Literary prizes do more than offer recognition and cash to writers and help readers decide what book to choose. They shape the literary canon, a countrys body of highly regarded writing. They help shape what the future classics might be.

But what if Africas biggest prizes are awarded by foreign territories; former colonial masters? Or what if African-born writers in the diaspora are routinely chosen as winners over writers living and working in Africa?

Debates have been raging over these issues in recent years, especially relating to the lucrative Caine Prize for African Writing.

The words award or prize imply that there was a selection process and the best emerged as winner. The awarding of value to a text through the literary prize industry involves selection and exclusion in which some texts and authors are foregrounded, becoming the canon.

The scholar John Guillory argues, in addition, for the need to

reconstruct a historical picture of how literary works are produced, disseminated, reproduced, reread, and retaught over successive generations and eras.

The issues are complex and the landscape is changing. My research covers how prizes create taste and canon but also the increasing role played by literary organisations to shape those prizes and hence the canon.

Writers organisations mainly provide a social space for writers. There are dozens across the continent. Sometimes they include a publishing avenue, workshops, fellowships and competitions. In general, they have aimed to fill gaps left by mainstream literary bodies such as publishers, universities and schools, and book marketers.

To understand the process of creative writing on the African continent its useful to focus on the interrelationship between prize bodies and writers organisations in contemporary literary production.

The Caine Prize for African Writing and the Commonwealth Short Story Prize are two major awards for contemporary Africa that have been cited as significant in promoting up-and-coming writers to become global writers. Both trade in the short story.

The Commonwealth, an initiative of the Commonwealths agency for civil society, awards unpublished fiction. The Caine, a charity set up in the name of the late literary organiser Sir Michael Caine, only accepts already published work. The cash reward that comes with winning these prizes is a major factor in their popularity on the continent.

But they are also significant in the growth of the short story genre. This is why I am interested in the partnerships that have emerged between prize bodies and writers organisations. Together they are influencing literary production structures from creative writing training to publishing and marketing texts.

Both the Caine and the Commonwealth prizes have partnered with African based writing organisations like Ugandas FEMRITE and Kenyas Kwani? to organise joint creative writing workshops.

The Caine holds annual workshops for its longlisted writers. These mostly take place in Africa, working with local writers organisations. Sometimes the resulting writing is entered into competitions and in this way, the prize body both produces and awards literary value.

Many of these writers organisations are headed by people who were canonised through the international prize, and sometimes the writing trainers and competition judges are also previous winners.

With such links it then becomes important to analyse the literary texts produced within these networks with the awareness of the importance of a texts social, cultural and political context. The literary product becomes a reflection of the different systems of power at play.

A good illustration of this power play can be found in best-selling Nigerian novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichies short story Jumping Monkey Hill. It tells of a fictional creative writing programme for African writers run by the British Council. The story, set in South Africa, narrates the experiences of the writers, who are all expected to write about African realities in order to have their stories published internationally. The writers come to the workshop ready to learn how to improve their skills but encounter setbacks mainly because the trainer has a preconceived idea of what plausible African stories should be. These writers have to understand the power play in place and then make a choice.

Jumping Monkey Hill acknowledges the role played by the creative writing institution in the production of literature as a commodity that must fit market demands. For this reason, the increasing investment of African based writers organisations in the literary production scene can also be understood as a political move. It is also an effort to influence the literature coming out of the continent and shape the canon.

Contemporary African writers organisations are deliberately involved in canon formation by taking an active role in the production and distribution of literature. They understand that the uneven distribution of economic and cultural capital results in misrepresentations, or lack of representation, within the canon.

Writers organisations such as FEMRITE, Kwani?, Farafina, Writivism, Storymoja and Short Story Day Africa, among others, are active in the literary industry through publishing, creative writing programmes and providing access to major award organisations and international publishers.

They are, in the process, contributing to canon formation.

Short Story Day Africa, for instance, pegs its yearly competitions on the promise that the winning stories will be automatically submitted for the Caine Prize. In fact, the 2014 Caine winning story and one other shortlisted story were initially published in its anthology Feast, Famine and Potluck (2013).

In the African academy, creative writing is usually offered as a single course within a larger programme or is available only at selected universities. This has resulted in a market gap that has been quickly lled by writers organisations. They fill this gap by offering short term courses on various aspects of creative writing. This is in part because the local literary organisation possesses the cultural capital necessary to link writers to prize organisations and publishers, and therefore to global visibility.

Link:
African literary prizes are contested -- but writers' groups are reshaping them - The Conversation Africa

Essential Information

British Embassy/Consulate:(00 39 055 284 133;gov.uk). Approximately 3 million British nationals visit Italy a year so the website is up to date with information on events like heatwaves or volcanic eruptions, airport renovations, and any security issues. Check out the 'Living in Italy' entry too.

