The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

The books by Stieg Larsson are brilliant. I could have seen the film, it was on at the cinema in Guildford but it was one of those awful multi-screen jobs. If I am going to the cinema I’d rather go to a real cinema. Plus my friend Sian had not read the book, and I said if we went it would spoil the book for her.

I guess I will have to wait for the DVD and watch it on my laptop.

According to film director Tadeh Daschi, the film adaption is true to the book. If true, that is rare. But why does Hollywood have to bring out their own trashy American version?

Tadeh Daschi directed The Witch of Portobello starring Carolena Sabah as Athena, based on the book of the same name by Paulo Coelho.

http://www.heureka.clara.net/art/paulo-coelho.htm

Lady Lick Her Lips

Exposición “Os Portais” santiago de compostela July 2010

Exposición “Os Portais” Christina Oiticica, Paulo Coelho, Romero Britto, santiago de compostela July 2010

I was invited by Christina Oiticica to Os Portais. I regret to say I did not take up her invitation. I regret even more knowing that it coincided with the 25 July celebrations last Sunday in Santiago de Compostela.

When 25 July falls on a Sunday it is a Holy or Jubilee year. This year is one such year. This year more than 200,000 are expected to walk El Camino de Santiago, a medieval pilgrims route to Santiago de Compostela.

Also see

The Exposition ‘Os Portais’ – Work of Christina Oiticica and Paulo Coelho

Paulo Coelho on the Road to Santiago de Compostela

Camino de Santiago – Santiago de Compostela

Pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela today

The History of the Pilgrimage to Compostela

In the Forest

Brida

All she can do is smile, looking at his face. A smile so sweet, would melt the devils heart.

There they stand, out in the forest, dark and vast, with glimpses of the moonlight.

Misty, and magical is the night. She stands in a trance.

Entranced by his presence and power.

Poised in solitude and serenity, connecting to all the life around them, feeling the soul of the world. She backs into and leans against the tree with a sigh. He moves in closer without a moments waste. He leans in to her face and gives her a kiss, on the lips and backs away. Their faces lit by the moonlight, he smiles at her smiling face, sending her smile deeper and further.

She grabs his hands and pulls him in, kisses him and smiles again, he kisses her back with a smile. She presses him against her chest suddenly, ‘oh Magus, I want you, I want you so bad, take me, take me right now, right here, I want you’. He touches her lips in a passionate kiss, slowly. Caressing her soul he leans his hips into hers, taking her hands above her head against the tree and kisses her domineeringly. Pinned back and trapped, she surrenders, submits her body into his releasing herself to him, releasing her kiss, her body, her mind and her soul. He grinds against her turning her deep breaths into moans. she lifts her leg wraps it around him and pushes her body deeper into his, kissing moaning and rubbing herself on him. Oh, this is so good, she says in between kisses.

He lets go of her hands, touches her breasts caressing them slowly feeling her nipples poking through her blouse, and violently and with one jerk, he pulls and rips her blouse open. Breathless, she gasps for air. He looks at her breasts at her nipples, barely touching her skin, he runs his fingers on and around them. Her body quivers her moans become louder.

He grabs her breasts and leans in for a lick. She puts her hands around him, pulls him to her saying, ‘take me now i can’t wait any longer’ He pushes her back against the tree, puts one hand on her heart, and runs the other one slowly down her neck and her breast over her nipple down her stomach, he kisses her stomach, pulls her skirt and panties off dropping them to the ground.

He runs his hands up her legs, inside her thighs, opening them apart. She moans in ecstatic pleasure while he’s looking at between her legs. He runs his tongue up her clitoris, her moans echo through the forest. He teases it and plays with it as a wolf begins to howl.

He smells her, becoming more and more excited, attacking her pussy with his mouth like a wild beast feasting, his violent noises paralyzes her in disbelief and fear. He pushes up, unzips his pants, takes her hands up against the tree again, and with a violent and forceful push thrusts himself inside of her. He bangs her against the tree, waits a moment, looks at her, and bangs her again, and again, and again and again getting a little faster with every blow as she looses a little more of herself with every stroke.

He fucks her with a hard passion, she spreads her legs wider so he can fuck her deeper and harder rubbing on her clitoris getting her closer to orgasm. She is in complete submission, submitted to him completely, her animal instinct coming through. As she’s about to come she makes violent loud noises with him. They fuck like two animals getting faster and faster and wilder and louder and louder until their savage screams scare even the wildest creatures of the forest. They come together, shooting his cum wetting her insides, she comes dripping all over him.

From a facebook note by Carolena Sabah, inspired by Brida by Brazilian writer Paulo Coelho.

Carolena Sabah starred as Athena in The Witch of Portobello based on the book of the same name by Paulo Coelho.

I Am – Lucinda Drayton

I first came across Lucinda Drayton in a New Age shop in Aldershot. Alton, Farnham or Guildford maybe, but Aldershot?

From there I picked up her album Both Sides. An amazing album and well worth having. Amazing vocals. Quite a find. Her cover version of the Sting classic ‘Fields of Gold’ brings obvious comparisons with Eva Cassidy.

