Camucia

Posted on March 14, 2017 by kathy

Camucia was the nearest town to our rented villa, Il Castagno, and the ideal place to stock up on groceries and, of course, vino. Nestled at the foot of the hill on which Cortona sits, the town is small with beautiful streetscapes.

1.Camucia 2.Camucia

Thursday is market day in Camucia and we spent a gorgeous, sunny morning meandering amid the stalls.

3.market

There was everything imaginable for sale from clothes, shoes, toys and linens

4.market

to flowers and fresh fruit and vegetables.

5.market

I was too busy salivating at the array of fresh produce to take photos of it. Roasted pork was very popular, served from vans on Tuscan bread with the most exquisite crackling.

6.crispy pork by Piero

We returned to the villa for a lazy afternoon, I even had my first siesta.

The Tramp launch

Posted on March 10, 2017 by kathy

The long awaited launch of ‘The Tramp’ took place on Sunday, 12^th February at Burnie Regional Art Gallery. An enthusiastic crowd gathered to enjoy an afternoon of music and literary delights. The band assembled

1.tuning up

as Roger Jaensch, MP, became MC

2.Roger Jaensch

and, reading an excerpt from the novel, introduced the song, ‘Cottage By The Sea’.

3.Cottage By The Sea

Three more tracks from the CD were preceded with a reading by guests, each shared passage and song a tantalising tidbit of what lay within the pages of the novel.

4.Kathy reading

Michael related the story of how ‘The Tramp’ evolved from a dream he had and the journey of the last two years to the culmination on this afternoon.

Michael was supported by some amazing musicians who also appear on the CD. Julie Swain played the baby grand piano;

Neil Gray, lead guitar;

18.Neil Gray

Phil Tibbits, bass guitar; Nick Turner, lead guitar;

19.Phil, Gary, Nick

Gary Pine, harmonica

and Kane Wylie, drums.

22.Kane Wylie

Husband and wife team, Tony & Judi Swain, expertly synchronised backing vocals and harmonies.

23.Tony & Judi Swain

I nearly forgot to mention, Michael Cannon, acoustic guitar.

The final number, featuring the fabulous voice of Natasha Bakker, had the audience clapping, singing and dancing.

29.Natasha Bakker

The excited crowd called for encore and Michael obliged with a thought provoking ballad. The entertainment was over, the bar was still open and many were compelled to take home a copy of the book and CD. Our friend, Jude, came all the way from W.A., her help was invaluable.

30.merchandise

A big ‘Thank You’ to all who have believed in Michael, we really appreciate your support. Looking forward to the next project……

31.the end

Photography courtesy of Chris Swain and David Harvey. Thanks guys.

32.CD & novel

The paperback and Kindle are available online at Amazon.com, Kindle at Amazon.com.au and the CD at Bandcamp.com

https://michaelcannon.bandcamp.com

Both CD and paperback are in stock at Burnie Regional Art Gallery and ‘Not Just Books’, Burnie, Soon to be on shelves of bookshops around Tasmania and at tigerdreaming.com.au. Alternatively, you can use the contact form on this site for more information or to purchase a copy.

Eilean Donan castle

Posted on March 7, 2017 by kathy

Leaving Ben Nevis behind, we drove north through the Highlands, our destination the Isle of Skye. On the way, we stopped to explore Eilean Donan castle.

1.Eilean Donan Castle

The island of Donan, at the meeting point of Loch Duich, Loch Alsh and Loch Long was settled by Irish Saint, Bishop Donan in 634AD. The first fortified castle was built in the mid 13^th century to protect the area from Viking invasion.

2.Eilean Donan Castle

It was partially destroyed in the Jacobite uprising in 1719 and then lay in ruins for nearly 200 years. Lieutenant Colonel John MacRae-Gilstrap bought the island in 1911, restored the castle over the next twenty years and added the bridge.

3.Eilean Donan Castle

The scenery was breathtaking, even on an overcast day.

4.Loch Long

Entering through the majestic doorway,

5.Entrance

we spent some time wandering through the restored interior, I photographed these Viking sculptures before realizing photography wasn’t permitted.

6.Viking sculptures

The exterior has been lovingly resurrected, I can see why it took twenty years.

7.Eilean Donan Castle 8.Eilean Donan Castle

The castle is still owned by the MacRae family. The Clan MacRae War Memorial commemorates the 423 members of the Clan MacRae who died in World War l, including Lieutenant Colonel John McRae who wrote the poem ‘In Flanders Fields’.

9.Clan MacRae War Memorial & Field Guns

In stark contrast to the castle’s history, there was a sense of serenity about the misty waters.

10.Eilean Donan Castle 11.Eilean Donan Castle 12.Eilean Donan Castle

The bridge across Loch Long, built in 1990, connects the nearby villages of Dornie and Ardelve.

13.Dornie bridge

Scotland’s national flag, The Saltire, stands proudly at the perimeter of the castle. The patron saint of Scotland, St. Andrew, was apparently crucified on an X shaped cross, hence, the white saltire on a background of azure blue sky.

14.Eilean Donan Castle

Meelup

Posted on March 3, 2017 by kathy

Our first morning at Dunsborough was overcast as we set off to discover the beautiful coastline of Geographe Bay. Nature has painted the rocks with her wondrous palette,

1-geographe-bay-meelup OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

a stunning contrast to the calm waters.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Nestled in the next bay is Meelup Beach, a perfect swimming beach, sheltered from wind and waves with crystal clear water. Meelup means “Place of the Moon Rising” and is one of the few beaches in Western Australia where you can see the moon rising over the ocean.

5-geographe-bay-meelup

There is a phenomenon called “Staircase to the Moon” when, during summer, the silvery light of a full moon rising is reflected in the ripples of the water all the way to the horizon. I would love to witness that, it seems a return trip is in order.

Montepulciano

Posted on February 28, 2017 by kathy

It was after siesta before we reached Montepulciano, another town I had longed to visit. Renowned for Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, a red wine produced in the surrounding vineyards, it is also a major producer of cheese, pork, lentils and honey. Entering at Porta al Prato,

1-town-wall 2-porta-al-prato

it wasn’t long before the magic of this ancient town revealed itself.

3-belltower 4-montepulciano 5-montepulciano

The 16^th century Palazzo Avignonesi has a handsome smiling lions head either side of the entrance.

The intricate façade of Palazzo Bucelli is made up of sculptures, added in the early 1700s. Etruscan tombstone fragments, funerary urns and frieze plaques combine to create a magnificent feature.

8-palazzo-bucelli