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June 2, 2007
A cornucopia of limeyness.
"Baby... its stopped raining for a bit, get in the car and lets see a bit of Old Blighty."
So went the war cry this morning as we set off looking for tame falcons, bloody gypsys, boring cricket, disolusioned abbeys, sunbathing cows and er... stepping stones. And what do you know? We found them all!
In no particular order, this blog entry is just an excuse to show you some lovely pickies.
(As always, any of these images can be clicked to get full resolution).
I'm going to shove this nature and culture thing down her throat if it bloody kills her/me. Hey it worked for me. Thanks again Dad.
Posted by Andrew at 8:17 PM | Comments (0)
Dinner on the moors.
Last night was a glorious evening.
Nobody felt like cooking, and we wisely decided to drive on to the moors and look at the new wind farm and get something to eat at an ancient pub called "The Ram".
Britain is forging forwards with alternative energy, and it leaves me in despair to see our own pathetic efforts in the States. Our attempts seem to be mere political genuflections and not a real attempt to combat the problem.
The wind farm here is amazing, the 24 massive "Vestas 34" turbines generating a combined 9.6Mw of free energy. An even bigger system is proposed for the windswept moors of Oswaldwistle, with each turbine topping 185 meters high! Friends of the Earth (FOE), a eco pressure group, has objected to the plan saying it damages the moorland view, but I see them as beacons of hope rather than any blight. The sheep don't seem to mind either.
I was an active crew member with Greenpeace for years as an young man and am very bothered by the FOE attitude. For years they have been demanding solar and wind alternatives, and now it is finally here they now piss and moan. It seems that they need something to be against (very negative) and have become part of the problem.
The dinner at "The Ram" was fabulous. I had a awesome mint lamb, and Florence a leviathan sized piece of cod. The light again was magic.... I wish I could get this atmosphere into my suitcase. At least I know where to find it.
Posted by Andrew at 3:02 AM | Comments (0)
A dream.
Last night I had the most incredible dream. A very lucid dream.
I was in a cold place. Snow and ice stretched to the horizon and I was with a small group.
At some point I was free diving, no gear. I don't even remember wearing a mask.
At first the water was shallow and hardly deep enough to float my body, but I struggled using my hands to crawl along the rocky bottom. Then the bottom dropped away and I took one last gulp of air before kicking away from the surface and gliding towards the deep. At some point I passed through a boundary layer and what I thought of as clear water above, now by comparison seemed clouded and turbulent and still connected to the surface.
This was different. Sapphire blue unimaginably clear, it continued to infinity in all directions like blue outer space. Far, far below I could sense rather than see vast creatures moving and their subsonic communication vibrated through me. They felt wise and peaceful. I slipped through the water effortlessly and seemed to be able to breath the water itself. It washed through my lungs an sinuses, ice cold and saturated with oxygen. There was no sense of drowning but that it nourished me.
I reluctantly headed back for the surface, not because I needed to but that I didn't want to worry anyone waiting at the surface.
I have no idea what this all means, but it left an impression strong enough to blog.
I feel great this morning. Utterly rested and very very peaceful.
Posted by Andrew at 1:55 AM | Comments (0)