Commemorating Geoffrey Chaucer - died 25th October 1400

(c) Wiki Commons - Blake - The Canterbury Pilgrims

I have always enjoyed The Canterbury Tales. I must confess I have not read them from cover to cover but read the tales by dipping in and out over many years and during my research of Chaucer. 

Chaucer is a fascinating character, born in to the merchant class, a page at Court, his patron was John of Gaunt and became related through marriage to two Kings! Also worked as a Civil Servant when he became Controller of Customs in the City of London. Plus a full life of travel and intrigue.  He was well able to describe all the quirks and code of of behaviour from the high echelons to the low.

His poem was unusual for the time for several reasons the main ones being it was in English and the other he gave the characters a voice which was not the usual practice of the time. An element usual for the period was the moralising stories of the then known world and Chaucer used them to great effect.

Once upon a time I took people on a tour of the City of London following in Chaucer's footsteps. He was born in Vintry a Ward of the City and lived in Aldgate as Comptoller of Customs. He knew the locals and the streets very well and should, if he returned today find his way around, as the footprint has not changed that much and the Guildhall and Leadenhall are exactly where he left them! 

Now I cannot do the walk so I am offering a Virtual Tour on 25th October at 6pm.  We can actually cover more ground so to speak, and I do hope you can join me to explore this great poet, father of the English language and his home City.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/virtual-tour-geoffrey-chaucer-life-times-tickets-125122236979?fbclid=IwAR3yEUd7R3Zz84n3ZUwDzLdKOUvtiRULYW_4aAMiuaxzX__xyBnt1vYXpqY

The virtual tour will take place on Zoom so you will need to have the app to book in, Full details included in the Confirmation once booked.

'Faith in the City' by British Fine Art Photographer Niki Gorick - Virtual Talk & Exhibition

 I am blogging today as my dear friend Niki Gorick is giving her Virtual Talk tomorrow all about her beautiful photo book 'Faith in the City', published during Covid19 in April of this year! So I am keen to support in her every way.  I am currently her 'Tweet' master and completely overlooked my blog as a means to promote!  Late to the party but still worth doing. 

You can still book the talk for 30th September but you can still book here https://bit.ly/3bAVQJxfaith.

A review "Your talk was as full of good humour and as keenly perceptive as your photos."

The photographs will also appear as an outdoor exhibition staring 3rd October 2020 in the City of London at Paternoster Square (recent change of venue) and Aldgate Square in November. Details below.

https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/events/faith-in-the-city-of-london

"I found the photographs in Gorick’s book especially illuminating because of the unexpected and surprising endeavours they present. They prove how religion in the Square Mile is very much interwoven with contemporary culture and social change. The well-articulated captions accompanying the images are refreshingly free from jargon and convoluted phrasing......

......making one understand what an enlightening force religion can be in the context of a seemingly cold environment infused with wealth." Jenny Kingsley - St Brides

Hope you will be able to join us tomorrow evening and if not, find time to visit the exhibition. Outdoors and socially distanced. If you wish to buy a copy of the book they will be available at the Guildhall Art Galley as well as at Waterstones and Unicorn Publishing.

Good to be back blogging again!

MissB

 

COVID 19 - Guidance for Tour Guiding

In these uncertain times, people considering taking a guided tour may understandably have concerns about their health and safety. But with the UK's professionally qualified and highly trained Blue Badge, Green Badge and White Badge Tourist Guides, you will be in extremely capable hands. As part of their thorough general training, badged guides are expert in effective and sensitive group management techniques, on streets and at tourist sites, churches and museums. In addition, the Institute of Tourist Guiding, the British Guild of Tourist Guides, the Association of Professional Tourist Guides and the Driver-Guides Association have created the Covid-19 Guidance for Tourist Guides. Guides who are members of these organisations are expected to abide by this guidance during the Covid-19 crisis.

1. Guides will ensure they are familiar with the most up-to-date public health guidelines and will adhere to these for the duration of the tour. 

2. Guides will maintain government-recommended social distancing between themselves and clients at all times. On tours where the group includes different households, guides will encourage and help clients to adopt appropriate social distancing between each other too. 

3. When guiding groups from different households, guides will follow government guidance to determine the maximum possible group size. 

4. Guides will avoid shaking hands or any other physical contact with clients. 

5. Guides will apply rigorous hygiene practices, including thoroughly cleaning and waiting for hands to dry before guiding, and use a personal hand sanitiser when this is not possible.

6. If requested, guides will consider wearing a mask or visor.

7. Badged guides will know where public toilets/hand-washing facilities/hand sanitiser points are available.

8. Remote audio devices (such as Whisper, Vox and various apps) can be effective for social
distancing on guided tours. Guides will happily work with tour companies using these
systems.

9. Badged guides are experts in the tourist sites they visit with clients. Guides will ensure they
are fully aware of sites' specific Covid-19 requirements and comply with them.

10. Badged guides know the towns and cities where they lead tours intricately. Guides will be
familiar with more crowded areas and will make best efforts to negotiate them, or if
appropriate, avoid them.