If Paulo Coelho communicates with the Soul of the World through his writing, then Lucinda Drayton does with her music.

Synchronicity: A few days after picking up Both Sides, a message on twitter from Priya Sher with the identical quote from the album!

William Blake – God Is The Imagination – Gnostic

I was mesmerized and stunned by William Blake when I read the following lines

To see a World in a Grain of Sand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour.

The words are mind blowing!

There is an implicit reference to Blake in The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, and Paulo Coelho notes him as one of his influences.

Many years ago, possibly in the 1970s, I went to an exhibition on William Blake, not sure where, maybe the Royal Academy in London.

I hear Jerusalem and I think of the Last Night of the Proms at the Royal Albert Hall in London. When I hear the Last Night of the Proms I know summer is over.

Also see

To see a World in a Grain of Sand

The Marriage of Heaven and Hell – William Blake

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (illustrated by Robert Ingpen)

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

I saw this illustrated edition of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland in Guildford Museum. Unlike the original edition by Lewis Carroll, it did not have the John Tenniel illustrations, instead the illustrations are by Robert Ingpen.

It was an absolute must have.

I was looking at the Lewis Carroll exhibition in Guildford Museum, part of the Curiouser and Curiouser season. I could have picked it up there and then, but I did not wish to carry it around with me all day. A decision I regretted once home.

A week and a half later I was in Guildford for a performances of Alice in Court in the Guildhall, and picked up a copy.

What makes this an absolute must have is the fantastic illustrations by Robert Ingpen. He bases them upon the original John Tenniel illustrations. The only major difference is that Alice is not as we recognize her from John Tenniel, she is more like Alice Liddell as portrayed in the photos taken by Lewis Carroll.

As an added bonus there are a couple of facsimile pages from Alice’s Adventures Under Ground, the handwritten manuscript Lewis Carroll gave to Alice Liddell ‘A Christmas gift to a dear child in memory of a summer day’. The illustrations were by Lewis Carroll himself.

I was though disappointed to find that some of my favorites are missing. Alice hunched up and the White Rabbit scurrying away, drawing to one side a curtain and seeing a small door behind the curtain, to name but two.

A neat touch is Lewis Carroll reading to Alice Liddell, which prefaces the book.

If you have one copy of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland beside that with the original John Tenniel illustrations, then this is the one to get.

I cannot wait for Through the Looking-Glass.

Also see

And what is the use of a book, without pictures or conversations?

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass

Lover’s Den

lovers

A bright sun radiates and shines warming their skin as they walk on the sand, hand in hand.

Bare feet, rhythmic steps, in tune with each other watching the waves dance and sing a melodic tune that plays God’s symphony.

Eros looks at Amora as she looks at the horizon, the endless tranquil horizon.Curious thoughts pass through his mind. ‘what is she thinking about so deep into her thoughts, what is so important to her, is she not happy with all the love I give her, what more could anybody want, besides the full devotion from a loved one?’

Amora smiles, sensing his attention on her, turns around and looks at him. He smiles at her beautiful face, their hearts smile along. Enamored by his beauty, she kisses the lips, decorating his entire face in her loving kisses. Eros grabs her pulling her closer, quizzing her body into his and giving her the longest kiss. In love they smile, and continue walking down the ocean shore.

Amora looks at Eros who’s looking out into the distance, curious thoughts pass through her head, ‘what is my love thinking about? is there anyone else in his heart besides me? why is he so distant sometimes, can’t he see how much I love him’? He looks at her before she finishes her thought, grabs her, lifts her up spinning in the music in the air. She runs to the water as he puts her down, looking back at Eros, beckoning his call.

The water caresses her feet, sending cold chills to her spine. Eros runs after Amora in a chase, splashing through the water in desperate anticipation. Running and playing, so free and wild, smiling and laughing, in each other’s hearts. Lost in a space without limits or walls, recreating the dream in their souls of that first time of their encounter. Without hesitation, he charges to her, capturing her in a frenzy, forcing her to the ground, pinning her down.

The waves wash over them, bathing their clothes and skin in cool caresses. the sand sets into her hair, shimmering rays reflect off her face. he kisses her neck, her chest, hearing the pounding of her heart screaming the sounds of her love that resonate through his lips into his heart.

Engulfed in warmth and wetness, they’re bodies vibrating to each other’s sounds. He glimpses at her dreamy face, off in a distant place. He wonders why she’s in a daze, what mazes her face, just as she looks at his face, I love you she says. I love You, he says, embracing each other as the earth embraces them in their love.

The sounds of those three magical words sets their bodies in motions of love, of massages and caresses, drifting them into God’s aria, harmonizing endless musical masterpieces.

From a facebook note by Carolena Sabah.

Carolena Sabah starred as Athena in The Witch of Portobello based on the book of the same name by Paulo Coelho.

Organic wine in eco-friendly tetra paks?

These words do not sit easily on my tongue, organic wine tetra paks, eco-friendly tetra paks. They are uneasy bedfellows, an oxymoron at the very least.

