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Guitar Instrumentals a Go Go!

Every decent Jukebox ought to have several fine instrumentals on offer. The golden age of popular music, the 1920s to the 1970s, glittered with thrilling and moody instrumentals that blasted from car and transistor radios and the neon lit jukeboxes.

Most of tne great instrumental hits hold you from the first notes and then take you on a dizzy aural ride before depositing you breathless as the last note sounds.

I have always loved guitar instrumentals. There’s something elemental about those rousing riffs that locks deep into your memory and your musical heart. The guitar instrumental can evoke a panoply of moods and tones from slashing attack to daydream lullabies.

The effective power of an instrumental is not necessarily related to instrumental virtuosity – its more something to do with familiarity and surprise.

Every time someone comes up with a winning riff you feel as if you’re recognising, recalling, something you’ve always known and yet you are charmed and surprised by its newly minted freshness. Simple really!

In a recent post I let you in on my fantasy off hosting a late night radio show and told you I already had the theme picked out. Well to kick of this instrumental fiesta here’s the one and only Link Wray with, ‘Turnpike USA’.

Can’t you just imagine setting cruise control, winding the windows down and driving into the setting or rising sun listening to this one?

Link Wray was a part Shawnee, power chording guitar hero if there ever was one! He was a master of distortion and of straight for the throat drive and attack.

His records demonstrate the awesome power of electric energy being restrained then unleashed.

They will never go out of style and you can bet someone right now is strapping on a guitar thinking they can match Link. Very few of them will succeed but they’ll have a heap of fun trying!

Next up a guitar player so good and influential that a whole style, ‘Travis Pickin” is named in his honour. I refer to the mesmerising maestro of guitar picking from Muhlenberg County Kentucky, Merle Travis.

Merle came out of and developed the multi-racial finger picking guitar styles of coal rich Western Kentucky.

His guitar playing miraculously melds elements of ragtime, jazz, hillbilly boogie, the blues and western swing. Which is to say that Merle listened with wide open ears to all the music pouring out of the local radio stations and figured out how to take the elements of style needed for the particular tune he was ready to play (or write). He could seamlessly switch from finger picking to flat picking like a musical conjurerer.

All this was done with charming relaxed authority. Sure, Merle wasn’t above a little showing off but generally his virtuoso skills were part of a musical whole not an end in themselves.

Perhaps this was because Merle was a brilliant songwriter as well as a supreme guitar stylist. After all, this is the man who wrote, ‘Sixteen Tons’ and ‘Dark As A Dungeon’ – songs that resound down the ages.

The showcase for Merle the picker here is this jaw dropping take on, ‘Cannonball Rag’

My next choice is from a musician, Johnny Jenkins, who is only well known to music scholars especially those devotees like myself of the home of deep southern soul the Stax/Volt label. This track appears on Volume 4 of the 9 CD, ‘Complete Singles’ set.

I consider possession of that collection of eternity shale to be the mark of a civilised person who would also have the 1911 Brittanica safely shelved along with the complete works of P G Woodhouse and Wild Bill Shakespeare.

Johnny was a left handed blues based player whose most important contribution to musical history, apart from the track in question here, is that he employed the young Otis Redding as his driver.

And, one epochal day in 1962, allowed him to use up 40 minutes of remaining studio time to see what he could come up with.

Those blessed minutes yielded the stupendous ballad, ‘These Arms Of Mine’ and the rest as they say is, History!

The track I’ve selected here is called, ‘Spunky’ and lasts barely two minutes. But, what joy, what joy! I advise you to turn this up as loud as you can and clear your furniture away.

For, if you’re anything like me you’ll find yourself whirling around like a dervish possessed while this one plays! I can’t tell you how much I love this record.

Finally we may all need cooling down now so to sign off I’ll leave you with a tune that seems to contain the midnight breeze, the lapping of waves on the Atlantic shore and the blessed breath of your baby child.

Surely you’ve guessed I’m introducing the immortal, ‘Sleep Walk’ by the Farina Brothers from Brooklyn New York – known to you and me and the Billboard Charts as Santo and Johnny.

In 1959 this climbed all the way to the top of the chart and it’s still regularly played when anyone wants to look at the stars and dream of a better day tomorrow. The boys greatest popularity came later in Mexico and Italy where they appreciate lyrical playing.

Got to say that’s put me in the mood to play Link Wray again – why don’t you?

Bonnie Raitt, Lucinda Williams & Rosetta Tharpe : Swingin’ Sisters !

The School holidays are upon us and as is my wont I’m about to cross the ocean to a far away Isle where we can stretch out in the sun, sip something cool and refreshing and relax for a blessed fortnight.

The taxi is booked and the cases are nearly packed. Before we take off there’s only one last thing to do – make sure that the faithful patrons of the Immortal Jukebox are left supplied with nourishing thoughts and sounds while I see how burnished and golden an Irish complexion can become in two weeks.

So I’ve dropped my spare nickels on some records intended to ensure your hips and hearts get a good workout while I’m away. All these selections feature women artists who, without false modesty, stand front and centre playing a mean guitar while singing with passion and authority.

All of these artists deserve, and will get a post devoted to themselves later. But, in the meantime … Ladies and Gentlemen it’s the Swinging Summer Sisters Jubilee Festival!

To kick thing off we have Sister Rosetta Tharpe – a woman who was a force of nature (if there hasn’t been a hurricane Rosetta yet there should have been) defying all attempts to contain her ebullient personality and musical largesse within genre categories.

So she was a glorious gospel singer, a rowdy rhythm and blues shouter and a proto rockabilly and rock ‘n’ roll guitar hero. Whatever the nominal tradition she was working within the good sister believed in turning the dials up to 11 and barrelling straight at you!

She became a star of the gospel world in the 1930s and as the decades proceeded her work brought her a wider and more diverse audience all thrilling to the allure of her overwhelming talent and charisma.

The clip below is from a 1960s TV show. Later in 1964 she was in England as part of one of those missionary blues and gospel tours that were like musical manna for devout fans who had previously only known of the legendary artists from hard to find records – look out for videos of her electric performance at a railway station with ranks of serried music buffs watching her across the tracks!

Raise the roof Sister, raise the roof!

Next up from Beaumont Texas the sultry smoky tones of the wonderful Barbara Lynne. The song is her self penned classic, ‘Youll lose a good thing’ a big R&B hit from 1962 featuring her assured left handed guitar playing.

This one will slay you!

In a sense this is an answer record to all those, ‘slippin around’ soul braggarts who never seemed to think of the woman left at home while they were illicitly trysting at the dark end of the street. Well, in this song Barbara makes the case in the most dignified, enticing and winning terms for the woman scorned.

Anyone listening to her incandescent entreaty here must think the guy in question would be a world class fool if he let this pearl slip through his fingers. Something in the grain of Barbara’s voice lodges in your mind and grips your heart – once heard you’re never going to forget her.

I am not one for giving out too much advice but I do advise you to listen to and buy as many Barbara Lynne records as you possibly can – it’ll be an investment in emotional musical maturity that will pay you long term dividends.

Our next artist, flame haired mighty guitar mama Bonnie Raitt, needs very little introduction having had several career flowerings and triumphs over a forty year plus career.

She’s a time served blues veteran who can conjure up the spirits of Memphis Minnie and Sippie Wallace and trade licks and innuendos with John Lee Hooker himself.

Her tender or tormented slide guitar is integral to her sound and she loves to lean into a solo wrenching every ounce of musical meaning from the instrument.

Bonnie is a great interpretative singer with a keen ear for songs that have real emotional weight and reach. She can soar and swoop vocally to accent the strident or the seductive.

Her voice now has a vintage aged in the wood quality that admits to vulnerability while maintaining impressive strength.

She has recorded the definitive cover of Richard Thompson’s aching folk standard, ‘The Dimming Of The Day’, the classic modern break – up rock ballad, ‘I Can’t Make You Love Me’ and the knock ’em dead in the aisles swooner, ‘Love Has No Pride’.

