Bank Vole
Originally uploaded by Roger B..
I had to post this photo taken by Roger B.
Roger takes the most amazing nature shots – photos I truly aspire to. We were not surprised when he recently won the Sheffield Wildlife Trust Photography Competition.
Fairy strike
Originally uploaded by Mckarash.
At the weekend I caught up with my old friend Nigel, it was lovely to see him (although he didnt tell me that he’d grown wings since I last saw him!).
He’s working down in Bristol as a sailor on The Matthew.
I’ve even managed to get him on Flickr.
I was sorry that I missed April, she was off doing a sailing exam – I hope everything went well?
For some reason, tonight I moved Martin’s runes and this one fell out of the bag.
Harvest – Jera – One Year – Fertile Harvest – 13A Rune of beneficial outcomes, Jera applies to any activity or endeavour to which you are committed. Receiving this Rune encourages you to keep your spirits up. Be aware, however, that no quick results can be expected. A span of time always is involved; hence the key words ‘one year’, symbolizing a full cycle of time before the reaping, the harvest or deliverance.
You have prepared the ground and planted the seed. Now you must cultivate with care. To those whose labour has a long season, a long coming to term, Jera offers encouragement of success. Know that the outcome is in the keeping of Providence and continue to persevere.
Remember the farmer who was so eager to assist his crops that he went out at night and tugged on the new shoots. There is no way to push the river; equally you cannot hasten the harvest. Be mindful that patience is essential for the recognition of your own process which, in its season, leads to the harvest of the self.
So, a good sign I’d say.
matthew at sea
Originally uploaded by Mckarash.
Peace of the running waves to you,
Deep peace of the flowing air to you,
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you,
Deep peace of the shining stars to you,
Deep peace of the shades of night to you,
Moon and stars always giving light to you,
May Deep Peace be always with you.
I love the photo above (posted by my dear friend Nigel – he works on the ship), and I found the poem on a piece of paper in Mum’s kitchen.
Very naughty, Colin went to Tesco (it was the only shop open and he had to make cheesecakes for a lecture the following day – he uses the cheesecakes to represent a field and then demonstrates how to do a survey!)
One of the ingredients is ginger nut biscuits (my absolute favourites).
Anyway, I was amazed to find the following on the pack -
Ginger nut biscuits.
ALLERGY ADVICE
Have you ever seen anything so damn confusing? There are no nuts in the recipe, but they can’t guarantee that the biscuits are nut free, but they are made in a nut free area – but nuts are used elsewhere (that’s obvious isn’t it, nuts are used in many places across the world!?)
Good too see clear labeling.
Oh, and by the way – the packaging information says ‘flow wrap: plastic, recyclable where facilities exist’ – but surely everything is recyclable where facilities exist, the problem is that facilities don’t usually exist.
It’s good to see someone unlikely taking a stand against the government. Yesterday Chris Ewbanks (former WBO boxing champion, and possibly the best dressed eccentic in the country) was arrested.
He hit the nail on the head by driving his HGV up and down Whitehall with a big banner saying ‘Blair, don’t send our young prince to your catastrophic illegal war to make it look plausible’ – fantastic!
I don’t really care if one of the princes does go to Iraq (he was stupid enough to join the forces), but Ewbank does have a point here.
The Guardian suggests that Ewbank’s political future is assured – I’d vote for him!
I love the little notes that Pret put on their products, but the best yet has to be on their 100% recycled blown napkins.
‘This ugly brown napkins is made from 100% recycled stock (pretty white napkins are bleached which can result in environmentally damaging toxic waste). If Pret staff get all serviette-ish and hand you huge bunches of napkins (which you don’t need or want) please give them the evil eye. Waste not want not.’
How refreshing – if only all places cared half as much (and even if it is ‘green wash’, at least they are doing something).
Anyone who knows me will be aware that I have absolutely no interest in celebrity – I have know idea who ninety percent of them are. However, today in The Torygraph (Dad’s paper not mine!) there was a story about one of the ones I do recognise.
It appears that Liz Hurley is to be wed next week; the only reason I read the article was that she is getting married in the Cotswolds; she has a house in Barnsley (near Cirencester, not the one in Yorkshire!).
I know that area well as it’s not far from where I spent most of my childhood, and Dad rented a house just down the road for a while. So the local pub; The Village Pub is somewhere we went for lunch quite often, and it seems where a lot of the celebs will be hanging out.
Some of the comments about the area really made me laugh;
‘The area needs a celebrity wedding like a Gloucester Old Spot pig needs a Gucci coat’
and
‘Cirencester is possibly the last place in Britain where men in polished brown brogues doff brown trilby hats in greeting and wear mustard-coloured corduroy trousers as standard weekday kit’
I have to say, I was in Ciren today I didn’t see anyone wearing a trilby hat – actually, come think of it, yes I did – and he had the mustard corduroys on!!
Tonight on the way to stay with Dad for a couple of days I decided to buy two CDs. The first was the current number one CD – Life in cartoon motion by MIKA. For a while I’d been willing the song ‘Grace Kelly’ to come on the radio, and putting off purchasing the album as I was sure that the song was a one off and that I probably wouldn’t like the whole album – how wrong I was!!
‘Grace Kelly’ is a fantastic song, I love Mika’s voice. The whole album is very different from anyone else I’ve ever heard (although he does have the sound of Freddie Mercury), and I don’t think there is a song I don’t like. I normally don’t turn the car stereo up above number 11 or 12 – tonight I had it up to 15, and singing along (thank heavens I couldn’t be heard!).
I think that one of the attractions of the album is that it’s easy to pick up the words to the songs, and singing along is just pure fun! I’ve just got to be careful not to over play it.
The second album completely blew me away. Have you ever discovered a new band, film or book and instantly loved it – and wanted to tell everyone that they should get it? Well this is the case with this album – I’ve discovered a band that I’ve always loved!
It is the ‘new’ album by The Beatles. It’s called ‘Love’ and features 26 re-worked Beatles classics, including all my favourites; Eleanor Rigby, I am the walrus, Being for the benefit of Mr. Kite (who can’t love a song with the line ‘and of course Henry the horse dances the waltz’), and Octopus’s garden.
This is how The Beatles would sound if they were making records now – full orchestral arrangements, added voices and affects. It is quite possibly the best album I’ve ever bought – and the biggest joy is that I know all the words to the songs!!
Because The Beatles recorded multi-tracks there was so much material to play with, so this album combines well known songs and snippets of the band singing and talking. George Martin (The Beatles original producer – I think!) produced this album with his son. Some of the tracks are reversed, sped up and slowed down; in one case a whole song (Sun King) is played backwards – vocals included (thus becoming ‘Gnik Nus’).
Obviously Paul MaCartney, Ringo Starr, Yoko (John Lennon’s wife) and Olivia (George Harrison’s wife) were involved – but I can honestly say that had The Beatles all still been with us, this is what we would be listening to, I can’t help but think that both John and George would approve completely of this.
GO OUT AND BUY THEM BOTH NOW!!
Good on you Charlie!
Tuesday, 27 February, 2007Prince Charles is in the United Arab Emirates trying the local cuisine. It is reported that he asked,
I’m with him there, but it seems that McDonald’s are not too happy about it!
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