Latest news with #Colette
ABC News
13 hours ago
- Entertainment
- ABC News
The best new books released in July, from Amy Bloom, Katherine Brabon and more
Welcome to the ABC Arts wrap of the best new releases. This month, we bring you two works of translated fiction, including the latest offering from a French literary sensation that our critic Declan Fry declares is "rip-your-hair-out brilliant". Also in the mix are a blackly comic debut about a queer woman's dissolute return to her hometown in New Zealand and a doorstopper exploring the fascinating phenomenon of postwar amnesia inspired by real-life cases of soldiers who lost their memories on the battlefields of World War I. Winter is the perfect time to hunker down with a good book — happy reading. Granta There's a particular pleasure in picking up a new novel by Amy Bloom, an author who writes love stories like no one else. I was a huge fan of her 2018 novel White Houses, a swoony yet clear-eyed fictionalisation of a romance between first lady Eleanor Roosevelt and journalist Lorena Hickok. In I'll Be Right Here, Bloom widens her scope, focusing on three generations of an unconventional family in a story that roams from wartime Paris to modern-day New York. At the centre of the story is Gazala, an orphaned Algerian girl who works as a maid and masseuse for the real-life French writer Colette during World War II. Gazala is quiet and loyal, but her gentle visage hides a ferocity and passion that presents itself in surprising ways. After the war, Gazala makes her way to New York, where she is reunited with her beloved adopted brother Samir and finds two new 'sisters' in Anne and Alma Cohen. The bond between these four people, and their various lovers, children, and grandchildren, will remain unbreakable for life. This is a novel that doesn't let the reader settle. Bloom changes time periods, introduces new characters, and drops shocking twists without fanfare or hand-holding. It's not always easy to keep track of who's who, but what emerges is a glorious tapestry celebrating the love found in a chosen family. At a launch event for I'll Be Right Here, Bloom joked that all her books are about the same four topics: family, love, sex, and death. To which I say: why would I want to read about anything else? — Claire Nichols Ultimo Press Thea is 16 and holidaying in Italy with her mother, who hopes to cure her daughter's chronic illness by visiting a renowned healer living in the Umbrian countryside. Sheltered and unworldly, Thea connects her physical condition to her actions, looking for things she can control. She is making sense of herself and her experience, feeling her way toward the contours of adulthood. Her mother, Vera, has also lived with chronic pain for most of her life. Wellness bloggers and health influencers offer Vera solace where doctors and rationalist thinking fail to. Vera knows force of will alone cannot change the body, but the possibility remains tantalising; the idea of release can be dreamt so often it begins to feel real. Is pain singular, isolating, or is it something that can be shared? Playing with ideas of subjectivity and identity, Katherine Brabon moves between Vera, Thea, and a third authorial voice, one that both addresses the reader in the second person and doubles as the characters' own self-address. Brabon is examining how people change in relation to each other — after marriage, after becoming parents — and the nature of the stories we project upon ourselves and others. As you reach the end and Brabon draws the threads together, a wise, tender portrait of the relationship between a mother and daughter emerges. Cure is a beguiling and resonant novel, in which the process of belief and the difficulty of integrating the experience of illness into self-identity is revealed to be extraordinarily fraught. — Declan Fry Bloomsbury American football is as foreign to me as the college and health systems that dominate not just US social and public policy, but an awful lot of fiction as well. Sameer Pandya's Our Beautiful Boys manages to make two out of three of these social systems fascinating and almost explicable: football and college. The story focuses on three teenage boys in their final year of high school, at that cusp between ambition and expectation. Vikram, Diego, and MJ are the beautiful boys of the title; they are smart, athletic, and full of promise. To succeed, they need to show social, academic, and athletic prowess, as