Tourist offices: There are tourism offices all over the region. Check out italia.it to find the one closest to you.

Ambulance: dial 118

Police: dial 112

Fire: dial 115

Currency:Euro

Telephone code:from abroad, dial 00 39, and then a zero at the start of the landline number; mobile numbers dont need a 0.

Time difference:+1 hour

Travelling times:Flights from London to Florence take about two hours and ten minutes. Pisa is another option with same flight time.

When greeting people, use the more formal expressions, Buon giorno or Buona sera instead of ciao.

When visiting churches and abbeys do bring something to cover your shoulders and when visiting during mass, be sure to be quiet and respectful. Dressing up for meals in nicer restaurants usually results in better service.

Beware the many speed cameras dotting Tuscanys back roads by respecting the limits. When parking watch for the coloured lines in general white are free, blue paid parking, and yellow for residents. Do not enter ZTL, zona traffica limita.

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An expert guide to a weekend in Tuscany | Telegraph Travel - The Telegraph

Tim McKay is a conservationist, tree farmer, furniture maker, and writer who has lived in Peacham since 1977. Tim retired in 2010 from a career with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service field office in St Johnsbury.

Last month I described our first days in the western highlands of Scotland, based in Glencoe and then Ullapool. That was our wet introduction to a sparsely populated region of stark natural beauty with its rocky mountains, green glens, fjord-like lochs, and heather-covered peat.

We left Ullapool in the rain, headed north on the A835, a good road with two lanes, which in Scotland means two eight or nine-foot wide lanes with absolutely no shoulder of any kind. With Betsy chanting keep left, keep left and sucking in her breath whenever we met a truck, I continued my adjustment to driving a car that I wasnt used to on the wrong side of a too narrow road. It took intense concentration. Betsy was able to look around at the landscape of heathered peat-land punctuated by small isolated farms nestled on occasional spots of arable land, and too many lakes to count. Before long we joined the A837 and were along Loch Assynt where we stopped to check out the ruins of Ardvreck Castle, one of three generations of ruin at this site. The inconspicuous mound of a stone cairn is nearby, probably about 5,000 years old, while the more modern ruin of a large stone house from the 18th century stands just up the road. Layers of history are everywhere in Scotland.

Even rugged hills covered in nothing but rock and heather are pastured by sheep.

Heading west we drove into Lochinver, a small but important port, the commercial center of a large area of the northwest coast. That means that there is a convenience store, a gas station, MacKays Hardware, a caf, and a post office. In the eight-hour drive from Ullapool around the coast to Thurso there are no true grocery stores.

Beyond metro Lochinver, the road winds around the coast, up and down, hemmed in by rock, past little crofts (farms) and hamlets of a few houses. The road widens into a pullout wherever nature allows. According to Scottish custom for vehicles that meet on the single track roads, the car that is closest to a pullout backs up. With so many blind twists and turns and ups and downs, such encounters are common. Speed is not an option, although the locals and lorry (truck) drivers have become inured enough to the danger that they buzz right along. Interestingly, traffic deaths per capita are about eight times higher on our wide roads as on Scotlands narrow roads.

There are three villages worthy of the name along the northwest coast in the heart of MacKay Country. The westernmost is Durness which features a similar array of services to Lochinver. The village sits above Sango beach, one of a number of lovely sand beaches along the north coast. It is surrounded by the largest patch of farmland we had seen for days, several hundred acres in size. There are a number of working crofts, many of which offer rooms to the growing number of tourists. Other than yard trees, there are absolutely no trees for many miles; just heather, rock, and small lakes among scattered mountains rising to about 3,000 feet.

East of Durness is Loch Eriboll, a ten-mile long arm of the sea with deep water, well protected from the howling storms of the open sea to the north. It was used extensively by the Royal Navy during WWII, including as the site of the surrender of the last 33 German U-boats in 1945. Rising beyond Loch Eriboll, the road traverses a high plateau. It was raining as we drove under the heavy gray skies, the only color being the purple bloom of heather as far as the eye could see. We pulled off into a cratered dirt parking area near the ruined shell of a house. The glowering gray sky spit cold rain as we walked up to the house. I could envision a cold, wet MacKay ancestor trudging over this endless, bog covered plateau. Unbelievably, when we rounded the wall of the house, the interior walls were covered with fantastic graffiti murals. It was modern, artistic Scotland meeting the gray stone and harsh existence of ancient Scotland.

