A Poem for Right-Now

Blue Half Moon - by Nigel A JAMES

Little Boy Blue – by Eugene Field (1850-1895)



The little toy dog is covered with dust,
But sturdy and staunch he stands;
And the little toy soldier is red with rust,
And his musket moulds in his hands.
Time was when the little toy dog was new,
And the soldier was passing fair;
And that was the time when our Little Boy Blue
Kissed them and put them there.

"Now, don't you go till I come," he said,
"And don't you make any noise!"
So, toddling off to his trundle-bed,
He dreamt of the pretty toys;
And, as he was dreaming, an angel song
Awakened our Little Boy Blue,
Oh! The years are many, the years are long,
But the little toy friends are true!

Ay, faithful to Little Boy Blue they stand,
Each in the same old place,
Awaiting the touch of a little hand,
And the smile of a little face;
And they wonder, as waiting the long years through
In the dust of that little chair,
What has become of our Little Boy Blue,
Since he kissed them and put them there.

Natasa Djordjevic - Saying Hello!

Natasa Djordjevic in her kitchen - photo by Nigel A  JAMES

Split Personality

Life sometimes pulls in more than one way at once. Some people are unable to cope, others can; and there are those who can take up the challenge, pick up the reigns, and drive a course through the shades and the colours of a life with its unexpected dimensions. And, one such person is Natasa Djordjevic.

Originally from Split in Croatia, her family has been living in Vienna for a very long time. And, despite the many long years of being away; the sea, the sun, and the life of those long bygone days are still very much a part of their lives. And, it’s this fun of the sun and the taste of the salt that’s to be found on their menu!

In their fine little restaurant, which they call Split, there are all of the fineties and niceties of the Dalmatian coast. Whilst enjoying a salad with the best of fresh fish, or simply tasting the fun of a pizza, one is actually living the feeling of long sandy beaches and the far-away breaking of waves on the rocks! And, working with her family is only one small part of Natasa’s young life.

There is an adult education centre not far from their restaurant, and it is there that Natasa has her own little café, it is not a mini Split, but the welcome is just as nice and as deep; and the food that she serves has a very definite feeling of the pull of a far away spot that’s down by the sea.

Split – 1130 Vienna – Hetzendorferstrasse 165. Natasa’s café is the VHS Hietzing.

Ingrid Hlavka

 Ingrid Hlavka at Home - photo by Nigel A  JAMES

A Picture at an Exhibition

In a little chapel in the Breitensee church in Vienna’s 14th district is a work of great wonder, a patchwork by Ingrid Hlavka. And this is good so. For, it is in this church that she has always  found the strength and encouragement that has always inspired her. And the picture, although new, has been on its way through the brightness and shades of Ingrid’s life for a very long time.

And Ingrid’s life, just like her patchworks, is made up of squares, which, although different, are, in fact extremely related. They all revolve around the celebration of life; and her life has not only led her to the heights of great beauty in the worlds of music and fine arts, but also to the four corners of the world in her travels.

As a young lady, she trained to be a singer and it was this which led to a career with the Austrian Broadcaster, the ORF, and it was there that she developed an appreciation in depth of the modern, but, it was the church, where she also sang, that provided the majesty, the feelings and the heights of the divine and celestial choral works of Schubert, Mozart, Beethoven, and many more as well. Ingrid had become, in a musical sense, both ancient and modern in one. But, her art was still wanting!

Still as a young girl, she was apprenticed to a seamstress, and one of her jobs was to clean up at the end of each day. This was fine, but, there was always one thing that disturbed her, and that was the throwing away of the fine brightly coloured left-over scraps that were no longer needed. This was pure waste! There had to be something more worthy for these fine pieces! And this was the thought that she filed away in the back of her mind.

And, many years later, the answer presented itself at an exhibition. She was stunned; there was a patch-work picture, the beauty of which she had never seen before. She was mesmerized by the colours and the finesse of this fine work of art. There were the scraps of long, long ago! They, for her had come home! There was her path, and it was shining in a way that was to hold her for ever!

And now, 18 years later, Ingrid’s latest in a very long line of very fine works is to be seen in a little chapel of the Breitensee church - her spiritual home!

Church at Breitensee
http://www.pfarre-breitensee.at/

Armin Spitzer - An Encounter

Armin Spitzer - photo by Nigel A JAMES

Cutting With the Grain

Whilst speaking to sculptor Armin Spitzer, I couldn’t help noticing the very soft English that he speaks. His isn’t the language of school, but rather the result of total absorption in the places where English is real. And the same, as well, goes for his Spanish and French. In all, Armin has lived in ten different countries, and each one has contributed, in a very colourful way, to where he is now!

His life has taken him down roads of excitement and surprise. He has experienced the rich and the varied shades of tourism, he has sweated over stoves in the miniscule galleys of yachts in the Med; and he has taught. But it was Costa Rica that brought him back to himself. For, it was there, where circumstances had led him, that he discovered the pure breathtakingly colourful beauty of its native wood.

It was unlike anything that he had ever seen before! And, before long, he was making his name with his wonderful precision inlay pictures and other exquisite works! And, in a way, without realizing it, he had come back to his roots.

Armin was born in Graz, one of Austria’s most amazing cities. And, it was there, in his boyhood, that he used to wander the forests, knife in hand and carving as he went. The forest was his school, and, what he learned there has stayed ever since. And much of what he does now has all to do with childhood.

Many children, without knowing it, and especially those in Vienna, spend a lot of their time playing on Armin’s wooden creations. The city has many playing areas, and some have become home to his wooden menagerie. He has sculptured snakes, turtles, pigs, and so-on, and all of them, when seen through the innocent eyes of the young, seem as real as their fantasy allows!

And, of course, wood is a beautiful material to work with. It has, unlike other materials, a soul of its own. And this is the thing that Armin likes very much. His works, when complete, are back where they should be, amongst their own, the elements of wind, rain, sun and snow, and, most importantly, where the children sing!

So, watch out, there may be a pig near you!

See for yourself!

http://www.arminspitzer.at