part of the performance required to get them into the university of their choice. But the world doesn't operate in the same way for each of them, which they and their families are aware of to different degrees. Vikram's cultural background is Indian, Diego's is Hispanic, and MJ's is as WASP as can be. MJ is the only one with the cultural capital that allows him to walk around shoeless, with an air of disaffection, and the complicated racial dynamics of America play out differently for Vikram and Diego, too. Why does this matter? Because after a triumphant Friday night school football game — where the guts-and-glory and sheer beauty of bodies flashing down a field is depicted with exhilaration — the three boys head off to a party. They meet up with another kid, an annoying bully, Stanley, and the four of them enter a nearby cave. When they leave, Stanley is badly injured. Something has happened — but who did what to whom, and with what consequences? — Kate Evans UQP Nell Jenkins — queer, brash, and prone to bad decisions — escaped her hometown in New Zealand as a teenager after the death of her best friend, April. Now, 15 years later, she's back home to look after her mother, Leigh, who has had a stroke. Caring doesn't come naturally to Nell, who has only returned because she has nowhere else to go. She abandoned her life in Sydney after filing an HR complaint about her boss when their romantic relationship ended. She has no job, no money, and nowhere to live. Her hometown is now a popular weekend getaway spot, but for Nell, it remains a place of casual racism, homophobia, misogyny, and bad memories. For a queer teenager like Nell, home was a place where you could never be yourself. Chapters set in the past reveal more about their friendship and how April died. Nell's unwilling return painfully illustrates how stuck she is in her grief. It's "the centrifugal force … moving me from one dead end to the next". Now 33, Nell's life is a wreck; she's drinking too much, sleeping with the wrong people, and borrowing money she can't hope to repay. "I'm a user and a grifter. A drifter. A down-and-out country song," is how she describes it. Against her better judgement, she's drawn into the world of aging television psychic Petronella Bush, who is in town to revive her ailing career. She claims to hear multitudes of ghostly voices, the murdered girls who become "cautionary tales" for others. Blackly comic, Dead Ends is a book not about closure but the difficult process of rebuilding after loss. Nell, for all her flaws, possesses a crude and mordant wit that will have you guffawing aloud. — Nicola Heath Tuskar Rock Constance Debré's 2022 novel Love Me Tender was revelatory. But Name, her new novel, is perhaps her finest work to date. It concludes an auto-fictional trilogy Debré began in 2018, but you don't need to read the other two novels to fall in love with this one. Name opens as the narrator, having watched over her ailing father for weeks, confronts his death. An avatar of Debré, she is a former (disillusioned) lawyer, born into an illustrious Parisian family trying to maintain "their illusions about nobility, family, France, with their alcoholism, which they pretend not to notice". We delve into Debré's upbringing during the 1970s and 80s. She is ferocious toward the bourgeoisie, castigating a world of children who live with nannies before being shipped off to boarding school. By the time we reach the present day and her life as a lawyer for whom "justice is pointless", Debré has transformed into a woman in radical pursuit of her own story, happily disposing of everything superfluous ("family, marriage, work, apartments, belongings, people"). Debré's prose is a rush. Her voice grabs you by the lapels, hauls you up, and makes you do a double and then a triple-take. Alert, jagged, deadpan, she wakes you. Debré writes with the kind of immediacy you find in authors like Helen Garner, Édouard Louis and Chris Kraus. A paean to the joys of refusal, of realising and accepting there are no gods and no masters, Name is rip-your-hair-out brilliant. — Declan Fry Brazen (Hachette Australia) Maggie; Or, A Man and a Woman Walk into a Bar, is a deeply funny little novel that tells the story of what happens after the set-up to so many jokes. An unnamed narrator begins the story facing two things that threaten to change her life: her husband is having an affair with a woman named Maggie, and she's just found a lump in her