She has judiciously looted the song catalogues of John Hiatt and Paul Brady and has latterly moved onto the territory of the great American Songkeper himself – Bob Dylan.

To represent Bonnie I’ve chosen her take on fellow blues stylist Chris Smither’s, ‘Love Me Like A Man’.

This is a performance by an artist wholly in command of her talent, her material and her audience.

Finally an artist, Lucinda Williams who wouldn’t comprehend the meaning of half hearted if she tried. I first saw her in London sometime in the early 1980s when she supported Mary Chapin Carpenter. The latter presented her literate, beautifully crafted song/stories with exemplary professionalism. However, it was Lucinda’s passionate intensity that really struck home to the extent that I virtually ran from the concert to the nearest record shop to buy all her available albums!

Lucinda’s music is firmly grounded in the southern verities of the blues and deep dyed country with added rock stylings. The shades of Hank Williams and Charlie Patton surround her approvingly as she plays.

She has written at least one classic song – the gut wrenching elegy, ‘Sweet Old World’ and her take on Nick Drake’s, ‘Which Will’ is a magical recording that hangs in the air around you long after it has finished.

Lucinda sings from the core of her being and when she is on she is a mesmerising performer who will have you holding your breath one minute, crying the next then reeling home wondering how she does it.

There’s no one like her.

I’ve chosen her boozy, bluesy reverie, ‘Big Red Sun’ to close out this post. A Lucinda Williams concert is the kind where you might find easily yourself falling in or out of love, falling down and not noticing and wonder the next morning why your head hurts yet you still sport an ear splitting grin.

Feel free to take the top of the Tequila bottle and sway along.

Happy Holidays!

John Lennon, Lauren Bacall & Otis : You Know How To Whistle Don’t You?

‘… You don’t have to say anything, and you don’t have to do anything. Not a thing. Oh, maybe just whistle. You know how to whistle, don’t you, Steve? You just put your lips together and … blow.’

Spoken by Lauren Bacall to Humphrey Bogart in the 1944 film classic, ‘To Have and Have Not’ these words were delivered with an alluring yet cool erotic charge in Bacall’s wonderfully husky and earthy vocal tones. There isn’t a man alive hearing those words who didn’t immediately start practicing that whistle!

Just blow. What could be simpler? After all what is a whistle but a clear high pitched sound created by forcing your breath through a small opening between your partly closed lips and/or your teeth?

Yet, the humble whistle which must surely have been the earliest form of musical communication practiced by mankind along with the handclap can like all forms of human language be freighted and graced with multiple meanings.

There’s, as above, the whistle of erotic appreciation and invitation. There’s the whistle of almost subconscious reassurance when you summon that favourite tune (in my case Buddy Holly’s Everyday) as you are about to start or contemplate an especially difficult challenge or task. A whistle can also be an urgent signal – look out! Look out! As heard in a thousand war films as an opposing soldier looms into sight of the brave resistance band.

In sport the whistle is generally heard as the shrill admonishing marker of foul play – stop that now! Again, the whistle can be your charm against the creeping dread we feel when confronted by our mortality – we whistle past the graveyard to keep our spirits up and those of the clutching underworld away.

When you’re absolutely sure that no one can find any fault with the work you’ve completed you can say with studied calm, ‘Take a look – you’ll see its all clean as a whistle!’ Of course, if you find as an honest person that corruption is all around you have a duty to become a Whistle Blower to bring the forces of justice and retribution hurrying down to halt and clean up that corruption. If you don’t do that and just mutter about your outrage to yourself what are you doing but whistling in the wind!

Oh yes, the modest yet heartfelt whistle can communicate remarkably complex and subtle messages depending on the situations and characters of the whistler and the whistled to. Ruminating on the subject has for a music fanatic like me inevitably called to mind the use of whistling in numerous songs across many genres of popular music. So many indeed that I have painfully limited myself to only four examples from the score or so that immediately came to mind.

Let’s start with the use of the whistle from a man, John Lennon, who had no difficulty with finding words but who did have problems with acknowledging and dealing with the powerful, sometimes deliberately buried emotions swirling around his deep dramatic heart and soul. I can’t help hearing the whistle here in, ‘Jealous Guy’ as the sound of a man who has experienced too much and made too many mistakes reaching beyond words for the blessing and balm of forgiveness as much by himself as the lover he has wronged. We may feel, sometimes, that we have the world at our feet yet we know that there will always be a part of us, shivering inside, that needs comfort and care. Roll on John.

Next a record, ‘Handy Man’ by Jimmy Jones, that the teenage John Lennon would almost certainly have heard as he and Paul McCartney began to fashion songs and dreams of their own in Liverpool before setting out to conquer Hamburg and the known world.

Jimmy Jones, who possessed a fine high tenor voice, really only had two hits (the other being the charming and witty, ‘Good Timing’) but they were songs that still have an emotional heft beyond their undoubted power as vessels of nostalgia for the neon lit diner days of the 1950s. The whistling here is provided by a genuine giant of popular music, Otis Blackwell, who composed jukeboxfulls of fine songs including classics like, ‘Fever’, ‘Don’t be Cruel’ and, ‘Great Balls of Fire’.

In 1966 John Sebastian the leader of The Lovin’ Spoonful was at the top of his very considerable game. He had talent oozing from his fingertips and a sunny disposition that promised that the world was a wonderful playground where adventures a plenty were just waiting to be discovered. He manged to be both Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn and a songwriter of considerable range and sophistication moving from the euphoric attack of, ‘Do you Believe in Magic’ to the tenderest romantic lullaby of, ‘Darling Be Home Soon’.

Sebastian provides the lovely, easy, hammock swinging whistle here in the drowsily beautiful, ‘Daydream’. May you have such a day soon!

Finally, and poignantly, I have to conclude with one of the signature songs of the 1960s from a voice for the ages. Otis Redding with the first record released after his untimely death, ‘(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay’. The tide rolled away for Otis as it will for you and me but while we have breath this song will be his testament and our consolation. God Bless You Otis!

Once in a blue moon a poem : Static

Once or twice a year when the stars are in their correct alignment and the muse comes to call I find myself moved to write a poem. I present one below that came unbidden one Sunday afternoon some years ago just after I had listened to a commentary on an Irish hurling match between arch county rivals Tipperary and Kilkenny.

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Sundays in summer my father took me with him to hear the Gaelic Games
Hurling, of course, a Tipperary Man’s birthright and delight.

Since radio reception of RTE – which on the old valve box still read, ‘Athlone’
Was poor and filled with a blizzard of wordless static we’d take the car (a Hillman Imp)
Up the vertiginous slope of Harrow on the Hill and park next to a telegraph pole –
In search of a perfect signal

As if by magic through the air came the alternating anguished and ecstatic tones of
Michael O’Hehir – his voice slicing through the miles like the Sliothair splitting the posts
For a marvellous point

Listening, rapt, willing victory, the match would pass in what seemed minutes
After, we’d sit in easeful silence as the evening became itself
And we were simply ourselves : a father and a son at one
Listening on a clear channel.

Though I firmly believe that a poem should always retain some mystery many of you deeply versed in the lore of music may find some of the references above baffling. Here’s a key that may help!

Gaelic Games: The principal Gaelic games of Ireland are Gaelic Football and Hurling. They are played throughout the island of Ireland. The GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) was instrumental in the revival of these games in the late nineteenth century. The GAA was very important then in Irish society and culture in fostering a sense of distinct Irish national consciousness. The GAA, now that the Catholic Church, has largely lost its grip on Irish society, is probably the most interwoven institution within that society. The GAA’s strength is that it is an intensely local organisation calling on and winning loyalty from the family, the town land, the parish and finally the County. GAA rivalries at every geographic level are staggeringly intense. Reputations made playing these games last a lifetime and more.

Hurling: A wonderful field sport played by teams of 15 a side. Players use sticks, called Hurleys. The Sliothair (a ball near in size to a baseball) can be hand passed and hit through the ground or the air. A point is scored by sending the Sliothair above the bar and between the posts of the opponent’s goal.

