Seaside Man

Have a look at this which Helen found somewhere. It really has to be seen at full size, please click on the image:

Woolworths - home of all things classy! My favourite one is the hand pointing at the fake bird!

Cheers, Tom.

Everyone else has been, and it's frustrating me. I want to get out with my camera, but I can't. There is a jazz festival and carnival in the local town of Aberaeron today, with lots of people wearing orange and lime-green - some heavenly photographic opportunities there that I must miss.

Helen brought me the above shell from the beach yesterday for which I am grateful. It's quite large, about 7 cm across. Unfortunately the photo doesn't do it justice but I haven't had the time to fiddle about with lighting to do a proper job of it yet.

This is Fragile by Sting:

If blood will flow when flesh and steel are one
Drying in the colour of the evening sun
Tomorrow's rain will wash the stains away
But something in our minds will always stay
Perhaps this final act was meant
To clinch a lifetime's argument
That nothing comes from violence and nothing ever could
For all those born beneath an angry star
Lest we forget how fragile we are

On and on the rain will fall
Like tears from a star like tears from a star
On and on the rain will say
How fragile we are how fragile we are

Cheers, Tom.

Most of us can count our lucky stars that we don't have to go away to war and both see and do appalling things. Of all the troops sent to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan, 20% of them came back diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). And that's just the ones that are known about - it's estimated that about the same number again either developed the symptoms later so they weren't diagnosed, or purposely hid the issue so as not to be saddled with a "mental illness" label. So that's 40% then.

One of them is my cousin Shaun. Since he came back from Iraq 5 years ago, his severe depression and PTSD has been a constant factor in his life. He is haunted by the hideous memories of what happened in Iraq, memories that have resulted in multiple instances of self-harming and 3 suicide attempts.

Please pause for a moment and think how bad those memories must be if suicide seems like a reasonable option.

But there is a light in the darkness and it comes from music, specifically Motorhead and their charismatic leader Lemmy. The music isn’t healing, but it does help him get through the darker moments. The pure rock and roll experience of an incredibly loud gig by Motorhead is all-encompassing. All other thoughts are pushed out and for a while there is just the music: the ghosts of the past are forgotten. Just listening to the music later can have the same effect.

I asked Shaun what song to mention and he gave me 2: Killed By Death (which is my title) and Overkill:

------------

Only way to feel the noise is when it's good and loud,
So good you can't believe it screaming with the crowd,
Don't sweat it, get it back to you, Overkill

On your feet you feel the beat, it goes straight to your spine,
Shake your head you must be dead if it don't make you fly,
Don't sweat it, get it back to you, Overkill

Know your body's made to move, you feel it in your guts
Rock 'n' roll ain't worth the name if it don't make you strut,
Don't sweat it, get it back to you, Overkill

------------

I know this music may not be the sort that many of my readers like, but try and imagine yourself at the gig in the video. It’s absolutely ear-splittingly loud, so loud that your ears will still be ringing 3 days later, the crowd are a roaring, seething, shouting mass of people all their for the same thing, all loving it, and for a couple of hours you can forget the horrors of the past and immerse yourself in the music. That’s what this means to Shaun.

Tom.

P.S. I'll be back to my more usual blogging style tomorrow.

P.P.S. I've just learned that Shaun was actually at the gig above, which was in Dusseldorf and the whole thing is on the dvd Stage Fright.

A personal experience of serious illness serves as a useful reminder of how fragile we are. I got a respiratory infection about a fortnight ago and had antibiotics for a week. They didn't fix it and on Thursday I was getting worse and worse: a non-stop painful cough, aches all over, shivers, cold sweat and a growing disability to breathe. By 8:30PM on Thursday evening it was so bad that Helen drove me to the hospital.

