Sunday, February 9, 2014

Winter Olympics 2014, Sochi AND Beatles 50th Anniversary

 


Truly enjoying the Winter Olympics. I LOVED the opening ceremony!  The announcers here made such a big deal about the first "glitch" of the game when the one snowflake didn't turn into a ring and there were four rings and one snowflake. I say, so what...you stay a little snowflake little guy, be true to yourself, it's not that big a deal!

I loved all the color and spectacle of the ceremony, it was right up my alley! And I have to tell you that I was thrilled that some of my favorite Russian artists were mentioned in the dream sequence with the little girl...Chekhov, Chagall and Tchaikovsky!  I wish someone could tell me why it is that Tchaikovsky is looked down upon as a composer of music, I think his music is magnificent.  I loved the ballet Swan Lake that they did in the ceremony and at the end after the flame had been lit, they played the Russian Dance from The Nutcracker. also by Tchaikovsky, of course.  (Although, the announcers had to talk a bit over it and they broke away and we didn't get to hear all of it!) 

I found a video for you...can you believe that the water fountain next to the Olympic Flame in Sochi is in perfect timing with Swan Lake!

Tonight, there will be a special celebration of the Beatles on TV, it is the 50th anniversary of their US debut on "The Ed Sullivan Show".  Of course, you know I remember that show!  I wrote about it in a post two years ago, but if you can't remember it, here is what I said...

I love the Beatles.  ...I loved them the moment I saw them on the Ed Sullivan Show in February of 1964. It had been such a horrible time for the country. President Kennedy had been assassinated in November of the year before and that winter seemed very cold and gray. The music in this country had become very stale and dull. When they were first introduced on the Ed Sullivan Show and all the girls started screaming, and I saw their young faces and their long hair, I was hooked. It was like the world coming in color.
This is something that I read recently by the author, Cynthia Rylant, and she has expressed exactly what I felt about the Beatles...

"The Beatles gave me a childhood of sweetest anticipation. Our country was falling apart with war and riots and assassinations, but the Beatles gave me shelter from these things in their music and the dreams they caused me to dream."

We just had the prettiest weekend you could imagine...and we might have another ice/snow storm on Tuesday and Wednesday this week!  This winter has been like a roller-coaster. I guess I will just hang on and enjoy the ride! Hope you all have a great week!

The daffodil below is from this time LAST YEAR...it might be a few weeks before we see this flower, although the green shoots are coming along!


24 comments:

  1. Enjoyed the Winter Olympics opening too. If you haven't seen it yet you might be interested in 'Good Old Freda' Kay. It's a documentary about Beatles secretary Freda Kelly who was with them for 11 years through the lifetime of the group. I'd never heard of her before but this woman has loyalty, commitment and integrity running through her like a stick of Blackpool Rock and it's a cracking film if you can track down a copy somewhere.

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    1. Thank you for telling me about the documentary. I haven't heard of it but I will look our for it now that you have told me! I like the idea of someone with great integrity, sounds like my kind of gal!
      Take care and keep cheering on the young folks at the Olympics! :-)

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  2. We missed the opening to the Winter Olympics but caught it later. I remember so well seeing the Beatles for the first time on Ed Sullivan and my father in his rocking chair shaking his head and thinking they must be kidding....what kind of "entertainment" was that? I do believe they brought joy and hope back into our lives when we as youngsters greatly needed it. Blessings- xo Diana

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    1. Ha! I couldn't watch it all in one go either...I have to go to bed at night! I watched most of it the next day! Love the Beatles, always have, always will! Blessings right back to you, my friend.

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  3. How well I remember sitting on the floor in the living room and watching the Beatles on Ed Sullivan on our black-and-white TV! Surely it can't be 50 years ago already!

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    1. I know, where did those 50 years go anyway? Still, I'm glad I remember it, many of my friends my same age said they were too young to notice. HA! I always noticed everything!!

