Avatar

To see a World in a Grain of Sand,
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour.

Just what does this poetry have to do with Avatar? I think it is more that just the idyllic world portrayed in both this verse and in the movie.



Do you remember the comic strip Flash Gordon? He invents a rocket ship and goes off to save the world. This was science fiction in the comic book world in the 1950’s. Then, the sound barrier was broken, (suggesting space travel could be possible), Yuri Gagarin went into space in the early sixties, and Neil Armstrong walked on the moon in 1969. Now, numerous probes into outer space and amazingly strong telescopes are providing us with information that virtually proves that there are other earth-like forms out there. A lot of science fiction has become science.

Today our current science fiction is Avatar in 3D (remember 3D comic books?). But, we are no longer trying to save the world - we are destroying it for profit. We have become the bad guys. Is the same foreshadowing at work here in the current sci-fi?

I’ve always liked to think that we are moving into the Age of Aquarius – a new age, loving, gentle, peaceful, sharing world. Our tribal tendencies are giving way to the needs of the global village. Metaphysics suggests that we can very possibly exchange molecules (but maybe not exactly like they do in Avatar or the way they did with Beam my up, Scotty). Even time warps are beginning to exert a new reality.

Could William Blake have known something in the early 1800’s that was only discovered in the mid 1900’s? Did the writer/writers of Flash Gordon have some kind of future knowledge? Has James Cameron possibly been gifted with this ability as well?



Go see Avatar. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

China Ridge Trails

Cross country skiing in the Vancouver area has been nearly impossible this year. Since Boxing Day, the weather has been just too mild. The rains have washed away most of the snow on our local mountains. There is even concern now with the Olympics just around the corner that Cypress, in particular, will have problems hosting the events to be held there.

This past weekend, we headed for Manning Park and Princeton to ski. There is enough snow at Manning but it was quite icy in the lower sections. We drove up to Strawberry Flats and had good skiing in that area.

The best, though, was at China Ridge in Princeton. Conditions were excellent, the weather great and the scenery spectacular! It was a perfect day.

You can see what it looks like on their very excellent website.

http://www.chinaridgetrails.com/CR/Welcome.html

Housewife, 49

How do the Brits manage to hit so many home runs when it comes to a good drama? Americans, Canadians, Australians, etc., have good writers, talented people, modern equipment, organization skills - everything that Britain has - yet they can't seem to produce a good product very often - especially for television.

The Brits prove this point once again with Housewife, 49. This film has everything going for it. Superb acting, perfect capture of time and place, and a story line that rings true in every aspect, make this a memorable experience. Television programming of this quality justifies my cable bills each month.

This is a true story of Nella Last, a housewife, with grown children. At the request of her doctor, Nella writes a diary around the beginning of the Second World War. Nella had had a nervous breakdown the year before and this was to help forestall a recurrence. The doctor also suggests she volunteer with a Women's War Group. About the same time, the government began a Mass Observation Project, to record everyday life in Britain. It encouraged ordinary citizens to mail their diary to them each month. Nella wrote with simplicity and honesty of her changing life during the war and submitted her writing, in pencil most often, regularly.

I do realize that the playing field is not level - the drivel that is produced in the UK just doesn't make it across the pond. I am comparing the best from Britain with both the good and the not-so-good from North America. Even though, there seems to be much more memorable television produced over there.

FATABASE

The Vancouver Sun website is providing calorie counts and weight watcher point values for many items that I regularly eat in restaurants in the area. The salt and calorie content of many items listed is shockingly high. It has certainly been an eye-opener.

You can find the database under Vancouversun.com under life then food then scroll down to the Fatabase link on the left had side.

I will be re-thinking my menu selections in the future!

The link below to this site might be faster.

http://www.vancouversun.com/life/food/rate-your-plate/fatabase.html

THANK YOU Vancouver Sun.

Happy New Year!!!!!!!

It's a wet and windy New Year's Day in Vancouver. I guess we are officially into winter once the New Year arrives. I shouldn't be complaining about a little rain as I know it could be a lot worse.

Growing up in Northern Ontario, this month would often be the coldest of the year with lots of snow and temperatures below zero Fahrenheit for almost the whole month. We would still manage to spend many hours out-of-doors, often skating up to the outdoor rink on the snow covered roads to play hockey or skate or sometimes play broom ball until 9 p.m when the lights on the rink were turned off.

We could keep warm in the 'shack' which was usually a one room wood structure beside the rink with wood benches around the inside perimeter and a pot-bellied wood stove the size and shape of a 45-gallon drum in the middle of the room. These rooms could become stiflingly hot. It was not unusual to have the chimney glowing red. It was amazing that these structures did not burn down more often than they did.

I used to love to use one of my Aunt Baba's expressions at this time of year: "It's cold enough to freeze the nuts off a steel bridge!". It was just bad enough to get attention and not bad enough to be reprimanded. I would say it as often as I could, especially to nuns and teachers.

This is my garden at the end of December 2009 - hopefully looking its worst of the whole year. Amazingly, after several hard frosts, some spinach plants are still standing. I will need to wait for a thaw now before I can dig the soil to get rid of the weeds before the growing season returns. It's time again for seed catalogues!