14 September 1999

>Hi Ju,  

Hi Rita :-)

>Well here I am, sorting out various mundane problems like accommodation etc.

Where are you staying? Is it okay? And how do the family feel about you being away some of the week?

>Tim and Liz have been up and have been unable to get the computer working.  Stuart will be up in the next few days to have a go.   

That's computers for you! My new iMac is working fairly well, but I still have a lot of things to sort out with it before it's functioning perfectly.

>I've got the camera, a Mustek VDC - 300 and will take some photos over the next few days and send them to you on Thursday pm.  

Great - will look forward to it. What about that self-portrait? :-)

In any case, I'm very tired today - partly as a result of having a two-hour wheelchair assessment this morning. But I've tweaked the site a bit - hope you get to see it soon - and finally got to see the Carthusian site that Tim told me about and found out more about the Order, which fortunately hasn't changed much in the last millennium. (I think that's interesting, in terms of the way we've looked at Mount Grace changing over time.) I'll put a link into our site in the next few days, and then you'll be able to reference it easily as well. Apart from that, I'm giving the talk for the "Adorn, Equip" exhibition in Leicester tomorrow, so won't have much more time till Thursday anyway. But I am raring to go, so hope they get the link up properly b4 the end of the week.

>Because I am such a hands-on person I've begun getting to know the place by doing some stone rubbings.  I'd like to do a whole arch when I get some large paper or maybe material, if that fine with you. 

Yeah - let me know how it feels, too! The problem with images is that you don't get the feedback that you get from other senses, particularly touch. I like the idea of the texture of the stone. Are there any stones lying around that we can do something with? :-)

>The rubbings on the wall give a presence of something happening. Did I send an image of my face mask? anyway I will if I haven't. 

You did, and it's already on the Web!

>I am pressing clay into areas of a plaster cast of my face to make bits of folks. Maybe we can use them somewhere, maybe not. 

It's another aspect of traces of people, isn't it? I quite like the idea of expressing the theme like that as well as shadows etc.

>I'll find a use for them somewhere along the line.  

I'm sure you will . . .

>I am spending quite a lot of time just walking about, taking to staff and visitors.  They call me the artist and have great expectations. 

Sounds cool . . . dread to think what my neighbours call me ;)

>Re-read the booklet,  seems that theres a lot of change/evolution been going on.  I was given a quote used around here from one of the staff....."O Beata Solitude O Sola Beatitudo".....something about solitude being positive?   I was talking to a local priest, who was visiting my B+B lady and he said there was a quote, but I don't know if it was just to this part of the Carthusians set-up.  He said it was something about the cross being still in a world that was revolving.  Very Zen to me!  

They sound like quite a Zen Order, actually. I'll be interested to know what you think after reading the website Tim found. There's a lot of stuff about being isolated, but then not being isolated because you're communing with God, and not being able to talk much to the other monks, but then getting to know them really well because you can't get away from them . . . you need to read it for yourself, really!

>Anyway blessings from a sunny downtown Osmotherley,

Wherever that might be? Lucky you, it's very grey and dark here, which isn't helping my pain (of course, I've been complaining about the heat for weeks ;)

>be in touch soon.   Love Rita

Thinking of you.

Love Ju        

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