of the seven deadly sins, the eighth and worst by far is emotional blackmail ... the diligent practise of this subtle and ancient art creates a constantly evolving darwinistic moral vacuum in which the brightest new manipulative ideas and stratagems flourish ... and which only you, or i, can fill !
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
a snowy day
a cold cab isn't half so bad as a cold loo seat
but a cold fork-lift must be pretty uncomfortable ... except during snowball wars, when it becomes mechanised cavalry for the morning
... and danger lurks everywhere ... "bandits at ten o'clock, skipper !"
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
a rainy evening in stepney, eating in l'oasis with two other stout parties
dominic is complying with my request to sit still whilst i photograph the retro soviet hip flask he's brought me from foreign parts
Sunday, January 21, 2007
the bridge over the canal at stoke bruerne
hanslope church ... the tallest steeple in buckinghamshire
it was too windy, and the long grass was too wet to set up the tripod ... i'll have to go back !
... "Created by the early manorial family, the Maudits, following the Conquest, a hunting park was established at Hanslope and by Royal agreement several stags were taken from Salcey Forest to fortify the stock. Eventually this was acquired by Basil Brent, by whom in the late seventeenth century the present mansion was built. In time William Watts, an ex governor of Bengal, in June, 1764, bought possession and his tomb may be seen in the local church. Whilst in India, William had been attacked by a rabid dog and he was only saved from a severe mauling, or worse, by the action of a bystander, who fired an arrow through the animal's paw.
As a sign of his gratitude William had the representation of a hound with an arrow through the paw incorporated in the family coat of arms, and on the top of Hanslope church spire the weathervane is shaped in a similar depiction!"
Friday, January 19, 2007
a windy day at the office
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
a modest proposal
given david beckham's poor disciplinary record in the spanish league this season, and his imminent move to play in america, the question will inevitably recur ... "should football introduce sin-bins ?"
the answer is clearly "yes & no" ...
instead of a boring bench where a vexed player might sit for a few minutes, we need a coin-operated touch-line X-box confessional booth ... linked to giant screens ... virtual priests for ordinary matches ... virtual bishops for the european cup ... virtual archbishops for the world cup ... players may only return to the fray when they have been thoroughly absolved ... the element of suspense as the sidelined players grapple with their conscience will lift the game to new levels of stress
Monday, January 15, 2007
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Saturday, January 13, 2007
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Monday, January 08, 2007
aaargh !
instinctively i stood up to answer the call, and yanked the usb cable, damaging the socket at the side of the camera
the camera has gone to sleep & i don't know if it can be repaired
woe !
a proper lunch break with laura and nic
Sunday, January 07, 2007
lewes crown court ( i )
Saturday, January 06, 2007
Friday, January 05, 2007
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
fellini satyricon
not a "nice" film ... but possibly a great film
after seeing it thirty something years ago i was troubled and haunted by it's violence and amorality
i wondered if it had been made with a subtext, such as ...
"fellow italians, we've been here before ! do you really want to go here again ?"
of course, i was fatuously wrong
i now know that life and art can't offer us an either/or scenario and fellini would certainly have known that !
people don't juxtapose the words sublime and ridiculous for nothing