breast. She hides her anguish in humour. As she recounts how her husband revealed his affair at an Indian restaurant, she glibly notes it was "a total naan-sequitur". Being playful and flippant is her way of processing the hurt. She becomes obsessed with Maggie, and with her tumour (which she also names Maggie), and starts to think of them in tandem — both cancers, eating away at her sense of normality. When she's lonely or bored or angry or sad, she tells "my Maggie" (the tumour) about it. As a stay-at-home mum, she feels she has built her life around her husband and children, and it's all about to crumble away. She seeks comfort in storytelling, retelling the Chinese folklore she was raised with to her children, desperate to find a message of solace or purpose. Yee's book is weird, poetic, and meandering. The reader is lulled in with humour and domestic intimacy but encounters accounts of grief and mortality along the way. — Rosie Ofori Ward Scribe Publications Why do stories of World War I still hold such resonance? It's something to do with the industrialised death, the iconic images of trenches, and the poetic howls of resistance. But there remains plenty of space for retelling, nuance, and new perspectives, which is what Dutch writer Anjet Daanje delivers in this novel. Daanje begins with a soldier whose backstory has completely disappeared, erased by trauma. Found on a battlefield in Belgium in 1917, wearing a hodgepodge of cast-off uniforms, he cannot remember his name and has no identification. He was discovered at midday, renamed Noon Merckem, and sent to an asylum in Ghent, where he stayed for four years. There he lives a cloistered life, surrounded by other lost soldiers. But the outside world intrudes when his story and photograph are published in the newspaper, and several women turn up in the hope that he might be their missing husband, brother, or son. This experience of amnesia by trauma really happened, as did fraught battles over the 'ownership' and identity of these men. In The Remembered Soldier, a woman named Julienne turns up and says Noon is her husband, Amand — a photographer — and that she's taking him home. All of this happens early in this 560-page novel. What unfolds is a story of memory and its slips; of doubt and survival; of families being remade and poverty in Europe. Cleverly, it's the work of photography that fades in and out of the story, as both a practical skill and as an occasionally manipulated memento, that situates the story in the darkroom of history and literature. — Kate Evans Tune in to ABC Radio National at 10am Mondays for The Book Show and 10am Fridays for The Bookshelf.
Buzz Feed
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
27 Comfy, Stylish Anthropologie Essentials For Summer
A charming strapless maxi dress so you can bask in the golden glow of the sun and feel the warmth on your shoulders bring you to getting *too* hot, of course. Promising review: "This is the perfect dress for spring and summer. Looks adorable with a denim jacket and sandals. I also paired it with a cream-colored cardigan. It's a little big in the chest, but I think the next size down would have been too tight. I love the Somerset collection." —DenisePrice: $168 (available in sizes XXS–XL and in six colors/patterns) A polka-dot poplin pleated mini skirt (holy alliteration!) to add some cute retro energy to your next summer stroll. Promising review: "I purchased this in plus size but could have worn the XL. The elastic waist insert makes it very comfortable. The pleats make it full but I paired it with the dark brown Tobie belted pleated waist short-sleeve shirt and it was perfect! Many compliments. Pockets allowed me to leave my purse at home for an evening out on a hot summer night." —Cessa56Price: $148 (available in sizes XXS–3X) A soft-yellow scoop-neck, drop-waist dress so you can *literally* be as pretty as a daisy. This features lovely daisy detailing in addition to a cute bow-tie back cutout — I love! 🥰 Promising review: "I'll be honest, I was hesitant to buy it because of the price. Avoided it even. Finally caved and kicked myself for having not just ordered it as soon as I saw it. It's so cute, can be dressed up or down. The perfect flowy and oversized fit." —BRod"Loved this! It was super comfortable and fit well. It is pretty low cut, and I had to wear pasties. I loved the overlay, and the liner was not see-through." —BaileybeePrice: $139.95 (originally $228; available in sizes XXS–XL) A cotton wide-leg, short-sleeve jumpsuit for ~effortlessly cool~ summer fashion. No thinking, no discomfort, and no sweating here — just pure style. 