The Paper Garden

I am reading a very surprising book,The Paper Garden by Toronto-based author Molly Peacock, published by Bloomsbury. Why surprising? On the face of it, a book about Mrs Delaney, a real 18th century figure, who spent the last twenty years of her long life cutting out flowers from tissue paper and sticking them on black backgrounds might be a yawn. But the writing sparkles, it is written in colloquial - sometimes even slangy English, and the narrative covers far more than the protagonist's cut and paste technique. I am only on page 53, but I am beginning to see how this most unusual, clever, ground-breaking story is going to use this - quite literally - flimsy excuse to investigate subjects of enduring interest to us all, such as: marriage, ageing, families, friendship, the nature of art - in other words Life and all its challenges. Also, purely as an object, this is a beautifully-produced book, by Bloomsbury in association with The British Museum, with many pretty touches such as the typeface, expensive paper, lovely colour illustrations. A five star recommendation.

Now: a quiz question to which I genuinely wish to know the answer - where did all the woad go? We are told that our forebears decorated themselves with woad, a blue dye that is made by boiling up a plant. You would think that therefore the plant would still be found growing in many a corner of a British field or hedgerow. But no. It does not grow wild anywhere in Britain. If you need some blue woad dye, as we did 12 years ago for my younger daughter's wedding outfit 'something blue', (in her case a garter), woad seeds had to be bought and the tender plant cultivated. I will raise the question with our garden historians during Beyond the Garden Gate May 26/27.

Interviewing Martin Amis

Katya reminded me during her visit of the magazine Herald of Europe - I see that the editor of the English edition, Mikhail Borshchevsky interviewed the Archbishop of Canterbury for the current edition. I interviewed Martin Amis for the first ever issue of the magazine - see http://www.heraldofeurope.co.uk/Article.aspx?ArticleID=1439217101. Mikhail will be coming to our MBE conference in Moffat in September.

Turning to more immediate matters: I am going to spend this week finding bric a brac for our Sat March 17 Moffat Book Events coffee morning at Moffat Town Hall, which triumphantly was granted the £300k necessary match funding to undertake essential repairs last Tuesday Feb 21 (well done!) .

I am also looking forward to completing the shelving, in eccentric subject order, of my books onto my superb new bookshelves (thanks to Sean at George Hunter's workshop).

More leaflets inviting people to open their gardens for our Open Gardens event in Moffat on Sunday May 27 also need to be delivered, a nice job in the open air now that the weather is getting warmer. Spring is well and truly sprung down south, where my sister in Kent reports being able to sit out in short sleeves and even shorts recently.

Newspeak

There is a very strong leader by Kenneth Roy in the latest edition of his online The Scottish Review on the deplorable deterioration in the standard of written English in official communiques and tangled utterances amounting to what George Orwell described as 'newspeak'. When language is devised to confuse and conceal, the quality of our democracy and our very liberties are at stake. This is not an exaggeration. Every bad government, including the worst totalitarian ones in the last century - Communist/Soviet Russian or Nazi - uses euphemisms to disguise evil intentions, and deeds. Every step on this road to perdition must constantly be noted and resisted. If you are interested, visit http://www.scottishreview.net/index.shtml

Another Busy Day

It was another busy day yesterday (Fri Feb 24) for Dr Ekaterina Genieva OBE, Director General of the State Library for Foreign Literature, Moscow,(VGBIL), pictured right with former Moffat Academy student Robert Tildesley and Head of Languages Mr Breen. Dr Genieva is our Moffat Book Events partner in the September 14-17 2012 conference Russia: Lessons and Legacy to be held in Moffat St Andrew's church and the Moffat House hotel.
10.30 Visit to Moffat Bookshop. Agreement with Katherine Clemmens the proprietor that bi-lingual classics series in Russian and English published by Rudomino Press will be made available to the bookshop, which has a successful small Russian section. Books about Moffat by local historians will be sent to VGBIL in exchange. Photograph taken for Moffat News.
11.0am Visit to A.M Simpson, solicitors, Well St Moffat to inquire on behalf of Moffat Book Events if the vacant shop in Well St, formerly trading as a Christian bookshop, is available for MBE to let to be run by Katherine as the childrens' section of Moffat Books.
11.30 Visit to Moffat library to present a copy of Christianity for the Twenty-First Century to the library. Meeting with Mrs Janet McTeir, assistant librarian. Photograph taken of Dr Genieva with Mrs McTeir.
12.00 Meeting with Rev Adam Dillon, chairman of Moffat Book Events at Brodies. Adam was invited to sign an agreement in September to link St Andrew's, Moffat with the church at Semkhoz which marks the spot where Fr Alexander was murdered, and where Fr Alexander's nephew Fr Viktor Grigorenko is the priest (he will come to the conference in Sept).

