Denise Levertov - The Metier of Blossoming

The Métier of Blossoming

Fully occupied with growing--that's
the amaryllis. Growing especially
at night: it would take
only a bit more patience than I've got
to sit keeping watch with it till daylight;
the naked eye could register every hour's
increase in height. Like a child against a barn door,
proudly topping each year's achievement,
steadily up
goes each green stem, smooth, matte,
traces of reddish purple at the base, and almost
imperceptible vertical ridges
running the length of them:
Two robust stems from each bulb,
sometimes with sturdy leaves for company,
elegant sweeps of blade with rounded points.
Aloft, the gravid buds, shiny with fullness.
One morning--and so soon!--the first flower
has opened when you wake. Or you catch it poised
in a single, brief
moment of hesitation.
Next day, another,
shy at first like a foal,
even a third, a fourth,
carried triumphantly at the summit
of those strong columns, and each
a Juno, calm in brilliance,
a maiden giantess in modest splendor.
If humans could be
that intensely whole, undistracted, unhurried,
swift from sheer
unswerving impetus! If we could blossom
out of ourselves, giving
nothing imperfect, withholding nothing!

Denise Levertov

found at http://www.poemhunter.com/denise-levertov/poet-6681/

Marc Chagall - Joy

Quan Yin

The Absurd Art of Charlotte Mutsaers /De absurde kunst van Charlotte Mutsaers

My favorite artist in the Netherlands is Charlotte Mutsaers, with her absurd stories and images. She is the only artist who can make me laugh out loud. Or do you know of anyone else?

Mijn favoriete kunstenaar in Nederland is Charlotte Mutsaers, met haar absurde verhalen en beelden. Zij is de enige kunstenaar die me hard aan het lachen kan maken. Of weet jij er nog een?

I.M. Hilde Krikke 17 april 1950 - 26 august 1992

Today was the birthday of visual artist Hilde Krikke, who unexpectedly died one night in the arms of her lover Pino. She was the first person in my life who died so suddenly, which had a great impact on me. It turned my whole perspective upside down. Now I find myself searching for her on the internet, only to find her name on the list of a few dance productions by Wies Bloemen http://www.aya.nl/ for which she made the decors. A link brought me to a mysterious photo site full of portraits, and suddenly there she was, brought back to life again.It's not clear to me who has the credits for this compilation, but I want to thank Wies Bloemen for the link http://www.portraits-of.nl/ on her site that brought Hilde back to life again, if only in memory.

Tuesday 18 april 2006
I received an email from Wies Bloemen telling me that Peter Janssen created the Portraits and that he is thinking about organising an In Memoriam to honor Hilde's art work.

Egg In A Basket - V for Vendetta

V showing his Egg In A Basket dish

Yesterday I saw the movie V for Vendetta which I enjoyed very much. I have learned that I am not the only one, many people have seen the film many times, because there is so much to see and to understand, many stories within the big story. The Internet Movie Database site http://us.imdb.com/ gives a lot information about V and there is even a complete website dedicated to the movie which you can find at http://vforvendetta.warnerbros.com/
Funny, but the thing that intrigued me, was a small breakfast dish that was made twice during the movie. It is called Egg In A Basket and it looks like a beautiful abstract painting, with a brown square, a white square and a yellow circle. Here is the recipe so you can make it yourself and see what it looks like. I am certainly going to make it too, and will photograph it in such a way that you will wonder what kind of painting it is. http://www.netcooks.com/recipes/Breakfast/Egg.In.A.Basket.html

Wikipedia writes the following about it:

An egg in the basket, or egg in a basket, is a fried egg cooked within the confines of a piece of toast whose center has been removed.

Preparation typically begins by cutting a circular hole in the center of a piece of toast. The toast is then fried in a pan with butter. When browned satisfactorily, the egg is cracked into the "basket" cut into the toast. The egg is then fried to the desired consistency. When eaten, the bread and egg yolk mix readily, giving this egg dish its special quality.

Alternate recipes, for those preparing this simple dish and do not have access to a stove, call for the bread and egg to be microwaved. Some people will say that cooking this egg recipe is easier than cooking eggs alone, because the bread adds stability if the cook wishes to flip the egg. Some people put the cut-out circle of bread back on the finished toast and egg, adding a type of "lid" to the "basket".

This dish is also known as a "spit in the eye," an "egg in a hole," a "popeye," a "bunkhouse egg," and, inaccurately enough, an "egg with a hole in the middle". They are also known as "bullseye eggs" because they appear to have three rings; one ring made by the bread, one by the egg white, and one by the yolk.

The meal appeared in the recent Warner Brothers movie "V for Vendetta".

Astrology & Music by Zahi (Frans Nouws)

Music composed by Zahi (Frans Nouws) for all the planets.
I especially like the Sun: http://www.zahi.nl/xSUN.html

and Mercury: http://www.zahi.nl/xMERCURY.html