The Mad Conductor

Catherine Nicolette
MOM AND I WERE LEARNING OPERETTA from a retired singer in Welkom. Do, re, mi, fa . . . deep breathing exercises, arpeggio scales. Altogether, a very happy time.
Italian operetta became my life when I was not working or studying. Trying to hit the 'high B' became my life's ambition, and the day I hit high C, my cup of joy overflowed. Singing had its pitfalls, however. Not the least of them, that it's loud. To say the least.

Cats Chorus
The first time Mom and I managed to finish an Italian duet, we were delighted with ourselves. Dad was making tea in the kitchen, and there was dead silence as we triumphantly came to an end. "Dad, Dad" I called. He came to the door with a red and white checked teatowel slung over his shoulder. "What did it sound like?" I asked. Dad answered,"Rather like two cats I once heard wailing on top of a wall," and took a fit of laughing. Outraged, I put my nose in the air. Dad went off chuckling to make some tea, and Mom and I exchanged a look.
However, we persevered. And thus it came to pass that Mom and I spent many a happy day singing at local Weddings and Church Festivals
. 
Outskirts of the Bush
Years later I was living and working in the heat of a South African town at the outskirts of the bush. I was still organist and singer and sometime conductor at the local Church. 
One particular Sunday the choir, by popular demand, asked for "The Holy City" to be played after Communion. All week we practised whenever we had a chance. Sunday came, and we threw ourselves heart and soul into the task. After Communion and Thanksgiving, our little troupe sang with heartfelt devotion. We all finished our song to a stunned silence from the Church. Truly a happy end to a beautiful Service.

Schoolboys
After Mass, we all greeted each other and I went on my way. 
Humming, I came to a bend in the road. Around the corner were a group of boarder schoolboys. They were convulsed with laughter at the choir's antics; in particular one tall young gentleman. Eventually when he could get his breath, he cried, "Wait! Wait! I'll do the mad conductor . . . " 
Striped muffler around his throat, he stood straight and majestic in the midst of the road. 
He raised an imaginary baton much in parody of the choir introduction I had given; and then began a performance of a conductor wildly leading the few. He shook his arms, threw them about, and then staggered about, laughing convulsively.

Thoughtfully I regarded them, before continuing on my way.
 Never mind, I mused, they're still young; one day, they'll appreciate good music . . .  


The Mormon Tabernacle Choir - The Holy City - Jerusalem
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OUfdCBaN8o&list=RD5OUfdCBaN8o#t=2 

The Holy City Lyrics - Charlotte Church 
http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/The-Holy-City-lyrics-Charlotte-Church/942C03710B28FD2548256AEA0003D3DD 

With thanks to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Youtube and sing365

Launching my book was an adventure

Luky;
LAUNCHING MY FATIMA BOOK was an exciting yet at times hair-raising experience.
My reader friend I told you about, the one who had promised to have the printing done, sent me a copy of the way it should have been typed. This arrived the day after the typing and illustrations had been completed, and it turned out I had not typed the book in the way I should have.
So I took a deep breath, approached a local printer instead, and asked Sean to guarantee the printing costs, in case I should not be able to cover them.
My reader friend sent me a considerable sum to start the ball rolling, and I then approached friends and fellow parishioners for donations.

Lots offered
The generosity of my friends and fellow parishioners staggered me. Within three weeks the entire cost of the first thousand copies had been settled.
On May 13, exactly 66 years after the day Our Lady first appeared to the three little shepherds at Fatima, I posted the first lot, which contained gift copies to sixty-odd Bishops then resident in southern Africa.

Although I had prepared the manilla envelopes with addresses, the evening of May 12 was a busy one, with my bedroom converted into an office and children closing manilla envelopes wherever you looked.
We organised the youngest with a box of colouring pencils and she coloured in the pictures of her own copy while the rest of us were working away.
About three hours after starting, when we'd nearly finished, one of us spotted the youngest, seated at her little chair and table which she liked to pretend was her office desk with tears pouring down her face, looking as if her heart would break.

Non-plussed we asked: "What's the matter?"
"I went out for a little while," she sobbed, "and when I came back someone had posted my colouring book."
As I comforted her the awful thought hit me. Some Bishop was going to be the lucky recipient of a Fatima book half coloured in by my youngest.
With horror I gazed at the enormous pile of envelopes.