Hurling calls for bravery, speed of thought and action and enormous technical skill. Played well it is absolutely thrilling to watch.

RTE: Radio Telefis Eireann – the national broadcasting station of Ireland.

Harrow on the Hill: A leafy suburb some ten miles from central London. Chiefly known for the fee paying public school attended by such luminaries as Lord Byron and Winston Churchill. I grew up there.

Michael O’Hehir: A much beloved commentator on all Irish sports from the mid 1930s to the mid 1980s but particularly associated with Gaelic games. For exiles from Ireland listening to him was an extraordinarily powerful emotional experience. He was deeply knowledgeable and had the gift of coining a memorable phrase in the moment an event took place. His voice could climb dizzily through the registers from marching band flute to ear splitting soprano saxophone squaks!

This post dedicated to the memory of my father, Wally Hickey (1926 – 1989).


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He Just Laughed And Said “Leave Djenne (Africa)” Never!

“When the Jihadists attacked the north and seemed to be on the march towards Djenné in 2012 I decided to leave for the south. I remember asking Yelfa if he would leave if things took a bad turn in Djenné. He did not really understand what I meant at first. The he just laughed and said “leave Djenné? never! I realized that his forefathers have seen empires rise and fall for a thousand years in Djenné…”     Swiss Lady, Sophia,  Djenne Djenno blogspot.com

Mali is a political and conflicted disaster these days. There are many effective soldiers on the ground, but there is no opposing force to meet face to face. No military presence can prevent three people from pulling up in a car, or on a motorcycle and unleashing rounds from an AK47.

Therefore, no location where westerners gather in Mali could truly be safe, you simply cannot guard every location people live, move and have their being. You can’t stomp out an army that is so disseminated among the population. You cannot displace a movement that is so small and so fluid on the ground, not knowing where they will appear next.

I arrived home from Mali and was immediately immersed in pressing commercial fishing work.  As usual, I had my nose so close to the grindstone that Mali, what happened there, seemed unreal within weeks.  Was I really there in Mali, West Africa only 5, 10, 12, then 15 weeks ago? It all seems like a dream. Did I really have that experience outside that mosque? Was that conversation with a village a bit in turmoil really part of my conversation? Was that really me dancing with the village men? Were those prayer calls really a mosque 50 feet from my front door?

I landed the lobster gear this week and I took my first few days off, and, as usual, Africa came flooding back in through that crack in the all consuming nature of a Canadian life.

I’ve been kind of a wreck about it all.

Man of Peace Development has been very concerned about us being in Mali the last few years. This year tipped the scale for them, and me.

Of course the kidnapping of Sister Gloria Cecilia Narváez, of Columbia,  in February, only 30km north of rural area I work in was  a bit startling.  We had scheduled an Ethnomusicologist to do recording work there, and that was terminated, though he graciously agreed to proceed with the Ganadougou, about 125 km from the incident. It is surreal to be in the position of explaining an Al-Qaeda kidnapping, and how it is situated in your work area, to an Englishman about to arrive for audio recording work.  We provided the information we had to him, we had to, and then we left it in his court to make the decision to arrive or not. We simply had the obligation to see he was informed. His security choices were his to make, not mine to make for him.

We had some amazing things happen this year. A work that exploded beyond what we ever dreamed was possible.

However, we also had some startling things happen this year as well.

At my entry into Mali, and also of my wife later on, questions were asked about our water filter and irrigation work, and our region. Our humanitarian supplies were taxed, which i had no intentions of protesting over, phone numbers were taken, asking for details on where we live, and then being told they will be coming to see us in Sikasso. We were told things we could, or could not undertake.

Since when is it an issue to gift clean water (Filters) and drip irrigation gardens to your neighbors and friends? When has simple generosity become a security or control issue?  Notes were taken, information was gathered. This was all new for us in Mali.

It proved to us that we, and our work, is drawing more attention then we liked. We realized that we were no longer flying under the radar of the government, and other people of influence. I can’t go into great details.

Let me just say, that the further we can operate outside the standard Humanitarian arrangements, the more effective and flexable we feel we can be, and the less likely someone is lining their pockets, or pointing our work in a direction that was not our intentions. So we have always moved in modest, simple, and low-key manners, and that invisible movement allowed us a great freedom to get to people of our choosing, people we felt needed us most.
Corruption is in Mali. (Feel free to skip these details in the following quote)

Malian government bureaucracy costs taxpayers dearly. More than half the state budget goes to civil service salaries and administrative expenses–buildings, motor pools, telecommunications, trips, supplies, etc. For every franc spent on public infrastructure, roads, or schools, another 1.37 francs is spent on the bureaucracy. From 2010 to 2017, the Malian budget more than doubled, from 1.1 trillion to 2.27 trillion CFA francs (about US$4.5 billion), an increase of 106% that yet had little impact on key sectors like education and health, or even the effectiveness of government services. But worse than its poor productivity, the Malian state sector has become a place where funds meant for public investment either disappear or are misspent. Through fraud and theft of public funds, a mafia has taken over the public sector……..

The reports of various oversight agencies show that the Malian state is being looted in a multitude of ways. Euphemisms such as “irregularities,” “managerial errors,” “discrepancies,” “non-collection of fees,” etc. boil down to just one thing: a fraudulent system kept in place to enrich certain civil servants at state expense. Some civil servants’ greed knows no boundaries. The staff of the Ministry of Mines surely wins the prize for sheer brazenness in this regard (BVG 2012 report, p. 89):

With respect to vehicles, maintenance records show, for instance, that for a single repair job, 150 parts were installed on a single vehicle [including] 3 windshields, 3 oil filters, 3 air filters, 3 fuel filters, 4 front shocks and 4 rear shocks; 2 windshields, 4 front and 4 rear shocks, 2 radiators, 4 sets of motor brackets, 4 crankshafts, 4 fuel pumps and 6 headlights were installed on another. Such cases have become common and recurring.

Such effrontery may seem amusing, but it’s the root of the problem. Theft doesn’t even bother to escape oversight–since punishment never materializes–and concentrates on extracting maximum funds from state accounts. The 2014 BVG report (the last one published) includes examples like these:

  • At the Roads Authority, some 11.8 billion francs simply disappeared, including 4 billion misallocated by a single individual (p. 106).
  • 667 million francs disappeared from the Office de la Haute Vallée du Niger (OHVN), including 183 million stolen by the head of marketing (p. 118).
  • At Gabriel Touré Hospital, the BVG found that the staff basically stole x-ray film worth 115 million francs; as a result of the shortage of x-ray film, the radiology unit stopped functioning for two weeks (p. 125).
  • In all, 1.4 billion francs disappeared from Gabriel Touré Hospital accounts from 2011 to 2014. This sum is the equivalent of the combined budgets of the public hospitals of Ségou (Hôpital Nianankoro Fomba) and Kayes (Hôpital Fousseyni Daou).
  • At the Centre International de Conférence de Bamako (CICB), where the controller set himself up as a bank teller for ministry of culture personnel, the public lost nearly 995 million francs (p. 131).

Reference LINK

The Sanago War Crimes trial came to Sikasso this year, and Sikasso was flooded with thousands of journalists, lawers, judges from the highest courts, military, and protesters etc. Soldiers were on every corner. I was concerned something would happen in tiny Sikasso, but thankfully my fears proved false.

However, when you are sitting at a watering hole in some food dive in Sikasso, and lawyers and legal men arrive to eat, and they are talking over the case, and making phone calls to inform people about the results of the morning proceedings, for a war crimes case of a Senior Military officer of Mali, I had to leave.  Prime target for anyone who would like to retaliate, and too much information, more than I wanted to know. When you are sitting at a table listening to talk about mass graves, and the nature of the torture on fellow soldiers etc. it is overwhelming and beyond my comfort and experience. Over the month I found myself arriving and then leaving many small watering holes I had been using to retreat to after a hard day in the village. It was kind of unreal to see how Sikasso was taken over by thousands of outsiders at the time.

