Sunday, 5 April 2026

Remembering Ryuichi

 

Remembering the extraordinary Japanese musician and occasional actor Ryuichi Sakamoto
who sadly passed away three years ago at the end of March 2023, although news of his death
didn't reach us until early April that year.
In 2014 Sakamoto was diagnosed with throat cancer, eventually gaining remission in 2021,
announcing online at the same time that he had succumbed to colon cancer which sadly took
his life two years later in 2023.

I always get a lump in my throat when I hear of colon cancer victims as I was diagnosed
with the very same thing in 2012, taking a year out from blogging while undergoing a six
year treatment and a recovery program, finally gaining remission around 2018.

Along with many of his awards for his film music compositions Sakamoto will undoubtedly
be remembered for his haunting music from the 1983 film 'Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence' 
a film directed by Nagisa Oshima. The film was based on the wartime experiences of  Sir
Laurens van der Post, portrayed in the film by actor Tom Conti starring alongside David Bowie.

Above video cleverly put together by


Sunday, 29 March 2026

At Long Last It's Summertime

So at long last we can say that it's now officially British Summertime. And what a long
wait it was this Winter, with a January that I'm never likely to forget.
I guess that the period from October to the end of the year is okay, what with the Autumn
season and the long build up to Christmas. But it's the two months of January and February
that I dislike so much.
So hopefully very soon things will warm up and then we can say Summer really is here.

The Beachside Plant Container All Lit Up


My newly made Beachside plant container looks a treat all lit up in the evening.
There's even a flashing light in the lighthouse.

Thursday, 26 March 2026

Creating Another Beachside Plant Container


With the worst of the Winter out of the way and a January I won't easily forget,
I thought I'd cheer up the room with a new seaside plant container. I couldn't quite
find the right colour container so I bought a dull grey one, sanded it down and painted
it in a cheery seaside light blue.
Of course the few plants in it are artificial so no watering needed.

Verdi's Climatic Tragedy......Rigoletto

 
Written and composed in 1851, Rigoletto is a three part opera by the master of Grand
Italian Opera Giuseppe Verdi.
Set in the times of Renaissance Italy, it's a dramatic tale of love, betrayal and revenge.
And in the closing moments of the final act we see the Duke of Mantua's court jester
Rigoletto suffer the consequences of a failed cunning plan that not only affects himself,
but also brings about the loss of his innocent daughter Gilda.
In the short closing video clip above we see Italian Baritone Leo Nucci reacting to the
demise of his daughter in a barnstorming finish, and a typical climax that became Verdi's
trademark.

VIDEO KINDLY UPLOADED TO YOUTUBE BY