Crisis Continues, Bureaucratic Bungle, Further Thoughts on the Olive and Art

Our Greek crisis continues as do responses to the situation. Today we have a media blackout as journalists show support for tomorrow’s general strike – which they will cover. The union mobilisation is said to be in response to the government’s austerity measures and will have a wide-reaching impact on the country. Most transport services will come to a 24-hour halt - trams, trains, buses, ferries, flights, all affected – public schools and public service offices will remain closed. So, no spa visits for me, but, fortunately, my pending trip to Athens for teacher training assessments will not be affected. 

In addition, lawyers, who have already staged a 3-day strike, will now continue prolonged striking from today until December 5^th. They are resisting new measures which the government wants to enforce in order to streamline legal proceedings. This is of particular interest to us as we find ourselves in a strange situation.  Recently H went to the land registry office to obtain a document for the tax department – it is a given here that public service departments will not undertake communication between themselves. 

 And what does H find?  Here comes the Bureaucratic Bungle! There is a problem in that when we bought the house, the particular department involved in sanctioning and recording that transaction, failed to inform the land registry section and so the land remains in the name of the previous owner.  Now they have admitted that the mistake is their own and that we unquestionably own both our house and our land– the tax office happily receives taxes (you have noted the plural form there, right?) related to both, so they can hardly argue the toss, can they?

 However, the upshot is that in order to rectify the situation we have to employ the services of a lawyer who will take statements from both parties, agreeing the land is ours, so that the documents are presented in court for judicial ratification. Illogical though it sounds, the offices have told us they themselves can do nothing to salvage this sorry mess and that it could perhaps take up to two years for a court ‘window’ to be found.

It’s hard to decide who to support – lawyers say they were not consulted about the proposed measures which they claim impede rather than expedite progress – but, boy, is that streamlining necessary!!

And now for something completely different. I read a report that after a recent Tracey Emin exhibition, items - sketches of her private parts - were each selling for thousands of pounds. I confess that her ‘art’ has never appealed to me nor have I understood why people commend her for her courage and frankness. Come to think of it, their comments don’t usually include critical art terminology.

Anyway.                                                                                                                                                                          In 2009, Scotland celebrated the 250^th anniversary of the birth of our national bard, Robert Burns, and the Year of the Homecoming was organized. An exhibition of art inspired by Burns was held at Glasgow’s Mitchell Library. I have no idea why Emin was invited to participate in the first place,   but her contribution appalled me :   a hurried sketch of a bird sitting atop a penis, if you please. A Glasgow newspaper declined to publish my response – understandably! – but now is the time for me to grind the axe and settle an old score. Here it is, my

 Response to Tracey Emin’s ‘piece’ at the Mitch  

 As part of the Homecoming at the Mitch

Tracey Emin’s rendition

Smacks of disregard and kitsch

Confusing the term ‘exhibition’.

Many will agree this squint-moothed quine

Produces work that’s naff

But with this attention-seeking piece

Our artless lass has made a gaffe

For as any Scot can tell

From the Mull of KIntyre to Barra

 What Emin drew is no ‘Sweet Thing”

But Duncan Macrae’s ‘Wee Cock Sparra’!

Gosh, I feel the better for having expressed that!

In my last posting, the olive featured largely and so I thought I would share some further thoughts on the subject.  Below is our table set for a summer lunch. From the top you can see home-made oatcakes and bread (bakery bought!), cucumber strips sprinkled in oil and vinegar, meatballs made from a pork and beef mince-mix, oven-baked beans, and the plate above the tomato slices, contains olive paste. This is easily made by placing stoned -  or should that be de-stoned !?-  black olives in the blender, along with some feta cheese.  It is very much a taste thing so you can simply mix small amounts of each together until you get a blend you like. If that combination still seems too strong then bread crumbs can be added to lighten things up.  
All you need now is ice, a splash of ouzo and some good company – delicious! 

 

                                         

This week I began a new subject in art class. Oops, perhaps I shouldn’t feature my stuff in a posting that mentions Emin’s work? The connection is purely thematic, you understand!

Still in the early stages it looks a bit washed-out. I quite like the shape and the background, but the olives and leaves need a bit more colour.    

I like to include some pictures in my blog so here it is:

      

                                       

                                           my garland in honour of the olive!