😎 Promising review: "I want to wear this every day. It has structure and is cute, but it feels like you're wearing sweatpants. I get so many compliments. The V-neck is too deep, but I wear a tank or long sleeve under it, and it's fine. Size down at least one size, maybe two if you don't like it so baggy." —Kemarie"Absolutely awesome! So glad I ordered this cute comfortable jumpsuit! Light weight enough to wear in the 70 degree weather and will be a fall staple! So happy with this purchase! Want a second color!" —ShopperPrice: $78 (originally $138; available in sizes XXS–XL, petite and plus sizes, and in four colors) A pair of Colette "Magic Fabric" wide-leg pants that reviewers absolutely *love*, especially for summer. They're lightweight, comfy, and do in fact strike that magical balance of stretchy and stylishly fitted. Promising review: "My favorite all around pants. Great fit, great value, versatile, perfect for travel. They can go to the museum and the opera! I buy different color each season. Love the fabric and fit." —CorkyPrice: $120 (available in sizes 23–34 and 16W–26W, tall and petite sizes, adaptive options, and in seven colors) A shirred high-neck top since it's made from a cooling cotton blend and is just as versatile as a plain white tank, only so much chicer. Treat your summer wardrobe to this more elevated basic — you deserve it! Price: $148 (available in sizes XS–XL) A patterned maxi dress destined for wandering European cobblestone streets where you'll naturally bump into a charming, gorgeous stranger. It comes in different designs and colors, so there's sure to be one that matches the ~aesthetic~ and *temperature* of your destination (or personality) perfectly. Promising review: "Buy it NOW. I love this dress. It is so comfortable and breathable. I will be buying this in all the colors and prints that I like. You cannot go wrong with this at all." —Anthropologie ReviewerPrice: $168 (available in sizes XXS–3X, petite sizes, and in nine colors/patterns) A pair of 100% cotton boxer shorts for pajama-like comfort but a very on-trend summer style. Talk about a dream combo! 😍 Promising review: "Love these! So comfy. Casual. Great patterns. I will wear them casually for summer or as a swimsuit cover-up on my upcoming vacation. LOVE that they have pockets!!! So hard to find in pajamas! I would like more in fun patterns. They do run a bit big, but I like them roomy." —dbeePrice: $38 (available in sizes XXS–3X and in nine colors/patterns) A strapless jumpsuit to throw on when you haven't got a care in the world besides soaking up the sun. Good thing you can just slip this on for an instantly put-together, summer-chic 'fit (Although I might recommend a jacket or sunscreen on your shoulders!). Promising review: "I love everything about this jumpsuit. The color is beautiful, and the fit is comfortable. I love that it has pockets and the fact that I don't have to have it shortened, which is rare. I also have it in black." —ShanahanPrice: $148+ (available in sizes XS–3X and in six colors and two styles) A pair of crisp-looking high-rise shorts that are made from a stretchy-but-airy linen fabric blend, so you can swap discomfort and chafing for ~cool style~. Promising review: "Loved these. Light weight, not see through. The fit is unmatched. Dress up or down." —micgPrice: $88+ (available in sizes 23–34, petite and plus sizes, and in 17 colors/patterns) A popular tiered maxi skirt you'll find yourself wearing at least once a week this summer (and likely into early fall, too). Pair it with sneakers and a tank for a more casual look or dress it up with fancy wedges and a nice blouse! Promising review: "I bought this skirt and proceeded to wear it four times in one week. It can be dressed up or down and didn't need to be steamed/ironed. The material is light weight and perfect for summer/fall. I love the moss color too!" —krissycPrice: $138 (available in sizes XXS–XL and in seven colors/patterns) A pair of linen pull-on pants because while you would rather die than wear heavy, suffocating denim pants or trousers, you could easily be persuaded to strut about in these easy-breezy slacks instead! Promising review: "I absolutely love these pants. The elastic waist and wide-leg style are trendy and oh-so comfy. I can dress them up or down