Click on each of these Photo Albums to view pics for the ports of call in this Silversea Iceland to London Cruise.
Reykjavik and Golden Circle Tour – Photo Album
Iceland Cruise – Reykjavik – Ísafjörður – Photo Album
To Lake Mývatn from Husavik – Northern Iceland – Photo Album
75 friends, one for every year of life came together to celebrate my birthday. Getting on in years ain’t so bad after all.
Too many people to mention, but today, Sam, Jonathan and Kane with all the guys at Apollo truly turned on ‘Apollo’s Feast’ for all 75 of us.
More photos and comments will come in a day or two (if you’re not totally over my being 75 by then!)
The 'advance' work force at Apollo with the 'Gerhard' creation
ST IGNATIUS FEAST DAY CELEBRATIONS AT ST CANICE’S
Michael, Seamus, Richard, Fr Tom, Patrick, Edwina and Bronnie – preparing for the Entrance at the 10.30 am Mass – with flags of East Timor.5
Students from three of Sydney’s Jesuit Colleges came to St Canice’s this weekend to join in the parish Feast Day celebrations and to share of their recent ‘immersion’ experiences at our sister parish in East Timor, at the Jesuit Railaco Mission. Fr Tom Renshaw celebrated all three Masses. After the 10.30am Mass, parishioners gathered in the forecourt for morning tea.
Thanks to your collective generosity, we’ll be sending more than $10,000 to Fr Bong in Railaco to support the humanitarian works of our sister parish.
Click here to see Photos from the Masses on the special weekend, and of parishioners enjoying morning tea in the forecourt after the 10.30 am Mass.
I n the last week of June, I travelled to Timor-Leste to visit the Jesuit Railaco Mission.
I’ve written an extensive ‘report’ on his trip, going beyond sharing what’s going on with the Children’s Feeding Program, Mobile Medical Clinic, and Secondary School. My aim of this ‘report’ is to share more of the ‘back-story’ about conditions and life ‘on the front lines’ in Timor. I learned a lot from first-hand experiences in meeting many Jesuits and speaking to other volunteers.
The Vision of the Jesuits up there is to see a Timor-Leste Church and Nation that is grounded in faith and justice of the gospel, and where the humanisation of life especially youth, women and children is included. The works of the Jesuits and volunteers allow marginalised families to grow in community, opportunity, and hope.
Click here to read my story, ‘The First Letter of Michael to the Caniceians’. (Written with St Canice parishioners as the primary audience.)
T he links to all the albums from our recent trip are grouped in this one blog. This interim measure gives easy access to the photos and storylines for all 15 Google Albums. The stories are by and large personal experiences or items of interest learned through local conversations. Some other references are taken from reliable sources to provide historical context and sense of place.To view, simply click on name of each destination listed below. Pam and Ken and Edmundo did not accompany me on the Italian long weekend in the Romagna Region.
If your time is limited, I suggest that you choose 1. Berat and Apolonia, Albania, 2. Sarajevo, Bosnia Day 1, and 3. Ravenna, Italy to give you the flavour of what we experienced.
Enjoy!
Michael, Pam, Ken, Edmundo.
Sarajevo, Bosnia – Day 1 Walking Tour
On the road from Sarajevo to Mostar
Farewell Balkans – Hello London
T his humanitarian endeavor is a sustainable program that provides medical and nutritional care to impoverished people in remote mountainous areas of East Timor, who could otherwise not access other services.
Food for Kids . . .
Today, in Railaco East Timor, a small team of women, already mothers themselves, grow, buy and prepare nutritious food, before setting out in a 4WD, bumping over pot-holed roads in the mountains, to serve a nutritious meal to thirty grateful pre-school kids in three remote communities.
These poor kids have nothing and they rely on this meal for sustenance three times a week. A boiled egg and a glass of milk is only part of the nutritional meal they receive.
How the children eat on other days is something to think about.
Feed the kids . . . Feel the love
Medicines for Mums . . .
Also in East Timor, Fr Bong, a Filipino doctor and Jesuit priest, runs mobile medical clinics in eleven remote communities serving poor people who live in the mountains outside the reach of local government services. They walk for miles to see the doctor. Two trained local assistants accompany ‘Bong’ in his battered old 4WD to receive the patients, and dispense medications.