Let it go
"Should we tear them open, Ma?" my second son asked.
"What, and lose all those stamps and readdress all those envelopes? No ways", I decided, but a lot of the satisfaction had gone out of the job for me.
One way and another, I was happy to know that I had finally been given my long awaited opportunity of spreading the beautiful message of Fatima.

One thought kept bothering me: which Bishop was presented with the coloured-in copy?


For those who wish; here is the book
http://childrenpraise.blogspot.ie/2013/12/three-little-shepherd-meet-our-lady-of.html
Chapter One; http://childrenpraise.blogspot.ie/2013/12/three-little-shepherds-meet-our-lady-of.html
Chapter Two; http://childrenpraise.blogspot.ie/2014/03/three-little-shepherds-meet-our-lady-of.html
Chapter Three; http://childrenpraise.blogspot.ie/2014/03/three-little-shepherds-meet-our-lady-of_16.html
Chapter Four; http://childrenpraise.blogspot.ie/2014/03/three-little-shepherds-meet-our-lady-of_1064.html
Chapter Five; http://childrenpraise.blogspot.ie/2014/03/three-little-shepherds-meet-our-lady-of_1732.html
Chapter Six; http://childrenpraise.blogspot.ie/2014/03/three-little-shepherds-meet-our-lady-of_6579.html
Chapter Seven; http://childrenpraise.blogspot.ie/2014/03/three-little-shepherds-meet-our-lady-of_7087.html
Chapter Eight; http://childrenpraise.blogspot.ie/2014/03/three-little-shepherds-meet-our-lady-of_9510.html
Chapter Nine; http://childrenpraise.blogspot.ie/2014/03/three-little-shepherds-meet-our-lady-of_17.html
Chapter Ten; http://childrenpraise.blogspot.ie/2014/03/three-little-shepherds-meet-our-lady-of_8108.html
Chapter Eleven; http://childrenpraise.blogspot.ie/2014/03/three-little-shepherds-meet-our-lady-of_5048.html 
Chapter Twelve; http://childrenpraise.blogspot.ie/2014/03/three-little-shepherds-meet-our-lady-of_5857.html 
Chapter Thirteen; http://childrenpraise.blogspot.ie/2014/03/three-little-shepherds-meet-our-lady-of_4678.html
How to Recite the Rosary; http://childrenpraise.blogspot.ie/2014/03/three-little-shepherds-meet-our-lady-of_7459.html 
The Great Promise of the Five First Saturdays;  
http://childrenpraise.blogspot.ie/2014/03/three-little-shepherds-meet-our-lady-of_6761.html

A little harmless fun keeps you going

Luky;
THERE ARE TIMES when I notice in myself a tendency towards bigotry and narrow-mindedness which frightens me.
You've got to live in the world and play an active part in its daily life, and I find that when you become bigoted you turn yourself away from reality.
There is a definite demarcation between righteousness and self-righteousness; yet there are times when, endeavouring to be righteous, I become self-righteous.

Fortunately my husband used to laugh me out of my confined outlook. His was a chequered career, and his vast experience stood me in good stead many a time.
Having studied philosophy for three years, he looked more deeply into the motivation behind people's actions that I did; and having worked in health care, he was convinced that a gloomy outlook leads to self-harm rather than self-improvement.

Prodigal Air
And so I was in the odd position where I always had to nag him for the necessities of life, whereas he dished out luxuries with a prodigal air.
He believed that if you have a bit of fun to look forward to now and again, you will be able to travel more happily on life's weary road.
Whether this fun consists of a drink, a visit to the races, a film, a library book or a bar of chocolate, he felt you should have it.

School books
"But we'll have to buy school books in January", I would say despairingly.
"Have you ever not been able to buy school books in January?" he asked. And it is true, I hadn't.
Mind you, I loved his easy-going way, and although I tried not to overdo it, I used to thank my lucky stars for him on a Sunday afternoon when he had a drink, which galvanised him into cooking my dinner for me and kept our children out of my hair while I could stay in my room with library books and the wireless on, munching a bar of chocolate which did nothing to reduce my weight.

Sure enough, I hated myself the next day when I had to go back on diet, or at times like the one when my son paid me what he thought was a great compliment:
"Gosh Ma, you've got strong muscles", he praised (who wouldn't have, after so many years of carting babies and toddlers around?}
"If only I had muscles like that, I wouldn't mind being as fat as you are."
Never mind, I still think it's a good idea to give oneself a break now and then.
What does it say in Desiderata?
"Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. . ." 
We tried not to be too hard on our children. Does God expect us to be too hard on ourselves?

