Apr 10 2025 - Ukulele Orchestra

 

What do you think of a ukulele orchestra?  It seems absurd as in 'theatre of the absurd'.  It is not just that it is a single instrument orchestra, but we're talking about ukuleles.  I recently heard an ad on the radio for the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain - they are coming to Toronto for a concert.  It does seem absurd to have a ukulele as the instrument of choice and for it to represent Great Britain (if it does). Very grand sort of thing.  I guess there does have to be irony and satire involved in this musical group:   "Hinchliffe named the new musical group with a deliberate oxymoron, 'The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain', "and suddenly we were the world's first ukulele orchestra." The ukulele was selected for its musical versatility rather than its novelty value." Are there more orchestras like this that I don't know about?  Yes there are:  The University of Toronto has a ukulele orchestra, there is the Boston Guitar Orchestra, the University of Toronto Guitar Orchestra, and a few more. There are drum orchestras.  There are woodwind orchestras.  There are brass orchestras.  So I guess orchestras are whatever you want them to be. So maybe we have a narrow view of orchestra left over from the 20th century when philharmonic and symphony orchestras seem to dominate our live music and our television shows.  We think of an orchestra as the traditional definition - a large ensemble composed of wind, string, brass and percussion instruments and organized to perform classical music.  Well, I guess that definition is out of date.  Given the ukulele is involved, I expect that the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain is entertaining, with lots of comedy included. The concert is April 16th at Korener Hall in Toronto. I admit I don't really want to listen to ukulele's for an entire evening.  Listen to their version of the Good, The Bad and The Ugly HERE.  And their Ode to Joy at Albert Hall where they ask audience members who have brought their ukuleles to hold them up - and it is a lot of people - it is  HERE.

I found this picture of the 13th Street Winery from just after the removal of the barn and before the big patio was put in.  Poor Magnolia tree did not survive - it dwindled down and was gone the next near.  It had been beside a greenhouse so likely was living in a much warmer growing zone with all that reflected light - it looks like it is some sort of survivor of a catastrophe in this picture.  Read more daily posts here: marilyncornwellblogspot.com Purchase works here: Fine Art America- marilyncornwell.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

Feng Shui That

What about feng shui and house shapes?  What is a bagu map?  I find out it is the feng shui energy map of your space and that it is one of the Five Arts of Chinese Metaphysics.  It discusses architecture in terms of invisible forces that bind the universe, earth, and humanity together, known as qi.  It is an ancient tradition. What about contemporary uses of feng shui? I found a Forbes article titled "Feng Shui Your Money".  It isn't really about feng shui - it is a catchy title. How about this article:  "Should You Feng Shui Your Hair?" - this is also in Forbes.  It is about Feng Shui Beauty techniques. A person's energy is analyzed and hair, colour and make-up are customized to reflect it. And another Forbes article about a lady who sells plants based on feng shui.  She has sold over 1500 on the Facebook Marketplace. She imparts feng shui and plant-rearing wisdom to the purchasers. Forbes has many articles on Feng Shui.  Here are a few more titles:  Desk for Success Attract Clients Giving Your Car's Feng Shui a Tune-Up Feng Shui for your portfolio A Healthy office a healthy mind Of course, here's the headline that draws attention:  Meet Donal Trump's feng shui master - The article is HERE.  She did the work in 1995 on the Trump International Hotel and Tower.  The common element in all these articles is how someone gained celebrity or wealth through the application of feng shui to their professional area.  Most interesting. Our picture today was taken at the 13th Street Winery in St. Catharines.  It is on the garden tour this weekend.

Intention on Neglect

I went to Thirteenth Street Winery on Saturday to catch some pictures of the Magnolia Tree.  I experienced quite a shock.  The pretty red barn beside the tree is gone.  Entirely gone.  The magnolia sits alone on a bare landscape.  The great new magnificent facility has nothing 'old' to detract from it. This is the second barn that disappeared in the last few weeks.  I got to take pictures of this one over the years and capture what made it such an enjoyable experience.    And I was lucky to start in 2012 as the greenhouse in the first picture was removed by 2014 along with the blackberry bushes in it.  The running dogs sculpture is just behind where it was.  Thirteenth Street continues its movement towards a major winery destination.  I'll take pictures of the new facility for you - it is very beautiful. I hadn't thought about capturing this in a more disciplined way over time, so as to have a sequence of images.  I thought the winery was perfect and it would stay  "Whitty Bakery Market and Thirteenth Street Winery".  This has a parallel to Toronto: seeing what is gone and what has replaced it every time I am there.  For the Greenlane barn,  I hadn't taken any pictures.  It first came to my attention this winter and it never seemed to be the right circumstance - cars in front that couldn't be cloned out sufficiently, and the light was wrong - things like that.   It wasn't a shock to see the blank space, though, because of the constant cars and the new house slightly up the hill behind it.  A lesson learned from this - seize the moment. So I did a lot of stopping on Saturday to take pictures of dilapidated buildings that may be at risk.  I expect this is a new Portfolio Series on old buildings with the Wabi-sabi sense.  Stay tuned.

13th Street Winery

Hi everyone,

This little seating area is between the greenhouses and the barn at 13th Street Winery in St. Catharines, Ontario, in the heart of Niagara Wine Country.  The winery was purchased by Whitty Farms some years ago, and they have located the winery at the tomato and blackberry production greenhouses.  My mother and I really like this location as it is next door to where good friends, Jake and Marg Litke, had lived for many years.  The winery owner, Doug Whitty, knew them well, so we have a great chat when we see him. He knows the story of the Mennonite Exodus, but turns out to have been of Irish descent.  His great grandfather was orphaned on the boat coming over to Canada and had to make his way in Canada alone as a child - a wonder of accomplishment with the farms that he accumulated.

There's a bakery cafe in the barn and the winery is in an elegant white building on a hill.  Last weekend was Passport Weekend, so the winery was abuzz with visitors.  This coming weekend they are unveiling the new bacon butter tart…I wonder what wine they will pair that one with.  

The winery is located on 4th Avenue just west of Seventh Street.  Exit the QEW at Seventh Street, go away from the Lake (South) and the signs will point you to the Winery.  Stop at the Crimean Oak Tree which has a very special story to tell.

Here's more:

http://www.13thstreetwinery.com/bakery_marketplace/category/whitty_farms