Continuing east, active peat harvesting was apparent. Peat has been an abundant fuel source for millennia here. These large northern expanses of peat are known as the Flows. More than 400,000 acres are covered by blanket bog covering hills and swales alike. Only a few species of plants can survive the cold, wet, acidic conditions, and when those plants die, they do not decompose. Instead, the next generation grows atop the old, a pattern that has continued since the glaciers retreated about 10,000 years ago. The blanket of peat varies but is as much as 30 feet thick. The peat stores more than twice as much carbon as all the forests in the UK combined.

Descending from the plateau, the next inlet of the sea was spread before us, this time a shallow bay known as the Kyle of Tongue. Sitting on the tip of a ridge jutting into the Kyle, the ruin of Castle Varrich (once the stronghold of the MacKay Clan) commands a view over the Kyle, the village of Tongue with its collection of crofts, and the flows stretching away to the mountains.

The third village along this harsh coast is Bettyhill which sits on a rise above the mouth of the River Naver. An extensive sand beach with high dunes behind it marks the entrance to Strathnaver, a broad swath of arable land extending about 40 miles inland to Loch Naver. This was the heart of MacKay Country and about 1200 people lived on tenant farms in Strathnaver until 1819. Then the Dutchess of Sutherland, who owned the whole region, decided that sheep would be more profitable than the tenant farms. The people were told to clear off the land they had farmed for generations and the farms and hamlets were all burned. This was one of the more brutal episodes in what is known as the Highland Clearances.

Our destination was a white-washed stone cottage that we had reserved through AirBnB. After climbing east from Bettyhill and passing a couple of big wind turbines, the road to Kirtomy appeared on our left. The single-track road wound down a steep valley, emerging from the heather into green grass and a cluster of farms and scattered houses. Open to the sea stretching north toward the Orkney Islands, Kirtomy occupies a verdant bowl of arable land with heather-covered pastures rising all around. At the foot of the valley is a steep headland and a little stone beach featuring a ruined stone jetty that once hosted a small fishing fleet. Today the only boats in evidence are two lobstering dories pulled up on the beach.

Our first stop to delve into McKay history was the Strathnaver Museum in Bettyhill, where we picked up a guidebook for the Strathnaver Trail, a historical trail with 17 stops over the 20-mile length of the valley. From Bettyhill we drove south, up the Naver River, which is a renowned salmon fishing destination. The Trail stops have signage with a little history, from ancient cairns to the stone foundations of villages burned in 1819. We walked a mile or so through the woods to reach Rosal, one of the former villages. Sitting among the stone foundations I couldnt help wondering about ancestors who lived what we would consider a brutal existence on this land, and the ignominious end to the lives they had known, brought on by the Clearances.

The Strathnaver culminates at Loch Naver, typical of the many lakes dotting the Flows. The landscape is a cross between tundra and plains, with huge expanses of sloping heather rising to 3,000-foot mountains. Along the loch we came upon a logging operation underway in a 100-acre plantation of spruce. They were salvaging logs from a large blowdown, the result of hurricane-force winds that struck northern Scotland last year. The drive north from Altnaharra to Tongue was magical, with long stretches of purple flows; the classic Loch Loyal and its attendant mountain, Ben Loyal, begging to be climbed.

Back at our classic little cottage in Kirtomy, we cooked an early supper with the food brought from Ullapool, and then took an evening stroll. Writing in my journal I realized that it had been our first day in Scotland without rain.

The next morning dawned clear and I was up early, sneaking out for a walk up onto the hills behind the cottage. The only paths I found were sheep trails through the heather, but the ground was pretty dry and the heather only ankle-high, so I could walk anywhere. From the top of the hill I could look west to the mountains that mark the northern end of the Highlands, and north out to sea. Below me was the tidy valley of Kirtomy where I counted 24 houses, and two active crofts with stacked bales of hay and flocks of sheep in the pastures.

Later we took a walk down to the little stone beach. A wandering border collie tagged along, and a single sheep sadly looked at her mates on the wrong side of the fence. Near the beach stands a monument to the Kirtomy men who perished in two shipwrecks in the 19th century. Eight of the nine men were MacKays. Scrambling down to the beach, I wandered out onto the broken concrete and rock of the small jetty with its row of iron loops drilled into the rock. At one time there must have been over a dozen boats that called this tiny bay home.

As the weather turned back to wind and spitting rain, we decided to spend a quiet afternoon in the cottage with a fire in the stove. I particularly enjoyed a day without driving. In the evening we headed into Bettyhill for a nice dinner at the little hotel, overlooking the bay and its sand beach and dunes. On the morrow we would head south as my ancestors must have done. They would encounter a new and perhaps easier life. We would have a chance encounter with the Queen.

Tim McKay is a retired natural resource conservationist and current woodworker and tree farmer who lives in Peacham and occasionally wanders farther afield.

