Eurovision shocker - the UK (almost) top of the charts!!

Tonight's Eurovision Song Contest surprised and delighted many fans as the UK came in second to Ukraine!!

After many years spent at the bottom of the leader board by the UK, Sam Ryder seemed to achieve an impossible feat, coming in second for his country with his soaring power ballad, Space Man. A former construction worker, he had been keenly favoured ahead of the competition with this song evoking the classic British pop of Queen and Elton John.

While Sam topped the jury vote, amassing 283 points, he was pipped at the post when public votes were added to the total.

Stefania by Kalush Orchestra rode a wave of public sympathy to claim Ukraine’s third Eurovision victory. Their victory reflects a symbolic show of public support following the country's invasion by Russia. They ended their performance in Turin with a plea: "Please help Ukraine, help Mariupol, help Azovstal right now." The rap-folk band, who were given special permission to leave the war-torn country, soared to first place with 631 points.

Bilderbücher Austellung im Gewerbemuseum

Gewerbemuseum Winterthur will be launching its exhibition all about picture books at the weekend.

@Anete Melece: Der Kiosk

Sunday (6^th) will see the opening of the exhibition Bilderbücher: illustriert & inszeniert exploring the types of visual narrative found in contemporary picture books with particular attention to the immediacy and delight they bring to young children. 

The event aims to bring stories vividly to life while investigating the creative process of picture book production. From jaunty colours to minimalist grey tones, from polished digital images to rough sketches, and from unusual pop-up formats to pages featuring cut-outs, the design possibilities seem endless. The show features well known picture book greats such as Eric Carle, Julia Donaldson, & Alex Schiffler, Oliver Jeffers, it will also visit the studios of Swiss illustrators, such as Winti based Daniel Bosshart and takes a look over their shoulders at live events.

Exhibition runs until 23.10.2022. Guest curator for the event is Hans ten Doornkaat. 

Fasnacht is back!

Fasnacht @ Sarah Egerton

Be there or be square....

Sonntag 6. März

Kurzfristig findet nur doch ein Kinderumzug statt: Er startet um 12 Uhr in der Steinberggasse beim Königshof. Weiter geht es über die Steinberggasse, Neustadtgasse, Badgasse, Graben, Marktgasse, Obergasse, Schulgasse, Spitalgasse wieder in die Steibi.

Um 13.30 Uhr beginnt dann der Kinder-Maskenball im Guggenzelt mit Prämierung (Einzel und Gruppen), DJ Pedro und Guggenmusig aus der Region.

The enigma that is Banksy alive and well

We enjoyed a short trip to London last week, now the Covid restrictions have lifted a little, and as I like this to be a bit of an arty blog I wanted to chat about our visit to the Banksy exhibition while there. It was right next to Covent Garden, where we love to browse, eat sausage rolls and watch street entertainers from a kerbside.

This was an 'unofficial' exhibition as Banksy isn't a fan of anything organised, but the whole event lived and breathed Banksy, with a huge collection owned by private customers, who are keen for the public to view his art, all highly political of course. I'm not sure how clued up the Swiss are about Banksy but I think in the UK we see him as a bit of a Robin Hood type figure, committing his graffiti crime under cover and often during the hours of darkness, in the fight against our corrupt governments and politicians. He has worked with Greenpeace and got involved in local disputes - notably with his Tesco  Petrol Bomb' piece following the Bristol riots which were sparked by yet another superstore blot on the horizon. The police claimed that squat residents were making Molotov cocktails to burn down the store they opposed. All proceeds from the artwork went towards the legal fees of those arrested.

My 14-year-old daughter loved it. It had an 'underground' feel, lots of dark passageways and corridoors. One of Banksy's close friends was chatting away with anecdotes from various screens dotted around the exhibition. And I couldn't help notice a hooded figure in the corner of one particularly dark section. I love how Banksy rolls, he's done so well maintaining his secret identity and creating a real enigma around his actions and passionate yearning to change the world for the better. So here are a few of those pictures - well known and not so well known.

Tesco Petrol Bomb

Turf Wars

Girl with Balloon (red)

Have a Nice Day

Love is in the Air

My Chinese Dragon is ready to fly

This is my latest woodcarving, created to project from the wall. I especially enjoyed creating the swirly eyebrows and whiskers - and of course it had to be finished off with a slap of gold, my go-to colour of the moment. A lick of gold just transforms everything into a more magical kind of being, don't you think?

 

10 Jahre Halle 710 in Hegi

Go FC Winterthur!!

I enjoyed my second ever football match in Switzerland watching FC Winterthur play against SC Kriens yesterday afternoon at the Schützenwiese. As I stood in the sunshine sipping an afternoon beer, listening to the cheers and good-humoured banter all around me, I wondered if there was ever a better way to spend a Sunday afternoon? 

Especially with the end result of 3-0 to enjoy (although it should have been 5-0 – two absolute sitters were missed with a rush of blood to the head!)

We are seriously considering obtaining a season ticket – at around 200 CHF it seems an absolute bargain. Winti FC are in the Challenge League, the second tier of Swiss football. Local football really is the bees-knees. There was no shortage of children there too, so also perfect for familes – and the kids also have their own ‘Syrup corner’ – their own stand with balloons, drums and free drinks!

Match report:

Goal scorers: 11. Harambasic, 61./81. Ballet

My cartooon of Supersub Ballet

A huge 5,100 fans (Winti’s fanbase lords over the other teams in the Challenge League) enjoyed a resounding triumph on the day.

However, despite the easy looking result on paper, it was no easy ride for FCW. Kriens were in fighting spirit, especially in the first half when FCW struggled to maintain the precision required to dominate the game and convert their efforts into goals. Indeed, their first goal advantage was an own-goal by central defender Ivan Harambasic with a deflected a shot from Tobias Schättin. Kriens went on to create a few good chances but thanks to FCW goalie Raphael Spiegel, the hosts held onto a narrow 1-0 lead at half-time. 

The second half brought drama aplenty as fans watched in horror as striker Neftalie Manzambi was stretchered off the field with severe back pain. Fortunately his substitute Samuel Ballet came on with fire in his loins, scoring the second goal in the 61^st minute when he dribbled around the goalie and dinked the ball in from a tight angle. Ballet also scored the third, steaming towards the goal with a beautifully timed midfield pass from Captain Granit Lekaj to find his target with precision. 

Ballet did seem to provide the turning point in this game - he played with great verve and never looked like he was going to miss when one-on-one with the keeper, such was his confidence. In addition, FCW could have easily converted this to 5-0 – two absolute sitters into an open goal failed to materialise to the mirth and amusement of the crowd. Despite the high drama and consternation at times of the fans the result saw them in a forgiving mood as FCW nudged itself back up to second place in the league. With a win on Friday at Vaduz the team will be top dog once more and in fine celebratory mood come the weekend.

fcwinterthur.ch

Match highlights