and wear them belted or not." —MohawkPrice: $118 (available in sizes XXS–3X, in tall and petite sizes, and in seven colors) A scoop-neck floral swing mini here to help you embrace the cheery, good vibes of summer. It's simply ~bursting~ with happy energy and will surely bring a smile to your face. Promising review: "I love this dress so much. The material is light weight and flowy, perfect for summer. It does run a tad bit big, so keep that in mind." —EodlePrice: $168 (available in sizes XXS–3X, petite sizes, and in four patterns) A cropped satin button-down so you can remain ultra-confident at the office all day long knowing you won't have to worry about sweat stains cramping your ~High-Profile CEO~ look. Your secret? Silky cool satin fabric. Promising review: "Love this shirt. Had it in my cart for a while and glad I pulled the trigger. So fun." —DjohPrice: $108 (available in sizes XXS–3X, petite sizes, and in six colors) An off-the-shoulder top for that upcoming date — y'know, the one you're super excited about but tryna be chill about. This shirt is chic, eye-catching, and most importantly, cool and light, so if you *do* start to sweat (from the heat ~or~ nerves), your date won't have a clue! Promising review: "Purchased the brown print. Looks great with skirts and pants." —BuffyBabbette Price: $19.95 (originally $48+; available in sizes XXS–3X, petite sizes, and three colors) A relaxed cotton maxi dress since summer fashion doesn't have to be complicated. This gauzy number makes for a cute, beach-y look, and with the semi-sheer fabric, you'll stay plenty breezy, too! Promising review: "Super comfortable dress, great for vacation — flowy and thin so you stay cool." —bdear11Price: $98 (available in sizes XXS–XL and in four colors) A gingham bubble skort if you're looking for a touch of flirty countryside charm *without* having to sacrifice the practicality (and airiness) of shorts. Price: $72 (available in sizes XS–L) A gorgeous sheer printed blouse for a top that feels like it's barely there (yes, it's truly that weightless and airy!) but looks like a watercolor painting on display in the center of an art gallery. Don't be surprised when everyone's staring at you! Promising review: "This was such a steal and it's gorgeous! I can wear it to work or out! The quality is great! I will prob hand wash it to last longer!" —LBegsPrice: $110 (available in sizes XXS–3X, petite sizes, and in three patterns) A pair of pull-on pants since they're made from a silky, satiny fabric that feels practically weightless and therefore won't slow you down during your busy summer itinerary. Promising review: "Pants are very comfortable, fabulous light material." —Soul_SurvivorPrice: $169 (available in sizes XS–XL) A flutter-sleeve midi that's loose and flowy, resulting in an adorable swing when you walk *and* refreshing airflow on your legs. The only question now is whether you go for the ~blooming orchard~ or ~cute countryside~ vibes — and there's no wrong choice here! Promising reviews: "Comfortable and pretty. The fabric feels soft against the skin. Perfect for all-day wear and gets compliments every time!" —Revaraghavan"This dress is stunning. I received more compliments on this dress at a downtown outdoor event than I have in my entire life. The colors are vibrant and the fabric is breathable and comfortable. I did size up for the bust." —coryPrice: $160 (available in sizes XXS–3X and in two patterns) A cropped tie-front blouse featuring delicate eyelet details and a dainty scalloped trim that you can pair with pretty much any bottoms for a romantic bohemian vibe. Promising review: "This is such a cute and lightweight top that is perfect for hot summer days. The one size fits all thing is a bit strange because I don't think this top would fit everyone. They should try to make other sizes because it's adorable and everyone should be able to enjoy it!!" —Lex312Price: $128 (available in one size that reviewers say is best suited for XS–M) A pair of ethereal lace pull-on pants made from 100% cotton because if you're gonna wear white pants you definitely don't want a heavy fabric where sweat might show. These artisanal-looking beauts are delicate in both design and feel. Promising review: "I purchased the shirt and pants and love them both. The pants are generously long and even though they are see thru because of the fabric, they are very tasteful and not 'sheer'. The shirt is long enough that it pretty much covers your bottom. Looking forward to wearing❤️" —HoustonRedPrice: $128 (available in women's sizes XS–3X) A mini shirtdress serving up a ~crisp 'n tailored~ style that's work- and happy hour–appropriate. Don't be surprised if you catch the eye of the the office cutie... or perhaps the ravishingly handsome bartender. 