I had a temperature of 39.8C which is, apparently, quite high. They kept me in for 2 nights with regular intravenous injections and drips of 2 different antibiotics. My temperature is now back to normal and the white blood cell count is almost normal again. I still have a cough, but I have another week's worth of antibiotics to take,

I cannot praise the staff at Bronglais hospital highly enough. They were all efficient, good-humoured, helpful and caring, a shining example of how good the NHS can be. The hospital experience is a grim one though. There were some very sick people there suffering terribly. It's also very wearying. I got no sleep at all the first night. I had a drip in my wrist from midnight to 1AM and again from 6-7AM and in-between those regular blood pressure and temperature tests. In one of the few quiet moments, the chap in the bed next to me (who I later learned had Tourette's in addition to his other problems) yelled loudly FUCKING WHORES FUCKING WHORES. It seems funny now, but at the time it just added to the overall aura of strangeness. The 2nd night was slightly better, although similarly interrupted. It was never dark or quiet, and the constant bustle is wearing.

Life is short and fragile and needs looking after. Take care of yourselves.

Tom.

I bought some old electrical equipment on ebay and it was an absolute bargain: £5.00 + £4.50 postage, £9.50 in total. No-one else bid. I just got an emaill from the seller who says he messed up the cost of the postage which should have been £9.58, i.e. total charge should have been £14.58. He admits that it is entirely his fault and he is sending the item to me this morning anyway. BUT, he says, it would be nice if I paid him the extra £5.

So, would you pay the extra £5 because of his mistake or not?

Tom.

The wind is howling and even the seagulls are in hiding (apart from the one in the picture). I got totally drenched walking Dan The Dog earlier but hey ho that's the way it goes. Nothing a change of clothes can't fix!

Tom.

Just a week ago, I got a few flu-like symptoms and then a respiratory tract infection. They were healing nicely and I was starting to feel better but just in time, WHAM! The cold from hell has hit me. Nose blocked, horrible sore throat, etc. That's OK though, I can handle colds. Medication, medication, medication. And rest.

The photograph is intended to be inspirational - I certainly don't feel like that!

Cheers, Tom.

The Belgian marching band Propere Fanfare were guests in Borth for 6 days and this morning they are on their way back to Ghent. They affected many people in the village in a very positive way and lots of us are hoping they return again swiftly.

Helen and I made friends with several of them and a lovelier group of people you couldn't ask for. The profits of the pub must have skyrocketed too!

Last night they gave us a short performance in their own massive bell tent and it was a very special show.

This is their facebook page, but it is in Flemish:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/De-Propere-Fanfare/19178916050

Thankyou Propere Fanfare.

Tom.

(click on the picture to enlarge it)

Rhythm is all around us in speech, in music and visually. When a rhythm is disturbed or interrupted in an unexpected manner, then we have syncopation. Most music does this to some extent but in some genres it is crucial: reggae, funk, jazz, blues, dubstep.

Satisfaction by The Rolling Stones is a well known example. Mick Jagger sings "before the beat", with the resulting syncopation making for a much more interesting listening experience:

Cheers, Tom.

"Some bloke came up to me in the street yesterday and asked me if I had heard the good news. I couldn't wait to hear what exciting and wonderful thing had happened, so imagine my disappointment when it turned out to be that if I do exactly what god tells me, I won't burn in hell forever" -- "Reader's letter" from Viz magazine

I can only identify one of these 4 (assuming I'm right!). Is the white and reddish one a Lily?

Cheers, Tom.

Shortly after Borth Carnival every year comes the "dinner party on the beach". As seems to mostly be the case, it was incredibly windy. A small group of us were at our end of the beach, but a huge number of people were participating at the other end of the beach, centred on Sadie's house where there was a great party into the early hours. Thanks Sadie! This was our party and as I hope you can see, there was a wedding theme.

