Diamonds and Rust

I am still struggling with my watercolour painting. After almost a year of weekly classes I don’t see a lot of improvement in my work,and I still seem to make the same silly mistakes. With watercolour it is difficult to amend them once the paint is on the paper and I don’t want to cheat and use white goache. So I thought I would go on a painting holiday where I could paint without interruption ,and have tuition too, once the weather improved.

So I contacted a very helpful lady at creArtive,Rhodes explaining what I wanted and that when considering different groups I fitted into what I think is known as a senior citizen, but my eyesight still enables me to paint and my hand doesn’t shake. I felt almost ashamed to admit that I wasn’t young any more, even though my generation of war babies had done more than many to alter the course of the world. But then I thought of the Rolling Stones and said what the hell.

Somehow the names given to people having reached the age of 55 seem to me discriminating, and does nothing to make us feel better on having reached retirement age in the first place. OLDIES, PENSIONERS even WRINKLIES. !!

Why can’t we introduce a more acceptable name for the old hippies, 68ers and war veterans.

I would suggest,

SEENAGERS

“Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end.

But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning”

Winston Churchill 1874-1965

I am exhausted. Physically and mentally.

I have just come back from my line dancing class. Now don’t laugh, I know line dancing went out with the Charleston

Two weeks ago I saw the announcement of a beginners class and I thought it couldn’t hurt if I toddled along to take a look at the company I might want to make a fool of myself in.

An Aunt and Uncle of mine , have been line dancing for the last ten years, they are extremely agile and alert and are now over seventy.They blame it on their weekly meeting.

My music appreciation covers many forms, good country is one of them, although I believe it’s considered bad taste in some circles in the United States, and here for that matter.

I thought I’d give it a try anyway seeing as it looked as if I definitely wasn’t the oldest in the group of sixteen women and two men.

Of course they don’t always dance to country these days. The music is very mixed which makes it all a bit more difficult.

In fact it really isn’t as simple as it looks, but that is what I wanted. It really needs a lot of concentration to keep in line,there are steps to be memorised and when and in which direction you should be turning. Chaos prevailed today because nine of the class were turning right when they should have been turning left. so it was all good fun too.

An hour of dancing was really quite strenuous so I felt at least after my second lesson this evening I was doing something for my physical fitness too.

I did make the pilgrimage to the home of country once. But I don’t have a hat, and I should have bought a pair of cowboy boots.

Three more lessons and we will be able to perform at the next Country and Line Dance Night she said.

Don’t say I get paid for it too.

There don’t seem to be enough hours left for all the things I wanted to do or should have done before I leave on my trip.

I havn’t started packing,but just glancing around the chaos that once was my fairly tidy bedroom tells me it won’t all go in.

Suddenly I have got lots of ideas for posts and no time to write them.

I wish all of my new found Blogger friends, good luck,good health,and inspiration while I am away,and I hope you will drop by again when I come back from Thailand on the 24th of September.

Maybe I will be able to write something during my travels,but first of all have to find the ins and outs of Internet Cafes.

Take care

Diamonds and Rust.

That the Swiss can live peacefully with weapons has been obvious since William Tell hit the proverbial apple.

That Swiss males in military service age keep their rifles and pistols at home and the female population grows continually is almost a world wonder.

That our medical Doctors have little to no experience with dealing with gunshot wounds is explainable.

The Swiss don’t shoot each other,they shoot at targets.

Probably each village here has a shooting range. It is obligatory that every male from 18 to 40 has shooting practice.

For under and above that age there are countless rifle and pistol shooting clubs-also open to women, and contests in marksmanship are continually being held.

An elderly gentleman who doesn’t live far away from me took part in the last “Eidgenossisch” National Contest.

He is 101 years old.

He can still score better than any other in his category-veterans, he hopes to be at the next,and doesn’t see why not.

For his 100th Birthday he bought himself a second hand computer and loves using it.

When asked how he manages to keep  himself so well,he says he drinks a glass of whiskey a day.

Just one.

