A Trip Down Memory Lane

When I was a child Sundays & nights were always a busy time. Family outings, dinners, church services, television and last minute home work filled my day.

Often I would have knots in my stomach because I didn't do my homework when I should have because weekends were always a busy time at my house and playing and church were more fun than doing homework.

Needless to say I didn't look forward to Monday's and getting back to classes. As much as I really did love school, I didn't like returning to school with unfinished homework and I would get so anxious about it that I could hardly get the work underway as the minutes ticked on through Sunday night.

Back then I was very much a procrastinator on weekends in so far as homework was concerned.

I don't think I ever outgrew the dislike of impending Monday mornings though I have no longer suffer "Monday blues".

Just out of curiosity, did any of you dear readers ever suffer from Monday blues or anxiety over unfinished homework on weekends? 

I'd like to think I wasn't alone in my feelings and experiences though it isn't something I've heard heard my friends admit to.

One thing I did look forward to on Sunday nights was the "The Wonderful World of Disney".  An hour long children's program featuring the work of Walt Disney. That was always a highlight of the week.
I also looked forward to watching "The Ed Sullivan Show". Ed Sullivan had a variety show in which he introduced many new acts (entertainers) which went on to be very famous in North America.  Acts like Elvis Presley and The Beatles.

Mr. Sullivan also had many established acts and entertainers on his program; most of whom I enjoyed for years afterward.

One entertainer I really enjoyed was Doug Kershaw, better known as the "Ragin Cajun". He so impressed me with his unique style of fiddle playing.  I'm sharing a more recent video of Mr. Kershaw here. He must have already been in his 70s when this video was made.  I just marvel at his energy!

I don't exactly know why I like fiddle music so much. I didn't hear a lot of it as a child but whenever I did, it was in my blood. Kind of like bagpipes. I actually heard more bagpipe music as a child than fiddle but I truly love the stringed instruments whether it be folk music, country music, or classical.

A VIFF Sunday

Hi friends,

I hope you had a great weekend. I had a great weekend of catching up on little things around the home.

When you live in a big city there are always a lot of things going on in which you can participate.  Every year in September things start off with a bang and I find it hard to take in much of what is happening.  September is always a very busy month as I wind down the summer activities and transition to Fall.  This year I got sick early with a cold and that slowed me down a bit also.

There are a number of festivals going on in Vancouver recently.  Here is just a short list:

• Vancouver International Fringe Festival, a festival that creates live theatre opportunities  for emerging and established artists, September 6-16, 2012
• Vancouver International Film Festival, which shows films from around the world, September 27-October 12, 2012
• Modalus Festival, a music festival with a look into the post-classical music scene, September 27-30, 2012.
• The Word on the Street, featuring author readings, exhibits, performances, and all for free!,  September 28-30, 2012
• Vancouver Writer's Festival, connects readers to writers, October 16-21, 2012

I couldn't begin to take in most of these fantastic offerings. In fact, I can barely keep track of them. But this year I finally managed to make it to the Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF), an incredibly popular event with a loyal and dedicated group of followers.

Given my love of Africa I decided to see a film set in Africa.  I don't know which country, but I think that it was somewhere in West Africa.

 

The film is called "Rebelle" and is directed by Kim Nguyen.  The VIFF website provided this short synoposis of the film

Rachel Mwanza plays Komona, a young African girl forced to wage war as a child soldier. In the midst of inconceivable violence and hatred, Komona finds comfort in an albino boy she calls Magicien. Kim Nguyen directs this heartfelt and enthralling drama about the remarkable endurance of the human spirit. Winner, Best Narrative Feature, Best Actress, Tribeca 2012, Best Actress, Berlin 2012.

I invited 4 other women friends to join me.  The film was powerful and the introduction had me in tears with the horror of the situation.  My friends were also impacted by the film and I think we all  learned something about the issues affecting child soldiers in Africa.

I don't know if you will get a chance to see this film but I've heard that it will be a submission for an Academy Award. If it wins, perhaps there is a greater opportunity for you to catch it in a theatre near you.  In the meantime, you might want to watch the trailer here .

A Thing of Beauty

I love handmade things. I've always loved crafts of all kinds. Anything made by the hand, that takes time to render, is special and holds deep attraction for me.

When I travel, my eye is always drawn to different textiles, pottery, jewellery and other hand crafted items.  Kenya is a wonderful place for seeing and buying hand crafts. I wrote about some of it here.

Kenyan beadwork is connected to the cultures of the various tribes doing the beadwork and is a somewhat new addition to their culture.  Much like it was to the Native American Indians who traded in beads with the foreign settlers, Kenyan beadwork dates back to the late 19th century when beads from what is known today as the Czech Republic, became available to them. 

Beadwork has a special attraction for me because when I was a teenager, I made things out of seed beads.  Mostly I made earrings and necklaces for the women in my community.  They loved to adorn themselves with one of a kind pieces. I haven't done any of that kind of work since then.

In Kenya, bead work is often used, along with hairstyle and other types of adornment, as a way of identifying someone's status and identity.  I'm not sure if this is still the case today, but certainly it probably is where the tribal traditions are thriving.  Westerners tend to know more about Maasai beadwork.  For example, a mother may place a string of beads around a baby's wrist, ankle and waist and thereby be able to track the baby's growth. In addition, a girl or boy's eligibility for marriage can be observed by the shape, pattern and colour of their beadwork.

A beaded bowl caught my eye the last time I was in Nakuru.  The beautiful colours caught my eye and also the fact that I'd never seen a beaded bowl before.  I brought one home.  It now sits in my bathroom holding small items like my hair clips. I would love to have several more of them in different colours; at least one gold, and one in different shades of blue.  I'm sorry I didn't buy more but I have learned not to overdo it with the tourist purchases. Whenever I get back to Kenya, I can buy a few more bowls.

I added the last photo jut because I like the wavy lines of colour that occurred when I moved my camera too quickly.

In writing my post I was fortunate to come across a book devoted to the culture and customs of Kenya, called Culture and Customs of Kenya by N. W. Sobania.  It looks like a wonderful book for your library if you're at all interested in the culture of Kenya; a fascinating country with many different cultural traditions.

Enjoy your weekend!