Perhaps one of the most fascinating physical characteristics of ancient glass is a phenomenon known as iridescence. This effect is not a result of a glassmaker's technique or his materials, but rather simply the passage of time. Over the centuries, the natural weathering of glass causes its thin layers to slightly separate from one another and flake away, leading to a refraction of light between each layer. The result is a prism effect created by bouncing rays of light, producing an iridescent appearance.
Portrait of Marie Jeanette de Lange - Jan Toorop (1900)
“Marie Jeanette de Lange chaired the Vereeniging voor Verbetering van Vrouwenkleding (Association for the improvement of Women’s Clothing), which championed hygienic, loose-fitting, natural clothing that allowed women greater freedom of movement. In February 1900 she posed at home, dressed comfortably, for Jan Toorop. Using tiny dots of colourful paint, he created a sparkling portrait of a modern woman on the threshold of a new century.”
Maybe I am naturally pretty buoyant. Maybe just drawn to laying in the water for hours, bobbing away.
This summer I spent a lot of time swimming on my own and realised that my clearest thoughts come when I am in the water. There are no distractions, I can’t hear or really see much and I can just wiggle around a bit for a while.
Perfect place to iron out some thinking and also achieve smooth brain... no thoughts... bliss
Zadar has the most beautiful sunset in the world, more beautiful than the one in Key West in Florida, applauded at every evening.
Alfred Hitchcock, 1964
Being at the sea organ in Zadar at sunset is like your on a whale-watching cruise with a thousand other people. Everyone oohs, ahhs and applauds for the magical sunset and deeps tones of the instrument from below.
Public art is expensive and often is highly contested. But sitting on the steps to the sea organ is a sensory experience that magnifies the beauty of nature.
I think I can get behind any spiritual experience that involves the sea singing to you.
Last year when I came back from travelling, my neighbour said ‘well, you must have been doing it on the cheap’, and wondered at how I could afford it.
Odd comment aside, this is true. Of course I stayed in some shocking accommodations and returned with no money.
‘Worst arrival experience’ prize can be given to the hostel pictured. With a modern art museum looking hallway in a bright yellowish green colour, the sense of unease crept in. When I burst into the dorm, it was empty of people... but not of cold meats.
Salami, pepperoni slices, beef salami and for some reason, gummy worms were strewn all over the floor. One bed was safe, the rest were covered in tobacco and coins.
The hostel receptionist arrived to show an older lady up to the dorm, and said to me ‘how have you done this to the room already?’
I replied that he couldn’t let the old lady can’t stay here and that we need to get a broom. For some reason I didn’t arrange to change rooms that night, as the smell of raki covered the table (maybe explaining the person’s messy exit) and soggy towels gave a general feeling of dampness. I did take the coins though.
The rest of the trip was a mix of incomparably better hostels and also some situations I could’ve left earlier.
Writing this from the warmth of my parents home, I sometimes miss the excitement of braving it through a shitty hostel: waking up to loud snoring, guys trying to sell drugs from their dorm bed, or extra charges for ridiculous things.
What a rush you get from retelling bad hostel stories to new friends over a game of cards and whatever tea previous travellers left! Wouldn’t have swapped it for the world.
I have lots of time... we’re talking unemployed levels of time.
In finding the job hunt unsatisfying and unyielding, I have tried to use my time to think about Bramley apples instead. Autumn (and Isaac Newton) brought the great drop. Apples upon apples covered the yard and begun rotting into cider on the grass.
So here is a list of what I did with my foraged finds, so I can remember to do it again.
I saved what I could in a cold shed before getting started on the chutneys. First there was an apple and date chutney that will make you pucker and then a Christmassy spiced chili and apple. Delicious! I gave away lots of jars as a cheap gift.
Of course, there were the crumbles. Have you heard there’s a stall in the borough market that charges £9 for apple crumble?!?!? I made it three wildly different ways while my cousin was staying with me from Australia. I can’t remember how I like it but I reckon any way is a safe bet.
My 2 year old niece has a DEATHLY egg allergy. It turns out applesauce makes a good egg substitute for cakes and things, so I made a giant batch of it and froze it into egg-size portions (1/4 cup). This has felt pretty genius as we are frequently out of eggs.
The crowning glory was the fruit leather. Its not for everyone (not for anyone in my family, it turns out), but it IS for me. I have great memories of fruit leather stalls on the side of the roads when I was a kid. Chewy and delicious.
For some mysterious reason the apples were moved out from the shed and then froze in that big frost. I felt moved to save them from rot and thaw so now I have five bags of peeled, cored and chopped apples in the freezer. I didn’t look at how long this took me to do and I don’t want to know.
jacobvanloon
