MJ's little flock

[Ribh]

Happy Birthday!

Happy birthday!

 

[Ribh]

: Iceland.

So jealous! It's on my bucket list.

 

[Ribh]

Things like that feel surreal to me. I'm not used to snow at all, so the few times I've seen it when travelling were memorable, but most of all was the hot day in Turin with the snow up on the mountains in the distance.

The 1st time I ever saw snow [Norway again] we drove through a mountain: bright & sunny one side, all this white stuff lying on the side of the road on the other. we argued about what it actually was until we could pull over & indeed verify it was snow.

 

[Ribh]

It was a painting I had seen in photographs many a time, but I had no idea where it was hung, so to suddenly happen upon it and to immediately realise how little of it iI had seen in those photos was quite a moment. The shimmer of light on oil paint is quite something.

That was my reaction the 1st time I read TS Eliot's The Wasteland. Unfortunately it was a senior English class & the only one who didn't think my reaction odd was the English teacher.

 

[Ribh]

For me, it's been important to see artworks for myself. The more renowned ones have had so much discussion over the years I would expect most people who can read or listen would have at least a little awareness of them in advance, and that's me to a T, so it's a chance to see something I've heard of with my own eyes and then I can puzzle over the reasons for its renown.

Like bajillions of other people, I once had a good look at the Mona Lisa and I immediately appreciated the delicacy of the brushwork, but I wasn't taken by her enigmatic expression like all the discussion suggests. I thought she looked like she had observed something about da Vinci that she wouldn't speak - as if he was attracted to her but she didn't reciprocate. It was a knowing but kind smile.

I've never been able to see what all the fuss was about the Mona Lisa so I was keen to see it in person. Nope. Still couldn't see what the fuss was about.

 

[BY Bob]

The 1st time I ever saw snow [Norway again] we drove through a mountain: bright & sunny one side, all this white stuff lying on the side of the road on the other. we argued about what it actually was until we could pull over & indeed verify it was snow.

Once driving through the southern US, South Carolina I think, I was momentarily confused by the field along the road being completely white like there was a foot or more of snow on the field.

Now I knew that was very unlikely in SC but my brain could not process what I seeing.

It was a field of cotton ready to be picked. So white!

 

[BY Bob]

I've never been able to see what all the fuss was about the Mona Lisa so I was keen to see it in person. Nope. Still couldn't see what the fuss was about.

This was my daughter's reaction to seeing the Mona Lisa as well.

 

[Ribh]

Once driving through the southern US, South Carolina I think, I was momentarily confused by the field along the road being completely white like there was a foot or more of snow on the field.

Now I knew that was very unlikely in SC but my brain could not process what I seeing.

It was a field of cotton ready to be picked. So white!

The brain does weird things based on expectations. I'm no linguist but have just enough of several languages to get me into trouble. I know milch is German for milk & all the Scandinavian languages are close enough you can be reasonably sure that milk is what you are getting. What I failed to account for is it's also the anchoring word for things like yoghurt. Imagine my surprise when my *milk* curdled & what looked like rabbit pellets floated to the surface! Vanilla yoghurt with raisins.

 

[MaryJanet]

This was my daughter's reaction to seeing the Mona Lisa as well.

I think its reputation sets unrealistic expectations.

 

[featherhead007]

I think its reputation sets unrealistic expectations.

I never saw it. But I have a felt portrait of several dogs playing poker so…….