MARGARET'S MUSEUM

Release Date: 1995
Director : Mort Ransen
With : Helena Bonham-Carter , Kate Nelligan
Country : Canada / Gr.bretagne

This movie has won many Genie Awards:
Best Achievement in Screenwriting
- Gerald Wexler, Mort Ransen
Best Achievement in Music/Original Score
- Milan Kymlicka
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
- Helena Bonham Carter
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
- Kenneth Welsh
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
- Kate Nelligan
Meilleurs costumes
-Nicolette Massone

Résume:
Set in the 1940s in Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, it tells the story of a young girl living in a coal mining town where the death of men from accidents in "the pit" (the mines) has become almost routine. Margaret MacNeil (Helena Bonham Carter) has already lost her father and an older brother and for her, life alone would be prefereable to marrying a mine worker — that is until the charming Neil Currie (Clive Russell) shows up. Against the wishes of her hard-bitten mother (Kate Nelligan) they marry, but before long financial woes lead to his doing what every other uneducated young man does in the town: take a job underground. His death in the mine drives Margaret to a mental breakdown and in her surreal world she decides to create a "special" museum to the memories of all those who have died as a result of the horrific mining conditions. The advent of the film inspired the organization PAMAUG, which strongly advocates the usage of means other than manual labor to extract coal from mines. (Wikipedia)

TRAILER

My appreciation:


During my trip to Cape Breton, I was invited with a distant relative, Neil, who lives in the small mining town of Glace Bay. He is a retired miner from the coal mine and he showed me a kind of lantern that he had to bring with him into the mine. This lantern can detect gas explosion if the air entering the lamp was responsible for gas, it produced a visible fuel (so-called "halo") around the normal flame. Thus he could detect and rush to flee a gas explosion.

So I watched this movie out of curiosity and to learn more about the hard life of miners. But I was literally spellbound by the play of Helena Bonham Carter that I saw for the first time as well as the nice soundtrack. Our hero has mesmerized the beautiful Margaret with his bagpipe. This movie marked me deeply and I will never be tired of seeing several times.

AUTOMN LANDSCAPES

What a beautiful fall day today, but I have not benefited much, I'm sick. No it's not swine flu, not this time, I don't have fever, just a nasty cold that follows its usual course.

I took the opportunity to rummage through my pictures and I took my most beautiful autumn photos to show you.

__________ OUTREMONT __________

It is in Outremont, on the Mount Royal mountain, that I have seen the most beautiful yellow. The municipality take a jealous care of the trees, often centuries old. In Outremont, I saw, for the first time, cabling systems and docking to help large branches to support the weight of the leaves.

2004 Outremont - Joyce Park

2003 Outremont, Rockland Street

__________ VERDUN __________

Verdun is a neighborhood in the west of the city and the trees are also very old, unfortunately the municipality prefers to invest on the shores and they often get rid of the old trees. There are a lot of red maple leaves. I saw the most beautiful red-orange color in Verdun.

2004 Verdun, Melrose Street

2006 Verdun, Melrose Street

A bike path runs along the banks of the St. Lawrence nearly 15km, in Verdun, there is a promenade and several small parks for relaxing or to do a picnic.

2006 Verdun, Wharf at the height of Brault Street, in front of Nun's Island

2006 Verdun, View on the shore from the Wharf

__________ ANGRIGNON PARK __________

Angrignon Park, has many subtle charms with its 97 hectares and over 20,000 trees, it is one of the largest parks in Montreal. One would think a nineteenth century english garden, with its winding paths and a pond surrounded by cattails.

2007 Montreal, Angrignon park, picnic area

2007 Montreal, Angrignon park, pathway

2007 Montreal, Angrignon park, pond

2007 Montreal, Angrignon park a windy day

2007 Montréal, Angrignon Park

2009 Montreal, My neighbour's cat

Charlie's couch

Hello friends, it's me, Charlie, Gelisa has already show a picture of me on the blog. I love her so much, I miss her so much when she is at work.

But it is Henry who treats me the most. He always has a little surprise for me in his pockets and I would give him the moon to please him.

This week they decided to get rid of my confortable couch. I liked so much that sofa, my mistress, too, in the evening we were watching tv together and I was doing nice dreams. Henry, himself, was sitting in his rocking chair in the corner of the living room.

