On Running...

"Every Morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up.

It knows it must outrun the fastest lion or it will be killed.
Every morning in Africa, a lion wakes up.
It knows it must run faster than the slowest gazelle, or it will starve.
It doesn't matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle
- when the sun comes up, you better be running."

Roger Bannister
First man in history to run a mile in less than four minutes

I enjoy running, even though I am neither a lion or a gazelle! This year my aim is to run a half marathon. I am barely three weeks into my training programme and have already been derailed by a nasty cough which is currently stopping me running at all. But distance running is about perseverance and time. You can't gain enough fitness in just a couple of weeks to run 13 miles. It's about sticking to the training programme when really you'd rather not! And about getting back to it when you've taken a knock.

I'm not aiming for a fast half marathon. For me it will be a major achievement to complete the distance having run all the way. Some are lions, some are gazelles. And some are tortoises! But even a tortoise would need to train for a half marathon...

Book Review: The Silent Governess

Julie Klassen's third novel is definitely her best yet. Olivia Keene is a runaway with a big secret, who blunders across Edward Bradley's own secret with life-changing consequences for them both (not just in the obvious or expected ways!). A multi-layered 'mystery romance', with lots of twists and turns and a whole host of great characters.

Olivia Keene flees her home after a violent incident there. She finds herself on the Brightwell Court estate, where she overhears a highly sensitive conversation. A conversation which, if circulated, could have devastating effects for Lord Bradley. When Olivia's presence is discovered, Lord Bradley gives her little choice but to accept a post as under nurse at Brightwell Court, effectively imprisoning her on the estate, in order to ensure she cannot spread what she has heard.

Positives:

• Engaging and likable lead characters, with plenty of light and shadow in their personalities, especially in the case of Edward Bradley.
• A good 'cast' of supporting characters who are well-defined, well-rounded people.
• Subtle romance - did not dominate the story.
• Plenty of mysteries! Not just Olivia and Edward, but several others, big and small. Great for this reader who likes mysteries and rarely reads romances.

Negative:

• I found the vicar's conversations with Olivia about God and faith a bit strong, and the approach in these seemed a bit too 20th/21st century for a historical novel. But it wasn't enough to be off-putting.

This book passed a long transatlantic flight enjoyably. I have to say that by the end of the book I still hadn't quite worked out why a three month period to Olivia's employment was significant - maybe I was just jet-lagged - but I really liked this story anyway.

Rating: 4/5


Price: £8.99
ISBN: 9780764207075
Published by: Bethany House (Distributed in the UK by Lion Hudson)
Available through any good bookshop, online, or via Baker Publishing Group UK:
http://tiny.cc/sgov

Review copy supplied by Bethany House/Lion Hudson.

Aiming for an 'L' - After the Advisory Day!

Three weeks and three days until 'D (distinctions) Day'!

You might think it wouldn't be difficult to finalise a panel, given that there were fairly few 'action points' resulting from the Advisory Day... But you'd be wrong.

I'm worried about the adjustment I've made on the image which was commented on from a technical perspective (too much/too little? Right/wrong?), I'm still undecided as to the final print sizes for the images on the 'bottom row', and I'm edgy about ensuring the final standard of presentation is spot on.

It's a bit worrying that I can be this neurotic...! But I am going to be very, very disappointed if I miss the mark.

With an business trip and conference coming up before my assessment, all decisions on my panel must be made within a week. Otherwise there won't be time to put everything together before the 'big day'. EAK!

Book Review: Eye of the God

The story opens with Dr Abby Mitchell finding herself caught in the middle of an armed robbery at the Chacara do Ceu Museum in Brazil. The robbery has been carefully planned on behalf of a shadowy organisation known as 'The Collectors', and the robbers' next target is the Hope Diamond. This is a priceless stone, believed to be cursed, and Abby is its curator at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington.

The opening pace is maintained throughout the book, which manages to tell two stories convincingly interwoven - the story of the Hope Diamond itself, and the story of the attempt to steal it and the consequences.

There is plenty of suspense and tension, and some nice twists. I wasn't totally convinced by the resolution to Alex & Abby's relationship at the end of the book, especially Alex's responses but I could suspend my skeptiscism! Mainly because the author knows how to tell a story well!

As a mystery/suspense novel it works very well. Enjoyable, pacy reading with engaging characters and enough complication to keep it all interesting, without it becoming impossible to hold on to all the threads.

However, the 'Christian bit' just doesn't work for me. It feels 'bolted on' and superficial. In fact, the faith element is really condensed into just one paragraph where Abby verbalises her prayer, which I feel adds nothing whatsoever to the story. It's like the book suddenly becomes a 'christian novel' well over 300 pages in. For me, the faith elements need to be woven in all the way through or not at all. There are references to church from time to time, but not in a way which made me think of Abby as believing in God.

The back cover copy refering to Abby's faith being put to the test therefore to me seems rather misleading as I wouldn't have said that Abby appears to have any kind of faith through most of the book.

That said, this is one of Abingdon Press' first fiction offerings, and on the strength of this one, I would happily look at more - especially from this author.

