The condemned woman ate a hearty meal ...

Hello


So - a few days staying with Susan was just what the doctor ordered before I ventured back into the bowels of the BBC World Service Trust in Dhaka.


In fact it was four days of eating, long sleeps and peace and quiet except for the times when we were talking and laughing.


I'm writing this a while after the weekend and it already seems so long ago.  But things do stand out.  You may, or may not, remember that I helped Susan on the day she moved into this house several years ago.  To her disgust, I haven't managed to visit since then.  This may or may not have something to do with the amount of work that needed doing - and the opportunity to completely experience the transformation (which is my version).  This transformation is incredible.  Doorways moved, roof sorted, windows with light, heating and warmth, loads of installations - kitchen, bathrooms - the list goes on.  From a house with issues and challenges (I seem to remember the chimney being an issue and the heating being a challenge to name but two) it has grown into a beautiful, relaxing and peaceful home.  


Add to this - lots of home-made food, apples from the garden (which has also evolved over the time), breakfasts overlooking the pond with wildlife, trips out into the countryside, fairs and boutique-style shops with local produce and stuff. 


Actually - now I start writing it was more - fish and chips at the Anchor Inn in Beer which I had earned since Susan MADE me walk for miles along the beach (with the most enormous seagulls ever). 


So - a couple of photos below - just to give you an idea of it all - let's see if I can remember the names of the places...
     

Chesil Beach

Seagull at Beer

Ham Hill

Ham Hill is "an iron-age hill fort and quarry for golden-coloured hamstone" (to quote Susan) and the site of the sight above.  A leisurely sunset, autumnal colours and generally relaxing end to the day.


I've been trying to persuade Susan that she wants to make her garden into an infinity garden (like the infinity pools you see in flash holiday programmes but for a garden).  I've looked it up on the ever-faithful Google and can't find one - so it could be a first ....  The downside of this could be if I keep banging on about it I could be volunteered to do it!!  Still, she does seriously have a beautiful garden and an incline and a great view at the infinity end.


So - off to do all those last minute bits of packing for the 4 weeks in Dhaka and back for Christmas (watch this space).


Mx

My life resembles ...

... "Groundhog Day" as I form fill (!) for a visa, wait for the call for jabs and confirm a flight back to Bangladesh.  Yes, I'm going back ....  Flight next weekend.

As for how long - we shall see.  The conversation that I had about the duration went "four weeks" yet the email confirming was "five weeks with an option of an extension" ...  Last time that happened the one month became 18.  In theory I'm back around Christmas - but best laid plans of mice, men and Marys.  As I said, we shall see.

This time I will endeavour to post on this blog on a fairly regular basis - along with some photos of something - not sure what - but something.

And Alison (C) and Noel - apologies, looks like this will be 2012 for meeting up.

Also - since I may not be back at Christmas - I suggest, this year, Christmas cards are given a miss.  But, since you are reading this, it means you have a computer so all those letters that come with Christmas cards could still be forwarded?!

This means that I will have managed half of my night class term - but that's better than nothing.  Think I may have mentioned that we seem  to do loads - in the first three weeks (of 90 minute classes) I have (in theory) learned

numbers 1 - 20
vowels 11
other vowels 10
consonents 40
pronouns
7 days of the week
10 general words
several sentences
some greetings
a tiny bit of writing (numbers)

And realised that my brain is mushy and soft and not learning very easily.  I shall continue - I will not be defeated - -but I fear I may never be good.

Off now to sort out something else - and the decorating needs completing ...  Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Mx

The learning is easy ....

.... but the remembering and recalling is bl**dy difficult .....

Tonight was week 2 of my nightclasses.  I decided that the work seemed to be erratic until the end of the year and that meant I should invest some time into doing/learning something new .... 

It all sounds rather posh - Modern Language Centre at King's College, London ....  There are only a very few places that teach students outside a school environment and this was the one that ticked the most boxes (nearest to home, standard of tutor, class size, cost, etc).

The other thing that was attractive about the course was that - even though it lasts for one year - you can book it in terms - which is great for me since I'm not sure what I'm doing next week let alone next year!!

