black and blue

A black labrador bit me
And I bit back.
Now I am black and blue
But he is still just black.

For more information ...
bear rug
fish tale

trees

I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in Summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.

- Joyce Kilmer


Keystone Forest photo courtesy of Nancy

For more information ...
joyce kilmer

paradise lost - paradise regained II

For some early life is marked by outward movements. We move out of our family, out of our communities, out of our inherited political positions and out of our religious dogmas. Propelled by an impulse to seek, we search for more and yet feel nostalgic for what we left behind. We feel impulses to return, to go back and to recreate what we had but 'you can never go home'.

We may reassess these outward movements and wonder if what we stretch for will always remain just out of reach. Some may stretch even further whilst we will dig deep within ourselves to connect with family, community and belief. We are still moving forward and evolving but the propulsion is from within rather than without. This inward transformative movement is not about nostalgically going back, it is about becoming. 'Human is not to be but to become'.

We turn away from the attractive distant glimmer of the sun and toward what was always close at hand. We never lost what we now regain and it was not paradise but simply the earth beneath our feet and ourself within under our skin.



For more information...
paradise lost - paradise regained I

fall picks

In spite of my intent to drink more Italian wine, France still dominated this fall with 20 wines. I also tried 6 from Italy, 4 from Spain, 3 from Canada, 2 from the US and 1 from Portugal, Australia and Germany. Ouch! my liver must hurt but there were some great wines drunk, here are the top fall picks.

1. Veuve Cliquote Ponsardin, Demi-sec - Riems, Champagne, France (18/20)
"I challenge anyone to drink this and not like it", for more tasting notes look here.

2. Abrazo, Garnacha & Carinena, 2003 - Spain (18/20)
"fruity, peppery, light, cheap and bloody nice", for more tasting notes look here.

3. Nino Franco Prosecco, - Valdobbiadene, Italy (16/20)
"a refreshing sparkling white, not too dry, a good, cheap alternative to champagne"

4. Tres Picos, Garnacha, 2003 - Campode Borja, Borsao, Borja, Spain (16/20)
"blackcurrant, earthy, leather, expensive but nice"

5. Chateau Thieuly, Sauvignon Blanc & Semillion, 2004 - Bordeaux, France (16/20)
"gooseberry, citrus, grassy"

6. Beaurevoir Tavel, Rose - Chapoutier, Rhone Valley, France (15/20)
"dry, fruity, minerally, slight tannins, a classic rose"

There is just so much good French wine, I must try harder to extend my sampling beyond the riotous Gallic borders. Revelations this season included the sparkling wines which I have always avoided. Thanks to my wife for introducing me to Tavel which won me over to rose, look for the distinctive braille on Chapoutier's label and give it a try.

Of course Beaujolais Nouveau season is upon us and although no Nouveau made the top list I have enjoyed drinking some of the Beaujolais cru, namely the Morgon from Joseph Drouhin and Moulin-A-Vent from that great marketeer Georges Dubeouf.

I expect the winter season will see us crack open some more sparkling wine to celebrate the festivities and some hearty reds to savour before a wood fire. Before then I hope to give my liver a little rest, poor thing.

For more information ...
veuve cliquot
abrazo
prosecco
tres picos
beaurevoir tavel
sorry no link for chateau thieuly

paradise lost - paradise regained I

Eden, Shambhala, Hy Brasil, Atlantis. Across time and across cultures, we have sought a place to live a better life. In the case of Eden and Shambhala they have been intimately linked with religious and spiritual development. In the case of Hy Brasil and Atlantis they have weaved their way through our cultures.

They all evoke images of paradise where happiness and peace are shared by all, in a long living and abundant life. The beauty of these paradises is only surpassed by their inaccessibility. In spite of our best efforts we can not gain entry to the garden, or find the mountain kingdom or sail to the island.

We have fallen from grace like Icarus fell to the ground and continue to be bound to this more earthly realm. Yet as we walk on this earth we wonder how this paradise lost may be a paradise regained. Our youthful wanderings are begun in naivete, searching for new and plenty. But as we wander we may wonder that the only paradise to be regained is one of our own making and solely within the mind. No longer looking toward the sun, we can turn our attention to the earth and busy ourselves with activities that ward off idleness, vice and want.

Voltaire expresses it best in Candide, ' il faut cultiver notre jardin'. A theme also alluded to by Brueghel's 'Landscape with the Fall of Icarus'. Breughel casts Icarus in a minor role and the simple ploughman in a major role. One falling from the sun in a vain attempt to enter a paradise lost, the other realizing that under his feet lies a paradise very much regained.



For more information ...
eden
shambhala
hy brasil
atlantis
icarus
candide
brueghel the elder

peek and boo discuss the simple life

Somewhere in this land. Night. Peek and Boo walking across a moonlit field.

