Santa Maria delle Carceri Prato

According to tradition on 6/7/1484 a child, looking through the bars of the jail, saw an image of Madonna and Child painted on the wall of the jail animate itself.It was decided to build a basilica on the site to celebrate this miracle. Lorenzo de Medici a deeply religious man, commissioned construction following a design by his favourite architect Guiliano da Sangallo. This church is considered one of the earliest and most notable examples of the use of the Greek Cross Plan in Renaissance architecture. The church was begun in 1485, at a time when Tuscan architects were developing the principles laid down by Brunelleschi. This church incorporates the Early Renaissance ideals of lightness and purity. It has four equal sized arms surmounted by a small cupola of Brunelleschi's inspiration of a drum with 12 circular windows and a conical covering surmounted by a lantern. The external covering of the church is bichrome using white and green marble. Internally the four arms are decorated by four stained glass windows. These were designed by Domenico Ghirlando (1491) and represent The Annunciation; the Nativity; The Assumption and The Visitation. The altar piece is a fresco of the miracle portraying the Madonna with Child between Saints Leonard and Staphen. Under the sacristy are some rooms of the ancient jail. There are other art works including a 16th century balustrade by Buontalenti with a aedicula in white marble, designed by Sangallo inspired by those of the pantheon. In ancient Roman religion an aedicula is the diminutive of the Latin aides meaning a temple building or house. The photo demonstrates the unfinished section of the upper wall due to the death of Lorenzo de Medici in 1492, which was therefore left incomplete since 1506.

I'm getting organised to go to Italy on 1/1/15. Machiavelli has informed me of all the pitfalls of being a Prince or taking over a principality so I feel well prepared. Discerning which are the most appropriate types of clothing for the northern winter is proving challenging but interesting.
As well I am contemplating the Greek Island of Kythera which I will be visiting in April, with Sue Woolfe for an inspirational writing workshop.

Visit to Bendigo Art Gallery

'Man is the measure of all things
of the existence of what exists
and the non-existence of what does not exist.'
                                  (Protagoras)
We examined several pieces, to then write a short comment of a personal nature.
'The Grotesque Mask' really the face behind the mask, the inner feelings belying the outer exterior.
The professional mask I have worn for half a century which has hidden the pain of loss, abandonment, and betrayal. The huge difficulty of lifting the mask to get help to deal with potentially soul destroying situations. The joy in the discovery of another life, another personality, a new awareness and way of expression; a different path to tread gently, carefully, enjoying the space, the place, the opportunity.

'The Abstract Body' Symbolic portrayal.
My genes don't want to be an identical helix. They are screaming for a sense of individuality. Can't I just be me alone, not playing second fiddle to others! Imprisoned in an accident of birth, even now still trying to escape and discover is there a form that is only me, and be able to do things that only I can do. To become what only I can be, not abstract but unique, a concrete form.

Conversation

I wonder could it ever be said that social media
might have killed off face to face conversation?
Will Facebook, Twitter, texts and Wikipepia
replace vocabulary, grammar, even translation?
Where will wit, and humour be found, and
will we have anything for historians to treasure
in another two hundred years, or do we hand
our history to usb sticks--even dating pleasure
is all electronic so no wonder the divorce rate
and relationship breakdown occur every day.
So many people, anxious, depressed, and irate
taking anxiolytics, antidepressants and say
they can't cope with life, kids and mental
health is the problem--how strangely judgmental.

What is a writer's festival?

The event is different things to different people, different ways of looking at the same thing. People came because they read, like books, like authors, have questions to ask, want to hear answers from people who think. It is a social event, an exciting disruptive event, particularly in a small city like Bendigo.There is a charge, an energy  that is like a culturally rich and joyful bubble, that flows on even after the even is over till next year. Life can return to normal but there is the excitement of planning to attend the next festival, to be surrounded by like-minded people

Thursday night

Tonight many of us were spellbound listening to some very powerful words from an emotional Jacki French, Australian Children's Laureate. Speaking 'off the cuff' she told a harrowing story of her own dysfunctional childhood and her discovery of Socrates and all his wisdom, when aged seven, all on the anniversary of her sister's murder. She went on to outline just how much children need stories to be read to them, so they can learn to become readers.Then they are away--the power of a story. Jacki outlined the responsibilities of writers--to tell it like it is, so children can work out how to cope in a world full of conflict, violence, sex and drugs. She told how, while working with severely disturbed youth, how so many disadvantaged kids could be helped once they were taught to read. For everyone there is a magic book. A book where you just have to keep on turning the pages.

500 words: Right here, right now.

It is small. It is smooth. It is round, but it is behind my ear. How to get a look at it? I've tried a mirror, even a selfie but I can't get the angle right. Who am I kidding? I know it will be yet another Basal Cell Carcinoma. How many have I had already? I'm so careful now, now that it is too late. These are reminders of a youth spent in the sun, without a hat, without sleeves, without covering legs! A youth spent covered in freckles, running free, climbing trees, cricket in the street, swinging on a rope out over the river, to fall in, then splutter and swim to the edge, and do it all again.
But now I am older and wiser, and let's face it, a little bit sadder. For many years, I have practiced Thai Chi, and a few years ago added Qigong. I have learned to meditate, do deep breathing exercises, and even sing in a choir. At school, I really enjoyed any sport I could try. Basketball, Hockey, Badminton, Athletics, I tried them all. I even found myself in the Inter-varsity Badminton team, and that turned out to be a way to see Australia, as competition was held in a different University each year. I thought this would keep me fit and healthy.
No! Not so! The world is now a toxic place. The air is full of dust, grit and grime. The water is polluted, chlorinated, home to E Coli, while the earth is poisoned with a range of chemicals that it doesn't bear thinking about.We import poisoned food from overseas and everywhere is fast food, chocolate, 'soft drinks' and alcohol. Trying to find healthy food has become a real challenge. I frequent the Farmer's Markets, I even grow vegetables in pots, and wonder how honest is labelling in the supermarket?
I know that I am very personally responsible for my health. I am responsible for the choices I make. What I choose to eat, to drink, to wear, to do, these decide how healthy I am now, will be in three months or three years