In Praise of Autumn, Romantic Mysteries, and Birthday Girl Olivia Newton-John!

Wow, Fall’s here already? (I’m sorry I’ve been MIA, but life intervened.) I sure hope everyone had a good Summer. Now I must confess that I prefer Autumn because it never fails to energize me. The weather, generally pleasant, is much appreciated - especially after this particularly sweltering, record-breaking summer! I love the vibrant burst of colour on the trees, and especially the crunchy-crackle sound of the dried fallen leaves on the sidewalk underfoot.  

 Vivaldi, Autumn

Earth Wind & Fire singing SEPTEMBER

For me, in September there’s always a palpable frisson of excitement in the air. Don’t you feel it too? Labour Day reminded us that folks are once again hunkering down at work after summer vacations, while youngsters head back to school either filled with excitement or dread, but heading back nonetheless. On the Hindu calendar it’s Durga Puja. This festival according to Wikipedia ‘marks the victory of the Goddess Durga over the evil Buffalo Demon Mahishasura. Thus, the Durga Puja festival epitomizes the victory of Good over Evil.’ Certainly a wonderful thing to celebrate, in my opinion. On the Jewish calendar it’s the holiest time of the year - Rosh Hashanah, New Year’s through to Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, and I’d like to wish everyone who celebrates, a very happy and healthy New Year.

Rosh Hashana - Jewish New Year

Durga Puja Festival - Hindu Goddess Durga

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Mystery buffs will enjoy the DECEPTION Mystery Anthology from Highland Press. It’s loaded with sleuths, corpses, and even romantic ghosts!

One of the anthology authors, (my Tennessee friend Victoria Bromley writing as VICTORIA HOUSEMAN), sent me the book. I’m happy to share with you that she’s concocted a terrific tale, THE GHOST WITHIN. While Victoria is primarily known as a Romance Writer, evidently she is extremely adept in the Mystery genre as well. In The Ghost Within, a high-powered lawyer is compelled to resolve the mystery surrounding a handsome ghost, who repeatedly visits her in her dreams. I, for one, couldn’t get to sleep until I’d read to the very end and unravelled the mystery of this compelling yarn!  

For more info or to order this book: http://www.victoriahouseman.com/deception.htm

 

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 *Sept. 26: Happy Birthday Olivia! 

Olivia Newton-John

Had a blast at OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN’s concert last Saturday night, and I've never been more MELLOW.  Olivia dazzled the audience at CASINO RAMA - the only Canadian stop on her 2012 North American Tour. Vinnie and I went into fan-mode, singing and dancing in our seats to exquisite renditions of her hit songs from Grease to Gaia, and more.  

At one point Olivia reminisced about how thrilled she was for the opportunity to dance with Gene Kelly in the film XANADU. Coincidentally I recently tripped over this lighthearted clip of her singing, dancing and 'interviewing' Gene Kelly for a TV show:

Olivia & Gene Kelly

At the concert, when Olivia sang YOU’RE THE ONE THAT I WANT, I flashed back a few decades, to the night actress DIDI CONN was in Toronto  for the Canadian Film Premiere of GREASE. Didi played Frenchy, one of Olivia/Sandy’s  best pals, the one who wanted to be a hairdresser. 

Snippet of Olivia singing You're The One That I Want @ Casino Rama, Sept. 22/12

 I was thrilled silly when Didi asked me to watch the film with her, (we stood in the back of the sold-out theatre), and after she spoke to the audience, she invited me along to a dinner-party in her honour, which was great fun. So as I listened to Olivia singing, I was reminded that thanks to Didi and Grease, there’s less than 6 degrees of separation between Olivia and myself.   

Olivia & Didi in GREASE

At the end of the concert, Oliva surprised the audience last Saturday night by giving a shout-out to her gal-pal, Canadian Classical Guitarist LIONA BOYD, who just happened to be sitting two rows behind us.

  Liona Boyd

CASINO RAMA rocks!  I discovered that the first (and last) time I was there was in 1998 - before they’d even built the theatre. It's amazing they STILL had that info on their computer. And a little scary. LOL

Want to know if Olivia is performing at a venue near you?
http://olivianewton-john.com/tour.html

* It may be Sept. 27th in my Eastern timezone, but it's STILL Sept. 26th in Western Canada & The USA for at least another 30-45 minutes at the time of this posting!

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