Earlier in the day was the event I mentioned yesterday, the "Big Noise On Borth Beach". This was a special performance by the Borth choir followed by a performance by the Belgian marching band Propre Fanfare; because of the stones there wasn't any marching and it's amazing that the dancers didn't injure themselves! It was a great afternoon, and both sessions were excellent. Because of the crowd I didn't get many good ensemble shots, but here are 2 of the choir:

And here are a few of bits of the 100-piece band:

This is a reverse shot away from the cliffs:

The location is just visible in the very top picture of the dinner party - it was under the cliffs top right.

All in all, a lovely day.

Cheers, Tom.

If you are anywhere near the West Coast of Wales today, a trip to Borth could be great fun for you. Today is the Big Noise On Borth Beach followed by the annual dinner party on the beach.

The event is described here:

http://www.bignoiseonborthbeach.co.uk/

"A 100-piece Belgian marching band and 100 singers from Mid Wales will be belting out the biggest sound ever heard on Borth beach, on Friday August 21. The band, Propere Fanfare, is being hosted by Borth choir Côr y Gors, who they met and befriended during the choir's residency at Belgium's Ghent Festival in 2007. And the choir will be joined by up to 80 additional singers from the area"

They will be doing it just under the cliffs in the picture above, but at low tide! Today is the lowest tide of the year and the beach should be massive.

I met some of the band in the pub last night and they are a very friendly bunch. Should be a good evening!

Cheers, Tom.

I've never known a year like this one for colds and flu. Everyone seems to have had it. All our friends here in Borth have had it at some point, I have it right now, our friends who were supposed to have been coming here today have cancelled because their kids have colds, my mum now has one too. Lots of the good people here in the Blogosphere seem to have suffered as well. I really can't remember a time when so many people have had colds and flu at the same time.

On a more cheery note, Helen and I went to the cinema last night to see Play Time by Jacques Tati. This French comedy from 1967 is astonishing and unique as well as very funny. The attention to detail is quite astounding. There are no close-up shots in the whole film, it is entirely in medium and long shot, so the viewer has to scan the frame to catch everything that is going on. There are frequently 2 or 3 jokes going on at the same time and catching them all on a single viewing is unlikely. This is a film that really does require a huge screen to appreciate it. If you ever get the chance to see this amazing film at a cinema, jump on it!

Cheers, Tom.

People discard the strangest things in the countryside. Everything from litter to cars. I've never seen a circular saw left as litter before though. It had clearly been there for a while, judging from all the growth around it.

I have to wonder: Why?

Cheers, Tom.

I was looking at the big sky

As we were driving across Lincolnshire on Friday, Helen commented "There's no view" (or in the local speech that should be "There's no voo"). She meant that because of the extreme flatness, all it takes is a tall hedge for there to be nothing to be seen but hedge and sky. This is true, but there is a certain awesomeness in a huge great sky that extends for a full 180 degrees above you.

I think that's what Kate Bush is singing about in this song:

Now, isn't that one of the more peculiar music videos?

Cheers, Tom.

Helen and I spent the weekend in deepest rural Lincolnshire with Shaun and Jo and their kids Josh and Connor at their new house. Shaun is my cousin. We had loads of excellent food to eat (Thanks Jo!) and lots to drink as well, and stayed up late enjoying the warm night air and utter silence. The village has no streetlights and there was no traffic noise either, so serenity was in abundance.

Here are two aspects of their new house:

This is their pond, with one of the many apple trees in the background:

It's a lovely house in a great position and I think many happy years there are in prospect.

Sunday was my birthday and I got a cake with candles and everything!

This particular bit of joyous silliness was Josh's idea, inspired by all the wasps that seemed to be everywhere for a while:

And talking of wildlife, the dogs teamed up to catch a rat. Tilly dug the rat out and Dan ran it down. Considering they'd never met before, this bit of teamwork was rather interesting. This is Tilly:

She moves remarkably quickly on those tiny legs!

A lovely weekend was had by all.

All would be well but I now seem to have developed a lung infection to add onto my flu. Off to the doctor's later.

Cheers, Tom.