More here:
The far northwest of Scotland | Features - northstarmonthly.com

It took all my courage to follow him, slowly shuffling along until I found myself hurtling down the hill, ploughing to a stop then starting, turning left sharply, wobbling a bit Dont lean back! I internally scream, I corrected myself into a long sweeping right turn and we were back at the bottom of the hill.

I dont know if Harry is appalled or pleasantly surprised, but then his beaming smile and a hand up for a high five said it all. I can do it. And it only took me 30 years to finally try it!

Arosa is a village of typically Swiss houses huddled around a frozen lake and surrounded by dense forest and mountains.

Its warm summers and snow filled winters make it a magnet for those with a passion for the outdoors and its high altitude pistes suit all ability levels, from the black run-loving ski demi-gods to those who have never strapped on a pair.

As well as boasting chic and spacious rooms inspired by the surrounding nature, the Valsana Hotel also offers its guests a rather beautiful spa.

Stretching over 800m, its relaxation pool is bordered by views of the snow covered mountains, the two saunas, one set at an eco friendly 60 degrees, are made from reclaimed wood and have windows that act as a portal to the icy, white world outside. As well as several treatment rooms, a yoga studio and gym, the spa is the perfect place to unwind after a day on the slopes.

When it came to my day of skiing I was lucky enough to have my own private instructor, Harry, who was precise and encouraging in his teaching.

Having never skied before, and being the only one in the class, it was hard to gauge exactly how I was doing, because the lesson seemed to move very quickly.

When I questioned if I was doing it right, he pointed out a lady who, after starting her lesson at the same time as me, was still getting to grips with walking sideways up the hill.

Suddenly I felt a sense of accomplishment and although I was sweating from head to toe and completely breathless I let out a euphoric purr of happiness.

After a few more times up and down, Harry left me to it.

And then I could finally enjoy gliding through the snow, taking in the views as the sun popped its head out from behind the clouds over the mountains.

I took a deep breath of the bracing air and came to the conclusion that I really should have tried this 15 years ago.

Arosa is ideal for hiking, but when over a foot of snow covers the land what is one to do? Thankfully Tschuggen Grand hotel can provide guests with an experienced guide and snow shoes (not the tennis racket size ones youd imagine) and you can spend the morning show shoe hiking through the pistes, foothills and picturesque landscape.

I endured a 7km hike through heavy snow, high altitude and generally not being as fit as I thought I was, before arriving at the very welcoming final destination of Alpenblick.

If youve been skiing before youll be well aware of these cozy little fire-lit chalets high up in the hills, a welcome respite for the hungry hiker or skier.

This was all new to me and I simply couldnt get over such a restaurant in the middle of nowhere.

I devoured warming German sausage, pickled veg and crispy fries dipped in bubbling three cheese fondue paired with a crunchy salad and Swiss white wine.

Back down the mountain, it was time for a bit of relaxation.

Tschuggen Bergoase spa is set over three floors and dominated by the vast, warm pool stretching over an entire floor with jacuzzis and massage fountains.

If you swim through the curtain at one end you are taken outside to a higher temperature pool where you can literally reach out and touch nature (when I was there this was two feet of snow). I immensely enjoyed swimming in what felt like a nice hot bath while catching falling snow on the tip of my tongue.

Valsanas restaurant, Twist, combines modern food trends and todays desire for a healthy, happy lifestyle.

I had the pleasure of eating here twice and made my way through so many intriguing flavour combinations including fillet of veal with dill, cauliflower and miso, slightly smoked Luzern beer pork belly, and a rocket and olive oil desert (yes, desert) which were an absolute triumph of culinary design.

After four days of fine wine, sumptuous food, adrenaline pumping activities and relaxation I had to admit something to myself.

I am a fully fledged sun worshipper, I hate the cold and will count down the hours until Summer is here and I can lie on a beach somewhere.

But Arosa has changed me, now the thought of hurtling down a hill and stopping off for some fondue seems more appealing than a booze cruise.

And a hot chocolate on my balcony snuggled up in a blanket with a loved one watching the snow fall seems more romantic than watching the sunset covered in sand.

Am I completely converted?

Well no, probably not.

But if youve never been on a skiing holiday before I would wholeheartedly recommend you give it a try.

As they say, its never too late to learn something new...

Valsana Hotel & Apartments, Arosa, has rooms from 420 Swiss Francs per night based on two adults sharing on a B&B basis.

SWISS flies direct from Manchester to Zurich, all-inclusive fares start from 67 one-way.

The Swiss Travel Pass offers unlimited travel on consecutive days throughout the Swiss Travel System network by rail, bus and boat. Prices from 171 in second class.

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Warming the soul and learning to ski in Switzerland - Manchester Evening News

The leaves have fallen. The songbirds have flown south. Days are short. And the tourists have fled.

