A fabulous night of music and conversation. An assortment of local musicians at the village pub called Sterenn Roz (The Rose Star). These “session trad” have been held here for at least a quarter century. Young and old, playing in different combinations throughout the evening. No stage, just a comfortable mix of musicians and clientele. People switching instruments, dropping in or dropping out of a song as the spirit moved them, glances exchanged between players who found a common groove. The Celtic way. There were accordions; guitars, bagpipes, and a couple of reed instruments resembling a medieval shawm which they called a bombarde. Call-and-response, knees and feet catching the tempo. The style of performance, the rhythms and melodies bore a strong resemblance to Canadian folk music (It’s no accident that the acknowledged regional heart of Canadian folk is Cape Breton, Nova Scotia). But the fiddle, the workhorse of Canadian music, played no part. So the effect was a bit weird to me, as if someone played bluegrass with no banjo. Read more »
Category Archives: AH - Blog 2014 - Page 3
Sunday, April 27, 2014 — In the forests of the Vallée du Blavet
A maze of mists and shadows.
It’s easy to understand why it was so hard for the Romans, and then the French, to conquer Brittany. The land resembles, as I said yesterday, the Ozarks or West Virginia in its basic surface structure. Brittany shares the same North Atlantic winds and currents that turn England into a soggy mess. There are creeks everywhere. Every tree and rock is slimy with moss. The ground cover is thick. There are climbing vines clinging to every deciduous tree. Except where the ground is level, it’s slippery footing — and it’s seldom level. This forest contains an amazing variety of trees. Calling it “mixed forest” is an understatement. Oaks are everywhere, and so are an odd-looking silver birch. There are also spruce and the occasional pine. One large stand of spruce I passed through was particularly creepy, a confusing maze of mist and shadows. Everything about this forest makes for slow going, and the undergrowth quickly swallow up any footpath that isn’t constantly used. Read more »
Image of the month: art of Egon Schiele
Self Portrait with Physalis, 1912
Wednesday, February 19, 2014 — What I Learned from Time Team
I’m a big fan of the series Time Team and I’m sad to see it end its long run. Of course, the digs presented on the show are not typical of digs as they are done under normal circumstances, but the show has done some good and perfectly legitimate work, and it has created a popular interest in archaeology that will ultimately benefit the field. But one recurrent theme runs through the series, and whenever it surfaces in the show, I can’t help thinking of.…
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ARCHAEOLOGY IN CANADA AND ARCHAEOLOGY IN BRITAIN
ARCHAEOLOGISTS AT WORK IN CANADA:
ARCHAEOLOGISTS AT WORK IN BRITAIN:
(Just kidding, mates!)
Image of the month: Schloss Neuschwanstein
The fairy-tale castle built for King Ludwig II of Bavaria (“The Mad King”). It is associated with Richard Wagner, whose music is said to have inspired Ludwig to have it built.
Image of the month: The Maltese Falcon (1941)
Peter Lorre (left), Mary Astor (seated), James Burke (middle right), and Humphrey Bogart (right) in something there is no point calling a “famous scene” in the film, since EVERY scene in the film is famous.