Showing posts with label vineyards. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vineyards. Show all posts

Sunday, October 27, 2024

Oct 27 2024 - How Small the Writing

 

The story in the daily NY Times is about a Chopin waltz, previously unknown.  It was found in a collection of memorabilia.  The manuscript has been authenticated and was played and recorded by Lang Lang.  

This is the link to listen to it HERE

The "manuscript" seems like an interesting word to me.  I think of a piece of letter size paper, don't you?  But that's not the case here.  

"It was put down on a small sheet of paper, about 4 inches by 5 inches, of a kind commonly used for gifts. The score contains fingerings and dynamic markings, suggesting that Chopin thought the piece might be performed someday."

And don't mind me noticing that there are empty bars in the script.  I'd like to see a thumb against the 4x5 piece of paper, wouldn't you?

The New York Times mentions that Chopin often wrote in very small font. But there's no easy path to finding out the size.  I would need to go to a library and archives to research this and look at real-size handwritten notes.  There are many images online to look at so it is tantalizing. 

In contrast Chopin had extremely long fingers.  There are pictures of his hand cast and these look extraordinarily long.  But then, when I looked at the charts of composers' hands, Rachmaninoff's seems to be those of  a giant.

Such an interesting thing to find out that a "lost manuscript" could be something so tiny and written by such large hands.


 
I must go to Vineland Estates today and see if this view of Toronto on the horizon appears. 
 
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Thursday, September 21, 2023

Sep 21 2023 - New Words Trending 2023

 

I enjoy new words, so I thought I would get right on it.   Here they are:

  • Micro-Influencer The term “micro-influencer” is one such trendy word that has recently become part of the current language. 
  • JOMO The term JOMO, or “Joy of Missing Out”, has become a popular new English word to describe the pleasure of not having to keep up with the latest trends or activities.
  • Vacation Shaming 
  • Tech Neck
  • Phubbing
  • Goblin Mode 
  • Deplatform 
  • Copypasta 
I can't guess what some of these mean.  What is phubbing?  Paying attention to your phone instead of the people you are with. It was coined in 2013.  Goblin Mode: intense focus and productivity when trying to complete a project or task.  The person ignores distractions.  Copypasta - that's copy and paste for large amounts of text online.

Let's compare that list with this one:
  • GOAT – Greatest Of All Time
  • Dope – Awesome
  • Sic/Sick – Next Level Cool
  • Lit – Amazing or exciting
  • Gucci – Good or going well
  • Salty – Bitter or angry
  • Litty again – exciting or wild once more
  • Permacrisis – A new word for 2023 that has been created to describe the current state of the world
These are from dictionary.com:  Information pollution, jawn, decision fatigue, jolabokaflod, grandfamily, NIL, algo, amalgagender.  There are more HERE

They describe something called hostile architecture:  design elements of public buildings and spaces that are intended to stop unwanted behavior such as loitering or sleeping in public by making such behavior difficult and uncomfortable.

And this one:  it describes a lot of our attitudes right now:  to pessimize - make less good, efficient, fast or functional.  It is the opposite of optimize.

As we head into Autumn, there are great views from Moyers Road in Vineland.  there's Toronto on the horizon. 
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Saturday, September 26, 2020

Sep 25 2020 - And the Largest Family in the World

 There are families with more wives and children than those of us in the first world bubble can comprehend.  I admit to my own sentiments towards multiple spouses.  I an unable to see this as anything other than a relationship based on servitude, which is a few rungs up from slavery.   


That makes these stories compellingly strange to me in my first world bubble.  Here it is: a family of 181 members - the Ziona Chana family.  There are 39 wives, 94 children, 14 daughters-in-law and 33 grandchildren.

Here's the statement about him: "He’s also the leader of the Indian Christian sect called Chana páwl and believes he will soon rule the world along with Jesus."  At one point he says that he accumulates wives to grow his sect. Mr Chana told the Sun: 'Today I feel like God's special child. He's given me so many people to look after. 

"The family is organised with almost military discipline, with the oldest wife Zathiangi organising her fellow partners to perform household chores such as cleaning, washing and preparing meals. 

He even married ten women in one year, when he was at his most prolific, and enjoys his own double bed while his wives have to make do with communal dormitories.  He keeps the youngest women near to his bedroom with the older members of the family sleeping further away - and there is a rotation system for who visits Mr Chana's bedroom.  Rinkmini, one of Mr Chana's wives who is 35 years old, said: 'We stay around him as he is the most important person in the house. He is the most handsome person in the village."

