Imaginary Paintings is the third poetry collection from Charles Baxter. He writes understated poetry that is beautifully dreamy and atmospheric and charged with significance. He is a very visual writer (as can probably be expected from the title of this collection!) and he describes nature beautifully, weaving his descriptions into the narrative of his poems.
We are driving a gray road at night,
no signs, far from friends, out in the broken
country where trees whose names we don't know
ridge marshlands, shadow on shadow. Something
moves back and forth in the trees, ruffled
and winglike, which we might see
if we stopped. We don't. Sparrows fly up
from County Road H
I had never read anything by Baxter before, but I would certainly be interested in reading more, now!
Imaginary Paintings by Charles Baxter, published by Paris Review Editions 1989
Wednesday, 24 November 2010
Tuesday, 23 November 2010
Art Exhibitions
There are several excellent art exhibitions on in Edinburgh at the moment. Three of them are on at the newly refurbished City Art Centre. One Floor of the gallery is devoted to Ian Hamilton Finlay the poet, artist and gardener, featuring beautifully atmospheric photos of his poetic garden Little Sparta. This exhibition is on until 6 March 2011.
Two floors are devoted to Window to the West: The Rediscovery of Highland Art, a varied exhibition of art from the Scottish Highlands, including lovely landscapes and an artist's book from Frances Walker and Sea Journals - beautiful pieces that combine assemblages and drawings from Elizabeth Ogilvie. This exhibition is on until 6 March 2011.
The top floor of the gallery is filled with Spirit of Air, an exhibition of Lizzie Farey's willow sculptures. Most of these are abstract, either hanging on the wall or as basket type pieces. My favourites are the swallows and also the pieces that include the furry willow catkins, this is an exhibition where it is difficult to not touch the exhibits. This exhibition is on until 27 February 2011.
The other art exhibition that is particularly worth seeing is Gray Stuff an exhibition of Alasdair Gray's designs for book covers, theatre posters and other of his illustrations. Some of his notebooks are on display too, which offer a fascinating insight into his process as a writer and illustrator. This exhibition is on until 11 December at the Talbot Rice Gallery, which is part of the University of Edinburgh.
As ever, red text in this post links to external websites where you can find out more!
Two floors are devoted to Window to the West: The Rediscovery of Highland Art, a varied exhibition of art from the Scottish Highlands, including lovely landscapes and an artist's book from Frances Walker and Sea Journals - beautiful pieces that combine assemblages and drawings from Elizabeth Ogilvie. This exhibition is on until 6 March 2011.
The top floor of the gallery is filled with Spirit of Air, an exhibition of Lizzie Farey's willow sculptures. Most of these are abstract, either hanging on the wall or as basket type pieces. My favourites are the swallows and also the pieces that include the furry willow catkins, this is an exhibition where it is difficult to not touch the exhibits. This exhibition is on until 27 February 2011.
The other art exhibition that is particularly worth seeing is Gray Stuff an exhibition of Alasdair Gray's designs for book covers, theatre posters and other of his illustrations. Some of his notebooks are on display too, which offer a fascinating insight into his process as a writer and illustrator. This exhibition is on until 11 December at the Talbot Rice Gallery, which is part of the University of Edinburgh.
As ever, red text in this post links to external websites where you can find out more!
Monday, 22 November 2010
Greener Monday - local food in Edinburgh 2
Greener Monday recently sent me a food box to review. You can read more about it in this post here.
We've now had a chance to sample all the foods and we enjoyed everything very much!
Ola - extra virgin cold pressed rapeseed oil from Ola, Aberdeenshire (Ola is Gaelic for oil) is a good alternative to olive oil, made from rapeseed grown in Aberdeenshire. Rapeseed oil has many health benefits compared to olive oil including less than half the saturated fat, though it has been linked to allergies.
Cracked Black Pepper Oatcakes from the Handmade Oatcake Company in Perthshire are chunky and chewy with a hot bite from the pepper. I was impressed to see that they contain rapeseed oil (I assume locally sourced) rather than palm oil as many oatcakes do. (Palm oil is responsible for much tropical deforestation and is probably the biggest factor leading to the decline in orang utans.)