A campaign of familiarisation with Fr Alexander/the conference will be undertaken both locally and further afield, thereby gathering the optimum audience for the conference, as follows:
For 9th March: information about the conference for a Church of Scotland round robin email circulation and announcement of a date for a briefing for ministers.
Adam now has a copy of 'Awake to Life', English translation of a cycle of sermons preached by Fr Alexander during Lent and at Easter, for use with his congregation
1,200 Church of Scotland ministers have the opportunity of annual paid study leave. Adam will seek pre-approval of the conference to qualify for the grant available for ministers to attend
Adam has good connections with Moffat Academy and will introduce Dr Ann Shukman and myself to Head Teacher Mrs Lesley Watson in order to discuss a programme of talks and a possible film show in the school assembly hall of the two animated films ('The Ugly Duckling' and 'Adagio') by Gari Bardin, sponsored by Vladimir Spivakov, about Fr Alexander.
Adam graduated from Princeton university in the USA and will therefore inform the Theological department there about the conference, in the hopes that they may fund attendance for some students to the conference.

Dr Genieva suggested that invitations be sent to the German partners in an annual prize in memory of Fr Alexander. Up to now the prize has been presented in Germany, but the idea now is to make it international. To ensure optimal attendance at the conference, it was suggested that concessions be available for students, unemployed and pensioners, and anyone with a DG10 postcode, also perhaps a home stay option offered for those unable to pay for accommodation but wishing to attend the conference.

2.30 Meeting in Dumfries with Adrian Turpin, director Wigtown Book Festival, Carolyn Yates, Literature Development Officer Dumfries and Galloway and Robin Bartlett formerly Dept of International Development. Various options and possibilities for a Russia-Scotland books/book events/ festival links were discussed and Adrian agreed to send Katya a one page memorandum of ideas to get started. Carolyn will send a collection of books by D&G authors to VGBIL. The possibility of 'professional tourism' by Russians interested in the history and culture of the region was also mentioned .

5.0pm Meeting with Rev Dr Ann Shukman at Elshieshields to review visit by Dr Genieva. Suitable secular-friendly titles of the conference for banners, website and posters were discussed, the favourite being Russia: Lessons and Legacy. The Russian title suggested by Katya is: Rossiya v poiskakh sebya' ('Russia in Search of Itself'). A list of invitees from Russia was drawn up.
It was agreed that Katya will prepare a budget for 15-panel exhibition and publication of 1,000 copies of an illustrated life of Fr Alexander to go with it – Ann will translate and write an introduction to the English edition.
It was suggested that MBE needs urgently to appoint a membership secretary to focus on building a contact list and regularly pro-actively circulating members with news of events .
It is hoped to publish the proceedings of the conference and a recording made if this does not contravene data protection legislation. A reissue is under consideration of Awake to Life the cycle of Easter sermons (published in English by Rob Dudley under his Bowerdean Press imprint). I have asked Rt Rev Stephen Platten, Bishop of Wakefield, if he might be willing to write an article about the conference for publication in the Church Times . Senior clerics of various Christian denominations in UK and Russia will be invited as a matter of courtesy . Carolyn Yates our D&G literature development officer will be invited to the next MBE conference organising committee meeting in Moffat MDCI office 2pm March 15, to advise and liaise generally, including on organisation in light of her experience with Wigtown Book Festival.
20.00 Meeting in Moffat with Elly Hurren who met Fr Alexander at Novaya Derevnya in 1990. Possibility was discussed of christening Olly Hurren born April 28 2011 at the conference service on Sunday Sept 16 of conference. I am to invite Edinburgh Woollen Mill to host an 'Ivanovo' corner at Moffat Mill outlet (Ivanovo is famous for fine textile production, region where Mikhail Men, son of Fr Alexander Men, is Governor).

Sat 6.0am Katya left Annandale Hotel, Moffat and is now safely back at home in Moscow.

A Russian Week in Moffat?