👀 Promising reviews: "This dress is fantastic! You can dress it up or down, and it's still a 10/10 for comfort. I got the green one, and it's perfect for a fresh-summery look. The petite sizing was spot on—I really appreciate that it's actually short/mid thigh for my frame. very happy with my purchase! :)" —Sami27"I have a larger chest, and I usually have to find dresses that fit that first, which leaves the rest of the dress too big on me. This is the first time I ordered a medium of anything with buttons; my chest fits, but it cinches at the waist perfectly. The fabric feels so soft and slightly stretches. I ordered three different colors and styles!" —SamanthaPrice: $178 (available in sizes XXS–3X, petite sizes, and in six styles) A pair of baby blue eyelet-detailed biker shorts so you no longer have to choose between comfy athleisure and flirty-fun summertime style — these darling bbs are the best of both worlds! Price: $90 (available in sizes XS–L) A puff-sleeve smocked linen top for those times when you can't fathom the thought of skin-tight fabric clinging to your skin. Enter this cool, airy, and breathable alternative! Promising review: "Perfect summer top for work. It came exactly as pictured." —AndreaPrice: $108 (available in sizes XXS–L and in three colors) A floral button-front romper in case you're planning a picnic date (romantic or platonic!) and need a 'fit that A) keeps you from melting in a puddle of sweat under the sun, B) lets you comfortably sit down crisscross-applesauce style, and C) looks sweet and enchanting... this darling ensemble is three-for-three! Price: $138 (available in sizes XXS–XL and in a blue pattern) A printed maxi halter-neck to pair with some chic jewelry and gladiator sandals for a lil' ~Greek Goddess Moment~... and like a true deity, you won't have to worry about mortal woes like sweating, overheating, or pit stains in this billowy, open-shouldered number. Promising review: "I have the green/yellow version and it's beautiful, extremely comfortable, and looks good on different body types (I've lent the dress to others who all look great in it.)" —aKatPrice: $188 (available in sizes XXS–3X, petite sizes, and in a yellow pattern)
Winnipeg Free Press
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
Wartime jewel thief's story a fab summer read
The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau is the perfect summer read for those who want to engage with important subjects but still enjoy a light-hearted story. Its author, Florida-based Kristin Harmel, is the New York Times bestselling author of over a dozen novels translated into more than 30 languages. Her latest is part historical fiction, part mystery, part romance and part family saga. It delves into the lingering grief from the Nazi occupation of Paris during the Second World War through the lives of Jewish survivors of the Holocaust and of former French Resistance members. When the novel opens in 2018, Colette Marceau is an 89-year-old retired librarian living in Boston, and still active in her calling as a jewel thief. The last known descendant of Robin Hood, she was raised by her mother since the age of six to see stealing as her destiny. The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau The family code requires she steal only from people who are evil or corrupt — in this case, Nazis and neo-Nazis — and that she must use all the money to do good in the world. As a teenager, Colette's thefts supported the French Resistance in purchasing safe passage for Jews in hiding, and as an adult, she is an anonymous patron of numerous charities, most notably the Boston Holocaust Education Centre. However, all is not well with Colette — her life is 'stolen' both in the sense that she has spent it stealing, and that a normal childhood and family life has been stolen from her by the war. She is haunted by her memories of her childhood in Paris, where she was raised as the daughter of an English mother and French father. During the Second World War, she lost her mother, her sister, her mother's Jewish friend and the Jewish boy she loved, as well as her father having abandoned her. As a result, she