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This year began as usual with Vladimir's birthday. He turned 60! The expectations were high: in Japan five twelve year cycles are considered as the full cycle bringing maturity. He had been waiting for the advent of that maturity all year. Has it arrived? Judge for yourselves.

The birthday itself was a subject of a heated debate. Vladimir said he would rather spend the whole day alone in grief. The alternative suggested to him was to spend it in frolicking and innocent merrymaking. The compromise was reached only after long and painful deliberations. In the process of interrogations Vladimir disclosed the secret he had been keeping for sixty years. His favourite dish appeared to be goulash! A table in Gay Hussar, the best Hungarian restaurant in the city, was booked. On Vladimir's birthday, after a glass of champagne, the best goulash in London was served with the exquisite Hungarian wine. Vladimir took a picture of Tamara and Simon at that restaurant, see it here. Sketches on the walls depict the British politicians who frequent the place.

Goulash was eaten and appreciated and we returned to our ordinary life. Tamara was trying to establish her practice and designed her website which proved to be very appealing and is now bringing her clients. Tamara called it From Maze to Amazement so alluding to the amazement at human worth and dignity. Have a look at that site here, maybe you would like to come and receive some counselling and to get you out of your maze.

In February a new Anglican colleague was introduced to Vladimir. It was Reverend Sally Rogers (here). On that picture Sally has confetti in her hair because the picture was taken right after the ceremony of her civil partnership.

Vladimir organised three major events over the spring term. Basically he did it because he liked to design the posters. The Founders of Religions cycle consisted of three talks: on Jesus, Mohammed and Nanak. See the poster here. The talk about Jesus was given by Sally. Vladimir's part was to choose the visual material. He selected the fragments from the three films: Jesus of Nazareth by Franco Zeffirelli, The Gospel according to Matthew by Pier Pasolini, and finally Pilate's aria from Jesus Christ Superstar. Needless to say he loved it.

Another poster Vladimir designed was for the panel discussion What is Sex for?  The poster became the object of some hidden struggle. As soon as the Catholic students spread the posters over the campus some other students immediately removed them. Who were those students? Vladimir hopes they were poster collectors who simply loved his poster. The alternative theory blames religious fundamentalists. You can make your own mind: see the poster here.

The attendance was great anyway. Three men made a protest by leaving noisily in the middle of the presentation. The rest stayed talking after the end and did not want to go home. In the end the building was locked by the timer and they had to escape through the fire exit. It was all hugely enjoyable.

The Feminine Spirit presentation was a success again, have a look at the poster. The samples of the feminine spirituality were quite radical this time. Listen to that (Akka Mahadevi, 12 c., India):

I love the Beautiful One
with no bond, nor fear,
no clan, no land, no landmarks
for his beauty.
So my lord, white as jasmine, is my husband.
Take these husbands
who die, decay,
and feed them
to your kitchen fires!

Tamara was concentrating on her driving and was trying to establish herself as a counsellor. She was still exhausted after years of her very demanding training. And yet every morning she spent (still does) few hours doing spiritual reading and meditation. There is someone who always helps her to do that, have a look here!

The term was over and the time came for our annual holiday which we try to take in the second half of April. Maybe it is age, maybe something else but we decided to go again to the same place: the Southern tip of the island of Fuerteventura (you can consult our previous letter from 2006). We found everything just as we had left it, even the faces were the same. This time we usually went for a swim to Morro Jable, a small village with two streets. We spent there two weeks doing nothing but walking, bathing, eating and drinking. Sauna, of course, but we did not take pictures there.

After the break we looked more like human beings. Tamara spent some time in our small garden. She certainly has her way with the plants. Vladimir likes peonies and that was the favourite flower of his (late) mother too. Tamara had her success with them after several disappointing years, have a look at this beauty! It's not for nothing that this sort is called Bowl of Beauty. Roses were another achievement of 2007, see them here. And of course we enjoyed the wild strawberries which feel so happy in Tamara's care!

Vladimir's students were busy with their exams all May but then came the time of BBQs, walks and so on. Vladimir was invited to four parties: two BBQs with the Catholic students, one BBQ with the Muslims and yet another party with The Freedom Society (GLBT).

In the end of May for the first time in his life Vladimir was invited for a dance to the Student Union. He had never done it before and the students were eager to see how he would like it. In their minds it was probably closest to the loss of virginity. This picture was taken right before the moment X. You can feel Vladimir's anxiety. By the entrance the students had to vouch for him. His details were taken by security in case he misbehaved. Then his hand was stamped by the ink visible only in the ultraviolet light.

Next thing he remembered were four loudspeakers suspended from the ceiling, each the size of a large wardrobe. The sound was massaging his rib cage. He saw the youngsters moving in tact with the music. The security guards were placed strategically all over the hall, on balconies and on special bridges. It reminded him a prison courtyard. However the ambiance was relaxing rather than threatening. Maybe because the night was very young, it was just a bit after twelve. After an hour or so he felt his rib cage could not take any more sound waves and asked the permission to withdraw which was granted on the ground of his advanced age. His ears were ringing for some time after that night.

The summer term came to an end. It was the time of sadness as many had to leave the College for good.  That picture was taken after the last Mass of the academic year. Some students Vladimir had known for years got married and he was happy to be part of it, have a look here.

The students were gone and then came the car. We chose it so that it may fit our cat in its appearance. Our cat is British Blue and the car is blue too. The car also has a short nose, the same as our cat has. Tamara has only a provisional licence but the chance to get the regular licence is very good. You can see her here driving this morning. Vladimir little by little is getting used to the way people drive in this country (UK).

So in the end what was so good about 2007? We met many good people and had our dear old friends visiting: you may even recognise some of them, how about this one... that one... and this nice crowd.

We also had a very beautiful autumn in our Park. Just have a look at this picture, another one, and the last one.

And of course London: you can never have too much of it. In fact quite a few countries have no reason to exist if not for their capital cities. Indeed, those cities should have some environs for recreation and for growing fresh vegetables. London has this unique combination of thriving energy and a laid-back attitude, sophistication and roughness, antiquity and youthfulness. And if someone asked why London? the major single reason would be: art exhibitions.

There were three memorable exhibitions this year.

Dali and Film gave a fantastic opportunity to appreciate Dali's work in film in the context of his paintings, including the iconic melting watches of The Persistence of Memory. It also included his classic films L'Age d'or and Un Chien andalou, made with Luis Bunuel and featuring the image of an eye being cut by a razor. There were six mini-cinemas showing his most revered films.
Have a look here.

Seduced in the Barbican explored the representation of human sexuality in art through 2000 years of history. There are Roman sculptures, Indian manuscripts, Japanese prints, Chinese watercolours, Renaissance and Baroque paintings (Rembrandt!) as well as Picasso, Francis Bacon, Klimt, Schiele, and Andy Warhol among many others.
Have a look here.

Finally, THE exhibition of the year, Louise Bourgeois. She keeps a special place in Vladimir's heart after he saw her sculpture at the opening of Tate Modern. Have a look at this spider commissioned by Tate. It's called Maman, Mother. Do have a look. In fact she made several spiders like this one. "Both predator and protector, a sinister threat and an industrious repairer, the spider is an eloquent representation of the mother. The spinning and weaving of the spider’s web links to Bourgeois’s own mother, who worked in the family’s tapestry restoration business. It also links to the artist’s most recent sculptures, made from scraps of fabric stitched together." Maybe she is the last genuine artist left expressing her femininity, sexuality and isolation. Find more here.

Louise Bourgeois wrote: Art is a guaranty of sanity. There is very little to be said after that and this newsletter is to be finished now. Let us just have another look at London…

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