My main partner in Mali is wise, saving my ass in many ways, probably saved my ass more ways that I am aware of.  With words come meaning, and meaning is determined by culture and history. This is why he has never once refereed to us as Humanitarians in the six years we have worked in Mali. With that term comes an image and expectation we may not wish to fill, or a box we probably do not wish to be pushed into.  He has only ever told the locals that My wife an I are here on vacation (4 month each year) and they love the people here, so they like to “work for the good of the population while they are here.”

So we have not passed ourselves off as humanitarian workers. We have avoided using the term “Project”, as this is a major trigger word in Mali, if not all of Africa. Dollar signs appear in people’s eyes.

Anyway, it seems we may not be returning to Mali in the same capacity this year, if this year at all. In our personal absence we still have another sixty families (or 600 people) entering the drip irrigated garden project over this year, and water filtration for 3000 people, in 300 families, over the next year and a half. My friends are carrying on this water filtration work, and drip gardens work free of charge, no salary.  Salifou is an amazing man with a heart to serve and better his people, not for personal gain.  Also we have fifty women in a very remote region, undertaking literacy study, and this needs to go to stage two this coming winter.

The reality is that we have seen two unusual breakthroughs within two people groups in a short period of time, to such a degree we have worked ourselves out of a job in a rare, and rapid way. It seems so little to do with us, and how a timly movement folded before us. We, and our board have found ourselves kind of dumbfounded that we reached our objectives within five years, not the expected fifteen years. No joking! I am totally flabbergasted at what I have seen unfold the last two years. This year with the Ganadougpu was spellbinding. Much I have never really talked about.

Anyway, Man of Peace Development is hesitant to grant a return to Mali at this time. A few MOPD directors are down right against the idea at this time, feeling the work is in good hands anyway.  So, it seems as if I may not be in Mali this fall as a result. For security reasons, they asked us to downsize our footprint in Sikasso on one week’s notice during our very last week of our term, so we did.

We no longer hold a place, and when we are able to return to Mali, in whatever capacity that will be, we will be taking on only basic and temporary living solutions each time.  It was actually not a stressful undertaking, as we had so little, it is easy to just give it away, and it costs us nothing to setup a temporary lodging solution to carry on any needed presence in the future.  Yes, I know, some of you think this is crazy- we are back to arriving in Mali, once again, not knowing where we will sleep.  LOL. But it does not stress us.

What was strange to me was that our national friends and partners were insistent we not notify our community of any changes to our program.  Even though they saw stuff leaving our home they did the talking to the people around us. But they had to have known we were leaving or moving. We were also told not to tell people when we would be leaving at the end of the term.  They would say goodbyes for us after our departure. All this was strange to me,  and so not Malian culture, at least in my mind.

But they truly felt there was some security risk and felt we should take precautions and maintain ambiguity of our movements since we live fifty feet from the door of a Mosque. My friend is adamant one of our neighbors, who I like, and has been very friendly to us,  is an Islamic radical, and not to trust him, or tell him anything about what we do or where. He will not pray in the mosque only 50 feet from both of us, and he has pictures of some radical imam in his shop and he only prays there.

It seemed strange to have this kind of paranoia, coming from Malians, a paranoia I did not have.

Man of Peace Development is using their official channels to communicate this situation, so you should not take this story as the official news.  What is certain is that our Malian partners are already carrying on the work, and our commitments are ongoing for two years from today.  Our work is still ongoing, we just became even more invisible to the process is all, and this is a good thing, the best thing.

So it seems MOPD’s goals with one people group have been not only fulfilled, but surpassed rather quickly, extending to a second group, and we may be in a position to reposition ourselves to undertake a new work, in a new region, a even a new country.  We are still examining the ramifications of everything that has unfolded.

I remember a mentor of mine, Lew Cass, saying something to the effect,

“The longer you stay the greater the dependency that develops.” It is counter-intuitive to a westerner.

However, going away for extended times, regularly, actually helps the work from the very beginning. This forces locals to step forward, or not. You get to see the level of buy-in up front, no illusions are perpetuated”

We have lived exactly this principle.

However, it is not easy for me today. I’m missing my friends, my fellow workers (all volunteer), villages, and my home in Sikasso. I am missing the rawness of life in French West Africa.

These two days off have given time for the ramifications of all this to sink in a little more, and of course I am sad, yet excited about the possibilities. If we could come cold turkey to Mali and begin a new work, without having our hand held by expats, we are probably capable of going anywhere in the world to begin something new, again. But Mali is in my heart, as there is a lifetime of work here in any region, in one of the least developed places on planet earth.  I can’t imagine working in a “softer”  country. I  have lived it as raw as it can get, so the rest does not seem to apply anymore. Yet, the security situation is no joke, not to be dismissed lightly.

Say prayers over all this transition, send your thoughts, your words of encouragement, as we can use a little right now. Mali has been one hell of a ride,  one where we were needed most. Yet, Mali is also the place that has given us the most in return as well. You don’t just shake Mali off and easily move on. These words are a shared experience. She writes so much better than I do.

Yelfa and I have always had a joking, bantering relationship. He is constantly teasing me recently about that it is time to get married again. I reply that it is not possible because he (Yelfa) is already married to four wives and he is the only one I would contemplate. The first time I said this I think he blushed a bit. But I also always contradict myself by telling him “ Ah,  Yelfa! Thanks be to Allah the Merciful that I am not married to you! You live in the 14th Century!”

I sometimes wonder how one can have 21 children and even remember their names. His lifestyle is so totally different from mine that it is quite a miracle that we do understand each other so well. But knowing some of these traditional  Djennénké  has made me realize how very close we all are in some of the ways that really matter. Love, pain, regret, joy, ambition, all these universal things are understood by us all in almost the same way it seems to me……

Sometimes we are not aware when something happens for the last time. Circumstances change without our intervention; we take leave of someone quite casually and we don’t know that we will never see them again;  decisions are made over which we have no power which have  sudden and deep consequences in  our lives.

– Sophia, Swiss lady.  Djenne Djenno, Djenne, Mali)

2 Comments Add yours

  1. MaryLou Frazee says:

    Andy, I thank God for you! Your shared experiences and observations are a connection to Mali, and therefore my family, that enriches my understanding of their experiences. Thank you for your heart for Mali! And bless you as you make decisions and choices for your “next step”!

    1. Thank you so much for your kind words. We so love the Frazees in Mali.

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Thailand surprises its lucky 19 Millionth visitor this year

Mr. Tang Kwun Wai, a visitor from Hong Kong

An influx of one million visitors into Thailand over a period of 9 days was marked by the 19 millionth arrival of the year. The ‘luckiest visitor in Thailand’ touched down in Phuket Airport on the 16th of August. Mr. Tang Kwun Wai, a man from Hong Kong, was given the traditional surprise greeting by the Tourism Authority of Thailand acting governor and other officials.
19th Million Luckiest Visitor
It was only little over a week before when the 18 millionth visitor was celebrated in Chang Mai Airport on the 7th of August. These fortunate visitors are gifted with a fantastic five nights of accommodation in Thailand as well as two return tickets to the country. With such generosity, it’s no wonder the lucky winners have such big smiles on their faces!

The exciting scheme to celebrate each millionth visitor was started by the TAT in June in conjunction with the ‘2015 Discover Thainess’ campaign. Nonetheless, a million visitors arriving in just 9 days marks the second fastest rate of arrivals since the project started in June. This is certainly good news for the project’s goal of highlighting the alluring charm of Thailand and the welcoming nature of its people. Mrs. Juthaporn Rerngronasa, acting governor of the TAT, was delighted: ‘“We are very encouraged by what is clearly a pick-up in the pace of visitor arrivals.’

It is clear that Thailand’s reputation as a vibrant, welcoming destination is even stronger than ever as happy travellers keep flocking back.

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When You’re Climbing Mountains

We all dream of having wings and perhaps the ability to fly,
but when a man’s wings take him to the top of the world
he has no further to go and begins to look down.
He looks down on less trivial things and they begin to appeal
more so than his abilities to build new worlds
as he feels he loses interest in conquering new challenges.

