a southern gal in the north

or

some of the digital photos taken by my 2 1/2 year old nephew (with me hovering to assure the camera is not dropped!)

 Some knitting was done last night  – i started the (infamous) Flower Basket Shawl.  (I missed the bandwagon when it first came out in 2004, dont know why) 

There was a tricky moment when i had to stop and remember how Meg showed us her crochet provisional cast on – in the end i got it to work and am already up to row 32 – so i will be in the “repeat this until the size you want” land shortly.

photos later.  its late now.  (two and four yo nephews are tiring!)

By MIKE SILVERMAN, Associated Press Writer
Thursday, July 27, 2006
(07-27) 08:33 PDT BAYREUTH, Germany (AP) —

Next time you’re crossing a highway overpass or heading down to the basement, look carefully around you: Gods, giants, dwarves and other mythological creatures may be playing out their age-old struggles in your midst.

That seems to be the concept behind the new production of Richard Wagner’s four-part “Ring” cycle, the first installment of which premiered Wednesday night at the Festspielhaus.

…

In Dorst’s “Ring,” as the characters act out their ancient story, a sprinkling of figures from modern life wander through the action, invisible to the gods and mostly oblivious to the events around them.

The opening scene is set among large stones at the bottom of the Rhine, while overhead the surface of the water is visible, with video projections of a naked woman swimming.

But it’s a curiously static scene. The Rhinemaidens themselves barely move, nor does Alberich chase after them or even run off after he’s seized the gold.

read the rest .. New ‘Ring’ Cycle Premieres.

not much knitting but how about organizing my knitting? 

In the continuing saga of restoring/configuring a working computer, I realized my old software for organizing my knitting stuff was way out of date .  So over the weekend, I went to the LNS Software website and ordered the latest version.  

Which arrived today. 

So while listening to the first broadcast of the new RING cycle from the Bayreuth Festival today, I loaded it and will be getting myself sorted thru out the rest of the RING (three more very long broadcasts).  

And to share a photo of my cat (like Wendy does on her blog), here is Cordelia (the mother cat) trying to figure out how to get out that kitchen window to get all those birds eating at the bird feeder.  its an ongoing problem for her (and not to be resolved until she KEEPS a collar with a tag on so she can go outside!).

(the pink things scattered on the mat are my crumpled up Sweetnlow packs from my tea – she thinks they are little mice or something and loves to play with them each morning)

Here’s what she WAS looking at before she heard the camera snap and she turned….its the bird feeder at the back of the yard. (see my gardening blog for more on that)

Stop fertilizing your flowers. Give your flowers some relief from the heat by letting them rest a bit. Fertilizing during the hottest days of summer won't revive them, it will encourage new growth that will require more water. Give them a break until mid to late August.

However you can replace tiring annuals by reseeding heat lovers like: cleome, cosmos, marigolds and zinnias. While you're at it, start some fresh herbs from seed too. Basil, borage, coriander, oregano, sage and thyme will all sprout quickly in heat and linger to fall.

Check out this very nicely produced website –  Wagner Operas

German playwright and director Tankred Dorst’s brand new production of Wagner’s 16-hour “Ring” cycle tops the program for the one-month festival and has critics on the edge of their seats.

There is plenty of drama, both on and off the stage, at this year’s Richard Wagner Festival in Bayreuth. A new production of Wagner’s 4-opera magnum opus “The Ring”, created in a mere two years by respected German playwright and director Tankred Dorst, has heightened anticipation at the month-long festival that opens Tuesday.

American tenor Stephen Gould is Siegfried

“The Ring” cycle is 80-year-old Dorst’s first dabble in music theater, though he’s a veteran of other staged genres. Everyone, from the janitor to the star soprano, is sworn to secrecy on what Dorst’s production entails, though it is expected to take place in modern times and be less daring than recent stagings.

Wagner lovers worldwide are hoping that the 13th version of the 16-hour cycle to come out of Bayreuth will offer a fresh interpretation and a radical new reading of the work.

Drama and Fantasy at Bayreuth’s Wagner Festival | Culture & Lifestyle | Deutsche Welle | 25.07.2006.

Website

Premiere Schedule

To listen (radio/webcast)  – note: some start in the morning hours in the US.

This year there is a NEW production of The Ring cycle  – see here for rehearsal photos

By STEVE SMITH
Published: July 26, 2006

A free concert on a Monday evening, an auditorium off the beaten path — it was a perfect opportunity for the bright young baritone Thomas Meglioranza to shake off the conventional solemnity of the lieder recital, and simply indulge in a few of his favorites from the repertory he has performed with the pianist Reiko Uchida during the last few years.

With Playful Wit, Thomas Meglioranza Shares His Old Favorites – New York Times.

check out his blog and his website

Blog: The annual four-week festival of Wagner opera has only just opened and already German critics are talking up a future without it, writes Luke Harding.

A very interesting bit about the leading German newspaper questioning the “cultural relevance” of the Festival.

Too late for this year’s festival but to plan ahead for those unobtainable tickets…. here is some advice

Preview: Betrothal in a Monastery, Glyndebourne, East Sussex
By Michael Church
Published: 20 July 2006

Based on Sheridan’s comedy The Duenna, Prokofiev’s opera Betrothal in a Monastery was described by Shostakovich as one of his “most radiant and buoyant” works. Yet it was composed in the dark days of the Second World War: good therapy, but at the same time reflecting sinister undercurrents.

For Daniel Slater, who with Robert Innes Hopkins is sharing responsibility for staging it at Glyndebourne – Slater is billed as “director/designer”, Hopkins as “designer/director” – those undercurrents are of the essence. “Some bits which you could play as funny, we are doing dark,” Slater says.

Independent Online Edition > Features.

and the review

Betrothal in a Monastery, Glyndebourne, East Sussex fourstar By Edward Seckerson Published: 26 July 2006