where art collides

Offline again. Eurostar. Only have a partial Spotify library since I switched SD Cards in my phone. On the plus side I haven’t noticed videos being unresponsive anymore, or at least slow to respond. On the minus side I forgot that I needed to download all my songs. Started doing this but got a long way to go. At least I have a Satchmo album to keep me entertained until connectivity returns.

It has now but bandwidth is normally rubbish so I’m going to type a bit and then post these random ramblings. As I head for the border the clouds seem to be returning to England. Don’t know about Wales and Scotland but experience suggests that the likelihood is they will be the same.

Strumming a bit of Edith Piaf right now. I found out about EP when I first moved to Lincoln. I remember it was a beautiful weekend and I’d bought a bottle of red from the Portuguese guy in the Grapevine off license on Burton Road. He told me to let it breathe for an hour or so. There was nobody else around that day so I fixed myself some steak and chips and consumed the bottle of red to the accompaniment of Edith Piaf and Louis Armstrong. Perfect laid back summer.

Thats where we need to get to. The no responsibility chilled out plateau of youth.

I can’t believe how pants the mobile connectivity is along the UK section of the Eurostar line.

Woman sat opposite has just put a coat on over shirt and cardigan. I’m sat here in a t-shirt.

I keep looking at the mifi to see if any bars have appeared. A forlorn hope.

Summertime is on. The ultimate in laid back cool. I feel as if I want to shut my eyes and float out of my seat

Woman opposite looking bored now. Daughter is engrossed in her iPad and the husband is buried in Auto Gids car magazine looking at listings.

Now onto mood indigo. Serious class.

Can’t quite see what sort of car he’s looking at. It’s all in Flemish, or Dutch anyway. Might as well be Greek. I’d work on today’s greenhouse vid but it doesn’t need anything doing to it. I’ve even left the bit in where I was making Darren move back away from the camera. Just waiting to get to sensible connectivity at the hotel.

Just noticed he has a matching blue coat to hers. He’s put the mag down and is trying to nod off. She’s picked it up. Nice to have mutual interests like that…

Have switched off mini and trying the train wifi. It uses cellular connections so unlikely to be much better. Especially in the tunnel. Might succumb and head to the bar for something to do.

Have moved to something livelier – Summertime Throwbacks album.

Just declined the standard onboard fare in favour of a can of Kronenbourg. It is a Bank Holiday in Belgium after all. Meeting Andrea at the hotel at 7.30pm to go for a meal. No point in filling myself with cardboard quiche and rice salad and spilling the modules frites, or whatever lies in store.

I’m staying at the Hilton Grande Place. It’s about the cheapest I’ve ever seen it – the EC lot are all away on holidays or similar. As a Hilton Diamond member they have already upgraded me to a King Exec Junior Suite. Makes life easier.

Interesting speeding through the flat countryside en route to Brussels. Big WW1 battleground of course. You do occasionally get a glimpse of a cluster of war graves. Symmetrical. Orderly in death and quite unlike the chaos that was almost certainly the environment in which they died. We don’t know how lucky we are. Live life to the full. It’s the appropriate way to honour the war dead. I look out of the window and imagine ranks of soldiers marching to the front.

This offline state has meant that I can’t do any work. Was sort of thinking of preparing for tomorrow’s meeting. Already done most of it but you can never do too much preparation innit.

Spotify is slowly downloading. There is a trickle to mobile dat making it through. As if it was escaping through enemy lines:)

The country side is full of greens and browns about to become greens. The cows are sat down. Cmon ladies, up you get. Can’t having this pessimism.

Bit of Abba on now. I accidentally clicked on my fave’s playlist when checking how many songs had downloaded.

About to arrive at Lille. I think it’s only 30 mins or so after that.

Little ole Lille. Underground station. Not particularly memorable or grand. Crap really. Maybe there is a grand old station above us. Lille Centrale.

She is now doing her lipstick. Occasional bursts of connectivity coming through. One or two Facebook Messages and Slack.

Very industrial agricultural landscape around us. Large scale stuff. Huge fields.

I think I may soon be able to upload this.

The hot topic at the moment is whether to delete your Facebook presence. In my mind I’ve extended this to the idea of all online trace of you being deleted.

It’s a strange concept for someone who has spent much of his adult life building up an online presence (ok being able to “go online” hasn’t existed for that much of my adult life!). 3,000 or so blog posts on trefor.net and maybe 1,500 on philosopherontap.com. All my Facebook posts. It is all part of me. An extension of me. It’s an online diary. Autobiography. A means by which people will be able to look back and get a picture of Tref.

I’m not sure how I would feel if all this was deleted. It doesn’t really matter in the great scheme of things. We are all destined for oblivion anyway.

I guess my philosophy is that life is one big work of participation art. I try to participate. If one avenue was blocked off I’d have to find another route whatever that route was.

That’s all.

My specs need a clean. It is surely the work of seconds to whip them off and wipe with my shirt. In fact I’ve just done it. Much better now. I’m sure you understand. Clarity.

Anne is in the kitchen. I assume so anyway. I am sat in the TV room with the TV switched off. Nothing on worth watching. Rarely is tbh. Anne always keeps herself busy.