Devilish Tomato Chutney from Isabella's Preserves, Tayside is a wonderful chutney, though perhaps not as hot as its name might suggest (which is a positive point as far as we're concerned)! It is delicious with cheese and the cracked pepper oatcakes. It is also a tasty addition to a curry.
Damson Jelly with Gin also from Isabella's Preserves is delicious on a freshly baked scone.
Shortbread from the Shortbread House in Edinburgh is a lovely shortbread, just the right texture.
Porridge premix (with apple, sultana and cinnamon) from Stoats in Edinburgh smells wonderful with the cinnamon. The apples and sultanas are a wonderful addition to porridge (though some purists may argue that nothing should be added to porridge oats!).
Blueberry drink from Bouvrage in Alloa has quite an unusual taste, though it grows on you. The blueberries come from Finland, which undermines the local provenance of this product somewhat!
Greener Monday has an online shop here. Greener Monday are also to be found at the Village Store at Out of the Blue Drill Hall, Dalmeny Street, Leith, every Saturday between 10am - 2pm.
We've now had a chance to sample all the foods and we enjoyed everything very much!
Ola - extra virgin cold pressed rapeseed oil from Ola, Aberdeenshire (Ola is Gaelic for oil) is a good alternative to olive oil, made from rapeseed grown in Aberdeenshire. Rapeseed oil has many health benefits compared to olive oil including less than half the saturated fat, though it has been linked to allergies.
Cracked Black Pepper Oatcakes from the Handmade Oatcake Company in Perthshire are chunky and chewy with a hot bite from the pepper. I was impressed to see that they contain rapeseed oil (I assume locally sourced) rather than palm oil as many oatcakes do. (Palm oil is responsible for much tropical deforestation and is probably the biggest factor leading to the decline in orang utans.)
Devilish Tomato Chutney from Isabella's Preserves, Tayside is a wonderful chutney, though perhaps not as hot as its name might suggest (which is a positive point as far as we're concerned)! It is delicious with cheese and the cracked pepper oatcakes. It is also a tasty addition to a curry.
Damson Jelly with Gin also from Isabella's Preserves is delicious on a freshly baked scone.
Shortbread from the Shortbread House in Edinburgh is a lovely shortbread, just the right texture.
Porridge premix (with apple, sultana and cinnamon) from Stoats in Edinburgh smells wonderful with the cinnamon. The apples and sultanas are a wonderful addition to porridge (though some purists may argue that nothing should be added to porridge oats!).
Blueberry drink from Bouvrage in Alloa has quite an unusual taste, though it grows on you. The blueberries come from Finland, which undermines the local provenance of this product somewhat!
Greener Monday has an online shop here. Greener Monday are also to be found at the Village Store at Out of the Blue Drill Hall, Dalmeny Street, Leith, every Saturday between 10am - 2pm.
Saturday, 20 November 2010
Friday, 19 November 2010
Union Canal
For Weekend Reflections
Thursday, 18 November 2010
Coming Soon! Green Gift Monday
Green Gift Monday coincides with Cyber Monday, November 29, the official start of the online holiday shopping season. Green Gift Monday aims to encourage people to give gifts that make a difference, like energy-efficient products, experiences rather than physical gifts or buying a virtual gift through a charity.
I think this is a great idea. I often buy people gifts from charity online gift stores. My favourite is the RSPB Good Natured Gifts. Gifts bought from here help to protect birds and other wildlife in the UK and overseas. In the USA, charity shops include the Nature Conservancy Gifts from Nature Shop.
I have found though that not everyone appreciates the virtual gift. I have one (former) friend who hasn't written to me since I sent a virtual charity gift (a donation for a home for dormice it was). I even wrote to ask if she had received the gift and no reply (and no she hasn't moved house!). So it may be useful to check whether the recipient likes the idea of a charity gift or if they'd rather have something for themselves. If it's the latter then you still have a wide range of ethical gift choices, including fair trade or locally made crafts, jewellery or clothes, organic and fair trade food hampers.
You can also make gifts greener by wrapping gifts in recycled papers, or making gifts or cards from recycled materials.
You can find links to most of my posts about green gift ideas here.
Red text in this post links to external websites, where you can find out more.
Wednesday, 17 November 2010
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