found herself too emotionally damaged to marry or have children, which she now regrets, though she does have a surrogate daughter, Aviva, who she took into her home when she was orphaned at 18. Colette has in her possession half of a stunning divisible diamond bracelet that was created especially for her mother's Jewish friend, Hélène Rosman, to celebrate the birth of her twins. When Hélène was arrested by the Nazis, they took the bracelet from her, but Colette's mother stole it back, intending to return it to her friend after the war. She hid half of it on Colette's person and half on the person of Colette's sister, Liliane, but that half disappeared when Liliane was murdered. Hélène subsequently perished at Auschwitz. In 2018, the other half of the bracelet surfaces in an exhibition in Boston, loaned by an anonymous donor, and this sets in motion Colette's quest to learn the donor's identity and thereby also discover who killed her sister. Weekly A weekly look at what's happening in Winnipeg's arts and entertainment scene. The novel switches between 2018 and 1940s France, showing the devastation caused by Nazis and those who collaborated with them. Harmel delves into the moral complexity of those tasked with upholding standards and serving the public (police officers, schoolteachers) who instead support and do evil, while those deemed to be wrongdoers — thieves — are the characters who stand for goodness and have principles. Colette and her eventual romantic partner, Daniel, are refreshing to read as older characters around the age of 90 who are not stereotypes — rather, they are full and nuanced personalities who fall in love and experience passion. They use cell phones with ease, live independent, full lives and take centre stage in their own story, though they also feel their mortality, regret aspects of their pasts and use their age when convenient to avoid certain tasks. The novel is fast moving and well-paced, with the 1940s and 2018 sections holding equal interest. The clues to the history of the bracelet unfold along with two budding romances — those of both Colette and Aviva. The way things wrap up is perhaps a little too convenient, coming by way of a series of large coincidences, with the last reveal apparent several chapters earlier, but it will satisfy those readers who crave a happy ending. Zilla Jones is a Winnipeg-based writer of short and long fiction. Her debut novel The World So Wide was published in April.
Extra.ie
7 days ago
- General
- Extra.ie
Pigeon named Woody sets up shop in Dublin store
A pigeon has set up shop in a Dublin warehouse, leaving staff members wondering where his rightful owners are. Woody was aptly given the name after he was discovered in the yard at the Woodies store in Glasnevin. Staff members think the bird might be either a homing pigeon or a racing pigeon, due to the tag on one of his legs. A pigeon has set up shop in a Dublin warehouse, leaving staff members wondering where his rightful owners are. Pic: Google Maps Speaking to Colm O'Mongáin on Liveline on Thursday, staff member Colette told of how Woody had left 'for a little while' but returned and appeared happy enough in the yard. 'He came in, he was in the warehouse and he came out then but he's not budged,' Colette said, 'He's still there, but he's tagged and we have his number. 'We reckon, like, if someone owns him, he's a homing pigeon [or] a racing pigeon.' This little fella has taken up residence in a Glasnevin warehouse today… Staff are calling him "Woody", but he's tagged, so they're looking for his rightful owner… — Liveline (@rteliveline) July 24, 2025 Colette confirmed that they hadn't tried to catch Woody, who is still based in the Woody's Glasnevin store. She told the presenter that the team were planning on ringing a local pigeon club but the club was yet to open. Woody's tag number is A17835, with Colette hypothesizing that the tag means he might be a homing or racing pigeon, and added he was a friendly bird. A picture of Woody was shared to the Liveline social media, with the caption: 'This little fella has taken up residence in a Glasnevin warehouse today… Staff are calling him 'Woody', but he's tagged, so they're looking for his rightful owner…' Woody appears happy enough to have his photo taken and has orange eyes with black pupils. The birds feathers are grey with a tinge of glittery purple. Anyone with information on Woody's owners are encouraged to phone RTÉ Radio 1's Liveline.
