16 October 1983

I came across an old rescued slide on my PC the other day, and took a good look at it, which naturally brought back many memories. But the picture is also a statement of the time and reveals something about life in those days, not only for me but perhaps also for others. It has a clear time stamp.

At a first glance it is obvious that I was interested in music, but also expressing myself in art (pencils and brushes). In the right box of LPs I spot a classical album (Baroque I think), and in the left it is definitely “Islands” by The Band.

The reel-to-reel tape recorder, the turntable and the TV in glorious teak absolutely dates the set-up. The newer cassette tape recorder indicates progress.

If you look on the extreme left you will see a strange object (looks like two) in grey wood hanging off the top. The missing bit in the middle is where the user of this object would put his or her neck. Guessed it yet? No, right. It should be carried horizontally on your shoulders. Now then? No, I will have to tell you then. It is a yoke. From the ends of it hang chains with a metal hook to hold for instance buckets with milk. This yoke came from some old relative who had passed away years ago, and sadly, I do not know where I have got it now. I think I have moved too many times in my life perhaps.

I shall mention one final object before I let you enlarge the picture, should you so wish, my son’s first pair of shoes. On the day the photo was taken we celebrated his tenth birthday (a few days too late).

If you did not find it interesting to look at my old shelves, I will give you (in particular youngish readers) one piece of advice anyway; take photographs of your flats and houses as you go through life. I can guarantee that you will enjoy looking at them later in life. It can be rewarding, not just for insurance purposes!

PLEASE Click to enlarge!

Set in Stone

The attraction of window shopping and people watching sometimes works against the intentions of city planners and architects. When I took all the photographs of the floor in this particular shopping mall in Düsseldorf many passers-by looked at me in astonishment wondering what I was up to. In the Kö Galerie in Königsallee the floor has been adorned with brass plaques commemorating famous people with a Düsseldorf connection. I have never ever seen anybody stop and read what it says on the plaques.

They are spread out in a symmetrical pattern throughout the cross-shaped mall. I do not know the exact number, but I have chosen my Famous Four to show you.

 

(From Wikipedia)

Christian Johann Heinrich Heine (13 December 1797 in Düsseldorf – 17 February 1856 in Paris) was a journalist, essayist, and one of the most significant German romantic poets. He is remembered chiefly for selections of his lyric poetry, many of which were set to music in the form of lieder (art songs) by German composers

Paul Klee (IPA: [kleː]) (18 December 1879 – 29 June 1940) was a Swiss painter of German nationality.

...Klee also taught at the Düsseldorf Academy from 1931 to 1933...

Robert Schumann,^[1] sometimes given as Robert Alexander Schumann,^[2] (8 June 1810 – 29 July 1856) was a German composer, aesthete and influential music critic. He is one of the most famous Romantic composers of the 19th century.

In 1850 Schumann succeeded Ferdinand Hiller as musical director at Düsseldorf, but he was a poor conductor and quickly aroused the opposition of the musicians.

Clara Josephine Wieck (September 13, 1819 – May 20, 1896) was a German musician, one of the most distinguished pianists of the Romantic era, as well as a composer. Her prestige — she became known as "the high priestess of music" — exerted over a 61-year concert career, changed the format and repertoire of the piano concert and the tastes of the listening public. Her husband was composer Robert Schumann. After her marriage she was known as Clara Schumann, however she had achieved considerable fame prior to her marriage, as Clara Wieck.