So I seem to be able to rest my case of a story of poor women looking for financial stability.  And the end of the article quotes the son saying that his father looks for poor women in the village to support them.

Now onto the first world and the many children stories.

What about other families that are husband and wife?  "The Bates are an Evangelical American family from Tennessee with 19 children. Parents Gil and Kelly Jo were only 22 and 21 years old when they decided to get married in 1987. They never really wanted a big family, but after having their first baby a year later, they kept going because they loved holding babies. Since then, they’ve expanded until they had their last baby in 2012. They also have 10 grandchildren and are expecting to welcome 4 more soon.  They also have their own reality show, Bringing Up Bates."

Next is "Noel and Sue Radford who met when they were kids and didn’t wait long before starting a family. She was just 14 and he was 18 when they welcomed their first child, Christopher, into the world. They’re the biggest family in Britain with 21 children, and one more on the way. Included in their now 22 children there’s an angel, Alfie, who was a stillborn. They even have their own show, 15 Kids and Counting. The Radfords live in Morecambe, England, in a large house that used to be a nursing home and the parents own and run a successful bakery called Radford’s Pie Company."

Vineyards are full right now. Here's an example.

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Saturday, November 4, 2017

Lake Check

November is the month of storms on Lake Ontario.  So if we go to the International Lake Ontario - St. Lawrence River Board website - ijc.org and the weekly regulation summary, it says that the outflow is expected to be the what's in the plan.

For the week ending Wed Nov 1 2017 the reading was 74.84 m (245.54 ft) and the average this time of year is 74.56m (244.62 ft).  So it looks like about a foot above last year's levels. 


We have a strong wind warning in effect.  With a weather buoy located in Grimsby, we can look at our readings.  The current conditions say that the wave height is 0.1 metres, while other places, such as South Georgian Bay have wave heights of 1.0 metres.  I hadn't realized that there is a temperature measurement in Grimsby - we're at air temperature of 12 Celsius and water temperature of 13C.

There are colour charts of the Grimsby Buoy at  windfinder.com.

Our spring and autumn lake 'breezes' delay the onset of frost.  This would be of note for our  wine harvest.  It began in 
September, and concludes in November when later season Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon are picked. Of course the ice wines wait for the frozen temperatures of minus 8 Celsius. 

Our pictures were taken last weekend with those 'breezes' quickly moving the brooding clouds past vineyards and fields. The large tractor in the vineyard is a mechanical picker.  

Sunday, April 16, 2017

Bees Come Down

I spotted the first blossom trees in Niagara.  But I have to admit I don't know what kind of blossoms they are.  I am thinking apricots.  I remember in 2012 when we had the mildest of winters, Ii saw apricots blossoms in March, and then there was cold weather so the crop didn't develop.

I saw these trees across from the United Mennonite Home in Vineland.

I went to Cherry Lane on Victoria Street, to see if there was anything blooming there.  Cherry Lane has quite a distinction.  This is a family where the tenth generation is farming.  But that isn't their fame.  What distinguishes their family is the development of the first red peach - Red Haven.  It's the best known one now. They also have a major processing and cherry brining facility. There's an overview of Niagara fruit growers here.

Vineyards are showing the pink but at the ground level - this second picture is at Jordan Station. I think the flowers are a wild/weedy form of lamium.  I have a bit in my garden too.

And I checked out my favourite weeping cherry tree on Niagara Street (across from Laura Secord High School) in St. Catharines, and the blossoms are showing pink.

Have a Happy Easter and Passover Celebration.  

Tuesday, July 5, 2016

Summer Skies

Here we are with the grapevines ripening under sunny skies and the golden wheat in the fields that looks ready for harvesting.  Our tender fruit is abundant everywhere - strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, cherries.  Last week's market had the first tomatoes ready, too. One can stop along the country roads at fruit and vegetable stands and buy directly from the grower.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Hidden Bench This Week

Autumn at Hidden Bench was marvellous in this last week - the third week of October, 2010.  The storm clouds were moving across the horizon to the south of the vineyards, with the full sun shining on the golden foliage.


The signature Hidden Bench label.



Do you have a favourite Niagara Vineyard with a few?  Let me know where you've found wonderful vistas and rolling hills!

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Catching Up with Niagara's Harvest

It's a short drive from Toronto to the vineyards of Niagara.  They start in the Grimsby area and continue right to the Niagara River.  These shots were taken in the Grimsby area at Hidden Bench and Angle's Gate wineries.