Perhaps this can relate to more than just myself. I frustrate myself as a writer, I’ll be honest with you. Without sounding full of myself I know I have undoubted talent and an ability to find inspiration in hard to reach places and make something special out of ordinary fragments of kindling. What frustrates me is maybe a ridiculous idea of desire to achieve. My competitiveness and desire, whilst good for a writer to have, often leave me losing faith with myself temporarily and wanting constant success. Success is something I’ve attained, and whilst I tell myself it has dwindled deliberately as I take my time with projects and leave myself without stress, it can’t be denied I have achieved little in the last year.

So, as a man stands at the top of his conquered mountain he has options: Climb back down and start to climb another or sit on his pedestal and milk it for all it’s worth. I regularly find myself somewhere in between these two options and that in its essence is what is frustrating. I’m hoping readers can relate to this as I have reached this conclusion myself after a year or so going between the two ‘options’. Ideas come to me regularly and often I have faith in them, but shelf them. Sometimes this is to return to the ‘massive project’ when I have the discipline, time and fully-formulated plans and admitting this makes me embarrassed as I know I have all of these (perhaps the latter less so, but this develops as you work, right?). Perhaps the truth is that I simply don’t push myself to give these ideas a good go. Lets face it- if I have an idea that could change the face of literature for ever I wouldn’t just let it sit in the back of my mind for a couple of years would I?

It’s now almost 5 years since I got an idea for a novel, one I went with strongly and created fragments of for a successful University portfolio only to ‘shelf’ as I developed my talents for poetry and short fiction. Once Tears From Abaddon was released I had my study walls covered in post-its as fragments, ideas and notes for the novel- keenly anticipating its completion and the next success in my life. A few months down the line and I hadn’t bothered making a go of it but not to worry my idea developed into something spectacular and I spent days planning something I knew could be special. That was last New Year. Don’t get me wrong, over the last year I’ve continued to develop the idea further (I now feel it really really really has legs!!) and discuss it with intention to carry it out, but the point remains I haven’t. And that won’t do.

Blueprints is coming along nicely because I did the right thing in allowing myself pressure-less time to carry out the project but failed to realise I need to be putting stuff (mainly myself) out there all of the time. I plan to change that in 2015 and not be content letting my reputation go before me. It’s time for the prince to become king or stop bothering.

If you’ve made it this far congratulations!! Sorry to have taken so much of your time but I hope you can take away a message. We as writers, or in fact we as human beings in any career, must keep finding challenges to conquer. It’s about what you did lately whilst you’re alive and I want everyone to keep pushing themselves to be the best, otherwise someone will take your place. Get out there today and find a new chapter to write, a new beginning to commence and a new mountain to climb.

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Club Scrap December Artist Team Challenge

Monday, December 19, 2016

Hello, Kraftie Friends!

Welcome to Club Scrap December Artist Team Challenge Blog Hop!
This month, the DT was challenged to to select one (or more) of the Club Scrap December Forum Challenges and create a project that meets that challenge...

If you came from Debbie's Blog, you're in the right place!
This is your last stop, so you could go back to Club Scrap's Blog (Karen's Post) to start from the beginning or to hop again! =)

You can find the December Challenges going on HERE!

I made this 2-page layout for the Monthly Layout Challenge Option #2...create any double-page layout using Shades of Winter Kit:

I used 2 of the same printed papers from my Shades of Winter Deluxe Kit, some Embellishment Cutaparts (some using foam tape), the pretty pearlescent paper as mats and the Shades of Winter Dazzles Snowflakes.
You could add more photos on the smaller squares or leave it as is...

Here are the individual pages:

This card is for the Tool & Stash Challenge...sparkle on using liquid sparkles (Stickles, Liquid Pearls or something similar):

I stamped image (Shades of Winter Art Nouveau unmounted stamps) on die cut panel and inked the edges. After layering the papers, I added the Dazzles Snowflakes and used some Glitter Dimensional Paint on the stamped image.

And since I like to combine challenges...this is for the Card Sketch Challenge and
Tool & Stash Challenge:

I used stamps from Shades of Winter Greeting unmounted stamps and Art Nouveau unmounted stamps on strips and inked the edges. I adhered them on a stamped die cut panel, added the ribbon and adhered it on card base.
Then, I used some Red Glitter on the berries and some Glitter on stamped snowflakes.

Thanks for hopping with us!
And feel free to go back to Club Scrap's Blog (Karen's Post)!!!

You Might Also Like

  1. Love yor take on the sketches Lillian! Wishing you and your family Happy Holidays!

  2. Beautiful 2 page layout!!!! Love it!!! Also beautiful job with your card too :)

  3. So, so pretty! Love the extra touches on the layout and cards. TFS!

  4. Those are great cards and a wonderful double lay out. You have been really busy, but it is a beautiful kit, right?!
    Happy Holidays.

  5. Love your LO - it's so pretty and your cards are delightful!

  6. What a gorgeous layout! I love the little offset square on the right hand side.

  7. Beautiful 2pager!!!! And cards!!!

  8. Love your pages and cards. Very pretty!

Thanks for all your lovely comments! They make my day! =)

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Waiting in Line

I don’t know about you but I find myself “waiting” in lines quite often.

I guess I have to find a better way to deal with it because in my 55 years I don’t deal with it very well. I just gotta to get used to it! Image result for waiting in line

Lines are plentiful, whether we are in traffic, store checkout lines and waiting to get into a special event.

I’m not very good at choosing the right lines.

The “right lines” of course, are the quickest and smoothest lines.

It does not matter if I’m at the grocery store, Target, the line to get hot dogs at the game, or the line to get in or out of a parking lot; I pick the wrong line.

Every time.

There is an art and a science to this.

The science of ‘line-oligy” has, to this point in my life, eluded me.

If I pick the shortest line and get in it, then immediately something happens.  A guy wants to pay with a check but doesn’t have his ID. A woman wants to pay the entire $7.38 in coins, while talking on their cell phone and trying to find a coupon in her purse.

Or, it’s a shift change and the employee has to change out the cash drawer with the new checker and she is in the process of telling the replacement every single detail of her day.

I also get caught up in line checking.  I look to see where the guy next to me is and base my progress on how fast his line is moving. It never fails, my line goes into ‘slo-mo’, as the longer line begins to zip along like they were on a moving sidewalk. Even if I use the reverse logic and get into one of the longer lines, then of course it remains the longest line.

So, a few weeks ago, my wife and I went to IKEA. We had wonderful lunch there and just walked peacefully through the store looking at all of the neat ideas and deals that one finds there.

We had no place to be.  Just a relaxing day together. It was wonderful.

Then we get to the checkout.

For all of IKEA’s great ideas, they still have not mastered the checkout line.

My wife, who is used to my impatience when it comes to waiting in line, usually finds a way to distract me or will slip away for a few minutes so she doesn’t have to hear or see me start the breakdown of my sanity that happens when I wait in line.

She thinks I don’t know she slips away intentionally to let me deal with waiting in that line alone.

But I am aware of her tactics.

As my wife stealthily slipped away yesterday I immediately start to stress out.

Now mind you, only a mere a few minutes earlier I was slowly strolling through the store like I didn’t have a care in the world.

Image result for frustrated while waiting in line“Why would you choose this line??” I think to myself. “It’s the longest one.”

I begin to glare at the cashier like I’m trying to force solve a calculus equation.

I act as if it is life or death and my blood pressure rises to the point that I start to see red and then my wife calmly comes back and reminds me that it really doesn’t matter and that I just need to relax.

The truth is… waiting in line is trivial.  Most of the choices we make in life are trivial. Other choices are crucial to living the purpose for which we were created. There are monumental decisions like whom you will marry, where you will live and what you will pursue in life.

The choice of which line to check out of the store should not cause you heartache.  But, I’ve noticed, that it’s the little decisions in life, like choosing the wrong line that most times cause the most stress.

So I came up with some things to ponder when I am in line to help relieve the stress and anxiety that I feel.

Five Things to Ponder While Waiting in Line.