With skeletal trees and a biting wind, November, at first glance, is a bleak month in Maine. But if you take a moment to embrace the quiet, you might be surprised at the subtle beauty that this time of year holds.

On a woodland trail, ice is forming, its crystals knitting intricate patterns over puddles and ponds. A red squirrel sits on a fallen tree and munches on a pine cone. Vibrant green moss coats the forest floor. A woodpecker drills into bark for bugs.

After a busy fall foliage season, the number of hikers quickly dwindle as the temperatures cool during November. And in that lull of activity, a special peace can be found on the trails.

So if youre longing for some fresh air and solitude, bundle up in a fleece and some blaze orange to be visible to hunters who might be sharing the woods with you and hit the trails.

Sunkhaze Meadow National Wildlife Sanctuary in Milford

Easy to moderate

The Sunkhaze Meadows National Wildlife Refuge protects the second-largest peatland in Maine and contains several raised bogs or domes, separated by streamside meadows. Sunkhaze Stream bisects the refuge with its six tributaries, creating a diversity of wetland communities. The unit in Milford covers 11,485 acres.

Carter Meadow Road Trail is one of five short hiking trails scattered throughout the refuge. Hiking the entire thing is about 2.2 miles, including the short span of woods road that leads to the loop trail. At the far end of the loop, the trail leads to an observation platform on the edge of Sunkhaze Meadows Bog.

Access is free. Dogs are permitted but must be kept under control and picked up after. Hunting is permitted. For more information, call 207-454-7161 or visit fws.gov/refuge/sunkhaze_meadows/.

Directions: From Route 2 in Milford, turn onto County Road, which starts out paved and quickly transitions into a well-groomed dirt road. You will pass several gated drives. At about 6.4 miles, park in a small parking area on the left. There a kiosk contains refuge trail maps. To find the trail, walk southwest on the road (back the way you came) for a few hundred feet. The gated Carter Meadow Road is just after Little Birch Stream on the same side of the road as the parking area. Walk past the gate and down the road 0.3 mile, passing a few private camps. At the end of the road is a small red building. You can start the hike of the loop trail from the right or left of the building.

Moderate

The Northern Headwaters Trail is one of the many trails that are owned and maintained by the Midcoast Conservancy. Forming a loop thats about 3.5 miles long, the trail travels along the ridge of Whitten Hill, the edge of a field and along the banks of the Sheepscot River. Along the way, the trail passes a large stone wall, a cellar hole and fruit trees all evidence that a homestead once stood on the property.

A part of the Sheepscot Headwaters Trail Network, the Northern Headwaters Trail is connected to the 5.3-mile Goose Ridge Trail, the 1.4-mile Hemlock Hollow Trail, the 0.5-mile Whitten Fields Trail and the 0.5-mile Whitten Hill Trail. These trails branch out to connect with other trails for a total of 19.2 miles of intersecting trails that span three preserves.

Access is free. Dogs are allowed, but they must be kept under control at all times. Hunting is permitted, though special permission from the land trust is required in some areas. For more information, call Midcoast Conservancy at 207-389-5150 or visit midcoastconservancy.org.

Directions: There are two parking areas from this trail. From the intersection of North Mountain Valley Highway (Route 220), Halldale Road and Freedom Pond Road in Montville, drive about 1.6 miles south on Halldale Road. The first parking area that you can use will be on your left marked with a sign that reads Whitten Hill Trailhead. The second parking lot is another 0.9 mile south on Halldale Road, also on your left. A short dirt road leads to this parking area, which is for the Northern Headwaters Trailhead.

Acadia National Park on Mount Desert Island

Challenging

Both rising over 900 feet above sea level, Parkman Mountain and Bald Peak stand side by side on Mount Desert Island, east of Somes Sound, and their summits are so close together that hikers usually visit both in one outing. Located in Acadia National Park, the mountains both provide panoramic views of the stunning landscape of MDI and the nearby ocean, dotted with smaller islands.

Well-maintained park trails climb both mountains and span between their peaks, allowing for a loop hike that is a little less than 3 miles long. Carry a park map with you on your hike so you can confidently navigate any trail intersections.

All visitors to Acadia are required to pay an entrance fee upon entry May through October. Dogs are permitted on this hike if kept on a leash no longer than 6 feet at all times and their owners pick up after them. Hunting is not permitted. For more information, call 207-288-3338 or visit nps.gov/acad/.

Directions: Drive onto Mount Desert Island on Route 3. At the intersection after the causeway, veer right onto Route 198 and drive 4.3 miles. Veer left onto Route 198-Route 3 and drive 4.1 miles and park in the small Norumbega Mountain parking area on your left, which is about 0.1 mile past the larger Parkman Mountain parking area, on the right. The trailhead is located across the road.