As a result of the continuing visit of Dr Ekaterina Genieva OBE to Moffat this week, plans are now afoot to broaden the appeal of our Moffat Book Events international conference in Moffat 14-17 Sept 2012, examining the legacy and lessons of murdered inspirational Russian leader Alexander Men, into something like 'Russian Week' in Moffat, with films, taster Russian lessons, a Russian Tea Party a display of my collection of Russian art and artefacts and the sale of selected Russian artworks and artefacts at outlets in the town. Links between Russia and Scotland go far back, Scottish writers such as R L Stevenson and Sir Walter Scott are not only held in high esteem but actually read in Russia; Robert Burns* is celebrated - even to the extent of almost being considered one of Russia's honorary national poets -, and interest between the two nations continues to be very much alive - witness the show of hands yesterday at Moffat Academy when our Russian visitor asked a modern language class whether any of the students would be interested in learning the language. Dr Genieva's last day here will be spent in visiting the Moffat Bookshop, the library, a working lunch with minister Adam Dillon,chairman of Moffat Book Events, and talks this afternoon with Adrian Turpin, director of the Wigtown Book Festival and Carolyn Yates our D&G Literature Development officer. *An amusing incident occurred in Moffat yesterday: as Dr Genieva was walking past the Black Bull, a passerby asked her 'who was this guy Robert Burns'. Dr Genieva knows her onions, and gave him a short lecture about the great man and his works. the passerby thanked her, and went on his way unaware that his informant was herself a Russian visitor to the town!

Busy Day

Busy day yesterday Tues Feb 21 for our Russian VIP visitor, starting with a working lunch at Brodies with D&G literary development officer Carolyn Yates, then on to the Moffat & District Community Initiative office for a well-attended meeting of Moffat Book Event organising committee and members. We worked through a full agenda, and Dr Genieva had the opportunity of introducing herself and explaining the role played by her major cultural institution, the State Library for Foreign Literature, Moscow in the diplomatic and cultural life of Russia, having branches or partners in 27 regions of the biggest country on earth, engaging with literacy and distributing books, liaising with foreign visitors and organising groups from Russia to make professional visits abroad. A design for a Moffat Book Events banner was approved for us round the town in advance of events; details agreed for our fund-raising Coffee Morning at Moffat Town Hall on Sat March 17 and Jean Atkin gave us an update on the marketing/PR for 'Beyond the Garden Gate' Sat May 26/Sun May 27. Marilyn Elliott then drove Dr Genieva and me to visit Dr Ann Shukman at Elshieshields, the historic medieval tower house in Lochmaben formerly the home of Ann's uncle Sir Steven Runciman CH, historian of Orthodoxy and the Crusades. After a fascinating tour of the house complete with a medieval loo in one of the turrets (no longer in working order!)we continued discussions about the international conference to be held in Moffat at St Andrews church Sept 14-17 under the auspices of MBE, inspired by the life and work of murdered Russian priest,scientist and scholar Alexander Men. Another busy day today - and a full report tomorrow.

Our Russian Visitor

Moffat Book Events welcomed Dr Ekaterina Genieva. Director of the State Library for Foreign Literature, Moscow to Moffat yesterday for a week of meetings and visits. Her programme so far includes:

• Monday Feb 20 - arrival at The Annandale Arms hotel; meeting to finalise programme with Dr Ann Shukman and Mrs Marilyn Elliott of MBE; meeting with Mr & Mrs T Gibbons re Men conference and possible tour by Mrs Gibbons to make radio programme on standup comedy in Russia.
  
• Tues Feb 21: lunch with Carolyn Yates, D& G literature development officer; meeting of MBE committee; visit to Elshieshields, Lochmaben, home of the late Sir Steven Runciman historian of the Orthodox Church and Byzantium courtesy of present owner Dr Ann Shukman.
  
• Wed Feb 22: lunch with Jenny Carr of the Scotland-Russia Forum and Sarah Mathieson of Vantage Events; meeting at the MDCI office of the organising committee of the Alexander Men Conference to be held at St Andrews church Moffat 14-17 Sept 2012; tea with Jill Hollis of Moffat-based publishers Cameron and Hollis; visit to St Andrews church (to be confirmed)
  
• Thurs Feb 23: 09.30 visit to Moffat Academy; arrival of Susan Richards organiser of Book Aid to Russia and author of books on Russia; pm meeting with Katherine Clemmens of Moffat Book Exchange
• Fri Feb 24: 10.30 visit to Moffat Book Exchange; 14.30 departure of Susan Richards; further meetings to be arranged
  
• Members of MBE and any others interested in meeting Dr Genieva during her visit to Moffat please contact Mrs Marilyn Elliott at info@moffatbookevents.co.uk or on 07885444120