1.  Find something to be grateful for and think of ways to express it.

  • Gratitude, when it’s genuine and expressed outwardly, changes perspective on most situations.

2.  Look for someone you can encourage.

  • There is no person who does not need encouragement. I need it often. Those who I think probably don’t need it, need it more than I realize.

3. Forgive someone.

  • Is there someone I need to forgive?  Are the “flagrant fouls” that people have contributed to me in life still there? Even if I’m not over the hurt, I can still attempt to keep my heart focused in the right direction. That direction is forgiveness.

4.  Who do I need to say, “I love you” to?

  • It reminds me to say, “I love you more often.” I don’t want people I care about to wonder if I love them. I don’t want people I love to have to try hard to remember the last time I told them.

5.  What am I writing in today’s chapter of my story?

  • Our life is a story. Our history has written a part of our story.  What am I leaving behind on my journey? The decisions I make today  of how I react to situations both write my present and future chapters of my story.

This is our one and only life. This one is the only one we get. What we do with our life matters. It matters to you, to those closest to you, and it matters to God.

So I ask myself, what decision do I need to make, to write the next chapter in my story? Is there a decision that will build my faith or my strength, and in doing so write a better life story?

I want to tell a better story of my future than the story of my past.

I may not ever eliminate my stress level when I choose the wrong line.  But I am trying to focus on better things than my frustration.

How about you?  Are you waiting in the same lines as me?

Let’s try to do better… let’s try to be better.

Something to ponder on… until next time.

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English Premier League Team of the Week Gameweek 32

This week in the Premier League, Tottenham thumped Watford by a score of 4-0, Crystal Palace earned a surprise result against the incompetent Arsenal, and Everton came out on top over Leicester City in a high-scoring 4-2 thriller. Through all the excitement there were some standout players and these are the best 11 of them. This is the Premier League’s Team of the Week for Gameweek 32! Enjoy.

Goalkeeper: Fraser Forster

Fraser Forster.JPG

Fraser Forster was brilliant against West Bromwich Albion, making six saves to help hand the Baggies their fourth loss in six games. Forster hasn’t always been awesome this season and he’s turned fewer hands in 2016-17 than any other season he’s been with the Saints. But the Southampton keeper had his best performance of the season and was crucial in helping give Southampton a narrow 1-0 lead. Without any one of those crucial stops, this match could have easily ended 1-1 or worse and Southampton wouldn’t have gone back into the top ten. So there was no other option for Goalkeeper of the Week in Matchday 32 than Fraser Forster. Rating: 9.5/10.

Right Back: Kieran Trippier

Kieran Trippier TOTTENHAM.JPG

Although Kyle Walker is one of the best right-backs in the world, you have to feel bad for Kieran Trippier who seems to be so influential to Spurs every single time he plays the position. The ex-Burnley player has been forced to sit on the bench ever since he moved to the Lilly Whites but whenever he’s given his opportunity to shine, he always takes it. Watford are even now becoming his favourite team to play against as the last time Trippier made the Team of the Week, it was also against Watford that time in a 4-1 win when he notched two assists. The British defender may have only managed to have 1 assist this time out but he had an even better performance, creating 5 chances and delivering 6 crosses into the box, constantly giving Watford trouble all game long. He was also brilliant defensively, hardly putting a foot wrong as he made 6 successful tackles and making 3 clearances. If Kyle Walker were to ever leave Tottenham Hotspur, Trippier’s performances this season indicate that they would be just fine without him. Rating: 10/10.

Centre Back: John Stones

John Stones Man City

It’s taken 32 match-days, but John Stones has finally secured his first Team of the Week appearance of the season since moving to Manchester City. Stones has been criticized for several lackluster displays this season but nobody will be criticizing him after a performance like that. The confident, ball-playing, defensive brute that is John Stones was back this weekend, helping ease Manchester City to a 3-1 win. The British defender would have impressed Pep Guardiola with his 93% passing percentage, but what was more important was his crucial role in defense. Stones was immaculate defensively all-around against the Tigers, always seeing out danger with 6 interceptions, 7 clearances and 2 blocked shots while also making 2 tackles and winning 4 duels in the air. This was Stones’ best performance of the season and he finally makes his first Team of the Week appearance as a Manchester City player. Rating: 9.5/10.

Left Back: Marcos Alonso

Image result for Marcos Alonso 3-1 Bournemouth

How good has Marcos Alonso been this season for Chelsea? Not a single soul would have expected the Spaniard to have such a positive impact this season after arriving from Fiorentina but he has been absolutely integral to their success in 2016-17. The former Sunderland man was one of the keys to Chelsea’s success yet again this weekend as he scored a brilliant free kick and helped lead them to a 3-1 win. Defensively, Alonso was solid as always, winning 4 tackles cleanly while also contributing with 1 interception and 2 clearances. The Spanish fullback was also an ever-present down the left side for Chelsea in attack, combining nicely with Hazard and delivering 4 crosses into the box. And of course his fantastic free kick is what put the game beyond all doubt. Marcos Alonso has been brilliant this season and has come out of almost nowhere this season to establish himself as one of the world’s best left-backs. Rating: 10/10.

Defensive Midfield: Eric Dier

Image result for eRIC DIER 4-0 WATFORD

Eric Dier is so much more influential for Tottenham Hotspur as a defensive midfielder than a centre back. He’s been good this season at centre back but it is only in the last three or so games that he has really started to show his form of last season as a defensive midfielder. Dier just has the Xabi Alonso-like ability to sit in front of the back four and control the game from midfield without ever really letting the opposition get anywhere near the defense. A key linchpin all game long, Dier was integral to Tottenham’s success against Watford as they claimed a massive 4-0 win. The England international scored a magnificent goal to basically kill the game off after the 40th minute, but also had more touches (80) than any other player on the pitch. Dier was also solid defensively winning 2 tackles, 2 duels in the air and blocking 2 shots. Eric Dier has the ability to be one of the best defensive midfielders in the world, if only Pochettino would play him there more regularly. Rating: 10/10.

Right Wing: Wilfried Zaha

Crystal Palace thump Arsenal 3-0

Wilfried Zaha was absolutely unreal for Crystal Palace this weekend, coming up big for Sam Allardyce’s men as they terrorized Arsenal on route to a 3-0 triumph. The Gunners just could not cope with anything Palace put together and Zaha down that ring was at the heart of absolutely everything good for the Eagles. The Ivorian constantly unlocked Arsenal’s defense with 8 successful take-on’s, more than any other player this weekend in the league. On top of that, he also created 4 chances, two of which created goals, just constantly acting as a thorn in Arsenal’s thigh. For the third week in a row, his pass accuracy was just outstanding even despite all that he attempts to create, completing 94% of his passes just as he did against Chelsea last weekend. Wilfried Zaha is becoming a complete footballer and the more he goes on like this, the more big clubs will take notice. Rating: 10/10.

Attacking Midfield: Dele Alli

Dele Alli Spurs vs. Watford

Dele Alli is such a talented footballer. Still only 20-years old, Dele is the league’s top scoring midfielder by quite some distance, netting 16 times so far in 2016-17 with still a month left to go. With 72 touches, 2 chances created and 1 fantastic goal, the 20-year old attacking midfielder was all over Watford and made them look like very average defenders. The Tottenham man also helped out in defense with 4 tackles, completed 2 take-on’s and completed 83% of his passes, highlighting his great all-round game. Dele Alli is one of the best midfielders in the world, is a shoe-in for the PFA Team of the Year and now has exactly the same amount of goals as Sergio Aguero and Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the Premier League. Rating: 9.5/10.

Attacking Midfield: Kevin Mirallas

Kevin Mirallas vs. Marc Albrighton

Kevin Mirallas’ energy, pace and play-making abilities took Everton to the next level on Sunday as the Toffees waltzed to a 4-2 victory over high-flyers Leicester City. The Belgian winger hasn’t been brilliant across the board over the course of the season but he is capitalizing now on injuries to other players and was certainly the difference maker in their match this weekend. Pulling the strings all game long, Mirallas was integral to Everton’s success, notching two assists and creating 4 chances. The 29-year old also delivered 5 crosses, made 2 tackles and completed 5 successful take-on’s, more than any other player on the pitch! Kevin Mirallas was absolutely integral to Everton’s big win over Leicester City on Sunday and as a result, picks up his first Team of the Week appearance of the season! Rating: 10/10.