A long line of mothers with child on well suckled breasts
Making a difference through quality Education . . .
There are more than three hundred students enrolled in the Railaco Secondary School in 2017. Twenty of the sixty-seven students who graduated in 2016 obtained entry to the National University of East Timor in 2017!
This academic achievement talks to the sustainability of the education programs that assist the poorest of the poor to do something not only for their own and their families futures, but for the nation in this still struggling, emerging neighbour country.
Hoisting the flag – 300 students on parade at Railaco Secondary School
Who is behind all this?
At the heart of all this is the Jesuit Mission in Railaco. These ‘men and women of the Mission’ live the ideal that we hear of ever more frequently these days in the exhortations of Pope Francis.
“. . . it is unfathomable that there are so many hungry children, that there are so many children without an education, so many poor persons. Poverty today is a cry.” (Pope Francis)
Daily, unselfishly, these trusted men and women in Railaco carry out humanitarian works caring for the poorest of the poor, on our behalf.
Fr Bong SJ – Medical doctor and Jesuit priest – friend at the Railaco Mission for the past 12 years
I’ll deposit whatever amount you wish to send me into the Jesuit Mission Overseas Development Aid Fund ABN 47 915 006 050, and arrange for a tax-deductible receipt to be sent to you.
Bank: NAB Potts Point BSB 082 048 Account # 85 902 6967 Name: L M Musgrave
Michael riding back to Dili on his last visit in 2013, seated in a chair roped in the back of Fr Bong’s ute
N ude Live at the Art Gallery of New South Wales is anything but ‘still life’.
The choreography for the hour-long ‘performance’ displays the creative talent of Sydney Dance Company’s Rafael Bonacela. The choice of music further deepens my involvement in the whole experience.
I was fortunate to be invited to the opening performance this evening – a wonderful collaboration between the Sydney Dance Company, the Art Gallery of NSW, and Sydney Festival.
The initial voyeurism (inevitable), and the novel of nudity very quickly gives way to an appreciation of the dance. The closeness and audience involvement with the dancers in the informality of a gallery setting completes a spectacular triumvirate of exhilarating connectedness.
I know those of my friends who’d wish I had more of the ‘inside’ shots to illustrate this event more in the flesh, but you have to be content. I can’t go around photographing a person’s bottom or ‘dangly bits’, even in this day and age.
This one minute video is but a teaser to the real ‘Nude Live’ experience.
NUDE LIVE – Trailer (Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney Festival & Sydney Dance Company) from Pedro Greig on Vimeo.
T hree ‘drop-in’ events this on New Year’s Eve, all with marvellous views of Sydney’s now world-famous Fireworks extravaganza.
My first stop of the evening is just after nightfall. Thanks to Brad, I have an excellent vantage point. Australian Navy ships dock in Woolloomooloo Bay right below me and then there’s sweeping views over to the Sydney CBD, Bridge and Sydney Opera House.
With a glass of chilled white in my hand, I’m ready and waiting for the first NYE fireworks like all the other kiddies who’ll then go home to bed, sensibly.
Wine in hand, my eye goes straight to the gyoza in Joy’s beautiful spread. Michael’s been busy making Japanese gyoza, and after tasting my first, I was wishing that I was staying for the yet-to-be-served home-made Malaysian chicken curry.
You might imagine how ‘twixt and between I was at times this evening. Between Joy and brother Michael’s Malaysian catering – and Dr Pat’s mother’s Vietnamese cooking, I was spoiled for choice.
B ill and Mindy hosted me to the delicious bacon and egg toasties at Pickled, but that doesn’t mean I got away scot-free. I think I ‘engaged’ the little boy not only by arranging for him to get a cold iced chocolate, but also promising to get him his first camera and show him how to use it. Silly uncle.New Year’s Day Mass brings the chance to meet-up with Joy’s family from New Zealand again, and also with my nephew Bill and Mindy, and my soon to be seven grand nephew, Jude. See how they grow!
A busy month at home in Sydney entertaining and being entertained.