Maximum class size of 10 (we have 1 male and 9 women).  Tick.  And everyone gets to repeat everything out loud in class.  It's quite relaxed but we seemed to do a lot of work for our 90 minutes.  But - because there is always a but - HOMEWORK!!! 

There's a part of me that's rather proud that I'm hanging in there - especially since I left school 30 years ago and so the academic learning ground to a halt around then. 

But we shall see if the recalling improves as I punish my brain cells ...

Mx

Kiev - NOT the home of "chicken Kiev" .....

Hello

Nearly at the end of my week in Kiev (or Kyiv as it is written here).  The weather has been stable and mild and so lots of opportunities to walk around.  Yes, finally back into the swing of walking again after two jobs that were rather sedentary.   

So far "Mary's Masterclasses" have been attended by all 27 students on every day ....  Last night's (Wednesday) ended with a round of applause - which is encouraging and sad in equal measures since the lecture for the evening was "FORM FILLING"!! 

My Ukrainian is progressing at a dead snail's pace - so far I can do "thank you", "no", "yes" and "goodbye" and, of course, "marvellous" ....  Recognising more words but they don't seem to be attaching themselves to receptive brain cells.  This is a problem if you are taking jobs that travel around the world.....

The television in the apartment has over 130 channels - yet I still haven't managed to find one in a language that I can understand.  I was amused by one of the channels that appeared to be all about business and the economy - yet its name is "pervy delovey" ....

Food, so far, has been very good - last night was a grilled chicken and pork with roasted vegetables and tiny potatoes.  Not sure what this evening will bring.

Today was also the day for sightseeing - and Alina (from the office) had arranged for me to go on a tour around the city.  Despite a city that goes back for many centuries, many of the buildings have been rebuilt to the original designs.

This statue is supposed to bring luck - you touch different (specificed) parts of the statue and it give you health, wealth and/or happiness wishes.  We shall see!

Alina and I walked around the arts part of the city - a glimpse of the house where Mikhail Bulgakov lived ("Master and Margarita").  This area is being renovated and the main road is in pieces.  The cobbles are "interesting" and probably form filling-worthy in the winter months.  There is an incline which leads to the witches' steps - and Alina was reluctant to take me there (even if it would be home from home).  Hence no photos!

The Opera House is the same design as the Paris Opera House but this one was first (a fact that I haven't checked but the tour guide was adamant that it was first!). 

                                                   

As you walk along the main street, the next influential building is Vladimiskiy Cathedral - a rather canary yellow cathedral with seven domes.  A wedding party were just arriving as I arrived, so no chance to go inside. 

The Golden Gate, the site of the first entrance to the city, is the next major landmark.  Originally built in the 11th century, it had been destroyed by 1240.  The photos are from the 1980s reconstruction which is supposed to be faithful to the original. 

           

Then it's on to St Sophia's Cathedral; this one built in 1031. 

Then you cross the courtyard - past the man on horseback (Bogdan Khmelnitsky - who lead the defeat of the Poles) and towards the statue of Princess Olha flanked by Saints Cyril, Methodius and Andrew and through the entrance to St Andrew's Cathedral/Monastery.

And then, on a more random note, the University - it is allegedly painted this colour because "it is painted with the blood sweated out by the students at the university ....."

Back in the UK on Monday - for a while it seems - so no more excuses, the decorating must be completed!!

M

Silence is golden ....

Hello everyone

Haven't been ignoring the blog - but trying to get some semblance of order into my life ....  This is taking some time.  Perhaps the diversions of Whipsnade with Alison and Sophie and a day at the beach with Hazel and afternoon tea that spanned 7 hours and other similar activities might be the reason it's taking so long??

Still, I've nearly finished the decorating - which is a bit of an exaggeration - I've nearly finished the living room, done half the hall (there is a reason for this, despite it sounding mad) and loads of the boxes have been unpacked and discarded.  Adam has moved on to a place in Brixton with a garden and cats and was lovingly heard to say "I've hated living there" when talking about his six years in the flat.  Luckily I'm not too sensitive!  Darin has moved in and introduced minimalism to his room.  I've noticed that he steps into the hallway and has that rather pained - "she's clearing stuff out but how can I persuade her to make it even more clean lines and minimal?"!! 