Left Wing: Heung-Min Son

Heung Min-Son

In order to accommodate for both Eric Dier and Victor Wanyama in the same team, Mauricio Pochettino has sacrificed one of his attacking options and as a result Heung-Min Son has not gotten as much playing time as he has deserved. Every single time the South Korean international is in the starting 11, he flourishes and just does such amazing work for the team. Son is an extremely talented player but he’s also such a fun character and must be so good to have in and around the dressing room. He works hard for the team and the team works hard for him, making him always one of Spurs’ most influential players when he finds himself in the 11. Due to Harry Kane’s injury, Heung-Min Son has now been given the chance to shine and has fully taken his opportunity, coming up with a massive performance against Watford this weekend. The South Korean winger was superb against the Hornets and was probably the best player on the pitch as he scored two goals and added an assist. He was absolutely buzzing all game long and it wasn’t just a hat-trick that he could have had, he should have had a double brace, firing wide from close range before hitting the crossbar late on. Heung-Min Son was absolutely unreal against Watford and thanks to the South Korean, Pochettino’s side did not miss Harry Kane an inch. Rating: 10/10.

Striker: Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Image result for Zlatan Ibrahimovic 3-0 sunderland

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has arguably been Manchester United’s most important player this season. What has impressed me the most about Zlatan is just how tremendously hard he works for the team. He comes into midfield to gather up possession and make things happen, never just occupying normal forward positions. He also always has his head up looking for a pass or to pick out a teammate. But what Zlatan always does best is score goals and the Swedish striker managed to find the back of the net yet again on Sunday as United cruised to a 3-0 victory over Sunderland. In addition to his great goal, the 35-year old striker also won 3 duels in the air, created 2 chances and assisted the final goal of the game with a great pass for Marcus Rashford’s late strike. At the age of 35, Zlatan Ibrahimovic continues to be one of the best strikers in the world and he continues to show no signs of slowing down. Rating: 9/10.

Striker: Romelu Lukaku

Image result for Romelu Lukaku 4-2 leicester

Romelu Lukaku is absolutely on fire right now and with the help of Harry Kane’s ankle injury, is now cruising into the finish line in the race for the Golden Boot. The Big Belgian has been absolutely unstoppable since the turn of the year and Leicester were the latest victims of his fantastic all-round play as he led Everton to a 4-2 victory this weekend. The talented forward absolutely lit up Goodison Park on Sunday, scoring a goal and assisting another while completely dominating over Huth and Benalouane on his way to aiding Everton to another victory. Completely bossing over his opposition, Lukaku won 6 duels in the air and also contributed defensively with 3 clearances. When he’s in this kind of form he is just impossible to stop and Romelu Lukaku now picks up his seventh Team of the Week appearance of the season! Rating: 10/10.

Formation: 3-1-4-2: Forster, Trippier, Stones, M. Alonso, Dier, Zaha, Alli, Mirallas, Son, Ibrahimovic, Lukaku

Substitutes:  Simon Mignolet, Matthew Lowton, Phil Jagielka, Fabian Delph, Yohan Cabaye, Andros Townsend, Eden Hazard

Player of the Week: Heung-Min Son

Image result for Mauricio Pochettino 4-0 watford

Heung Min-Son works so hard for the team and even though he’s not always in the side, he just gets on with his business whenever he’s given his chance and comes to every match with such a great attitude. The South Korean winger was superb against the Hornets and was probably the best player on the pitch as he scored two goals and added an assist in their massive 4-0 win. He was absolutely buzzing all game long and it wasn’t just a hat-trick that he could have had, he should have had a double brace, firing wide from close range before hitting the crossbar late on. Heung-Min Son was absolutely unreal against Watford and thanks to the South Korean, Pochettino’s side did not miss Harry Kane an inch.

Manager of the Week: Mauricio Pochettino

Image result for Mauricio Pochettino 4-0 watford

Mauricio Pochettino has done wonders for this Tottenham Hotspur team since he arrived in 2014. The Argentinean manager has completely transformed this Tottenham team, turning them into one of the best attacking units in the world. Not just that, they are also a team full of youngsters and promise and if they can keep hold of all of their stars and keep adding to their ranks, it could turn into one of the most dominant teams in Premier League history. What Pochettino has managed to do over the years is fantastic and he produced a masterclass against Watford that reminded us all just how far Spurs have come. Even without Harry Kane, Kyle Walker and Danny Rose, Tottenham were completely and utterly dominant over the Hornets and Walter Mazzarri’s side never stood a chance. After Janssen failed to fire and find the back of the net for the 12th Premier League game in a row, it would have been very easy for Pochettino not to start him for this match, but his role in the side proved effective even if he didn’t find the back of the net. Having the Dutch forward in the team, freed up Heung-Min Son to do the most damage on the left-hand side where he is most comfortable, while it also gave Alli, Eriksen and Trippier a focal point to deliver crosses into the box. Trippier for what it’s worth also proved highly effective in place of Kyle Walker who is still recovering from injury and Eric Dier excelled once again in defensive midfield in front of the back four. Tottenham were just so full of attacking intent that Watford never find a way to get the ball in Spurs’ half. Even if Watford somehow found their way down the other end of the pitch, the defense were so incredibly solid with every single player working hard for the team (Alli for example had 4 tackles) that Lloris only had 2 saves to make the entire match. Mauricio Pochettino’s Spurs were incredible against Watford and forget about Alli and Kane, Tottenham will do very well to hang on to their brilliant Argentinean manager this off-season.

So there it is! The Team of the Week for Gameweek 32 in the Premier League! Like what you read? Click the follow button for more articles like this, every single week. Thanks for reading and I can’t wait to see you again next week!

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themelizeme supports this item

This author's response time can be up to 2 business days.

11 comments found.

Congrats brother ;) Good luck

Thanks a lot :)

Looks great. Good luck, dude ! :)

Thank you very much! :)

Hi there, is there something wrong with your live preview? It’s not loading for me.

Hi, Thanks for the comment, we’re working on getting the preview back up ASAP.

We’re now back online :)

Quick question, at this point are all video post handled by using html embed or is there a faster way?

Hi, At present all videos (well all media) is embedded into the HTML. As soon as Ghost provides a nicer way we’ll implement it! Let me know any more questions :) Cheers Tom

Hi and thank you for the great theme!

Please implement the infinite scrolling with the next update. would be great!

very nice!

Which file you adding it to? Should be default.hsb I believe. You’ll probably need to restart ghost too.

Definitely something to add to our docs in future releases. Let me know

Cheers Tom

got it working: - tracking snippet before the closing </head> tag - restart ghost

also i’m using universal analytics and it’s tracking.

Great! We’ll be adding this to the documentation ASAP. Thanks for the feedback. Tom

great work guys. I spotted 1 error in the guideline, to configure Disqus: data-disqus-shortname="MY_DISQUS_USERNAME" you do not need Disqus Username, but the shortname associated to the website (and of course you need to create the website in Disqus’ control panel before).

Hi, thanks for buying & thanks for flagging this up, we’ll fix it in our next release. Cheers Tom

Hi !

I emailed you yesterday about disqus issue and didn’t get answer yet.

Regards Sheikh

Pre-sell question… Will this work out of the box on Ghost 0.4.1?

Hi, sorry for the delay, missed this. Yep all our Ghost themes should work fine with Ghost 0.4.1. Thanks Tom

The font looks blur on my chrome.

Great theme! Could you please update? thanks!