Click on the first photo and a Lightbox opens to a Slideshow and also allows you to use the arrows at the side to scroll through and to read the captions.
ex-Horse breeder friend Tony comes to visit
Threatening skies didn’t deter him from setting-up the lunch table in the garden, and those of us outside had sufficient pre-luncheon bubbles not to worry about the few sprinkles.
Gerhard, Ken and Pam arriving at Andrew’s Christmas Garden Party Luncheon
The ‘inside’ crowd at Andrew’s
Relegated to the garden
Christmas Drinks at Ray and Robyn’s
Friends at the Harrises
Michael with Rupert and Hilary
A night at Apollo for a bite of Greek with Hyunju and Dave
P opolo in Rushcutter’s Bay is a traditional Italian Restaurant that’s going from strength to strength. My guests, Pam and Ken, Paul and Shenagh all agree.
Christmas Eve Dinner with Pam and Ken at Popolo in Rushcutter’s Bay
Christmas Eve at St Canice’s – looking through the lichen-encrusted old crabapple from the Blue Mountains with candles hanging from its branches
St Canice’s on Christmas Eve before the Midnight Mass
Old friends – at Midnight Mass at St Canice’s
Boxing Day lunch where i cooked the roast pork
Roastr pork on Boxing day – a triumph!
A Christmas touch courtesy of an app in my little used these days Sony Camera
Nephew Bill and Mindy come for dinner to celebrate Christmas
T he Baptism of cousin Julie’s grand-daughter Olivia
Cousin Michael gets a look-in at the Baptism of cousin Julie’s grand-daughter Olivia
3 generations at the Baptism of baby Olivia – Cousin Julie, Sophie and Elouise with baby Olivia
Friends from Brisbane – Jude and Sophie come for a New Year’s bite at Cho Cho San
Michael and Jude
We drove up to Brisbane from the Gold Coast to the home of big brother,Tony and Ruth. Younger brother Mark and Jenny joined us in a very relaxed family pre-Christmas get-together. And so, the four Musgrave siblings were together. Jenny brought along my favourite curried egg sandwiches.
I’m not doing anything overtly festive this year but that doesn’t prevent me in the lead up to the ‘main event’ on Christmas Day from setting the scene to mark the festive season.
Gerhard was in yesterday with pots of poinsettia and herbs to give the balcony a touch of Christmas colour (and fresh basil for those summer tomatoes that I’m looking forward to).
Then over the bridge in an Uber to cousin Julie and Dennis’ to join friends for a pre-Christmas meal of Sydney rock oysters, and swordfish from the barbecue. Reminds me that I should go back to swordfish again and got search for my old mango and cucumber salsa recipe as the garnish.
A plaintive plea from 100-year-old Aunt Beth (via a one-finger, one-line email) telling of her craving for some easy to handle stone fruit had me busy pressing the new-season nectarines, plums and apricots at Harris Farm wondering which of the wide choice might be the sweeter, and ready-to-eat. My friend the Chookman, Ian, kindly walked around some little chicken sandwiches to compete the mini-Christmas lunch in Beth’s room.
The final Christmas touch for my apartment has always has been to retrieve the Lladro ‘Flight into Egypt’ porcelain from its box (that I’d bought years ago in New York with my late good friend, Joe Walsh), and set it up in pride of place, until Epiphany.
Merry Christmas!
The seven years since we all were all together at a Susan and Bill’s previous home on Miami Beach seems more like seven days. Tonight we share a meal, much laughter (and minimal Hillary/Trump differences of opinion) in their new home in Miami Shores – with the four Westies members of the family – Cupcake, Winston, Annabel and Muffin.
B efore coming to North Carolina this weekend, the only thought I had was for a chance to perhaps see some late Fall foliage. I wasn’t disappointed.
The crisp, clean, green of this place is an environment that I embrace – very much like those cold, blue sky days up in Connecticut in the years that I was living here in the US. (And so unlike the piercing cold of air conditioning inside buildings in Miami where I have to carry a coat.) I had a chance to see many beautiful homes set in the woods and on the lake as we drove around visiting artists in the home studios on the annual ‘Open Studio Tour’.
