Tuesday 22 April 2008

A Favourite Book - The Night Land

To the North-West I looked, and in the wide field of my glass, saw plain the bright glare of the fire from the Red Pit, shine upwards against the underside of the vast chin of the North-West Watcher--The Watching Thing of the North-West. . . . Beyond these, South and West of them, was the enormous bulk of the South-West Watcher, and from the ground rose what we named the Eye Beam--a single ray of grey light, which came up out of the ground, and lit the right eye of the monster. . . There rose the vast bulk of the South-East Watcher--The Watching Thing of the South-East. And to the right and to the left of the squat monster burned the Torches; maybe half-a-mile upon each side; yet sufficient light they threw to show the lumbered-forward head of the never-sleeping Brute. And, so to tell more about the South Watcher. A million years gone, as I have told, came it out from the blackness of the South, and grew steadily nearer through twenty thousand years; but so slow that in no one year could a man perceive that it had moved. Yet it had movement, and had come thus far upon its road to the Redoubt, when the Glowing Dome rose out of the ground before it--growing slowly. And this had stayed the way of the Monster; so that through an eternity it had looked towards the Pyramid across the pale glare of the Dome, and seeming to have no power to advance nearer. And, presently, I was come upward almost to the top of the hill, the which took me nigh three hours. And surely, when I was come that I could see the grimness of the Lesser Pyramid, going upward very desolate and silent into the night, lo! an utter shaking fear did take me; for the sweet cunning of my spirit did know that there abode no human in all that great and dark bulk; but that there did await me there, monstrous and horrid things that should bring destruction upon my soul. And I went downward of the hill, very quiet in the darkness; and so in the end, away from that place.

Monday 14 April 2008

Thursday 10 April 2008

Favourite Views - Droxford and Old Winchester Hill



A perfect spring day in Hampshire. This is the view over Droxford towards Beacon Hill and Old Winchester Hill from Mayhill

Click on the photo for a better view

Wednesday 9 April 2008

Drapers' Almshouses Teaparty 2008



The Drapers' Livery Company maintains three almshouses in London for almost 200 residents who live in wonderfully quiet and safe cottages built especially for the purpose. An annual teaparty is given at Drapers' Hall for them.

Tuesday 8 April 2008

Snow in April



Spring weather is always unpredictable in England. Last Saturday it was a bright 17C in London, but by Sunday moning it was near freezing and the garden looked like this

Wednesday 2 April 2008

Banksy



My daughter has introduced me to Banksy, an artist who loves to brighten up walls with clever and amusing images based usually on their defects.

Unfortunately, some local councils are putting legal niceties ahead
of the positive effect his work has on what are usually pretty run-down environments, and are trying to get his his work removed.

If you support keeping these images up, you can join the appropriate Group on Facebook. It's now too late to sign this official petition

Click on the heading for his website and lots more images