FEAST OR FAMINE

The New York Times  published an article on 30 March 2022 with the headline: In Tennis, Racket Smashing Gets Out of Hand. What does ‘out of hand’ mean and what does it have to do with smashing a tennis racket?    The Free Dictionary defines ‘out of hand’ as ‘an unruly or unmanageable state or manner; out of control.’ The Cambridge Dictionary also defines ‘out of hand’ as ‘out of control.’ These definitions are from an objective third party view or a reflective view – i.e. a bystander or witness has an opinion that an action is out of control, such as ‘Absenteeism is out of hand in this company.’   From the view of the person doing the action, The Free Dictionary adds that ‘out of hand’ also means ‘immediately and without thinking about something fully or listening to other people’s arguments’ and ‘without consideration; immediately.’ The Free Dictionary gives the example: ‘(He) dismissed my complaint out of hand.’   Therefore, the headline of the article announces that the action of sm

The Field House: A Writer’s Life Lost and Found on an Island in Maine (2021) is set on Sutton Island, America, in the 1920s and 1930s. It is a loose biography of award-winning author Rachel Field (1894-1942). In 1994, the author, Robin Clifford Wood, bought a house on an island off the coast of Maine. It was the previous home to children’s author, poet, and playwright Rachel Field in the 1920s-1930s. Rachel Field died suddenly at the age of forty-seven at the pinnacle of her career. Why had no one ever written about her and her achievements? After living in Rachel Field’s house for 26 years, Robin Wood sets about writing of Rachel’s life in the neglected house – using information and inspiration from the items left in the boxes in the attic.  Rachel Field lived in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, to the age of eleven in 1905; a place of ‘simplicity and beauty’ with a healthy relationship to ‘fairies, elves, and other magical beings.’ Then the move to Springfield provided her with better ed

Le Select Restaurant in Montparnasse, Paris, is exhibiting a solo collection of illustrations by Claire Morel Fatio in its gallery-restaurant from 27 March to 24 April 2022.   The watercolour collection of illustrations is called “Une Pointe de Poesie et D’Humour” – “A Touch of Poetry and Humour.”   From Paris,  Claire Morel Fatio has a degree in Applied Arts and experience in culture, publishing, and the luxury sector before she turned to freelancing as an artist.  MARTINA NICOLLS MartinaNicollsWebsite   Martinasblogs Publications Facebook Paris Website Animal Website Flower Website SUBSCRIBE TO MARTINA NICOLLS FOR NEWS AND UPDATES    MARTINA NICOLLS   is an international aid and development consultant, and the  author    of:  The Paris Residences of James Joyce   (2020), Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

  Cinderella, the opera, is playing at the Opéra Bastille in Paris from 23 March to 28 April 2022. The children’s story of Cinderella –  Cendrillon  – by French author Charles Perrault in 1687 and German authors, the Brothers Grimm, in 1812, is adapted to opera using the music of French composer Jules Massenet (1842-1912).  The leading actors include Tara Erraught as Cinderella (Cendrillon) and Anna Stephany as Prince Charming, with director Mariame Clément, conductor Carlo Rizzi, and choreographer Mathieu Guilhaumon.   Photo: Monika Ritterhaus Photo: Monika Ritterhaus   MARTINA NICOLLS MartinaNicollsWebsite   Martinasblogs Publications Facebook Paris Website Animal Website Flower Website SUBSCRIBE TO MARTINA NICOLLS FOR NEWS AND UPDATES    MARTINA NICOLLS   is an international aid and development consultant, and the  author    of:  The Paris Residences of James Joyce   (2020), Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia