puff 501 Isis, the dancing bear/ Ten Volumes/cream puffs

This edition of puff, number 501, features an excerpt from the recently published Isis, the dancing tramp by Benjamin Drum, a video interview with Peter Cleave about his ten volume collection with a review by Paul Moon and Cream Puffs in Venice


Excerpt from Isis, the dancing tramp by Benjamin Drum published by puff books

1
Strange Punters

In Belfast a bear danced. His trainer played the accordion. The Ringmaster watched. The circus was coming to town.

On the Isis strange punters on the river stand out, especially to Esme and Bella the adolescents, curious as.

Esme and Bella are not watching a person on a punt though. They are looking at a man standing just off the path. He, in turn, is watching Edmond, the tramp. They climb trees so they can see the whole scene, the tramp, his observer and the breadth of the river from a distance.

The man watching the tramp does not seem to be hiding from anyone. He is simply watching Edmond and taking notes. At one stage Bella thought she saw him take a photograph of the tramp. He is a tall thin man of sallow complexion.

Edmond the tramp is still doing his dance. It is a kind of a shuffle which can take several forms. Sometimes he moves stiff limbed, sometimes jumping from side to side.

He is more, at least apparently, introspective than before. Staring at water for long periods. Occasionally sitting in College Park with his chin in his hands. He is like a man not knowing what to think about.

This is a dark tramp, trying to go back to find a lost place, a place now beyond his mind. He has lost a little weight, impossible as that might seem to those who knew him before. He seems gaunt, preoccupied and a little morbid.

A runner came down the path diverting them momentarily. He seemed to be talking to himself in a low voice, almost whispering. Something about Rome.

Paul the runner is thirty five. He is a Junior Fellow in Ancient History. He knows about Persia.

He rehearses his lectures and articles as he runs. He is constantly muttering about things like the fall of this empire or that while he runs. Paul runs in a world of his own.

He lives with his father. They play chess together at night. They are reclusive and make a habit of not talking to the neigbours. Paul mutters about Alexander at the incline before the boatshed.

As Paul runs around a bend Bella wished she had her mum's binoculars so that she could see the man watching the tramp in more detail. He is wearing a gray jacket. She can't tell what colour his eyes are but thinks they are blue.

Esme and Bella were very quiet and he did not seem to notice them. Hard to tell though. The man has a air of capability about him, not prepossessing but quite impressive just the same.

As they watch an angler with a jacket and a hamper with lots of fishing things in them casts a line. He is about fifty and has an impassive face. Esme thinks his face is like something carved into rock, deeply lined and always saying the same thing.

Esme and Bella run to the boathouse to tell Simon about the man they have seen watching the tramp. He and Sam are having a late breakfast. Simon gets a jacket and goes out with Bella and Esme.

In the meantime the watcher has begun to move away. Keeping his distance Simon follows this person to the Linton Lodge. He notices that the man is dressed for a surveillance task with warm clothes and comfortable shoes.

Once the man is inside the Lodge Simon asks the porter who he knows to keep him informed. He then hurries home and updates Sam. For years they have wondered who the tramp is and why he lives rough on the banks of the Isis. To see his privacy invaded though is something that gets to them both.

The porter calls Simon on his cellphone when the man is to leave. Simon jumps on his bike and races up the track. The porter holds up Walter Bradbury for this is the name listed for the man on the room docket, from leaving for a few minutes by saying that the staff need to check the room.

Simon arrives breathless. the porter flicks his chin in the direction of Walter's retreating back. Simon appears to fiddle with his bike at the side of Linton Road and copies down the registration plates of the man's car as it passes.

In Belfast the ringmaster tends to his animals. They are quiet in the rain. After feeding time he practices with his whips. This means pacing and taking stances as he uses the whip. He strolls casually and out of nowhere comes a loud crack of the long whip.

The ringmaster stands five ten in his socks. He likes tights and has to wear them as part of his job. Socks, leotards or whatever he is always well balanced and ready to spring.

He has dark hair and a swarthy complexion. He has clean even teeth without gold fillings. The ringmaster is conscious of the effect that he has on people which is to grab their attention and to make them watch and listen.

The ringmaster is a horseman. He has worked with horses since he was a small boy. He can ride any kind of horse and do tricks.

The ringmaster is forty years of age. He could pass for someone in his early thirties though. He has a very flat stomach.

It is now late in the evening and the circus is as quiet as it gets.