I'd always thought Swans were fresh-water birds only but it seems I was wrong - the one above was apparently happily swimming along the shore. The city of Swansea is nothing to do with swans, in case you are wondering.

Sorry the picture is so poor - I was on extreme zoom.

I met a birdwatcher today and he pointed out this chap for me:

It's a Rock Pipit. They are apparently quite common on rocky coasts but I had never even heard of them. I wouldn't have paid much attention to this one either if it hadn't been pointed out to me, because from a distance I just assumed it was a sparrow or something. I'm not much of a bird-watcher but maybe I can improve. Again, sorry about the poor picture - I only had a split second before it flew off.

I won't be around this weekend, so no blogs from me. Have a good weekend everyone!

Cheers, Tom.

Alfred Hitchcock was born today in 1899. His status as one of the top auteur film directors is pretty much undeniable and he directed these classics:

The 39 Steps
Notorious
Rope
Spellbound
Psycho
Vertigo
Rear Window
The Birds
(and many more)

He was a pioneer of many film-making techniques and has been called "The best British film director".

I saw The Birds on the telly when I was quite young and it scared the living daylights out of me. Curiously, I saw it again about 10 years later and didn't appreciate it at all, but then I saw it again recently and could appreciate the great skill that went into making it.

I think his 2 greatest films are Vertigo and Read Window.

Cheers, Tom.

This picture is too dark as it had just started raining, but I rather like the "decisive moment". The birds are Oystercatchers.

Cheers, Tom.

The sun is shining, it's warm, there is a slight breeze and little fluffy white clouds are in the sky. It's a day for sitting by a pond throwing sticks into the water for doggie to retrieve. It makes me think of this song with it's glorious samples of Rickie Lee Jones, and Pat Metheny playing Steve Reich:

Have a lovely day everyone, whatever the weather.

Cheers, Tom.

I know that in this ecosystem that we call Earth there is a place for everything. Every little and every large creature has it's place and is either predator or prey (or sometimes both). But that doesn't mean I have to like them all. And I do NOT like slugs.  I don't know what it is about them, their sliminess, the way they slither round or what. The fact that they eat up our vegetables doesn't endear them either. Hedgehogs eat them. Some birds eat them too if they get the chance, which is why the slugs mostly come out at night. Can you imagine eating a slug? What a hideous thought!

A rare use of Flash by me here - I can't stand flash normally but I had no choice on this occasion.

Tom.

A few days ago, I popped to our local little shop to buy a few things: bread, butter, milk. I went to where the butter should be. No butter. I scanned carefully along the shelf: no butter. I scanned even more carefully and then noticed the above. This is a sign of the times and I don't like it. Things that used to be sold wrapped in something relatively benign (greaseproof paper, metal, whatever) are now sold in plastic. This includes butter, soap, toothpaste and more. Before long, if things carry on the way they are, almost everything will come covered in plastic.

Not only do these things not need to be plasticized, the plastic packaging actually costs more to make (both financially and environmentally) and the cost is passed onto us, the consumers. Then it has to be disposed of, which means it goes into a landfill. The reasons these things are covered in plastic is because they are easier to stack and because the shelf-life is longer. The pros are all the manufacturer's, and the cons are all the consumer's.

On this occasion I bought it, but next time I won't. We are being slowly buried under plastic crap and unless we start digging soon it will be too late.

Tom.

Today I shall post pictures of some of the interesting people I photographed at the carnival. Everyone from the tiniest babies to the oldest pensioner takes part, locals and tourists alike. A selection of these are below, and they all enlarge if you click on them.

Firstly, this pair of Bugsy Malone girls:

And then this pair of Hawaiian girls:

I'm not sure who this lad was dressed as, but he was very determinedly and boldly striding down the street in his black outfit:

This boxing lad was going very seriously about his business too:

It's easy to see why these cave people look so happy:

The parade was being led by this happy looking clown:

It's a shame I chopped off the top of the taller girl's head gear, but she has a lovely smile:

Some more of Bugsy's gang, but on their float this time:

A Blues Brother and Sister:

The perfect fairy:

A happy camper who looks like he's about to fall over:

Later in the evening on the promenade we have 4 women silhouetted against the sunset as they danced like mad things to Abba:

That is Trudy, Helen, Keelinn and A.N. Other.