Peek: So how did you get on with Seeke?

Boo: Good, we scratched each others itch. And you with Hyde?

Peek: Nothing, we don't know each other, we talked. It was nice, that was it, that was all.

Boo: You and your talking, you make things complicated.

Peek: Things do seem simple for you, I'll grant that.

Boo: Not always though, even God knows that.

Peek: But you have the simple life?

Boo: And what is that?


Peek: A life free from unnecessary complication, a life driven by purpose.

Boo: My aim in life is straight forward, a belly full of food and beer and an arm around a woman. My life is simple not because it has purpose but because the purpose I have is simple. And how about your life, is it simple?

Peek: Do I want anything different from you? Not much, you can see I like food and drink and Hyde is a woman I wouldn't mind to fumble with.

Boo: But you want more!

Peek: Do I want more? Maybe a conversation of interest or two, an idea, no more than that.

Boo: You and your ideas, with that you have already made your life more difficult. Men and their ideas, the world would be better off without them.

Peek: Better off without men or better off without ideas?

Boo: If you ask Seeke she'd probably say both!

Peek: We have to tend the fields tomorrow, let's go.

Boo: Yes, let's go.

Two exit.

For more information ...
peek and boo discuss life and meaning
peek and boo discuss thought and action
peek and boo discuss existentialism
peek and boo discuss writing
peek and boo discuss god
peek and boo discuss power

the simple life - why and who?

Our life is a series of responses to questions. The choices we make define our answers to questions such as when? where? how? what? who? and why? The choice to start work at 8am is a response to a when? question. The choice to be a lawyer is a response to a what? question. The choice to put your family first may be a response to a why? question.

Even though some of our responses feel determined, we do have a choice. We choose to live in a house that requires a mortgage so we go to work at 8am because that is when 'the man' expects us. We could choose not to go and this would have its consequences but we could choose. Our life is a series of chosen responses.

The responses we choose for certain questions can drive the responses we choose to other questions. For example, if I chose that what I want is to be a lawyer then that will dictate how I realize that ambition. The what would also affect when I could achieve that since I will spend a few years at college. Similarly I could decide that where I want to live is the Outer Hebrides, so that will dictate what I can work at and how I will live my life. Our life is a series of chosen responses that are connected.

However it does seem to me of prime importance to understand our response to why? and who? questions and let those guide us in answering the other questions. If we are unclear on the meaning of our life or who we want to share it with then the answers to the when? where? how? and what? questions will be nothing but a distracting drama. Eventful, even amusing but purposeless.

A clear understanding of the responses you choose to the why? questions and the who? questions in life will focus you on the important. The unimportant will fall away and your life can become simpler, not easier but simpler. Come back for more, there is more, this simple life is far from easy and needs more work.



For more information ...
the simple life - time and disorder
outer hebrides

the simple life - time and disorder

Life becomes complicated and perhaps we create the complications. A constant entropic force seems to challenge any order we seem to impose and any order we impose seems to come at the cost of disorder somewhere else.

Each day we experience this ever present tendency for increasing disorder. We get old, even from birth the order of our body begins to degrade. Our houses are built and we impose order but they begin to break and need repair. Nostalgia is a sense we have for times past and their simplicity. Childhood seemed simple because it was, the lives of our ancestors seemed simple because they were. Time is the experience of increasing disorder.

Are we destined to live our lives under a descending cloud of complexity and fuzziness? Can we have the simple life? Come back and find out in our next installment.


For more information ...
arrow of time

bear rug

I went shooting in the woods one day,
A bear shot me and got away.
With a surprised expression on my face
I now lie before his fireplace.

fish tale

Once I caught a fish alive,
she had to live, she couldn't die.
She jumped back in the river fast,
she smiled at me as she swam past.

first wheat

The great plant of western Canada is not the maple leaf even though it adorns the national flag. The great plant of western Canada is wheat. The golden sheaves swaying in the prairie wind conjures images of the open spaces and big skies of Saskatchewan and Alberta.

So this year my homage to the pioneers and settlers of the west was to grow some wheat in my garden. A friend got some wheat grain from his farming father in Saskatchewan because I found no where that just sold wheat grain to the general public. I turned the soil and then create a shallow drill into which I popped the grain. I the turned the soil over and that was that.

I was late in planting my grain (June 11th) so I knew I would be harvesting late. We have had a wet summer so although the wheat shot up it remained green for most of the summer. Occasionally I would take a kernel of wheat and check to see how it was drying up, other than that I did nothing. We have already had our first frost but wheat can survive that.