Make ends meet
Some chosen souls, yes, surely, but the average poor soul who tries to make ends meet and do his or her duty most of the time can allow a harmless treat now and then, beyond doubt.
And so this is how it came about that when I was asked what I had done over the weekend, I was able to say: "Well, on Friday I went to the races and on Saturday we had a procession in honour of Our Lady."
"What a contrast," someone remarked.
"Not really", I said. "I was merely rendering to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."

Or don't you agree?

BREAKING NEWS; 5.3 Earthquake hits South Africa

EARLIER TODAY DR LUKY WHITTLE AND HER SON HAD TO FLEE A BUILDING IN KROONSTAD AS AN EARTHQUAKE REGISTERING 5.3 ON THE RICHTER SCALE SHOOK THE AREA. Phonecalls from Lumiere friends, families and volunteers flooded in during the morning, as shaken voices reassured all in Dublin that they were ok. According to Luky, she and Joseph were in a building in Kroonstad when a small quake, lasting about 10 seconds, shook the building. Then the earthquake hit, and all had to flee the building in fear of their lives as the walls and roof shook so much it appeared the building was in danger of collapsing. The children and vulnerable were pushed out of the buildings first.

Luky said, "I lived in a mining town all my life, and was used to the quakes there. But this was a far different experience. Friends have been ringing me; in Pretoria, elevators shook and doors rattled. Other friends from Botswana and Durban told me they also experienced the quake."
The Epicentre of the quake was reportedly in Orkney, 105 miles southwest of Johannesburg. Britain has also been affected by quakes in the last few days, Lumiere family and volunteers there have reassured that they are ok.

A Candle has been lit by Lumiere in remembrance of all who have suffered and died in the quake. Blessings on Earthquake-Report.com which has been a source of vital information to us, family and friends, in foreign lands at this time. Our thoughts are with those who are bereaved, trapped in mines, have lost their buildings and homes, been injured.

http://earthquake-report.com/2014/08/05/strong-earthquake-south-africa-on-august-5-2014/

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/08/05/quake-hits-south-africa/13612291/?utm_source=feedblitz&utm_medium=FeedBlitzRss&utm_campaign=usatoday-newstopstories 

http://earthquaketrack.com/p/south-africa/recent    

http://www.sabreakingnews.co.za/2014/08/05/massive-tremor-shakes-southern-africa/

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-143899/Another-quake-rocks-Manchester.html

With thanks to Earthquake-report, usatoday, earthquaketrack, sabreakingnews.co.za, dailymail.co.uk

Flâneries in Forests and Fields

Wildflowers

In Dublin? Why not visit the Olivier Cornet Gallery and see the beautiful group show 'Flâneries in forests and fields'

featuring works by 

Hugh Cummins, Mark Doherty, Michelle Dunne,

John Fizsimons, Jordi Forniés, Conrad Frankel,

Daniel Lipstein, Jason Lowe, Seán Mulcahy,

Yanny Petters and Adrienne Symes.

The artist Yanny Petters Verre Églomisé panels entranced me. Yanny's aim, within her work, is to 'draw attention to the lesser plants, which are often considered to be weeds. Wild plants are an essential plant of the symbiosis of the earth, giving humanity the basis for medicine, food, dyes and garden flowers as well as many other uses.' 1

The glowing colours of Conrad Frankel's 'The sea road' reminded me of the beauty of Monet's creations.

WHERE? Olivier Cornet Gallery

JF Studios, 5 Cavendish Row, Dublin 1

(opposite Gate Theatre)

WHEN? Tuesdays to Fridays 11am - 6pm (till 8pm Thursdays)

Saturdays to Sundays 12pm to 5pm

Monday closed

Exhibition on until 30 August 2014

1 The story behind a series of Verre Églomisé panels by the artist Yanny Petters. Brochure, 2013

http://www.culturefox.ie/event/flaneries-in-forests-and-fields-olivier-cornet-gallerys-midsummer-group-show/29463.aspx

http://www.oliviercornetgallery.com/ 

How to find the Olivier Cornet Gallery 
http://www.oliviercornetgallery.com/#/contact-find-us/4561692678 

http://www.yannypetters.net/

http://www.yannypetters.net/about.html

http://www.yannypetters.net/assets/julienne-hanson-essay.pdf

With thanks to culturefox.ie, oliviercornetgallery.com, yannypetters.net, julienne hanson.pdf
Image by Catherine Nicolette ' Wildflowers' - for use copyright free