Yahoo
19-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Colossal cleanup effort allows summer camp to reopen after Texas floods
Just days after the devastating Texas floods killed 27 campers and counselors from Camp Mystic, another summer camp has reopened its doors 30 miles downstream. A colossal cleanup effort from the surrounding community enabled Camp Camp, a residential program serving youth with disabilities, to welcome visitors again this summer. 'Our campers will be able to enjoy our riverfront activities much sooner now,' said Ken Kaiser, the director of facility operations for the camp. 'In the midst of heartache, we got to see the best of humanity through these volunteers who came from all over Texas and beyond.' Camp Camp is located in Centre Point, Texas, and offers a series of five-night sleep-away sessions in the summer for children and adults aged five to 55 years old with mild to severe disabilities. Related: The long road to tragedy at the Texas girls camp where floods claimed 27 lives The camp welcomes more than 800 campers each summer, and every visitor is given a 1:1 counsellor ratio to accommodate their needs. It has been in operation for 46 years and hosts the same activities as regular camps, including horseback riding, swimming, sports, archery and more. The herculean rehabilitation of the area where Camp Camp is located, a 55-acre property nestled in the Texas hills along the banks of the Guadalupe River, all began with a Facebook post on 8 July from an Austin real estate agent, Cord Shiflet. Debris had covered the landscape, destroying the waterfront and crucial amenities for the camp, including picnic benches for the children to eat at, had been ruined. Shiflet made a plea for 'money, manpower, and machines'. By the following day, 250 volunteers arrived. The numbers doubled by Friday, with people braving the mud and conditions to haul food supplies, excavators and chainsaws to the area. Some workers who came down to help reported meeting as many as 1,500 people while they were there. 'The energy at Camp Camp was focused, focused on the mission of making it beautiful again,' said Colette Kerns, who drove down with her husband, Jason, to volunteer at the cleanup. 'Everyone had a job to do and worked seamlessly together to get it done.' Colette's husband spent five hours a day using a chainsaw to clear fallen trees and debris, while she organized the kitchen area and helped load logs into trucks to be hauled away. The couple, who are parents of two children with special needs, said they understood how vital this camp is to the families who rely on it. 'It's more than just a place,' said Colette. 'It is a space where children are embraced, understood and celebrated.' Another hero of the rehabilitation project was Rusty Bourland, who, in numerous Facebook posts about the cleanup, has been praised for his hard work, resilience and determination. Bourland was at a wedding in Dripping Springs, Texas, when he began receiving calls from people seeking assistance in the aftermath of the floods. Having helped with relief work during Hurricane Harvey and Tropical Storm Bill, he had experience in rebuilding. Still, he had no idea when he packed one change of clothes that he would actually be down there for six and a half days. He told his wife he was loading a machine and driving south. 'Driving down it felt unknown,' Bourland said. 'We were all being told to not just self-deploy, but nothing compares to this in terms of human devastation.' Bourland, who owns a landscape construction business, said there were days when about 70 machines were on the property. He recalled that the energy was somber as volunteers witnessed many bodies being recovered from the surrounding area. He plans on seeking professional help now that he's home. 'I told everyone, 'Look, we're basically faced with the most difficult situation imaginable,' but as Texans, we try our best to thrive on adversity,' he recounted. 'I compartmentalized and tried to keep people positive.' The death toll from the flash floods, which started on the Fourth of July holiday, has now climbed to 135 people. With more than 150 people still missing, authorities are warning that the number of casualties could continue to rise. The floods are being described as one of the worst natural disasters in Texas history. The Guadalupe River rose 26ft in 45 minutes, and according to a preliminary estimate by the private forecaster AccuWeather, the economic toll of this could range from $18bn to $22bn. The Republican governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, has since stated that he would allow debate in the Texas legislature on the state's flood warning system, but has given no guarantees on how the outcome will unfold. For Gigi Hudnall, whose son Kenny was able to attend Camp Camp again this year, the camaraderie in the reopening has been remarkable. This is the 11th year Kenny will have visited, and Hudnall believes the work they did to make this happen was nothing short of miraculous. 'It gives these kids something they don't usually have – freedom,' she said. 'When we heard about the floods, our hearts broke, for the lives lost and for the camps. It makes me proud to be among people who care and will give to help kids like my son.' Solve the daily Crossword