Cheers, Tom.

Just a quick appraisal and some random pics here - I'll do a fuller report later.

It was a lovely day, gorgeous weather, and the decorated streets were a riot of colour and laughter. This is the carnival queen Rhiannon:

This is a scary queen mother:

"Lost on Borth beach" won a costume prize in the under 5s:

The all important marching band leading the proceedings (that's my friend Ruth on the right, just to the left of the clown):

Mr Stay Puft and car:

Jelly Baby:

And The Blues Borthers:

I took about 800 pictures and I haven't had time to sort though them yet, so this is just an initial batch to give some of the flavour.

Cheers, Tom.

I was out and about on the bog yesterday, ostensibly walking the dog, but also taking pictures of interesting flora and fauna. Below is a selection, and they all get larger if you click on them.

This is an Adonis Blue butterfly (top side and bottom side):

I think this is a Cabbage White:

Is this a bee - I'm not sure?

These are definitely cows:

And these are definitely leaves on a pond:

I'm fairly confident this is a thistle:

And I think this is a dragonfly, but I don't know what type:

Cheers, Tom.

P.S. The date is 070809 today.

P.P.S. It's Borth carnival today so I won't be here much. I'll catch up, and pictures will follow, over the weekend.

I've been meaning to record a Talking Heads song for a while now, and Heaven was the logical choice because it works well with just an acoustic guitar. The higher singing parts were too high for me, so I pitched the whole thing down.

This is a truly lovely song when they do it, and one with an underlying message.

Cheers, Tom.

No, don't tell me.

Helen and I went to see Stalker at the cinema last night. I already owned the dvd, but it's one of those films that you just have to see on the big screen to appreciate it properly. Directed by Andrei Tarkovsky in 1979, it's about The Zone. This is a strange place guarded by the military where the laws of physics and geography don’t operate as usual and which is said to contain “The Room” where your deepest innermost wish can be made true.

The film asks the viewer a question: what is your deepest, innermost wish?  Are you really sure?

Tarkovsky’s second science fiction film after Solaris is quite a peculiar one for the genre. There are no spaceships, it all takes place on earth and you don't "see" anything peculiar or other worldly. There is little music and the pace is very slow and contemplative with lots of lingering shots of green nature juxtaposed with an industrial wasteland. There are industrial clanging noises, water dripping or roaring, trains going past and the noises combine with the bleak visuals to give an overall aura of tension. This is then amplified by the bickering of the 3 main characters. You get sucked into The Zone along with the characters.

The Stalker of the title is a guide through The Zone. He is asked by 2 men to guide them through The Zone to The Room. The film shows us the journey and what happens upon The Stalker’s return.

I think this film is a work of absolute genius. Everything is significant, every scrap of dialogue tells you something, every image so lovingly and painstakingly wrought remains on the screen for long enough to allow you to absorb it's meaning properly. You could take any image from this film, frame it and put it in an art gallery. And it's actually about something deep and important: what it means to live, the very purpose of existence:

What do you want the most?

This is true art-house cinema, it's not "just a movie". It's slow, and you have to think about what it's saying. These days it's an unpopular sort of film because the public at large seem to want fast adrenaline rushes of films with happy endings and Stalker doesn't do that. But if you give it a try and immerse yourself in it's "waking dream" then it will leave you thoughtful and with a feeling of mystery and wonder.

Cheers, Tom.

I managed to catch this black headed gull just as it was taking off. I never realized the wings were so large before! Click the picture to enlarge it.

Cheers, Tom.