Since my husband and I have retired we have more than enough time to travel. We would like to see more of the world and stay independent.

Maybe there are more of you out there in a similar situation.

Our idea would be to exchange our house and car for an arranged period of time with any other couple in the world who would like to exchange theirs. That way we could all save hotel costs and get to know people and country better.

We have a comfortable house and garden in a large village just outside of Zürich.The International Airport is a fifteen minute drive away.

High Alpine skiing areas are easily accessible, lower slopes and cross country close.

Whether you like hiking,swimming in nearby lakes or just sightseeing and shopping our part of Switzerland has lots to offer.

We would be pleased to hear from you.

Now that I have time for myself I have started to paint again after many years.Not that I ever learnt much besides how to paint a flower in a vase during my school Art Classes, but it did get me a scholarship once to an almost unknown Art School which because of circumstances I couldn’t accept. Now I have to start at the very beginning.

Like in all things one should have aims,and set goals if you want achievement.My problem is I set my goals to high.

Last week I jokingly asked a British Artist who’s work had been turned down this year at the almost “Holy” Royal College of Art in London whether he thought I could apply next year!!! He told me in other words,that they would consider me to old. Not pliable enough.
Reach for the stars?

The Swiss Art Awards is a competition which takes place parallel to the “Art” exhibition in Basel. Experts this year judged 604 works of budding Artists. The age limit here is 40 years. After this age talent obviously isn’t possible. Even though one hears it is never to late to learn where is the helping hand that give oldies,wrinklies,groofties or whatever after the age of 50 a chance. Are we not worthy of any sort of encouragement. Are our eyes so bad that we can’t see, and our hands so shakey we can’t hold a brush.

Is it not discrimination,and when are we going to protest.?

“I want to be alone”

Greta Garbo 1905-1990 Grand Hotel. Film
Do other people have this problem,wanting to be alone. Is it a modern day thing,by modern I mean after Garbo?In the Bible, God says in the book of Genesis; “It’s not good that man should be alone”

It is good for me,I like my own company and I’m not lonely and I’m certainly not idle and I do have friends but I do sometimes want to be alone with my thoughts,my plans and my dreams. Recently it’s becoming rather difficult and the only place I can really be alone is the bathroom, but even there a voice calling’ what are you doing’ wants an answer.

The trouble is since the beginning of the year my husband has been retired.

Now don’t get me wrong, my huband is a helpfull,amicable,loving person but he is now always there and wanting to do things together.

I know I should be thankfull that I have someone like him around, and I am,but how do I get away from him sometimes without hurting him or making him think I’m having a clandestine relationship with someone.

I am still a working woman so out of the house four days a week in a demanding job working with people,-probably why the desire for solitude occasionally,and I really understand now the difficulty some men have coming home to an over communicative wife after a long hard day at work.

But Spring will undoubtably come and he will have more things to occupy him. But until then.?

Do other woman have my dilemma?

Could be that he has the same problem.

Maybe I should ask him.

The French have a saying;

”Partir,c’est toujours un peu mourir”

Parting is a little like dying.

This might not always be true but it seems appropiate in my case.

I am definately wondering if we survive the grave for I am parting from so many things and it hurts. But then Anthony Trollope said;

”Those who have courage to love should have courage to suffer”

Firstly my work; In a few monthes I won’t have to get up at the crack of dawn anymore-( It did limit my social life for years)- funny though, when you can sleep in you wake up anyway. Will I miss it? I’m not sure, certain aspects certainly. The life, the drama, a few of the colleagues and of course the actors,though not all of them. Still wondering though how it would have been had I learnt something else.

Then a lifestyle; How do you end something you’ve been doing for years and start again from the beginning ( the third verse of Kiplings ‘If’ comes to my mind) with a completely new perspective. A while ago I thought it would be fun,I’m not so sure anymore.

I’m parting as well from things in my homeland which are very dear to me but havn’t been good for me and which I have held on to for too long and that is the worst of all.

But I can say like the French Sparrow- non je ne regrette rien, non rien de rien