Vissi d'arte (I Lived for Art).

I was sobbing into my breakfast porridge this morning listening to Maria Callas singing Vissi d'arte from Puccini's Tosca.  Thank you Petroc Trelawny and BBC Radio 3!

It was so wonderful, so heart-rending, I was inspired to dig out my old CD of the whole three act opera, and this evening I'll listen to the entire production - a glass of something lovely in one hand, the libretto in the other, and a box of tissues at the ready.  What joy.

The aria is from act II of the opera and the opening lines are "I lived for art, I lived for love, I never harmed a living soul!" ("Vissi d'arte, vissi d'amore, non feci mai male ad anima viva!").  Is it me, or does opera just sound better in Italian?

Click on the link to see Maria Callas singing the soprano aria Vissi d'arte from the opera Tosca by Giacomo Puccini.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9ePgCnLyg8

Love Film?

I love films and I love lists, charts and filing, and over the years I've managed to combine them into a passion and an art form, neatly side-stepping any nerdy connotations on the way and ending up with a comprehensive and good-looking film guide; several film guides, in fact.  At the touch of a button, I can find any film I've seen in the past six years - by title, by director, by cinematographer, by country, by year.... I could go on, but you get the picture!

The point is, I think it's time to share the love, so today I started a new tumblr blog to recommend some of the films I've enjoyed.  I'll post a favourite title once a week, once a day, once in a while, or whenever I'm inspired, and I'll be indulging my passions every step of the way.

Click on the link to take a look at my new film blog:-

http://susanvaleonfilm.tumblr.com/

Coincidentally, this is my 113th blog on 13.02.13!

Chinese New Year.

The rain is pouring down, there are high winds, gale warnings and forecasts of snow, but it's Sunday 10th February 2013, Chinese New Year, a new moon and my husband's birthday. Happy birthday Miles. Celebrations all round. What a Day!

No photos of rain-sodden landscapes, or wind-torn trees, but a picture of petals from a particularly heart-breaking bunch of roses I couldn't bear to part with.  They're not Chinese New Year red, but fiery orange, and so beautiful they just have to be auspicious.

Click on the links below to read about the Chinese New Year, roses, and to see the current moon phase:-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_New_Year

http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rose

http://www.calculatorcat.com/moon_phases/phasenow.php

Morning Glory.

I've seen some blisteringly beautiful mornings this week; red skies, high clouds, storm clouds rolling in from the west, icy winds blowing in from the north, rattling the windows and whistling in through the trickle vents.  I've loved it all, but the morning moon has been sensational, a slender crescent in its last quarter, high in the sky to the south, and that's what had me reaching for my camera.

The picture at the top shows sunrise in Hythe, Hampshire, looking west at 07:48 on Wednesday 6th February 2013.

The picture below shows the crescent moon at sunrise in Hythe, Hampshire, looking south at 07:45 on Wednesday 6th February 2013.

To see the current moon phase, click on the link below:-

http://www.calculatorcat.com/moon_phases/phasenow.php

To see three pictures of my view looking to the south, to the east and to the west, click on the link below:-

http://susanvale.tumblr.com/post/42498346082/07-45-on-wednesday-morning-6th-february-2013-in

Spring?

The first day of February, the first daffodils.... the first signs of Spring? Somehow it seems too soon, but it doesn't seem to be worrying these lovely little Tete-a-Tete daffs happily flowering in my garden.  Let's hope they can withstand the torrential rain forecast for the next few days!

The picture shows the first daffodils flowering in my garden in Hythe, Hampshire, at 16:15 on Friday 1st February 2013.

Click on the link below to read about Tete-a-Tete daffodils:-

http://www.rhs.org.uk/Gardens/Wisley/About-Wisley/Plant-of-the-month/March/Narcissus-Tete-a-tete