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  4. I was brought up in Liverpool with the Beatles so I suppose I just take them for granted. They will certainly go down as one of the greatest popular bands of the last century.

    The Olympics leave me cold (no pun intended).

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    1. The Beatles changed my world, no question. I could never think of them as just one of the many bands from Liverpool and I know that there were lots of them! (I know my Beatles history!)
      And if is certainly up to you but the Olympics have a lot going for them, not just the competitions between athletes but the stories behind the real people who are competing. I love true stories.

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  5. Hang on and enjoy the ride - thank you for those wise wirds, Kay! I should really do that, too, instead of being so disappointed every time a sunny bright day turns into a chilly gray night and cold morning.

    Same as Graham, the Olympics leave me cold. I have never been one to watch sports on TV, I rather do it myself :-)
    Also, I think it is the right decision for the German political leaders not to attend the games, and I wish a lot more people would follow their examples. There is too much not right with Mr. Putin's Russia today. But I should not be abusisng your lovely blog for a political rant, sorry.

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    1. Yes, just hang on Meike, enjoy your winter and spring will follow behind it!
      And Russia? HA! You are talking to an American here who grew up during the Cold War, and yet, I have always been able to see the beauty of art from any country regardless of any political differences. If a political leader chooses not to go to Russia in order to make a statement, I have no problem with that but to boycott them and to say that the athletes cannot attend, that doesn't seem fair to the athletes. . (The USA boycotted the games in Moscow in 1980, as I am sure you know.)

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  6. The Olympic competitions themselves are wonderful and thrilling, and i love the dedication of the athletes. All the political fol-de-rol that is part of it now, i could easily do without.

    While i was only just over a year old when the Beatles were first on Ed Sullivan, by the time i was 6-7 years old, i was listening to their music on my record player.

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    1. Glad you are enjoying the Olympics too! I know very little of winter sports but that does not stop me from enjoying them.
      I was six years old on that night 50 years ago...I will never forget it.

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  7. Such a pretty daffodil. David and I have been watching the Olympics, too, focusing on the ice skating, which we love best.

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    1. I know, hasn't it been a wonderful thing to watch? I love it!
      That daffodil was from last year! I am hoping to see one in a few weeks!!

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  8. I would love to watch part of the Olympics. No tv here. I will see what I can find on you tube. Glad you had some wonderful weather. The flower is so pretty.

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    1. NO TV? Oh my dear, I could live without TV but it would not be easy, I must admit! Our weather is up and down, one day warm, the next day freezing! Thanks for you comment, hope you liked the video I found for you!

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  9. My parents loves The Beatles too and my dad would sometimes dance to the tune of any upbeat Beatles' song while reminiscing the famous dance step and my mom would giggle non-stop!

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    1. Hello! I thank you very much for your comment!
      I love the idea of you enjoying your Dad dancing to the Beatles as your Mom giggled at the sight! I love the music that the Beatles gave us, such a pleasure. :-)

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  10. I heard a lot of Beatles when I lived with my parents..
    I love that first and second day of OL, because of all the medals to Norway:-)
    Very much changing weather here too, can not wait to see these beautiful flowers as you show here:-)

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    1. YES! I was celebrating the wins for Norway since I knew you would be loving that too!!
      I have seen your snowy photos, my goodness, a winter wonderland, it is beautiful!

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  11. I feel like I've been living under a rock - I have watched none of the Olympics or the Beatles celebration. I've been living in my own little world... Stay warm and safe during the ice storm that's coming your way. We are luckily only getting rain! Big hugs, Silke

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    1. Hey Silke,
      I think I want to move to Savannah! Take care!
      Love, Kay

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  12. We enjoyed the Opening Ceremonies too and are watching the games each night which makes it hard to blog. Stay warm, Kay!

    I do remember the night I watched the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show in Hawaii too. What an amazing time that was!

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    1. Hey Kay! I somehow missed seeing your comment here. Reading it now, 10 years later. Aloha!!

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