Rating: 4/5

Price: £7.99
ISBN: 9781426700682
Published by: Abingdon Press (Distributed in the UK by Alban Books)
Available through any good bookshop, online, or via Alban Books: http://tiny.cc/eog760

Review copy supplied by Alban Books, with thanks.

Aiming for an 'L' - Advisory Day Report

Last Sunday was the day of my Advisory Day, in Amersham. I finished preparing my proposed panel the day before, when I discovered that the prints I'd mounted earlier had 'cockled'. Very annoying, but too late to do anything about it.

On arrival at the venue, I handed over my images to join the line of panels waiting. It was nice to meet Shirley Hollis who was in the queue with me, and who has already passed her 'L' and was at the day for feedback relating to her 'A'. Her friendliness was a nice 'extra' to the day. After handing over my work I was very grateful for two cups of tea, after which I began to feel a bit more normal!

The day started sharp to time, with two sample panels, an 'L' panel and an 'A' panel. The reasons for their success was discussed before moving on to looking at the print panels brought for comment.

The panels were put up one by one, laid out as per the photographer's designated order, with any 'spare' images put up on a second rack. Comments were made on each panel, from technical to presentation aspects, and in some cases images from the 'spares' were moved into the main panel. It was very interesting to see how the assessors moved images around and what their reasons were for doing so. For the printed panels a lot of the comments related to the 'look' of the panel, which pictures had been selected, and what order they were placed in. It was interesting that the assessors didn't always agree! There seemed to be more 'technical' comment on the projected images, but this may have been just the way it went 'on the day'. The panels varied enormously in content and style so it was also interesting to see other photographers' work.

Several panels were shown before mine was put up, by which time I was very nervous indeed. I was very relieved when my panel received some positive comments with one image requiring some technical tidying up and a couple of others needing to be reprinted at a smaller size to better balance the presentation. Quite straightforward adjustments, so I am on course for submitting my final panel for assessment in March at Focus on Imaging at the NEC.

I would definitely recommend attending an advisory day for anyone who is considering an RPS distinction. It was a very interesting, informative and enjoyable day.

Aiming for an 'L' - Part 2

My Advisory Day is now less than a week away (if the weather cooperates). All but two of my prints have arrived, including some extras which I ordered after I received the first batch & immediately decided that some weren't good enough. I've never cut a single mount, and decided that this particular project wasn't the one to start on. So I followed the recommendation of some professional photographers and ordered them, all cut to size. They arrived in a HUGE box - fortunately much of the size was the careful packaging, so I won't need to be a weight lifter to carry my panel after all.

I suppose it's also inevitable that now I've spent most of yesterday mounting all my prints - panel contenders and 'extras' as requested for the Advisory Day - I am not all that pleased with the result. The very first thing I should've realised BEFORE I ordered the mounts (or the prints, probably), was that on big prints you really need more than a 25mm overlap of mount to image. (Especially as the framer who mounted and framed my exhibition prints last year also mentioned this...) On some of my prints this isn't a problem, but there are four where it was a particular nuisance, and I suspect that at least these larger images will need to be dry mounted for the actual assessment day in March. I guess the feedback this weekend will let me know whether or not that's true.

I have ordered all my prints in a matt finish. It seems to suit them all, thankfully. The mounts are all 'old ivory' - off white. All the same overall size, which I hope will give my panel a tidy and professional look. I think it does, but then I know all too well how little 'what I like' counts sometimes!

Another cost - although not strictly necessary - was the purchase of a portfolio bag. I've had to compromise a bit because the cost of 'proper' portfolio boxes or cases was too much on top of the cost of the prints and mounts, so I've bought a 'designer case' (as in, a case used by designers, rather than one with jewels set in the handle). At least this time I can tell myself that it will get regular use, and not just for this one-off event.

So now I am almost prepared for the Advisory Day - just two more prints to mount. Here's hoping it's all going to be worth the time and effort!

Flowers in Stony Places

Flowers blooming in stony places, in old walls, on building sites, in desolate urban landscapes, are strangely uplifting. Somehow their splashes of colour or delicacy of form against drab, unfriendly backgrounds seem joyously defiant. A reminder of beauty in broken-ness. Or of the resilience of something as simple as a daisy.

Late last summer in a huge heap of broken concrete at the edge of a car park a sunflower bloomed. It cared not that it wasn't in a garden. No-one had carefully planted and watered and nurtured this seed. Somehow it had ended up amongst the broken slabs, and found just enough space to germinate. It grew straight and tall and vigorous, formed a flower 'sun' and turned it towards the sky. Mum passed it one day when she was feeling particularly sad and lonely. It's cheerful simplicity lifted her mood and restored something to her soul.

A sunflower isn't a complicated plant. Nor is a daisy or a gerbera. They are the kinds of flowers children might easily draw. The more beautiful in broken places because of their simple forms.

There's a poem by John Masefield which I like very much. It's very short, yet thought-provoking:

I have seen flowers come in stony places
And kind things done by men with ugly faces,
And the gold cup won by the worst horse at the races,
So I trust, too.

It's that last line which makes the poem complete. Trusting through difficult, distressing, disappointing, or dispiriting times.
Trusting that a flower will bloom again in a stony place.