The bear dances or rather shuffles. The accordion is played gently.

Ten volumes, a collection



Ten Volumes, a Collection

by Peter Cleave




ISBN 978-1-877229-31-2




Content







1 Papers of Contest, Third Edition, Peter Cleave

ISBN 978-1-877229-28-2




2 Papers to Conference, Third Edition A collection of mostly old but some new work, Peter Cleave ISBN 978-1-877229-17-6




3 Papers on Social Work, Second Edition, Peter Cleave
ISBN 978-1-877229-21-3




4 From the Depot-Takirua, Second Edition, Peter Cleave

ISBN 978-1-877229-29-9




5 Papers on Language, Peter Cleave

ISBN 978-1-877229-19-0




6 What do we know about the mark on the wall? Images, rules and prior knowledge, Peter Cleave

ISBN 978-1-877229-26-8




7 Culture in the work place, A book of group exercises, Peter Cleave

ISBN 978-1-877229-25-1




8 Rangahau pae iti kahurangi, Research in a small world of light and shade, Second Edition, Peter Cleave
ISBN 978-1-877229-23-7




9 Iwi Station, a discussion of print, radio and television in Aotearoa/New Zealand, Peter Cleave

ISBN 978-1-877229-27-5




10 Maori Unpacked, Peter Cleave

ISBN 978-1-877229-30-5




Reviews include;




In the past ten years, Peter Cleave, in conjunction with Campus Press, has been at the forefront of research into a range of topics relating to Maori in the modern world. This, in itself, may not be remarkable, but what makes Cleave’s works stand out are three things: the breadth of disciplines he draws on for his analyses; the range of subjects he explores; and his persistence in ensuring that the material he publishes is relevant to a wide spectrum of readers. At a time when much academic research is dominated either by drilling into obtuse areas, or by studying topics for which funding is provided, the latest collection of Cleave’s works to be issued by Campus Press provide a fresh and engaging perspective on issues affecting Maori.

This corpus of works covers topics as diverse as social work, Maori media, language, culture in the workplace, as well as Cleave’s groundbreaking work – now in a revised edition – ‘Rangahau pae iti kahurangi: Research in a small world of light and shade’. This wide-angle approach allows the reader to build up an impression of some of the thinking that either applies or ought to apply to current developments in these fields.




Professor Paul Moon

Te Ara Poutama

AUT

March 2008


Cream Puffs in Venice
The Thrill of the Tuile

Posted: 29 Jan 2009 02:01 AM CST



How many ways can you pronounce the word “tuile”? As it turns out, many ways. Fortunately, the pronunciation is about all I struggled with when it comes to the January 2009 Daring Bakers‘ challenge.

This month’s challenge is hosted by two long-standing members: Karen of Bake My Day! and Zorra of 1x umruehren bitte aka Kochtopf. The various recipes for tuiles that they chose come from Michel Roux and from The Chocolate Book by Angélique Schmeink.

Apparently, the word tuiles means tile in French and the cookies are named tuiles because after they’re shaped, they resemble a type of tile used in France.

I’d never made tuiles before but I have always found myself enchanted by both the shape of the cookie and the apparent lightness of the cookie. Karen and Zorra offered two sweet variations: one that makes a smooth cookie and one that makes a lacy cookie. They also provided a savoury variation.

I chose to make the sweet variation only and I flavoured mine with vanilla and lemon. The second part of the challenge was to shape the tuiles and combine them with something light and airy.



As I pulled my tuiles out of the oven, I rolled them around a spoon handle and then made a filling of whipped cream and dulce de leche. Some of my tuiles were a bit thick so as I rolled them, they cracked slightly. But once filled and stacked on a pretty plate, you couldn’t really notice any of the cracks.



These were delicious. I have to admit that I enjoyed them by sucking out the filling first and then munching the remaining tuile.

Thanks so much to Zorra and Karen for starting 2009 in such a light and pretty way!

Ciao!

To see a copy of the challenge recipes, please read Karen’s post and Zorra’s post.


You are subscribed to email updates from Cream Puffs In Venice
To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. Email Delivery powered by FeedBurner
Inbox too full? Subscribe to the feed version of Cream Puffs In Venice in a feed reader.
If you prefer to unsubscribe via postal mail, write to: Cream Puffs In Venice, c/o FeedBurner, 20 W Kinzie, 9th Floor, Chicago IL USA 60610
Sponsored by College Systems Ltd- do you have insurance needs? Reply by comment.