#2

See, another dustbin scape and again from the same place in Gijon. That's Spainland. A wonderful construction that looks like it should have been built by King Ludwig II. In fact is was designed by Luis Moya I see and is the biggest building in Span. It looked like it too. Luckily they included this binscape opportunity. I thanks thee Sir.

I forget thee not

I have not forsaken thee.
I'm still taking snaps on rubbish themes.
Here's one from my Dustbinscape series.

Granted they are oversize bins but hey, one needs a little variance in the series. Unfortunately I couldn't get rid of the monolith in the background. But I'm sure you get the idea.

Meanwhile I await the arrival of artist Katie from the toon. Coming for a spot of work in the darkroom - if the bus arrives!

Vuelta

I may have mentioned our little sojourn in foreign places - notably Asturias recently. We go to such places to track down pals from times past and to drink in the atmosphere - and the cider - from the race around Spain. We are always wasted when we get back but buoyed by meeting such lovely peeps such as Rod Ellingworth here. I'm afraid Eve was so excited she made a weird face but you get the idea. Known the fella for years from when I worked at the velodrome in Manchester. Now he's married to another great friend of mine, the lovely Jane Carter - and, has two coming on three beautiful children. Oh, twas so very lovely to see him again. David B - for those who know who I mean, stayed  on the bus since the Daily Smell [Mail] was sniffing around that day!

Then we met up with the equally lovely Adam Bythe - a professional cyclist for the Irish Aquablue team - actually riding the event, the Tour of Spain. Now, Adam and I go back a year or two when Adam was a mere young thing at the Velodrome with his pal Ben Swift. He was lovely then and even lovelier now - with a partner and a young son. How good is that! So proud of him I might say and pleased he still remembers me !

Still star struck, Eve smiled sweetly this time.

As I write this, last Sunday, I'm watching the World Cycling Champs in Bergen - and Adam is riding there too.

The snaps were taken on the excellent Bergger 400 developed in IID11. Love the film and would use it lot if I could afford it!

The Campagnolo two-step

Merely for the cycling aficionados.

Blush !!!!!!

Oh forgive my talentless posting. Another blurry snap for me to like. I shall have to stop doing these as I may be in danger of carving out a new genre - or at least a sub-genre of 'dodgy images by wannabe artistes'.

Ooof

Oh well, are you up-fed with me blurry snaps yet?
Hope not cause I'm a lovin them.
I might even make a small zine of them - for exclusive distribution you understand.

In the meantime, if you are on this side of the world - and even if you are not, get along to the excellent exhibition at an Lanntair at the mo. Went to the opening don't you know an dsaw the wonderful images of Ragnar Axelsson, Alex Boyd and Chris Friel. This is THE show to go and see.

Rolling along

I'm writing this a few days before the day it's posted. It's called getting ahead. Only thing is the 'news' such as I may have is a few days old. You'll have to forgive me.

The images from the first couple of rolls of polypan-f from Espagne seem to be lovely. I mean, really inspiring or something. The negs look interesting and beg work in the darkroom. And I'm going in the darkroom soon - despite the wonderfully sunny and sublime morning that it is. I have a mentoree coming over for a bit of a mentor-up. A lovely artist who's work I rather admire but wants to expand her repertoire more in the darkish smelly room. Why? I have no idea.

The night was long last night as I lay awake thinking of all the things I should say to young Ms Katie. I think she knows more than me already!

Colour again

No, I didn't have the full pallete of colours available to relate this image to you. forgive me for being so brutal but you'll just have to use your imagination - or get Andrew Sanderson to paint the flipping thing oop.

Don't say it!

I'm just pre-editing see.
This is not the finished image as it were. It needs to be printed with proper paper, chemicals and stuff.
But I'm mad now. More than usually.
Mad in the way annoyed is mad not barmy mad.

The pooter program - some Serif thing - is 'hanging'. I think it's thinking of stopping and throwing away the spotting I've just spent ages doing on anther masterpiece. If it does, Laura at Serif - who is constantly emailing me encouraging me to buy another batch of zeros and ones - will get the brunt of my ire.

Anyway, far be it for me to lose my rag - I have it by the side of me here - I shall sup my Wyld Wood cider [very nice since you ask] and continue posting one I did earlier.

The snap by all accounts - mainly mine - is of the recent Vuelta. Just part of it you understand. and was tooked on Polypan-f film. What else.

Mind you, I am back home where the sun is shining - unexpectedly - and the beaches are beckoning.  I give you; "Where sheeps tread". Reef machair to be precise !

I don't want to lead you astray

I'm not known to tell lies. Not that I haven't been caught yet, it's just that I don't like them.

So I'm not going to lead you astray and make something up about this image. I can't altogther remember the exact context.
It was in Spainland I can tell you that.
It was somewhat ethereal.
An apparitionic being with an air of an Angel. I fib you not.

Have you seen that film? Wings of Desire? No?
STOP EVERYTHING and watch it now.

Sider

I think this may have been after imbibing the Sider. It may have been. I'm not sure since the headache has yet to clear.

It was dearest Eve's fault. The cider that is.
It was available within a snails fartation of the apartment we stayed for a few nights in the rural part of a semi-industrial zone in northern Spain. Like you do; being woken at night by the hammering of something metallic with a muffled dragon. I think it was. I never did manage the local language.

The cider though;
I was born in Somerset you know. The bit where the poshest snobs come from and was taught nothing about cider. Consequently I almost killed an Asian-heritage work colleague some years back when I brought back a gallon of Somerset cider for him from a place just round the corner from my elder sisters.

