat scruffy road.  What you can't see is.......

... that these houses look very different on the other side.  I took this photo from.....

...the pathway that runs along the ends of their gardens, and.....

.... alongside the river.  A boring street, a placid river: which is the front view and which the back?

Go to Small Town Snapshot Sunday to join in and find more small town shots.

Campaign against female genital cutting and forced marriage

I was first alerted to this campaign by my friend Max, from Clarity2009.  His post made me look further into what was going on.

The motivation behind the drive is to raise awareness. 100,000 posters and brochures are being distributed to  organisations concerned with women's rights, equal opportunities, and the information covering FGM is being given to centres for mother and child welfare.  In both, the legal situations are outlined and in both they implore young women to break the taboos and the silence.  The graphics were chosen with care and are deliberately austere.  The brochure "L'excision est un crime" describes clearly the procedures of FGM and the medical consequences.

France does address these problems quite well.  According to the brochure it is the only country to have taken cases of FGM to court, the first time in 1979.  In addition French administration has agreed that the costs of reconstructive surgery will be covered by the state.  Dr Pierre Foldès is no longer the only surgeon to offer this service.  He has trained doctors who now perform the same operation in other parts of France, and also in Africa.  The procedure is mentioned in the leaflet being distributed.

The UK has had campaigns specifically against FGM, most notably two years ago when the police offered a reward of £20,000 for information regarding anyone involved in FGM.  It was conducted in the summer when so many girls are taken back to Africa for this mutilation.  Unfortunately though, there is no recognition for reconstructive surgery, and the best the National Health Service can offer is reversal, which can be very helpful in some cases but it's not the same thing.  Anyone unconvinced that reconstructive surgery is needed, should read Papillon's story about why she decided she would go through with it.  It gives a real insight into the psychological consequences that she suffered as a result of her mutilation as a child.

In the USA, Clitoraid.org does offer the reconstructive surgery, currently for $1000.  Dr Marci Bowers has trained with Dr Foldès and now practises in Jamaica and the USA.  I am rather uncomfortable that Clitoraid was founded by the Raelian movement, you know, the people who claimed to have cloned human beings.  That does worry me.

For all the publicity, I'm not convinced that the French campaign will address the issues so very successfully.  The way they are presented, they seem to be preaching to the converted.  What they have to do is win over the hearts and minds of the parents of the girls who will suffer.  Distributing leaflets to women's groups doesn't seem the best way, although it's a step, but I'd be happier if they were making efforts to speak not only to those who may spot the abuse but also to the people who ultimately are the decision makers for their daughters.

Cowslips

Cowslips growing by the roadside.

Derelict

Around much of rural France you see a large number of derelict or semi-derelict buildings as young people continue to move to larger towns and cities in search of work.  They are no longer interested in rural or small town occupations.  As a result the towns and villages have fewer amenities to offer, and the outward flow continues. 

In the picture above you can see a typical old property, left to go into ruin.  The situation may have  been worsened by the French inheritance laws which insist that no property can be sold without the agreement of all offspring of the owner.

Judging by the stacks of roof tiles outside, this house is going to be renovated.  Typically, this will be done by foreigners, or by Parisians looking for a holiday home.  Some small towns are almost completely closed up during the winter months, when no visitors are there.  Alternatively, houses for renovation are bought by British (mainly) people looking to make a new life in another country.  There are some places where there are few French people left.

It's quite a problem.  It must be preferable to have buildings maintained, but the influx of holiday home owners or non-French people does change the character of a place completely.  It's not a problem confined to France.  Parts of Wales and south west England have similar situations.

Go to Small Town Snapshot Sunday to join in and find more small town shots.

Madonna and child

Ten points to ponder

1. What does the adoption of one child do for the good of Africa?
2. Why a four year old who will have made relationships?
   
3. Is a celebrity lifestyle going to give any child a balanced life?
4. How often will this child realistically be able to return to Malawi to keep contact with relatives?
5. How soon will she find it hard to relate to those relatives and her country of birth?
6. What sort of an impression does a celebrity give by flying into a country, with full entourage and press coverage, expecting to fly out again with the baby of choice?
7. How many children could be helped to live with their relatives if the time, energy and money had been spent in different ways?
8. How many mothers could have life-saving medical attention so that there were fewer babies without mothers?
9. How many families could be kept together if they had access to some microfinance?
10. Is any of the focus of attention on Malawi’s needs rather than on the celebrity’s?

Am I alone in wondering about these points?

Garden jewels

Pearls - my favourite.

By her who in June was born
No gem save pearls shall be worn
They will ensure her constancy
True friendship and fidelity.

Amethyst.

The February born shall find
Sincerity and peace of mind,
Freedom from passion and from care,
If they, the amethyst will wear.

The glowing Ruby should adorn
Those who in warm July are born,
Then will they be exempt and free
From love's doubt and anxiety

I'm loving the start of the seasons of flowers, but also the start of the annual dilemma. Should I cut the flowers and bring them into the house to have some garden indoors, or leave them in the garden where they will last longer? Ideally there would be enough for both, but it never seems to work out that way.

And has anyone ever noticed that tulips continue to grow after being cut? Whenever I cut them all to a similar length and pop them in a jug, the next day I find without fail that one or two will be longer than the rest. It seems to happen only with tulips.

The focal point

A local small town centre, taken early last summer.  It may be an exaggeration to call it a town.   Note the one size fits all establishment on the left - bar, tobacconist, hotel, restaurant, grocery store, with the added attraction of having the only signpost right outside.

Go to Small Town Snapshot Sunday to join in and find more small town shots.

Bourges - the cathedral

I had intended this post to be about the medieval city of Bourges, but to do either the cathedral or the rest of the city justice, it had to be split into two posts.  And there are rather a lot of pictures, so I hope not too slow to load.

I have wanted to see Bourges properly ever since, years ago, my son swam in a swimming competition there.  We dashed in, watched and cheered as required, and dashed out again, but I always felt we had missed an opportunity, and we had.

The Cathédrale Saint-Etienne is listed as one of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites.  The listing says it was "built between the late 12th and late 13th centuries, is one of the great masterpieces of Gothic art and is admired for its proportions and the unity of its design. The tympanum, sculptures and stained-glass windows are particularly striking. Apart from the beauty of the architecture, it attests to the power of Christianity in medieval France."

The east end

I had to look up the definition of "tympanum", the semi-circular or triangular decorative wall surface over an entrance , but it turns out I had already noticed they were stunning:

The southernmost of the five main entrances.

The entrance on the southern side.

Inside was a huge open area, with double aisles on each side.

 The height was breathtaking.

Most of the stained glass dates from the 13th century.

It's possible to go to the top of the north tower, but they do warn you there are 396 steps.  I can do that!

I don't deny, it was an effort!  And then when I reached the top, I was horrified.

Nothing to hold me there.  That parapet looked downright flimsy!  I approached with great caution and the view was amazing. Clinging on for dear life, I took some pictures.

The higgledy-piggledy houses in the old city, with the modern city further in the distance.

Towards the east.

After visiting the cathedral, it was time to see the rest of the medieval centre, but that will have to wait for another post.  To be continued....

More about Bourges.

Spam-a-lot ..... the interval

Photo from Flickr/StarrGazr

Comment moderation has been added again.  I'm sorry to my regular and faithful visitors, but yesterday felt like a near disaster as a certain Chinese person attempted to leave his mark all over my blog.  All in Chinese, so incomprehensible to us but I think the idea was for his huge lists of links to be followed by Google's spiders.  At the moment I know of no other way to combat spam, so I'll leave it in place for a while.