Sunday 22 November 2015

Lightning Man and the Rainbow Serpent

This rock formation is Rainbow Serpent's sign, warning you to be respectful as she is close.
Almudj, the Rainbow Serpent, is probably the best known of the Australian Aboriginal Dreamtime figures. With her passing through the landscape she creates waterholes, ravines and ranges of hills. Now she lives at the bottom of a deep pool fed by a waterfall and guarded by a rock formation. Sometimes she rises from the pool and floods the land. Wrongdoers will be drowned. Other times she stands upright on her tail and you can see her as a rainbow in the sky. Although it is permitted to see her image painted on the rocks at Ubirr, she herself should not be sought out or disturbed.

Namarrgon, the Lightning Man, is a powerful Dreamtime creation ancestor. He uses his stone axes to split the heavy grey clouds and make thunder whilst lightning bursts from his ears and toes. The spectacular lightning show is the beginning of the Wet (as the monsoon season is known). He lives in a rock shelter on the Arnhem Land escarpment. Non-aboriginal people are not allowed into Arnhem Land except by invitation.

Looking towards Lightning Man's home.

**************************************************
Cookery Workshops: The Association Familles Rurales in Betz le Chateau have run a regular Thursday once a month cookery workshop (Les Ateliers Gourmands) in the Salle Verrier (Clubs Meeting Room) for some time now. I've never been but they look fun and the themes are always interesting or useful. On Thursday 19 November from 6.30 pm to 9.30 pm the workshop will be on fresh pasta with a tomato and anchovie sauce, as well as a cream and mushroom sauce. The workshops are run by professional cook and caterer Christelle Royauté. To book or for more information contact Brigitte Joubert on 06 74 02 77 72 or brijoubert @ wanadoo.fr (take out the spaces when emailing). The December workshop will be on foie gras. It strikes me that these workshops would be an excellent way to practice your French in a friendly and natural atmosphere. You don't have to be a member of the Association to attend. The workshops just cost a couple of euros more if you are a non-member (€15 for members, €18 for non-members). Membership of the association costs €25.
*******************************************
Apologies for the late notice of the pasta workshop. This post was originally scheduled for last Sunday and I moved it in order to post my response to the Paris terrorist attack. I obviously didn't check this post for content before rescheduling it. Anyway, the general information and suggestion still stands.

4 comments:

Sheila said...

That landscape is so like what one finds in the southwestern US. I love the contrast of the red rocks and
the grey-green foliage. I happened upon an episode of Kangaroo Dundee the other night while trolling
channels and was as entranced by the scenery as I was by the kangaroos.

Susan said...

I've only ever seen that programme once. He seems like an interesting bloke. He's based at Alice Springs, in the desert. The photos above are in the tropical north, so the vegetation is a lot different, but both environments have the red rocks.

the fly in the web said...

I agree that that cookery session looks fun...and a very good way to improve your French as you are doing what is described to you. I used to go to the Maison Pour Tous sessions when first in France and learned a lot - not only recipes!

Susan said...

I can imagine that more than just culinary information is exchanged at these things!

Post a Comment