A red light flashes on the cordless phone  by the settee. I’m not sure the phone works any more or at least it needs a new battery. I’ll stick it on the jobs list.

Over on the settee there is a dress, black with red, pink and grey tulips. Pretty sure they are tulips. I think it’s going on eBay. Anne wears them a few times and moves them on.

The weather forecast for Easter weekend is not good. Easter is still over a week away but here in Lincoln we feel that Spring can happily now enter into our lives. Existence.

I have been reading Mussolini, His Part in My Downfall by Spike Milligan. This is volume IV. I’ve just finished vols 1 – 3. Note inconsistent numbering conventions there. Reb.

Been moving some books around. Need more space in the big bookcase in the living room where all my history books and the Welsh and Manx interest stuff resides. Book demotion.

The printer is silent. It sits there patiently, waiting to spew forth. Maybe it’s watching me. We ignore it most of the time but it is connected, hackable. The answer lies in the socket.

The featured image is a random photograph just taken for the very purpose. Felt a change was needed from the philosopherontap logo, excellent that it is. Specs have been cleaned.

and be forgotten

I am a baker. I have mastered the basic art of survival. I make bread. I put food on the table for my family. My cow provides us with milk, butter and cheese. I brew ale and use the yeast which is a by product of the brewing process in my bread. Bread cheese and ale are all I really need. The wheat for the bread is grown in the fields around my house and is stored in jars I keep for the purpose. I keep pigs and hens and sometimes catch fish and wildfowl from the rivers, fields and woods around me. This is all hard work. My back is bent and you can count the years in the lines on my face. Soon I will die and be forgotten.

I am a baker. I buy the flour, salt, butter and yeast from the supermarket. I like baking my own bread. I do it for my own personal satisfaction and not out of a need to feed the family. Survival is not my game. Occasionally I cook meals using the finest ingredients money can buy. I spend my years getting the most out of them. Laughter has lined my face and I like to drink ale. I have time on my hands. Soon I will die and be forgotten.

Gaia accepts returns

I found out recently that someone who lived nearby had died a few months ago. I had not noticed the passing of this person. I doubt that he will be missed by many if anyone, other than perhaps his wife. Another leaf fallen from the tree of life and reclaimed by Gaia.

OFFICIAL. BIG BROTHER REALLY IS WATCHING YOU! WHERE WILL YOU HIDE? YOUR EXPERIENCE OF CHILDHOOD GAMES WILL NOT HELP NOW. THEY CAN SEE BEHIND THE SOFA AND UNDER BUSHES. A BEDROOM DOOR IS NO PROTECTION. YOUR EVERY MOVE IS BEING TRACKED BY BOTH FORCES OF GOOD AND EVIL. THOSE WHO SEEK TO PROTECT YOU ARE UNWITTINGLY TELLING THE BAD GUYS WHERE TO LOOK. WHO IS GOOD AND WHO IS BAD? WHAT HAVE YOU GOT TO HIDE?

just me and the music

The Duke plays quietly in the corner. The band’s eyes are shut, concentrating on the job in hand. Focussing on the music. Soul. I can see the Duke caressing the piano. The drummer, lost behind his dark glasses, is in his own separate world.

It is now totally dark out. Here in the conservatory I see the reflection of my screen on the glass. Removing my glasses the eyes get a rub. My eyesight is too bad to type without the specs.

The bassist absentmindedly tugs his strings and stares into the distance.

I am contemplating a quick trip to the pub. The working week, for what it was, is done. I will pick up where I left off on Monday. It will wait, the work. Anne and John are somewhere in the house. I am cut off.

A trumpeter breaks in. My head nods. Foot taps. Eyelids drop.

Welcome to my world. Come in. Sit down and say nothing. Talk is superfluous. I feel my chin. Need a shave. It’s the weekend. It will wait, the shave.

Guitarist now picks up the pace. The band’s heads all nod rhythmically, intently. I tap the table.

Suddenly I am awake. My mind feels it needs to do something. Think. Pick up some words and spin them with my fingers. Reflect my mood. I can see them dance in front of me. The darkness hides the walls. It’s a huge field in which to play. My head continues to nod.

I can feel it raining out. Hear it not see it. What it is like to lose my sight. My mouth opens. Sounds come out. Talking to myself and to the music. How long can it continue

yeast

custard

white onions

neigh

Two white horses in a field of green
What is the nature of their conversation
Nice bit of grass this morning
I like the way it is more refreshing with the dew on it
Neigh
Whinny
Stop whinnying
Who’s your favourite horse film star?
Trigger
That’s going back a bit
I like the old stuff best
They don’t make em like they used to
Horseburgers
Neigh

time of year

Getting cold out. Warm coat time. Quite nice though. Wrap up well. Hat, gloves scarf. Stout walking shoes.Thick socks maybe. Roaring log fire. Butter drenched crumpets. Sunday roast dinner. Nights close in. Brandy inner glow. Cuddles on settee. Three’s a crowd.

not long for this world

No more than a twig really but it is reaching out of the hedge in an attempt to steal the light from its neighbours. A forlorn effort. It will be cut off before ever reaching a prime. Such is the fate of a hedge. A branch serves one purpose. Thinking for itself is not allowed. For now I will let the it bask in its naive optimism. One more day in the sun.