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Candia Comes Clean

~ Candid cultural comments from the Isles of Wonder

Category Archives: television

Lampedusa Cross

05 Wednesday Feb 2020

Posted by Candia in art, Bible, Personal, Poetry, Religion, Sculpture, Social Comment, television

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Amazighs, Barbary pirates, Coniglio, Coromandel, Eritreans, flotsam and jetsam, Lampedusa, Mary Magdalen, Mediterranean, migrants, Montelbano, Patmos, Phoenicians, Saracens, Somali, St Paul

Was watching an Inspector Montelbano programme – for linguistic

purposes, you understand.

It certainly wasn’t for subtlety, but the scenery is good!

Anyway, it was about migrants and I suddenly remembered my poem on

Lampedusa and thought I might as well publish it, rather than leaving it

on standby.

A local artisan made a cross from the bits of driftwood from the wrecks

of migrant boats and set it in a chapel.

So, here is my poem.

 

Lampedusa Cross,

nailed from shipwrecked lives, splinters:

Tuccio fecit,

amid Artemisia,

with Wormwood, like the toxic

star which fell to Earth,

corrupting all our waters.

Mugwort – protector

of travellers, from spirits,

malign and bitter –

why did you not help them live?

 

Francesco, you honoured them:

the Eritreans;

the Somali refugees.

You worked with the wood,

which tanged of salt suffering;

carved their scuppered crafts and

crafted signs of hope;

placed one above an altar;

trembled at its touch,

as if handling a relic

(as though St Paul had

blessed all those who washed to shore,

clinging to freed planks

not dissimilar to these.)

 

Castaways swam to

Coniglio’s lights, as if

striving to strand in Heaven,

kerosene-covered,

or later, wrapped in gold foil,

like saints receiving new robes

for abandoned rags,

once through the deadly portal.

 

Phoenicians, Romans,

Amazighs, Greeks, all landed here,

where Saracens sacked;

Barbary pirates plundered,

raking out slave loads.

 

The Marabouts were washed up

hereabouts, seeking

alms to fund their pilgrimage.

The Mare Nostrum

buoyed up Mary Magdalen;

John sailed to Patmos;

Thomas to the coast

of Coromandel, it’s said.

 

Sea-sick disciples

berated the Son of God

in a storm on Galilee.

He was still on board,

though He seemed to be asleep.

But, when He said, Come!

one found he walked on water.

 

In Lampedusa,

the sacred table, chalice,

fashioned from driftwood,

have been assembled from beached

flotsam and jetsam –

sacrosanct, reserved fragments,

though mere detritus,

from the high tide’s waterline.

Their significance

will grow, till the world is healed

by a Carpenter

who shows compassion for crowds;

loves the discarded

and creates His own kingdom.

His invitation

is to those no one welcomes.

 

 

 

 

 

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Four Muses of Chavenage

07 Sunday Jul 2019

Posted by Candia in art, Film, Literature, mythology, Photography, television

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Chavenage, Cotswolds, Gloucestershire, Muses, Poldark

IMG_0187 (2)
IMG_0184 (2)
IMG_0185 (2)
IMG_0186 (2)

Photos by Candia Dixon-Stuart of the fireplace in Chavenage,

Gloucestershire. (Don’t even want to mention the Poldark

connection!)

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Wolf Hall Understudy

07 Tuesday May 2019

Posted by Candia in Celebrities, History, Humour, Literature, Nostalgia, Photography, Politics, Satire, television

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Hilary Mantel, Mark Rylance, Thomas Cromwell, Wolf Hall

Cromwell

Candia understudies Mark Rylance- takes on his ‘mantel!’

Photo by Candia’s Significant Other

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Gallery

Images from John Lewis, Oxford TV Department (Samsung?)

25 Saturday Aug 2018

Posted by Candia in art, Arts, Environment, Film, Media, Nature, Personal, Photography, television

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

In-store, John Lewis, Oxford, television

This gallery contains 7 photos.

Fake or Fortune?

