Before writing Marriage, a Journey and a Dog I knew little of Millwall Football Club. When I realised they played Manchester United in the FA cup in 2004, they were the perfect choice for Alan the football fan.
Alan’s obsession with football left him with girlfriend problems he didn’t understand. First his wife left him and then Natalie (heroine) didn’t fancy him – at all. Both big disappointments to him.
When he met Gerry (Natalie’s husband) they found common ground in having a sport obsession.
With the two characters obsessed with sport, men reading the book have laughed as they relate to an all consuming love of sport. Women sympathise with Natalie for what she has to put up with and feels helpless to change.
I’m sure he isn’t typical of Millwall fans as his hygiene habits and communication skills are not good.
I follow Millwall on twitter and amuse myself checking on their results. It feels personal if they win or lose.
Today is a sad day for Sri Lanka. Yet again floods and land slips have destroyed parts of the country and killed an unknown number and displaced thousands.
My husband and I saw this type of devastation in 2010 when we were living in Kandy. A large rock hit the back of our house and our garden went into the house below us. Houses completely disappeared and people died as the earth and rocks landed on their houses. This was all a new experience for the protected Brits that we are.
Now the floods and landslips in Sri Lanka sound as if they have become more frequent. Climate change, population growth and more and more buildings all contribute. At night you can see lorries with illegal logs on them. I never buy mahogany furniture, although I used to.
We are privileged to put our small drop into the ocean of need in that place and in doing so, we have become attached to children and their families.
I know that communities will pull together. I am always challenged by the way they care for each other, and that included us in the landslips of 2010.
It isn’t just people caught up in this, but the animals and insects too. Insects from the jungle above us invaded our house. We were lucky to be able to go to a hotel while our house was cleaned up. In the river a small dead elephant hung from a tree.
We will be sending to the people we know and trust in Kandy and as a part of that, profits from the sales Marriage a Journey and a Dog this month, will be added to our gifts.
The Tsunami in Sri Lanka has left its scars, but life goes on after tragedy and poor people more than most know that.
The 1st picture is where a whole family died just down the road from us. The 2nd shows the tools workmen have to clear land slips. The 3rd is our front garden that was. The fourth is the tunnel that is always having land slips and holding up traffic . The 5th is our neighbor’s house being cleared of mud with a simple basket. The window is our window and shows how close a land slip came.
We will return there in October this year. (We are not affiliated to any organisation or religion).
The rocks fell on the simple houses and killed 3 children
Men at work. A common site all over Kandy. Note simple tools for big task.
This was a house it sliped down the hill and broke into thousands of tiny pieces. Including 2 cars and double garage
I have been asked about Henri Marcel, the French artist I quote in Marriage, a Journey and a Dog..
Henri Marcel is remembered for his quotations as well as his art. He was a part of the cubism movement that changed the face of art.
Pablo Picasso was credited with cubism’s creation, but there are other examples of this style of art. As with all artists and creative people there is a reliance on what you have learnt and your environment, mixed with your own creativity. It was Picasso that brought cubism to the forefront in art.
This is a link to cubism art pictures – Cubism Art
I came across these in Le Louvre. I’m not sure how old they are but they are described as ancient.
George Keyt 1901 – 1993, is a famous Sri Lankan artist and as far as it is known he had no contact with Picasso and his associates.
George Keyt
George Keyt is worth knowing about – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Keyt
Henri Marcel was a part of the cubism movement, creating his own distinguished style – hidden in many ways, but a great discovery if you find him.
Quotes about Henri Marcel in Marriage, a Journey and a Dog.
This is where it all began.
This is when I realised what my life could be
Henri Marcel. French Artist 1938-1996
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Once outside on the pavement, I notice a small house, squeezed between the shops, on the wall there is a brass plaque to Henri Marcel. I have a book about him from a charity shop. He painted pictures then ripped them up, repositioned them and painted the new picture, similar to Picasso and cubism. The colours he used were bold and the reconstructed paintings vibrant. Some of his paintings are of people; others of buildings. So he lived here for twenty years until he died in 1996.
‘I am always doing what I thought I couldn’t do because I learn something’ is the quote under his name.
“Yes, Henri!” I say out loud. I mustn’t let Gerry see me talking to myself, and clasping my hands with agreement!
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Alan might offend me when I’m vulnerable, so as much as he might be useful I decide to try this one on my own and hope I’ve benefitted something from my one and only past experience of cycling.
‘I am always doing what I thought I couldn’t do because I learn something’ I reflect on Henri Marcel’s words. ‘Remember Natalie, you made it through France and Spain’. I pinch myself at the thought.
As his paintings are held in private galleries they are not available on google. Maybe, one day there will be an exhibition.
“To tell the truth is often distracting, Make what you will of me.” Henri Marcel.
Marriage, A Journey and A Dog 