The past couple of weeks has seen Vivi's mum visit from Brazil and the build up to Vivi's visa renewal/rejection.  At the last minute (Friday afternoon, visa expired Saturday) she has been given an extension and is planning how to reorder her bedroom!  Her mum was very pleased that it's extended, but not so sure about her being away from home for another 3 years.  In true South American style, she took over the kitchen and has been cooking a storm during her stay here - so I've been treated to loads of Brazilian food.

As for me - the last two filming days for "Ice Bear" have been and gone.  A long day with Mark at his studio where we filmed him creating and did a raft of interviewing.  He's just completing a commission for two tiger statues and I'm very envious.  They are life-sized, as usual, and absolutely beautiful.  Too heavy and large to have smuggled out with us!

We also interviewed an impressive man at Cambridge University on Thursday - who was rather sweet as he pointed out of the window and explained that he wasn't interviewed that much and people usually came to interview Stephen Hawking who was in the building opposite! 

And so to my next jaunt.  I fly off to Kiev tomorrow for a week and some work with a new series.  A 24 part drama spanning over a century and dealing with the major events in Ukrainian history - from the Crimea via WWI and through Chernobyl to the present day.  The good news is that I already know the Russian for "marvellous" as it's the same as Bulgarian!  (Chew-des-no ... no prizes for my spelling).

So off to do some packing and some planning - get off the plane tomorrow and go straight to my first "lecture" so will be interesting.  Will try to add some photos to the next one.

Mx

Croatia is coming to an end ....

.... just in time for me to experience the end of the British summer .....

So this time I'm going to tell you things about Croatia that I didn't know before I got here. 

The Mayor of Split is planning to build a statue on top of the mountain - that looks like the one of Christ in Rio.  The story here is that his outstretched arms will point you towards the hotel in one direction and the shopping mall in the other - both of which he owns .....

In rural areas or in traditional families, the protocol at your wedding reception is to stand for the Croatian National Anthem and then say Grace before starting the meal.

The Croatian for "cream" is "slag".

A mistranslation on one of our pieces of paper made bureaucrats into biro-crats ...

The annual recorded rainfall for this area has increased since I've been here.  Perhaps this was arranged to make me feel at home?

So much packed into just one week ...

Hello

So last week ended with my return to the UK for a wedding.  Now I'm under strict instructions that there will be no wedding photos, no mentions, no stories, all very "if I told you, I'd have to kill you" - so just a couple of photos - anonymous wedding cakes (carrot cake and coffee and walnut cake) and a picture of me (sorry).

 

Then off to Spalding for the weekend to see mum and to go to the cheap outlet shops - except wasn't in the mood to shop so that took the thirty minutes between the two buses! 

Went back to London just in time for the riots - very quiet in our postcode - except for the sirens rushing up and down the street - but they do they normally so not much difference.  I hadn't realised how many people I know are living in Hackney ...

And then back out here, Croatia.  Two more weeks and then back to London and job hunting. again.

The drama is now trailing on the tv - it's called Ruza Vjetrova, which means "Wind Rose" or "Rose in the Wind".  http://www.rtl.hr/televizija/programi/serije/ruza-vjetrova/.  The TX date is soon - and the press launch is next weekend so have to dress up!

"Bishaash" (the Bangladesh drama) starts to transmit again on BTV at the beginning of September.

Lunch time today, Saturday, brought the sad news that Tareque Masud and Mishuk Munier, along with their driver and two production staff, were killed in a vehicle collision.  Tareque's wife, the artist Dhali Al Mamum and his wife Dilara Zaman, along with two more production staff, were all being treated in a Dhaka hospital.  Tareque and his team were responsible for Bangladesh's most recent international success, the Cannes award winning Matir Moina (Clay Bird).  Obviously tragic for their families and friends - and also devastating for the tv and film industry in Bangladesh.