11. Where appropriate, guides will liaise with coach companies and private vehicle companies
and drivers to ensure vehicles have been thoroughly sanitised.

12. Driver guides will ensure their vehicle is thoroughly cleaned inside after previous use. They
will follow licensing authority and national Covid-19 regulations for cleaning their vehicles
and maintaining air-conditioning systems. Driver guides will carry disinfecting wipes, hand
sanitisers and paper towels in their cars, and will use face masks if appropriate.

Marilyn Collis - President, Institute of Tourist Guiding 

Elizabeth Eastwood - Chair, British Guild of Tourist Guides 

Danny Parlour - Chair, Association of Professional Tourist Guides 

Angela Akehurst - Chair, Driver Guide Association

ITG 10th June 2020

Love in The Waste Land (T S Eliot)

 

© 2020 Alighieri

One would not necessarily connect The Waste Land to a jewellery collection. However T S Eliot was always buying jewellery for his second wife, Valerie. He showered her with beautiful jewels of great taste and originality. Mostly sold after her death at a Christies Auction, one famous piece stood out was designed by T S Eliot - the canon of works charm bracelet.

’ Valerie Eliot was wearing a charm bracelet her husband had had made for her at Garrard. From it dangled a practical cat, a hidden portrait, and tiny book covers, representing each of his works.’ [Extract: SANDRA BARWICK - INDEPENDENT - Saturday 22 January 1994]

 

© T S Eliot Society of the United Kingdom

 

The catalyst for my writing about jewellery and The Waste Land is inspired by an item in the Evening Standard about jewellery designer Rosh Mahtani of Alighieri winning the Queen Elizabeth II Design Award presented at the Silver Vaults by Princess Anne last week.  Rosh took her inspiration for her previous collections from Dante (hence the label) and for Autumn Winter 2020 the ‘wasteland’ of T S Eliot is her focus.  Her desire to create jewellery relating to a modernist poem is fascinating and I feel she makes it work beautifully (for her ‘wasteland’ collection). Her imagination was captured by the reading of the Tarot Cards with the clairvoyant Madame Sosostris (Part I). One piece is named after the medium, and a necklace is called ‘Bella Donna’ referring to the “Lady of the Rocks, the lady of situations” (line 49) or as in the Rider-Waite tarot deck ‘Lady of the Cups’. Those even with basic Italian can translate this as ‘beaufiful woman’ or possibly the seductive but deadly nightshade. The card indicates renewal, but is fraught with peril.

The Hyacinth Girl is another inspiration for Alighieri – also appearing in Part I The Burial of the Dead :

‘You gave me hyacinths first a year ago;

‘They called me the hyacinth girl’. (line 36) 

After the dismal beginning, It is a fleeting burst of joy, of spring, a girl, flowers, but is it? Of course you the reader can make of it what you will and Alighieri did just that. In fact it is the story of Hyacinthus greatly loved by Apollo and Zephyrus, who returned the former’s love. Apollo in his jealousy killed Hyacinthus! Apollo so regretted this that he changed the young man’s blood into a flower which bore his name and placed his body among the constellations. Of course the annotated text of The Waste Land can identify other potential meanings, but this will do in this case. 

There are ‘fishmen’ aplenty, and a fisher king in the poem, but no fisher woman.  Also Luna, I will assume, represents ‘The Moon’ Tarot card ‘which I am forbidden to see, I do not find …’ in the poem is definitely part of the Ryder Waite set. I have joined the Alighieri Lion Club and will one day own a piece.

My interest was piqued about the connections between poetry and jewellery and of course the internet led me to some wonderful pieces.  Victoria Contreras uses texts from several literary greats, and this piece with the first four lines of The Waste Land is so bold, almost like a breastplate! It is on my list of ‘must haves’!

© Victoria Contreras

There is a lot of exciting jewellery out there inspired by authors, poets and famous quotes, but for me The Waste Land is truly honoured by these works. The final piece celebrates J Alfred Prufrock, and there is no need to explain it. See you on World Poetry Day to hear parts of The Waste Land around and about the jewel that is the City of London.  

© Notonthehighstreet.com

VIRTUAL WALKS - August 2020

VIRTUAL WALKS - August 2020

Hello

It has been a long time since I last used my blog - time has flown and nothing has stood still!

Covid19 has impacted on all our lives especially those who walk the streets as Guides talking and sharing the history of their favourite place or City.

I have been busy during Lockdown with all manner of things which I hope to share with you at some point but for now I am offering two virtual tours through my co-operative guiding group Footprints of London.

The first of my virtual tours is a particular favourite, discovering the stone carved Text in the City of London and its relevance to place and time. It is presented on 12th August at 2pm and hope you can make it as it will be presented on Zoom. You can book on the link below.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/virtual-tour-text-in-the-city-tickets-114598579436

My next offering is on 21st August at 2pm, a Virtual Tour of 'The Waste Land' and the City, the famous T S Eliot poem in relation to the City of London where he worked. 

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/virtual-tour-the-waste-land-in-the-city-t-s-eliot-tickets-115204297154

Zoom is not difficult to use but you will need to download the App prior to the talk so you can use the login and password details.

Hope to see you soon.