This story was originally published in Bangor Metros November 2019 issue. To subscribe to the magazine, click here.

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3 hikes to embrace the quiet of Maine's off-season - Bangor Daily News

An exhibition highlighting the climate crisis opened this week with a focus on the worlds vanishing glaciers.

Created by climate crisis charity Project Pressure, the exhibition at the Horniman Museum and Gardens in Forest Hill will feature 63 artworks ranging from vintage postcards and lightboxes to large-scale photographic installations.

The exhibition explores shifting glacial landscapes across the globe, and the devastating impact and consequences of the climate crisis for billions of people.

Since 2008, Project Pressure have been commissioning international artists to undertake expeditions documenting changes to the worlds vanishing glaciers.

Unlike wildfires or flooding, the melting of glaciers takes place outside of weather patterns and can be attributed directly to global warming, making them a key indicator of the impact of climate change.

Highlight works include Adam Hintons film Himalayas showing the impact of unstable weather patterns on farming communities in India, Broomberg and Chanarins photographs showing perfectly preserved artefacts revealed by shrinking glaciers and Nomie Goudals gradually disintegrating installation showing the changing landscape of the Swiss Alps.

The exhibition finishes with a touchscreen carbon footprint calculator which asks visitors to estimate the carbon-intensity of their lifestyle, and track their impact over the longer term online.

Nick Merriman, chief executive of the Horniman Museum and Gardens said: The Horniman has long been concerned with environmental issues and the impact of human activity on our world and in July 2019 we declared an ecological and climate emergency, pledging to place carbon reduction and environmental issues at the heart of our work.

As the only museum in London that combines the human and the natural world we are constantly looking to engage and inform our audiences about the environmental issues that affect us all.

We hope that through this superb series of powerful and thought-provoking artworks visitors will be reminded of the beauty and vulnerability of our planet and be empowered to take action to protect its future.

Continue reading here:
Exhibition: Visualizing the Climate Crisis - London News Online

Having fun in Barbados is easy, butnot as easy as it used to be year-round in the not too distant past.

Today, during Crop Over, Independence, Christmas and New Year's there is no shortage of events, but for the rest of the yearit's a lull except when Festivals occur.

In this article, we're not throwing it way back with the Baby Boomersto the Plaza and the Empire Theatre, but we are throwing back to some spots that GenX and millennials will understand orlearn about today.

Here are 10 fun spots gone from the Barbados experience according to Bajans:

1. Three Houses Park

Every school had a tour that ended at this park. Sometimes as a child, you used to pray to get a venture to Farley Hill. But despite Three Houses being overworked, no one ever wanted a tour that ended at Barclays Park.

2. Sheraton Mall Park

When the food court had red and black lattice chairs and there was a homemade ice cream parlor, then there was also a theme park. It had a huge inflated slide and a spinning barrel. This little park could tilt your world and make you regret your earlier stop in the food court next door.

3. Chefette Holetown

Beachfront dining for under $20; where in the world does that happen? It used to happen along Barbados' platinum West coast.

4. Globe Cinema vs Vista

Cheap movies or expensive seats? The Globe Cinema used to own a corner of the market as Bajans in their numbers flocked to Weymouth when a new movie dropped. Do you remember when Titanic came out? Meanwhile, over on the South coast where Cave Shepherd is now located beside Esso Rendezvous, that was the location of The Vista. You could sit in the regular seats orthe balcony. These movies were more expensive but some people preferred this liming spot.

5. Coney Island

Coney Island theme park used to come to Barbados and shake things up. The Pirate's Boat rocked the stuffings out of some, and whatever was left the bumper cars knocked out the rest. It used to be situated near the Flour Mill along Spring Garden Highway, now the Mighty Grynner Highway.

6. The Circus

Lions, tigers, no bears!When the Circus came to Bridgetown, sometimes the big tent was setup on Deacons pasture alongSpring Garden Highway, now the Mighty Grynner Highway.

7. Ziplining

Aerial Trek Barbados is no longer open, but when it was, it was located at Walkes Spring Plantation and persons used to get hooked up and zip across the lines above theJack-in-the-Box Gully in the parish of St. Thomas.

8. Ocean Park

Have you ever seen a real, real, shark? According to Bajans, Ocean Park had real, real sharks, not the ones that sell in the fish markets.

9. Super X by Pizza House

Before virtual reality and 3D movies were a big thing, Barbadians had the Super X. This simulator used to shake and rock and take viewers on a great escape away from reality as they waited for their pizza to come out of the oven.

10 After Dark/Pent house/Club 360/Club Xtreme

The clubbing landscape is much smaller now in Barbados. Before, almost every night of the week Bajans and visitors to the island could find a party to attend.Gone are the nights of foam fetes.

What was your favourite chill spot or fun place out of those gone now?

Original post:
10 Places of fun gone from Barbados' landscape - Loop News Barbados

A bold new solo exhibition at the Ta Mena Experience in Xewkija presents local landscapes as theyve never been painted before. Artist Christopher Saliba talks about the works hanging in this intimate space and explains how the energy of the colour red reflects the passion with which he paints

Red is a colour full of vitality, warmth and passion, either rarely used or relatively unexpected in landscape paintings. It is therefore a daring, challenging and surprising choice for the dominant colour in a series of Gozitan panoramas. The impact of red however is illustrated in a legendary story of two famous 19th century painters and rivals, Turner and Constable, whose paintings were hung alongside one another for the high profile Summer Exhibition 1832 in London. Turner realised that his cool-toned seascape Helvoetsluys was overshadowed by the neighbouring Thames scene The Opening of Waterloo Bridge which Constable had flecked with scarlet. The night before the exhibition opened, he took his brush and added an extra daub of red on to his seascape as a buoy bobbing in the choppy seas. This single accent of red, so the story goes, transformed Turners fortune: it was Helvoetsluys which stole the show.

Saliba understands the ways colours interact with one another and boost each others brightness and impact when placed adjacent: this is what most captivates and inspires him in his art. Influenced by Gauguin, Czanne and the impressionist movement, and describing himself as a colourist, he begins each painting with only essential lines to show the form of the land. To this he adds sweeping layers of colour intuitively to build atmosphere and capture the emotions he feels as he paints. The apparent spontaneity belies a careful composition that draws on Salibas years of art training in Italy. The result is expressive, evocative, and defies expectations. Colours blend like the flavours of life and each painting is a feast of colour with the zest and tang of a fruit salad.

The unexpected nature of the background red challenges expectations and suggests, perhaps, deep secrets of the landscape

Salibas work is always strong and striking, squares and terraces of bold hues that have an innate joy: his colours might have been inspired by the bright illustrations in a childs storybook or the rainbow jewels of a pirates treasure chest emeralds nestled alongside sapphire and amethyst seas.

The colour of love and fire, the ruby is perhaps the most prized of all gemstones. Perfect for the festive season, Saliba has singled it out for special attention in this exhibition. Using a soft warm red as a primer for each canvas like the life-force of the earth beneath our feet, over the top of which he layers other colours harmoniously. The warm under-layer adds a depth to the paintings: the contrast adds radiance, throwing the greens forward and making the yellows sing out.

The unexpected nature of the background red challenges expectations and suggests, perhaps, deep secrets of the landscape. The panoramas themselves are timeless, a tribute to the glory of nature, and the beauty of the island. Although the paintings have a flow that suggests movement, the lack of people and development gives a sense of the age-old nature of the landscape and invites contemplation. The scenes could be a place from the past some are reminiscent of the Holy Land and hold in them a prayer of appreciation and respect. The church appears frequently adding a focal point to the skyline in Salibas pictures, as in View from Garb, the crimson church roof is the only red accent on the canvas yet with an impact comparable to Turners buoy.

With burnt orange hay bales and fields in rich sienna as if the sunset was resting on the ground, to the warm pinks and purples of cliffs and terraces, the collection focuses mainly on country views of Gozos villages and the fertile valleys between. A dramatic depiction of Tas-Salvatur hill hangs as if awash in wine. The Redeemer stands tall against plum skies, rich red-brown zigzags at his feet, the field edged with dark fir green. Marr Harbour also makes an appearance alongside an unusual interpretation with reds and golds of the view over the salt pans to Xwejnis striking rock formation.

The richness of the colours are a celebration of life and its wonders, the golds celebratory, the reds warming as the winter chill sets in ahead of Christmas.Saliba is like a composer, bringing elements together harmoniously, each painting a heart-warming Christmas carol!

Christmas is a happy time that brings people together whoever you are, whatever your background and wherever youre from, says Saliba. And thats the beauty of life. Its a time of generosity, goodwill and warmth to all men and its that feeling, and of sitting with family and friends holding a glass of Shiraz, that I have tried to capture in this exhibition!

Red is The Colour by Christopher Saliba is open at the TaMena Experience, in Xewkija until December 31, 10-8pm.

http://www.malteseartist.com

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Red is the colour - Times of Malta

When we talk about landscaping a steep hill, we think in the first place at plants that help preventing erosion or some other problem that might appear in this context. But what kinds of plants can we use on a slope?