Monday, Henry has removed the metal frame, but the sofa was still too heavy for them to take it down to the street. So Henry has decided to cut it in half with his big saw. I was so happy to provide a little help. On that picture, I am doing a bit of sawing.

Wouf! Here you can see the furniture, halved

What an adventure, Henry and Gelisa could finally take out the furniture to the street and Gelisa kindly took a picture of me with my confortable couch before it was picked up by scavengers.

I am a little sad to lose it.

There is a large space in the living room and all week my mistress was sitting on the piano bench to watch TV, there was no place for me, so I slept on my pillow.

And Friday, I heard the doorbell. I did not know these men who climbed the stairs with those big boxes, but they were so nice, I left them stroke me, everybody wants to stroke me and touch my soft hairs, and I love receiving hugs. My mistress said I'm not a good watchdog. I do not want to be a watchdog, I am a pet dog. Voila! Wouf!

Ah! Look here who answered the door.

The men have left with the empty boxes and ..... It's bizzare, that couch, it doesn't smell like the other one. I'd like to climb on it but I am not sure I have permission. It is also slippery and cold.

When my mistress came back from work, she was so happy to see her new couch. But this is not a couch, she says it's a love seat. This piece is much smaller and when two poeple sit down, they talk together while on the couch they lay on it.

Gelisa put a thick throw on it, she's afraid that I rend it with my nails.

Hooray! I managed to climb on it.

I'm doing nice dog on this photo because Henry is showing me a cookie. He always has a treat in his pockets. What I would do for a treat.

Zut! I don't think I can eat my cookie on the new couch

Letter of October 10, 2009 - Dad

(06/2005 © gelisa)
In this beautiful afternoon of automn, I went to the cemetery where my dad was buried 30 years ago, and all my memories are coming back on this anniversary day.

My friend reader, you did not know him. Dad was a successful businessman and he was also very handsome and good speaker. He had even been approached to work with municipal politics, but he refused. He told us he did not want to join in their "games". His rules for living were well defined, making him a man of integrity, fair and good.

One of the most engaging memories of Dad is his odor when he was comming back from his construction site, the smell of sawdust mixed with the one of putty. He was always wearing a large lead pencil on his right ear. At evening, after dinner, he was retiring in his office with a cup of tea to handle the company accounts and to do some reading. Often I was following him in his world, in this part of the basement, witness of his businessman and inventor life. There, we could not hear the animation of the house, only the sounds of the paper punch, the big calculator and the rustle of fine paper bills. Dad let me play with his calculator and I could not believe that machine could memorise all the addition and multiplication tables. Don't ask me how it works.

Mechanical calculator

When my dad had finished his office work, he was taking a book or the encyclopedia and studied. Everyone said that Dad was a self-taught and it seemed to me it was like quite an honor, they even said about him that he had knowledge of an engineer. I also wanted to be a self taught like him and I loved rummaging through his books when he was not there.

On Sunday, at home, was a sacred day. Early in the morning, Dad was cooking, and he was making a big pot of soup. He was also preparing a roast beef to cook before leaving for church. Mom was dressing us with our best clothes and we were all crammed into the big Pontiac. The Sunday morning Mass was very important but it was so boring, besides, my mom was watching me closely to stand straight and I keep quiet. Dad was always sitting on the edge of the driveway, ready to go out with one of us for a need. Let's say it was also to go talking business with others and to smoke a cigaret on the porch of the church.

After lunch it was the car ride. First of all, Dad was going at the construction site to ensure there had been no vandalism at night. Sometimes he was letting us climb on the first floor. It was quite an adventure for us. There were no walls and large holes in the floors. After visiting the site, he was taking us to a picnic or at the beach or on a vacant lot, probably the site of a new project. I preferred the empty lots. We could always find a small pond of tadpoles, grasshoppers and clumps of daisies. I liked so much to weave wreaths of daisies and my brother to fill jars of tadpoles for fishing.

But all this is now so far. I found us gathered around the grave of dad and none of my brothers speak of his memories. They have not experienced the same man, the one of my memory because they were too young. They only remember of a man embittered by so many disappointments and sentenced by arteriosclerosis, a disease that gradually destroys the tissues and cells of the nervous system, often associated with memory problems and with emotional . Today I have my Dad's age when he passed away and I have not done one tenth of what he has done.

