Tuesday 18 September 2007

Pushing up daisies

The silence is due to assignments and exhaustion. After the initial flurry of interest with YouTube, I have been too tired to even check the Net. I have to do something about waking up BEFORE the birds. All sensible suggestions gratefully received.

It is years since I read a novel, but I have almost finished “Exodus” by Leon Uris. The film was definitely faithful to the book, and as far as I can see, the book is pretty faithful to history. Characters show up who are obviously based on historical figures. A good example would be PP Malcolm, a British army officer who is based on Orde Wingate, the brilliant military tactician and friend of the Jews.

Wingate’s life was cut short in 1944 when he was killed in a plane crash over Burma. He was 41. This week saw yet another terrible plane crash, this time in Thailand. Eight Israeli’s were on board, six are still missing. One always wonders at times of disaster, whether natural or man-made, what kind of potential was cut short or lost. Who on that flight could have been another Nelson Mandela, John Paul II, Ang Sang Suu Ki, Einstein. We don’t know whom we have lost.

On a lighter note, I’m battling with the latest assignment on my course – funeral sprays. These are the bouquets which are designed to be laid on a grave, they are flat, but 3 dimensional at the same time, and a real trial to hold in one hand. My fingers are so sore from manipulating up to 30 flowers and pieces of foliage, before binding them, bowing them and collapsing in an exhausted heap. My epitaph “Driven loopy by a leucadendron”.

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