Last weekend I harvested the wheat, the next challenge will be to separate the wheat from the chaff.

heart broken heart mended

Last week my father underwent heart surgery to have a triple by-pass and a valve replaced. The operation took place in Dublin, Ireland meanwhile I was in Calgary, Canada 6609 kilometers (4107 miles) away. Such is the life of an emigrant, such is the life of an emigrant's father.

I have become accustomed to the feelings of uselessness and to the sense that in some respect I have abandoned my family. I have become accustomed to experiencing major family events by proxy through the telephone, internet or photos. I have become accustomed to these things but I am not happy about it.

My father is doing well and when I talked to him I was struck by his thankfulness, optimism and peacefulness. I am still learning from him.

Something inside me made me leave my hometown and my home country. I have created a life and a family away from there but it has come at a cost for me and my family.

Would I want my child to do the same?

koans and ergos

A koan is a statement contemplated by zen practitioners in the hope of enlightenment. Usually questioning and open-ended by nature, koans defy rational enquiry but may awaken other aspects of the mind. It would be misleading to regard them as puzzles as koans have no fixed answer.

A famous/infamous koan is "two hands clap and there is a sound; what is the sound of one hand?" A rational contemplation may suggest an answer (silence) but for other philosophical interpretations see here.

To my western mind koans seem frustrating because the question is framed within a rational context and yet the intent (enlightenment) can not be achieved by responding in the same context. Undoubtedly there is much I am missing when it comes to koans. Om.

Rational contemplation is something I can grasp and to focus this I suggest thinking on a phrase. This phrase is not a question but an answer for which someone can contemplate the question. It too has no fixed response but unlike a koan it may be subject to rational contemplation. Consideration of such a phrase may result in enlightenment but of an earthly kind. In homage to Descartes I will call this kind of phrase an 'ergo' which is Latin for 'therefore' and forms part of his cogito ergo sum statement.

Contemplate what question this ergo is the answer for?

"Life is brief but offers a few sublime moments."

first snow

Today October 3rd, in Calgary, we have just had our first fall of snow. Officially it is still fall as winter, in North America, officially begins with the winter solstice on December 21st. This contrasts with the United Kingdom and Ireland where it begins on November 1st (all hallows or samhain) and the solstice marks mid-winter.

Either way for me, the first snow in Canada reminds us to enjoy the remaining days of fall. As a small aside, fall was a term used in England during Elizabethan times and was transferred to the colonies where it remained in usage. Back in England it fell out of usage and autumn became the preferred name for this transitional season.

No spring, nor summer beauty hath such grace
As I have seen in one autumnal face - John Donne

weaselhead epiphany

I went for a run this afternoon in the Weaselhead. This protected park is five minutes drive from our house but in every other respect is a world away. Leaving behind the baseball diamonds and soccer pitches of suburbia, you enter a very accessible piece of nature within the city. I ran on the main path as far as the bridge which is around 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) and then returned via the forest. The forest path winds up and down away from the river and onto the escarpment that forms the southern boundary of the lake.

Growing tired I left the main path and slowed to a walk on a back woods path which led to an opening in the woods. Sitting down on a fallen tree, I could hear the wind teasing the leaves off the birch and willow. These deciduous trees are 'standing down' so the evergreens can regain their preeminence in the forest for the winter. The spiders webs catch the light as well as the flies and all seems peaceful.

A voice whispers, ' this planet is wasted on humans'. I stand up and feeling like Adam, an intruder, I leave and return to suburbia.


For more information ...
weaselhead

this week I am drinking

This week I am drinking Champagne of which I am by no means a big fan. It can be overpriced and overrated, the dryness is often too much and I find it causes a burning sensation in the throat or even heartburn. Combine this with the reputation it has among the 'ignoranti' of rappers and footballers and well, let's just say I am put off buying it.

I have typically tried the Veuve Clicquot yellow label which is dry and produces (for me) the burning sensation described above. This week however my in-laws introduced me to the Veuve Clicquot demi-sec. This wine has a creamy smooth finish with a fruity, biscuity taste to match. This is a champagne to have with desert or even on its own. It is a little pricey at around $CAN35 ($AUS39/25EURO/17UKP prices will vary by region) but if you have something to celebrate try this champagne rather than the more popular yellow label.


For more information ...
veuve clicquot demi-sec

peek and boo discuss life and meaning

Somewhere in this land. Late evening. Peek and Boo sit drinking at the inn.

Peek: It has got to mean something hasn't it?

Boo: Life, it means nothing.

Peek: But do you not think of the man upstairs and what he means?

Boo: Not often ... but too often.

Peek: And do you not think it means something because of him and what will come after?

Boo: What will come after?

Peek: I don't know, something nice and cozy maybe?

Boo: Well then, it can mean that for you.

Peek: What do you mean?