The ‘southern drawl’ of so many you come across in the stores and restaurants gives North Carolina a special sense of place here within the US. I love it. At the same time, there’s many foreigners studying here or working in the faculties of the three main universities.
Welcome parties on ‘pre-election’ weekend could have been rather dangerous affairs. But I find that most of the guests, Republican or Democrat, have already cast their votes for . . . . . Hillary. “The devil you know” seems to have been the underlying sentiment.
Politics was verboten at the luncheon gathering at the Key Biscayne home of Tere Benach on Sunday, but Aperol Spritz cocktails loosened tongues. Thankfully, respectful and restrained conversation let me understand different points of view while thoroughly enjoying the ‘Arroz con Pollo’ (a delicious Cuban chicken and rice dish) that Tere had made especially in my honour.
At a gathering of old friends at Edmundo’s home from our time at Lake Como , the case of Taittinger didn’t quite make it to the end of the evening, but a quick dash to the cellar to find more bubbly saved the night.
more to come
I’m staying on the 23rd floor of a brand-new hotel on the Bund with uninterrupted views out over the Huangpu River to the futuristic skyscrapers on the Pudong side. Fortunately, there is no smog and the skies are blue.
On my first visit here in 1985 while I was living in Hong Kong, the whole area was marshes and rice paddies. The changes since then are incredible. Click here to read.
Grey Mao suits and simple clothing of Shanghai in the 80’s has been replaced by conspicuous consumption reflected in the latest Western fashions – clothes and hairstyles. Roads once clogged with bicycles, grey trucks bearing commune numbers, and a few cars are now log-jammed with late model vehicles.
The Middle Kingdom will rise again, as sure as the sun that beautifully back-lit the silhouetted skyscrapers outside my bedroom window this morning!
A Sunday afternoon stroll along the waterfront promenade gives me a good view of architectural relics along the Bund from Shanghai’s days as a treaty port. I walk into the now restored Art Deco Peace Hotel looking for the old-timers jazz band, but I’ll need to come back later.
Thankfully, the local government has protected the heritage aspects of this precinct while private interests have restored the beautiful old buildings to their original glory.
A taxi-ride away is the buzzing Xintiandi area, part of the old ‘French Concession’. Rather than razing a block of dilapidated shikumen (“stone gate homes”), here again, the Shanghai government (in cooperation with private interests) commissioned an American architect to redesign and renovate them. I went for a walk down memory lane and took an outside table at Wolfgang Puck’s for a good Aussie beef hamburger and a glass of beer to watch the world go by.
Using the hotel’s handy printed list of places to see in English and Mandarin, I hopped another taxi and went to
The three of them rattle-up to our villa in their little car most nights lugging bags of fresh produce, and it’s through these lovely people, that we’re feeling truly integrated into Puglia . . . and connected to the earth around us.
One day this week, Marco and Isabella even went driving into the countryside to forage under old olive trees to collect a haul of special cardoncelli mushrooms to bake with fresh peppers and Italian sausages for us. (I have this dish on my ‘to do’ list.)
The opportunity to have true locals cook in our own villa kitchen (at reasonable prices), and at such a high standard, is a priceless part of our Puglia experience. We discuss menu options daily (using google translate), and then they buy the fresh vongole or mussels, and all other fresh meat, produce, local sausage and cheeses.
Michael Schramm RIP
L ast night, the eleven of us in our extended Puglia family joined Anne and Trevor at a Feast Day Mass in the church in Locorotondo to commemorate the first anniversary of their son (and my nephew) Michael’s death last year.
Fr Frank, my old Amex friend and now the parish priest of two parishes in West Berlin, concelebrated the sung Mass at which the local Fr Francesco offered special prayers for Michael and his family.
The church was full to overflowing. After the Mass a band struck up outside the church and led the local confraternity through colourfully illuminated arches in the narrow streets of this hilltop town – carrying the statue of their patron saint, Our Lady of Seven Sorrows (appropriately for us).
In remembering Michael, we harken back to a very comforting message from good friend Fr Steve Sinn SJ that Trevor and Anne truly appreciated at the time.
“Will always remember my time with you Michael.
Your dreams live on with me and I pray that you walk beside me and guide me.
Peace now my brother.