And I didn't learn anything when Lynne, my elder sister emptied the cider barrel of the remaining stuff after it had gorn off a bit [this was cider made at the same place as the stuff I took to Londinium for my pal but from apples from her own orchard] onto the garden and it killed everything it touched for a decade at least.

The Spanish stuff was rather nice - poured as it was in this nice bar-place from a bottle held above head height into a glass held below the belt as it were. We should have thrown it all on the floor rather than the dregs one is supposed to.

My head will clear soon.


The image, if my fragile mind is correct is of someone, somewhere doing something. On film.

You didn't think I'd go all that way to have a battery run out do you?

It did though.
The very day we got where were going - in the general sense of a holiday 'destination' that is - not in life and what have you; that very day, the wein cell over-weined or whatever it does and the exposure meter on the OM1n I'd taken didn't work.

Oooof! can you imagine?

I'll have you know I compromised. I mostly used the Minolta 505si I'd taken as a backup. Oh I am resourceful I'll have you know.

And before you ask why more blurry pictures?

I like them

This Spain I think. The nice Northern bit that is.

I'm all a quiver

I have a small pile of 35mm films waiting to be developed after our little holiday. I couldn't wait and sloshed two polypan film in PQ developer. So pleased I did since there are a few nice snaps begging to be printed within.

Eh?
Zombies I think. Spanish ones. All over the place they were.
Or maybe that wine I had was 'bad'. Who knows?

That's the sort of thing that happens when one is on holiday does it not?

Negative space.

It may not actually be space but it is negative. And I rather like it that way. Ever since I saw a little exhibition at Mirfeild the other day I'm liking more black - and I am going to explore that a bit, trust me.

Not sure how far it might go as I do like a little white too. I might look at screen prints - on black paper. That might be nice. Bright white on coal black? Nice.

Now you know I'm here and been there

Oof!
I like that. Must have been the aura that emanated from Howard Hodgkin images I saw the other day at the Hepworth Gallery. No it wasn't. Silly me, that was on the way home. Can't be influenced by something you don't know about can we? CAn we?

Anyway, we've been away, foreign and all that. flying a bit, shameful English airport and all. Shocking it was I tell you. Talk about crammed in, airless, queues and what have you.

But twas nice when we got over there where the sun shines a bit, the cyclists were cycling quickly and the tortillas were lovely.

This was not Mr Contador I'll have you know although he was there - smiling and everything. At least I don't think it was .

Home now

I did look

My sister keeps bees. Keeps them in boxes in gardens and fields - that sort of thing. All free range too, once they climb out of the little holes into and out of the boxes that is. I have never understood the facination of them to be honest. I know we cannot live without them, they make honey as well but don't ask me to play with them. Only the other day, for the first time I donned a Porton Down outfit and got up close. For a little bit.

See, this is sister Lynne and her co-conspirator plus Ron who seemed to have got press-ganged.

Some of Lyne's pets. I say 'pets' but they do have to work for a living producing honey by the bucket loads.

Midge Fest

The tent for Midge Fest was up on the machair at Garry beach the other day. Something to do with one of the churches I'm led to believe.

Yes, I have been away at the moment. Looking at the Vuelta and meeting a few pals from times past me hopes.

And if any photogs are still reading this I have been still playing with developers for this Foma 400 film I use. I'm taken with Perceptol like James Ravilious used with his films but it's not cheap - and I currently don't have any. This was [over] developed in DDX - which is ok - lasts a long time in the bottle and all that but seems a tad harsh. As if I knew what I was going on about!

And while I'm rabbiting on about things, I have decided that my two fav documentary photogs are Mr Ravilious and the wonderful Ragnar Axelsson who is I might add, coming to island to shoow his fantastic images and give a little talk I think. How good is that eh?

Sister and her grandaughter

Yorkshire EH??

Here. Possibly.

If you get a chance to visit, do go.

I may not be here or there but please leave a message from time to time so I know I can back to you.

Place of interest

I have passed this place many times but only stopped once before to take a snap - and that was in fog. Now, I have it in bright sunshine. I think I prefer the fog.

There are so many websites out there tis a wonder you ever come here. You could look here for example. Still, I am grateful for some reason that escapes me.

////

Bikists

Jupiter12 Fed Zarya

Looking for a toaster

Ah! back to me normals - what ever normals is.

I'm not there anyway. There by that shoppe selling toasters and the like - very nice people there. Go in, do.

No, I'm somewhere else I should imagine - all being well and all that. I do have cameras and film with me so I may, just may have an image to share as well as a few snaps.

Another from THAT carmera

Yes, it's a village here on the island. From the Petri7s and the mystery film.

And this is less than a village

Searching for the essence of Ravilious

Yes, we went to Devon once to search for a whiff of James Ravilious in the landscape. And why not?

Meanwhile I seek the light of Ravilious in my images. Here from Somerset in the harsh summer sunlight. Used a Minolta f3.5/50 Foma200 in Perceptol 1;3.

That's sister Lynne and her pal Ron.

That there's Ron in a relaxed mood in the garden down Somerset way.

Beeing

There he is; Ron, a long time friend of my sister Lynne whom I have got to know over the years. He came down from Welsh Wales for Lynne's birthday party in her housey place and got caught up in de-tree-stumping the orchard so the grass cutting machine wouldn't get broked as it went between the trees - and near a few of Lynne's bee hives - hence the suit.

We all celebrated with a bubble-off in the garden.

One thing I do notice is that down there in the soft south, as well as the millions of cars, the noise and heat was that the light, when the sun shines, is so very harsh. No wonder James Ravilious liked to use low-contrast lenses.

and last year

I was snapping colour film from a sailing boat on the Norfolk Broads.

This year soon I shall be posting "small works". Soon.