11 Sunday Mar 2018

Posted by Candia in art, Personal, television

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Fake or Fortune?, Gainsborough, National Gallery, Philip Mould

I found this little drawing at a fair years ago.  It was

well drawn and in the style of Gainsborough.  Indeed it was

like some sketches he did of his daughters which I subsequently

saw at The National Gallery.

I sent a photo of it to Philip Mould for investigation and he

was convinced enough to send the photo to the international

expert on Gainsborough, who said it wasn’t by the master, but

gave no particular reasons.

For a while I doubted this judgement, as the paper was lined in

the correct way for paper of that time and it was faded. Also, the

dealer who sold it to me had only charged me £50, so wasn’t

trying to deceive anyone.  The frame was very old and was ebonised

and gilded, though distressed.

However, I was disappointed, so sold it, having told the buyer the

whole story.  I sold it for little more than I had paid for it.

Sometimes I regret selling it, but have done a copygainsborough for myself this week.  I won’t be signing it ‘T Gainsborough!’

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Dalek Alert!

09 Tuesday Jan 2018

Posted by Candia in Horticulture, Humour, Media, Nostalgia, Photography, Social Comment, television

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

dalek, David Tennant, Dr Who

Dalek.jpg

Used to hide behind the sofa when these came onto the screen.

Now in local garden centre!

Where’s David Tennant?

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Holy Cow!

16 Friday Jun 2017

Posted by Candia in Celebrities, Crime, Film, Humour, Media, News, Nostalgia, Poetry, Social Comment, television, Writing

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Adam Wst, Batman, caped crusader, clerihew, dynamic duo

 

Adam West,

caped crusader, – in peace may you rest.

We need a dynamic duo to rescue us right now,

for our present leaders…… Holy cow!

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Get down, Shep!

29 Monday May 2017

Posted by Candia in Animals, Celebrities, News, Nostalgia, Poetry, Relationships, television, Writing

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

clerihew, John Noakes, Shep

John Noakes and Shep.jpg

(John Noakes with Shep.  No known free use, but

unknown author/ copyright owner; low resolution image

and portrayed deceased as 28/5/17)

 

 

John Noakes,

you were one of those blokes

who could work with children AND animals; whose renown

was immortalised by your catchphrase: ‘Shep, get down!‘

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The Saint

23 Tuesday May 2017

Posted by Candia in Celebrities, Film, James Bond films, Media, News, Poetry, Social Comment, television, Writing

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

clerihew, Roger Moore, Simon Templar

Image of The Saint matchstick man alongside series title

(Wikipedia title card image)

 

Sir Roger Moore,

I am very sure

that for suavity, you will always be held an exemplar –

especially in the role of Simon Templar.

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Catweazle

11 Thursday May 2017

Posted by Candia in Celebrities, Humour, Media, Poetry, Politics, Satire, television, Writing

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Catweazle, Jeremy Corbyn, teazle

Jeremy Corbyn,

you could have knocked me down with a teazle

when in today’s press I mistook you for Catweazle.

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← Older posts

My name is Candia. Its initial consonant alliterates with “cow” and there are connotations with the adjective “candid.” I started writing this blog in the summer of 2012 and focused on satire at the start.

Interspersed was ironic news comment, reviews and poetry.

Over the years I have won some international poetry competitions and have published in reputable small presses, as well as reviewing and reading alongside well- established poets. I wrote under my own name then, but Candia has taken me over as an online persona. Having brought out a serious anthology last year called 'Its Own Place' which features poetry of an epiphanal nature, I was able to take part in an Arts and Spirituality series of lectures in Winchester in 2016.

Lately I have been experimenting with boussekusekeika, sestinas, rhyme royale, villanelles and other forms. I am exploring Japanese themes at the moment, my interest having been re-ignited by the recent re-evaluations of Hokusai.

Thank you to all my committed followers whose loyalty has encouraged me to keep writing. It has been exciting to meet some of you in the flesh- in venues as far flung as Melbourne and Sydney!

Copyright Notice

© Candia Dixon Stuart and Candiacomesclean.wordpress.com, 2012-2013. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Candia Dixon Stuart and candiacomesclean.wordpress.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

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