-
Sardana in the Jardin
Last week I was in Paris with Martin and my mother, and it was a wonderful holiday in a beautiful city. Perhaps one of the best memories of the trip was an unexpected spectacle when we visited the Jardin du Luxembourg. It was our last day in the city and we decided to take it easy. We feasted upon galettes (buckwheat crepes) at noon and wandered down to the Jardin without any particular plan. After all the breath-taking architecture in Paris it was a welcome relief to be in this pleasant green space. That’s the Medici Fountain near the entrance to the garden. We were lucky to have yet another…
-
day of the dead
It’s Día de los Muertos in parts of the world today. I like the holiday with its emphasis on visiting graves, and being cosy with the dead. The picture on the right is one I drew a few years ago in my moleskine notebook. I love the calavera tradition of decorated skulls. Venerating the skull, as the repository of the brain and human spirit, is a common element in many cultures, including our own. Head-hunting, and the display of the skulls of conquered enemies, was a practice in ancient Europe. And the lure of the skull is still strong today. I’m a regular reader of the Fortean Times, and look…