My lovely friend Sian and I were on an Alice day out. We were in Guildford for a performance of Alice in Court at the Guildhall and whilst in Guildford we looked at the Lewis Carroll exhibits in Guildford House and the Guildford Museum. All part of Curiouser and Curiouser, a programme of walks, talks and events to celebrate the life and legacy of Lewis Carroll who lived in Guildford.

We ended up at Jamie’s Italian. Well to be exact, we ended up drinking outside the Old Ford in North Camp. Let us say we dined that evening at Jamie’s Italian.

Whilst we were ordering, Sian drew my attention to an item on the menu that had caught her eye. Organic house wine in eco-friendly tetra paks which the waiter would be happy to decant at our table.

The mind boggles. To say the least we were baffled.

House wine is usually ordered in bulk and served in a carafe, or comes in bottles with no label. What self-respecting wine producer would put his wine, organic wine at that, in tetra paks? Wine in cartoons is the rubbish you take to parties when you do not wish to take a decent bottle, and this was tetra paks. Tetra paks are more or less impossible to recycle due to their composite laminar construction. Or were these special biodegradable tetra paks that we had not seen or heard of? But then the wine would be intended to be drunk very young, as the pak would disintegrate.

We were intrigued. We called over our waiter and said we wished to know more. He did not know, and went to speak to his manager. He did not know either. He brought over a tetra pak of organic wine. As far as we could see this was an ordinary tetra pak. There was nothing on the pak to indicate otherwise, though it did say it could be recycled.

A message was sent to Jamie Oliver, but we got no reply whilst we were eating and I have heard nothing from him since. Maybe he will write a comment!

A question I should have asked but didn’t was what does the restaurant do with the empty tetra paks, do they go in a general waste stream or are they recycled? I can guess what the answer would have been (and maybe I will pop back and ask) but it would have been interesting to hear what they had to say.

We then had fun devising a Monty Python comedy sketch.

Waiter turns up with a tetra pak in his hand. Is this to Sir’s liking? He then, with hand behind back, carefully decants the wine from a tetra pak.

It goes without saying that we declined the offer of organic house wine decanted from a tetra pak.

The Size of a Puppy

sighs of a puppy

‘Love knows no difference between life and death. The one who gives you a reason to live is also the one who takes your breath away.’ — Ghalib

“Danielle keeps repeating it over and over again. We’ve been back to this animal shelter at least five times. It has been weeks now since we started all of this,” the mother told the volunteer.

“What is it she keeps asking for?” the volunteer asked.
“Puppy size!” replied the mother

“Well, we have plenty of puppies, if that’s what she’s looking for..’ ‘I know….. We have seen most of them, “ the mom said in frustration…

Just then Danielle came walking into the office

“Well, did you find one?” asked her mom.

“No, not this time,” Danielle said with sadness in her voice. “Can we come back on the weekend?”

The two women looked at each other, shook their heads and laughed

“You never know when we will get more dogs.. Unfortunately, there’s always a supply,” the volunteer said.

Danielle took her mother by the hand and headed to the door. ‘Don’t worry, I’ll find one this weekend,’ she said.

Over the next few days both Mom and Dad had long conversations with her. They both felt she was being too particular. “It’s this weekend or we’re not looking any more,” Dad finally said in frustration.

“We don’t want to hear anything more about puppy size, either,” Mom added.

Sure enough, they were the first ones in the shelter on Saturday morning . By now Danielle knew her way around, so she ran right for the section that housed the smaller dogs.

Tired of the routine, mom sat in the small waiting room at the end of the first row of cages. There was an observation window so you could see the animals during times when visitors weren’t permitted.

Danielle walked slowly from cage to cage, kneeling periodically to take a closer look.. One by one the dogs were brought out and she held each one.

One by one she said, “Sorry, but you’re not the one.”

It was the last cage on this last day in search of the perfect pup. The volunteer opened the cage door and the child carefully picked up the dog and held it closely. This time she took a little longer.

“Mom, that’s it! I found the right puppy! He’s the one! I know it!” She screamed with joy. “It’s the puppy size!”

“But it’s the same size as all the other puppies you held over the last few weeks,” Mom said.

“No not size… The sighs. When I held him in my arms, he sighed,” she said.

“Don’t you remember? When I asked you one day what love is, you told me love depends on the sighs of your heart. The more you love, the bigger the sigh!”

The two women looked at each other for a moment. Mom didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. As she stooped down to hug the child, she did a little of both.

“Mom, every time you hold me, I sigh. When you and Daddy come home from work and hug each other, you both sigh. I knew I would find the right puppy if it sighed when I held it in my arms,” she said. Then, holding the puppy up close to her face, she said, “Mom, he loves me. I heard the sighs of his heart!”

Close your eyes for a moment and think about the love that makes you sigh. I not only find it in the arms of my loved ones, but in the caress of a sunset, the kiss of the moonlight and the gentle brush of cool air on a hot day.

They are the sighs of God. Take the time to stop and listen; you will be surprised at what you hear. “Life is not measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.”

“Love the people who treat you right and forget about the ones who don’t.”

From a facebook note by Elaine Breinholt Street