Boo: You can make it mean what you want it to. For me, I make it mean nothing.

Peek: Watch out, here she comes, the widow's daughter.

Boo: Where?

Peek: Behind you .... hello, Seeke.
Enter Seeke in foreground and Hyde in background.

Seeke: Hello Peek, hello Boo.

Boo: Hello Seeke.

Seeke: How are you now?

Boo: I'm fine, I have a glass of wine in hand and a friend to talk to, what more could a man want?

Seeke: A woman to hug.

Boo: The right woman who would hug back, to be sure.

Seeke: And at the right time to!

Boo: Would the time be right?

Seeke raises a wine glass and looks into it, thinking.

Seeke: The time might be right.

Boo: I will see you outside then?

Seeke: Yes, but who will escort Hyde home?

Boo: I am sure Peek will, where is she?

Seeke: Over by the fireplace, shy as always.

Peek: I will show the lady Hyde home, now you two begone!
A whispered aside to Boo.
So it means nothing then?

A whispered aside to Peek.
Boo: It means nothing but perhaps I will try to make it mean something.

Two get up and exit.



For more information ...
peek and boo discuss thought and action
peek and boo discuss existentialism
peek and boo discuss writing
peek and boo discuss god
peek and boo discuss power

ladybirds and ladybugs

We have seen a large number of ladybirds around Calgary in the last week or so. Perhaps a last flourish of activity before the autumnal frosts kill off these little bugs?

The ladybirds we see are called two spotted lady beetles ('Adalia bipunctata'). The bright wings are attractive to humans but are intended to ward off predators.

In England and Ireland we call them ladybirds in the US and Canada we call them ladybugs. Divided by a common language even at the insect level!


For more information ...
ladybirds

this week I am drinking

This week my Giro D'Italia passes through the Veneto region in north eastern Italy. The wine we are sampling is an Italian white, soave (pronounced swa-vay). This 2002 San Anselmi is made from garganega and trebbiano grapes like most soave. Roberto Anselmi is renowed for his innovative wine making and his insistence on not been confined by the DOCG regulations. This wine gains the IGT (indicazione geografica tipica) label but it would be incorrect to read into that lower quality.

Distinctive citrus and apple tones with some oak (possibly?) make this an interestingly different wine to drink. A definite sweet quality but with a smooth rather than syrup finish. Try this suave soave sometime soon!


For more information ...
docg or igt?

so what does life mean

The previous articles suggested thought as a priority in a sense of personal identity, it also suggested aligning behaviour with thought and furthermore it suggested that sharing and contribution are fundamental to our concept of society.

All very well and good but life is the medium within which the 'I', 'you' and 'we' exist. We need to add to our understanding of the 'I', 'you' and 'we', an understanding of life and what it means. And therein lies the problem, so what does life mean?

Starting simply, we could say that life either has meaning or it does not have meaning. If life has meaning that meaning could be inherent and part of the nature of life itself. Most religions express meaning as central and inherent to life itself. This meaning is taken as an a priori fact, i.e. the meaning exists independent of our experience. Here is an illustration, 'Jesus died for our sins and gave us a second chance to enter the kingdom of heaven if we follow his teachings', that meaning exists prior to any experience a child who is born tomorrow will have. For that child it exists a priori. This a priori meaning is taken to be universal.

An opposing view could be that if life has meaning that meaning is extraneous to the nature of life and is something we impose. It could be considered as an a posteriori fact, i.e. meaning is only derived after and because of our experience (see note). Indeed I would say that although many claim to derive an a priori meaning from religion they impose an a posteriori meaning based on their experience of religion rather than the doctrine per se. For example, the meaning of life for me is to play soccer, this meaning to life could not have existed prior to my experiences that gave rise to it. This a posteriori meaning is personal but others could share a similar meaning

Of course we also have the nihilists who would say that life is without purpose or meaning. Nihilists rejection of either a universal or personal meaning is logically subverted since their position claims in itself to be a truth. Life indeed may mean nothing but if I make that claim I am saying something which means something and at some level has at least personal meaning.

I would suggest that nihilism is an untenable position not because life may necessarily mean something but because as humans we strive to give it meaning. Can the meaning of life be anything other than personal? I would suggest not so therefore received a priori meanings can only act as input for our formulation of a personal a posteriori meaning. I do think that this a posteriori meaning whilst deeply personal is not solipsism because we are social by nature and do want to share our understanding with others.

So, what does life mean? ..... We don't find meaning, we create it. The meaning of life is the meaning we give to life and the meaning we choose to share with others.


Note ...
I have used the terms a priori and a posteriori loosely, for further definition and clarification see here.

For more information ...
so who are we
so who are you
so who am I
a balanced life
nihilism
a priori