Last night I was beavering away in my studio when Helen shouted down to me from the living room of our upside-down house (bathroom downstairs, kitchen and living room upstairs) that the sky was "really orange". So I grabbed my camera and sure enough it was. I took the bottom three pictures at 2 minute intervals from our balcony and the top one an hour earlier. I have done no colour manipulation to these pictures at all, just a bit of judicious cropping.

All the pictures get larger if you click on them.

20:04

21:03

21:05

21:07

This is Louis Armstrong singing "Sunny Side of the Street":

Cheers, Tom.

My surfer friend Harvey told me that the best place to photograph the surfers is on the rocks below the promontory. I headed off there this morning to find that the expected swell hadn't materialized and so there weren't any surfers. Boo Hoo.

I spotted the above people sat on a large rock enjoying the view instead. Dan got a nice 2 hour walk as well, so he was very happy with the situation.

Cheers, Tom.

(Note: this place has truncated the right edge of the picture - please click it to see it properly)

What's it all about then?

"When I hear somebody sigh, "Life is hard," I am always tempted to ask, "Compared to what?" -- Sydney Harris

"When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. Live your life so that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice" - Cherokee Indian (author unknown)

"Life is rather like a tin of sardines - we're all of us looking for the key" - Alan Bennett

"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing" - Helen Keller

"Life is a great big canvas, and you should throw all the paint on it you can" - Danny Kaye

"To succeed in life, you need three things:  a wishbone, a backbone and a funnybone"  ~Reba McEntire

"Expecting the world to treat you fairly because you are good is like expecting the bull not to charge because you are a vegetarian"  ~Dennis Wholey

"The meaning of life is that it stops" - Franz Kafka

"The fact that life has no meaning is a reason to live --moreover, the only one" - E.M. Cioran

"Perhaps the truth depends on a walk around the lake" - Wallace Stevens

Tom.

Good catch mate!

Cheers, Tom.

P.S. Click on the picture to enlarge it

The traditional UK view of "the church" is this:

Some have been saying for a while that the fuddy-duddy image needs to be changed in order to make "the church" seem more modern and hence appeal to young people. In America this is now happening, and there are now 300 "ramp camps" where kids can go for a bit of skating and to get indoctrinated at the same time. It's described here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8177318.stm

One lad describes it:

"It's just like a skate park but where you can also worship your god"

Personally, I would be surprised if such a place would appeal to these lads in London:

Ii suspect they'd be horrified by it.

"The church" is in a difficult place at the moment, split between those who say that it needs to stand proud on the principles that were laid down 2000 years ago and those who say that those principles were in another time and another place and culture and need bringing up to date to fit with modern life. Both camps have well justified arguments and both sides seem utterly intransigent.

The first camp say that their principles as detailed in the bible are the literal word of god, eternal and unchanging, and hence they cannot, must not, be changed. The 2nd camp says that the principles in the bible were written by men based on the word of god and are therefore culturally specific and hence flexible.

It's difficult to see how these views can be resolved and more sectarian splitting seems likely. There are estimated to be 38,000 different Christian sects in the world, each of which was formed by a different interpretation of biblical passages. The thinking that (if you are a Christian) you can pick and choose which bits of the bible you like and which bits you don't and make a new sect based on that is long established. It's hard to see that thinking changing, so in the long term the revisionists will eventually win as the traditionalists dwindle in number as ever more fragmentation occurs.

Cheers, Tom.

There really should be a song with that title. It's the time the last person left our party last night. Perhaps I should write it.

We had a great evening - lots of fizzy wine was drunk, lots of entertaining chit-chat was had and for the last few hours there was some fine singing and guitar playing. It's handy having no neighbours!

My version of Creep by Radiohead on Ukulele done in a spoken style with an exaggerated Blackburn accent went down surprisingly well. Sort of George Formby crossed with Thom Yorke, but with a deeper voice. I must do that one down the pub some time. Or maybe not.

We must have another party in another 50 years.

Tom.

Happy Birthday Helen