The best option is the planting of ground-hugging shrubslikeBlue Rug junipers, these plants being that type of groundcover evergreens that prevent erosion. The most important idea in the domain of the landscaping a steep hill is that the closer the shrubs are to the ground, the better. If the shrubs are high, then they will not fix the erosion problems from your propriety.

There are also other issues that are to be discussed as concerning the landscaping of steep hills. For instance, many people encounter the situation in which the pebbles from theirpatiosare washed away. The best alternative is to use larger stones that will also help preventing erosion because they settle better on the ground.

But the issues that I described above refer almost exclusively to the functional part of the landscaping of steep hills. There are nonetheless numerous people who want to have beautiful view surrounding their house or a luxurious environment. This can be achieved by using a large variety of plants and natural elements.

The landscaping of steep hills is, in fact, a landscape design project that involves, besides the aesthetic resultant, scientific research. This refers to the fact that the landscape design is also a science that implies the knowledge on the environment around your house and the selection of the plants that can live well in that environment. Furthermore, a beautiful landscape design brings more value to your propriety.

A well-done landscape increases thus the economic value of your propriety. Moreover, the trees can also reduce the speed of the wind thus creating a more comfortable atmosphere in your garden even in the winter time.

The visual beauty of your propriety is enhanced by the creative landscape that soothes your senses and makes you relax while feeling the breeze that rustles the leaves in the trees.

Landscaping of steep hills has also a functional value in the sense that the groundcover shrubs can help you avoid all the worries that the lawn maintenance may involve.

All these considered, landscaping a steep hill involves the creation of a design meant to increase the economic, aesthetic, functional and environmental values of your property. This landscaping design involves thorough learning on how trees, shrubs, and natural elements can combine in order to create a unique, relaxing habitat. The most frequent materials used in the designing of a steep hill, for instance, are the plants that can moderate the environment around your home, or they can simply stimulate your senses like smell, touch or view.

The plants express the principles of design through their form, texture, and color. A plant can be used to complement the house, such as the case of a ground plant used under a low window. Another example is that of the fine-textured foliage that creates a more uniform shade model. As concerning the colors of the plants, they should be used to draw the attention on a particular spot or to complement your house. Use similar colors because colors too have to complement one with another.

In the landscaping of steep hills, you have to take into consideration some important aspects as concerning the environmental and maintenance requirements of the plants. Before you intend to use a certain plant in your landscape you should take into consideration the plants, cold or heat tolerance, their light requirement, the moisture requirement, the soil drainage needs, the pest susceptibility, and the plants, rate of growth and mature size.

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Landscaping a Steep Hill | GARDENS NURSERY

Caroline Anders

Boston.com Staff

September 9, 2019 1:39 pm

Many creatives have called this Brookline mansion home.

Its library was originally a petite stage, designed for the owners Shakespeare club meetings and complete with wings and even a mirrored panel over the windows to block out the sun during performances.

Famed storyteller Jay OCallahan grew up at 112 High St. on Pill Hill, a neighborhood named for its abundance of medical professionals. OCallahan has written extensively about his childhood on Pill Hill.

Cabot and Chandler, hailed by writer Bainbridge Bunting in Houses of Bostons Back Bay as the Back Bays most competent designers in the Queen Anne tradition, designed the home for Charles Storrow, son of the prominent civil engineer and industrialist. It was built in 1884, and has been masterfully restored, listing agent Alan Cohen of Hammond Residential Real Estate said. The roof was replaced in 2006, and the entire exterior was re-shingled in 2008. The wood trim and front columns have also been replaced.

The house features reading nooks aplenty: a window seat on a staircase landing, an alcove, and a gleaming glass conservatory, which was rebuilt from the ground up in 2013.

Cohen called the current owners extraordinary stewards of the house, and said they went to great lengths to restore it to its original glory.

For example, the home features stained-glass windows by celebrated artist John La Farge, but one oval piece was sold by a previous owner. Cohen said the current owners tracked it down to California and bought it to reinstall in the home.

The state-of-the-art kitchen includes custom, lighted mahogany cabinetry, an upright freezer, a granite island, flooring with radiant heat, and a wine cellar. Many of the bathrooms feature touches such as marble-topped counters or claw-foot bathtubs.

The home also has an apartment with a separate entrance on its lower level, in addition to an au pair suite. The lower level opens to the homes sweeping bluestone patio.

Famed landscape architect Fredrick Law Olmsted designed the estates grounds, which feature a stone bridge, ravine, and the original rhododendron grove imported from England.

The 8,437-square-foot estate has seven bedrooms, not including the apartment on the lower level; 6.5 baths, and a detached two-car garage. It sits on half an acre.

The property is scheduled to hit the market Tuesday for $4,200,000.

See more photos of the home below:

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Excerpt from:
Luxury Home of Week: Pill Hill mansion with Olmsted landscape