Now I think a lot about him, in my toughts, I cry often for him, of all he could endure, of the incomprehension of his family, and I feel he is close to me, I'm sitting on his lap and I hear he's saying:

-" I told thee that there was nothing after death, but this is not true, I have found peace and I am living in the Hereafter"

-"Dad, this is my dearest wish. Sleep well."

Thank you for following me so far. Go outdoor and see how beautiful it is outside and enjoys the last beautiful autumn days.

Gelisa

This photo was taken in the park near my home. (10/2007 © gelisa)

A room, upside down [ La chambre renversée ]

I've seen it somewhere and I loved it

Julien Ribot, born in Nice (France) on May 19, 1973, is a french singer-songwriter and also an illustrator. Alongside his career in music, Julien Ribot is a graduate from Pennington School of Graphic Arts in 1995 and as an illustrator, he makes CD and book covers, and most personal work.. 

Julien Ribot

I fall for this short film animation of Julien Ribot and Philippe Massonnet and I'd like to share with you ........

First clip from the album 'VEGA' of Julien Ribot.

Lyrics: It may sound funny in English but this is a fantasy!!!

1st verse

Je vis dans une chambre renversée, I live in a room, upside down,
ces fenêtres s'ouvrent sur mes pensées... it's windows open on my thoughts ...
Je vit dans une chambre qui s'est posé, I live in a room that had arisen,
sur le sommet d'un grand alphabet... on top of a large alphabet ...


Refrain

Sans faire de bruits, elle déplie, tous ses murs vers l'infini, m'entraine vers qui je suis ! du du du du du dux2...
Without making a noise, it unfolds, its walls to infinity leads me to who I am! du du du du du dux2 ...

Second verse

Je vis dans les chambres infiltrées, I live in the rooms infiltrated
les pendules sont des pays abstraits... clocks are abstracted countries ...
Je vis dans une chambre illuminée, I live in a room illuminated
par un millier d'ampoules colorées... with a thousand colored lights ...

Refrain

Insomnia Quotes

WHAT A DAY DUDE!!!!!

I AM DEAD

Insomnia is a gross feeder. It will nourish itself on any kind of thinking, including thinking about not thinking.
[Clifton Fadiman]

The Sixth Sense is not a good white film. Insomnia is not a good white film. They're just good films. So why we can't we have good films that happen to have black people, or Asian, or Latino, or any other minority group in them? .
[Joseph Wood Krutch]

Joseph Wood 

Swine Flu : The vaccine

It's been several days now that I question myself. Why are there so many people who deny the seriousness of Swine Flu. Should we believe the more optimistic? And if they were wrong? I am getting scared because there are so many contradictions.

Saturday at the hospital, the celebrant of the mass office had lunch with us and was telling us: - "There is no truth in what they say about this flu, it is the pharmaceutical companies who want to make money with their pill Tamiflu. And I do not understand why the diocese Gatineau is emptying holy water fonts, it's ridiculous. "

I was flabbergasted, that person has a position of authority as a minister of religion and in my opinion, he should not speak that way about something as serious and also he has no expertise. There were people aged over 80 years at that table. From what I understand, these people are at risk and they also are volunteers at the hospital. That the industry of religion is content to look after the souls. The Church is really not well placed to talk about the quick money that could make other industries. ... .. There is also that faith in the deity who will decide if he or she will be hit or not with the illness. This minister of religion was speaking personally but it makes me feel realy angry....

Lets forget this man, isn't it true that many people think like him, "Only Half Of Us Want Swine Flu Shots". Should we fear the vaccine?. I respect the choice of everyone not to be vaccinated and it's at their own risk, it's a personal decision, everybody is master of his person.

But everyone has the responsibility not to transmit the illness, isn't it? A classroom teacher, a hockey coach, a babysitter, a bus driver, a minister of religion, aren't they a vehicles for the spread of the disease? Apparently, if they ever catch it, they are contagious 24 hours before onset of symptoms. Isn't it a mark of respect for those around them every day? shouldn't they be vaccinated at least to minimize the risk of catching and passing.

I live with someone who almost died of meningitis and I'm going to be vaccinated. I don't want to let this disease to enter our house. It is true that the vaccine could cause side effects but I have no fear. I am certain that Swine Flu would be much worse, if I caught it.

What do you think about this?