Hi, just submitted an update now, hopefully will be approved in a day or so. Thanks Tom

Nice. Good luck with selling…


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John F. Kennedy Liberal Democrat

John F. Kennedy Liberal Democrat
Source: U.S. Senator John F. Kennedy in 1960

Sunday, July 14, 2013

Doc Ludi: Video: High Society 1956, True Love Bing Crosby & Grace Kelly

This post was originally posted at FRS Daily Journal on WordPress

I’ve only seen bits and pieces of High Society, which to me anyway as someone who isn’t at least a full-time movie critic, is a pretty overrated movie. But I kind of like this scene, because Grace plays a somewhat stuck up spoiled young women who doesn’t like her parents that much, especially her father and they don’t approve of her completely. And she wants to get pass that and decides the way to move pass that, is to marry a pretty boring man who no one close to her is crazy about.

And her ex-husband played by Bing Crosby, sees right through that and is telling her, that she could be a special person if she just let her guard down and have feeling for other people’s feelings. Bing’s character was being sort of a constructive critic towards Grace’s character. A new man Tracy’s life played by Grace, Mike Connor played by Frank Sinatra, also sees Tracy’s wall that she has built around herself and tries to knock it down in this movie as well.


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Posted in all, alone, angel, author, believe, blessed, blessing, blog, blogs, book, books, candles, creative, creative writing, crying, darkness, dead, death, deep, depression, emotion, emotional, expression, family, feel, friends, friendship, hero, hero's, life, lost feelings, lost memories, loved ones, novel, peace, poems, poetry, poets, pondering, reflections, sadness, shadows, short stories, short tales, simple obsession, Simple obsession Creative writing, spirits, spiritual, stories, story, tales, thankful, thoughts, whispers, writer, writers, writing, writing | Categories: Art Analysis

Sailor in a bottle

Looking in the bottle , to the ship that’s trapped in time .  Wondering if you will visit , to see us from time to time .
A navy man to whisper , the man with the biggest heart

Knowing your not with us , it’s breaking all our hearts
Your a man who was regimental , a man who had seen the world .

Your a story for the generations , the navy man for the world .
You’ve been to exotic places , you’ve been around the world .

You’ve been a friend and brother , a gentleman in the world
Your at peace now your in heaven , or back aboard the ship .

Traveling round the waters , or sat eating your fish and chips .
The love you gave was warming , but now your flame gone out .

Now nana will be there to greet you , and give you a northern clout
We are all eternally grateful , for we had you in all our lives .

The biggest voice and biggest heart , that we will miss for all our lives

im just starting on my writing journey still finding my ground hoping to get noticed in the writing world

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Wednesday, December 18, 2013

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 unbeaten egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
milk chocolate candy kisses

Sift together flour, soda, and salt.  Cream together butter, peanut butter, sugar and brown sugar, creaming well.  Add egg and vanilla, beat well.  Blend in dry ingredients gradually; mix thoroughly. Shape dough into balls using rounded teaspoonful for each.  Roll balls in sugar and place on ungreased cookie sheets.  Bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes.  Remove sheet from oven and place a solid milk chocolate candy kiss on top of each cookie pressing down firmly so that cookies cracks around the edge.  Return cookies to oven and bake 2 to 5 minutes longer until golden brown.

New York State Of Mind said...

Good Morning Everyone,
This recipe is one probably some of you have already, but it was one Jean likes to do with the little children. They like pressing those chocolate kisses into the cookies.

It is warm here today, in the 20's. A lot warmer than it has been the past few days.

Vickie said...

Hi Marilyn and Pierre. I enjoy making and eating these!
It will be above freezing today again like yesterday here.

New York State Of Mind said...

Hi Vickie, Mabel and Henry,
These are one of my favorites, too. Hey, it is warmer at your place - above freezing. It's about time.

Marilyn and Pierre

Countryside Reflections said...

This recipe looks familiar but I never made them. I'll have to give it a try.

New York State Of Mind said...

Hi Doreen,

I think these are delicious and you will enjoy them. But that's just my opinion.

Veronica said...

All the recipes so far have been wonderful as I expected. I hope you Marilyn and Pierre are doing well and are ready for the holidays. I have been very busy with the children I watch and taking care of my parents. It is overwhelming at times but I have the blog to go to and escape each day.I am greatful that I can be there for my parents after how much they have done for our family. I have been reading but finding time to comment has been more difficult. I have been praying for Jean and David and their family also especially that things will go well with the holidays and Katie and her grandparents. Please let Jean know that I feel as though God is using their life as an example to others to show that things are not what is important but faith and family are. I respect that Jean and David stay true to their beliefs. Time to take mom to the doctor so I will leave you with my promise to keep you all in my thoughts and prayers. Veronica

New York State Of Mind said...

Is so nice to hear from you Veronica,
Pierre and I are fine and ready for the holidays. I will see that Jean and David get your comments. Thank you for taking the time to comment.

Merry Christmas,


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On Getting A Signature

IG: @dasparfumklima

How do I choose a signature scent? What makes a perfume my signature? How does this fragrance smell? Questions like these comes to mind when faced with the decision on what fragrance to buy and wear, most especially if the decision is to be made between two or more choices and also, sometimes the brands involved.

Nevertheless, can this quest for a signature scent be achieved (at least)? Yes it can!
Here’s a complication of things that could help in making this though choice fair.
                            Let’s go:

1. Trust Your Instincts. You’ve always got to trust your instinct when it comes to making any decision and perfume as we know should not be left out. This method  works out most of the time though.

2. Try Out Different Samples Before Choosing. This simply says ‘date perfumes before marrying them’ as the scentbird perfume slogan says. This is true because trying out samples gives an idea of what to expect from the main perfume bottle to avoid buying a flacon and dumping it later in regret of the content.
We ought to give fragrances time to settle in because our first impression about a fragrance might not be exactly the same when it is tried over and over (I realized this with Tuscan Leather by Tom Ford).
You could get over 10 samples of different perfumes of your choice from Scent Bird and more conveniently for those in Nigeria, 100 Percent Fragrance, which it comes in the oil version.

IG: @ scentbird_perfume

IG: @scentbird_perfume

3. Blind-Smell Fragrances. Often times, we get carried away by the popularity of a brand, not minding the fact that the particular product might not totally be suiting. I had this experience when I tried Chanel No.5 and it wasn’t quite appealing to me, but when my Grandma got a spritz on the back of her palm, she fell in love again 😂.
So when choosing a scent most especially from a store, it’s better to wrap up the tester vials and smell different accords of choice and pick out the one that’s really appealing to you so as not to be influenced by other brands.

IG: @perfumescom

4. Try Being Seasonal. Yes. If you are a ‘perfumista’ (someone who loves to explore different perfumes) like me, you could try being seasonal. How? By using different perfumes for different seasons, like summer, winter and spring, and also could have perfumes for daytime and night hours.
Remember, wear mild perfumes in summer (so as not to choke own your own scent or give others around you a hard time breathing), wear a more intense fragrance in winter and then floral in spring.
So then, you’d have a fragrance library that perfectly blends in with any season as it comes.

5. Read Fragrance Reviews/Testimonials. It’s necessary to go through fragrance reviews for an authentic opinion about any fragrance and also to build attraction to it, bearing in mind that opinions may differ.
If it’s an online forum/community you can decide based on the number of persons that appraised a fragrance positively, compared to those who stood in the negative.

6. Get Complementing Scent(s). Depending on individuals, apart from the main perfume you have chosen to wear as your signature, you could try getting one or two that would complement it perfectly, like Insolence by Guerlain and Born in Paradise  by Roberto Cavalli; Green Irish Tweed by Creed and Terre D’Hermes by Hermes.

IG: @scentbird_perfume

I’d end with this quote by Marilyn Monroe, ‘There are no women who do not like perfume, there are women who have not found their scent’. This quote rightly applies to men too. Find your scent today!

So that’s it! I hope this post was very helpful to you.

Image 1: IG – @dasparfumklima
Image 2, 3, 5: IG – @scentbird_perfume
Image 4: IG – @ perfumescom

Let’s be social! Kindly follow us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and don’t forget to subscribe and leave a comment below 👇

With Scentful Love,

The Perfumier 🌸

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