Geograph of the year from last January

Thanks to everyone who voted and those who made the selections. I am really shocked and pleased to have won. What a shame that Gwen wasn't with me when I took the picture.

Since I am unlikely to be close to a mountain for some time I will enjoy reminiscing about an early start to a wonderful day. Unfortunately the sound recording of the fence didn't work. So I can't share the incredibly musical noise made by the ice as it dropped from the fence sometimes as big chunks, but always amongst a myriad of smaller slivers that stuck into the snow below making a very delicate sound.

Instead a video from the top of Mayar where as always I have circled around too quickly. Along with some other pictures I didn't post of the fence.

Burns Night

Invalided as I am my thoughts still wander to Burns and especially what poem to give my class. I found the whole process a torment when I was young, however, as a recent convert I will share my enthusiasm with Primary 4 in the hope that one or two might find their way to love it in later life. No decision as yet on what to give them, rest assured that it will probably be a J.K. Annand favourite.

Until then this offering from Stuart McLean:

(If you don't know the tune I have the complete boxed set of burns songs just ask)

Bruce, the Best Man’s, Address to the Groom at His Wedding

Scot, wha hae wi' shavin’ bled,
Scot, wham is so easy led,
Welcome to yer wedding bed -
Oh such mysterie!

Now's the day, and now's the hour:
See the front o' battle lour,
See approach yer new bride’s mither -
Chains and slaverie!

Wha could be so bloody brave?
Married till ye meet the grave?
All yer life tae be a slave? -
Too late tae turn, and flee!

By yer wife’s woes and pains,
Ye’ll hae six screamin’, scroungin’ weans,
They’ll ensure yer bank book drains,
And ye shall ne’er be free!

Lay such horrid thoughts aside!
Long enough have ye cried!
Let us stand and toast the bride!
The drinks are all on me!

This of course in no way represents my views or feelings about marriage. My own experience and that of everyone whom I know has been a blissfully happy one. In no way do I recommend that any best man recites this at a wedding, or if he chooses to do so of his own free will and volition, do not blame me!

Geograph of the Year 2008...

... and the winner is ... James!!!!!!

Yes, the overall winner of Geograph of the Year 2008, with this photo

http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/660224

Our profile on  Geograph is GwenandJames, but that photo was all James. I wasn't there and if I  had been, I probably would have held him up too much on that fine, crisp morning last January, to have allowed him to take it!

Yes, he is good, he knows it and now he has a title to prove it!!!

Well done honey.

Gwen x

James is still recovering from the lumbar puncture and has spent all day flat on his back. He was far braver than I would have been.

Lumber Puncture

Post-puncture = flat on my back. Thank Toshiba for my laptop and the accessibility of music on the web that shuns the corporate model that dominates the main stream. From dublab based in LA and recording artists in unusual venues around the city downloadable to your i-pod as well.

That reminds me, we have tickets for Dick Gaughan. This might mark the true transition into proper 'folk' fans, but as someone (I can't remember who) said when asked if their music was folk music; "yeh it's folk music, have you ever heard of a horse that can sing".

DON CAVALLI "Long Time Gone" (dublab VisionVersion) from dublab on Vimeo.

....ermmm Happy New Year...

... well better late than never!

I can hardly believe that it is the 18th January already and that we haven't had a chance to get on the blog since New Year. However, it is true.

James and I are back to work and Esmé has started at morning (pre-school) nursery, that's right she is off the school after the summer, yes, the summer this year...[deep breath, no tears]. Anyway, with work and Esmé's social life we have had little time up date the blog.

I remember when blogs first started to take off, you know, when they were for computer nerds, my brother -in-law told me that there was no point in having a blog if it was not updated very regularly. I heard a discussion on Radio 4 late last year about blogs. It claimed that most blogs were full of personal drivel and irregularly updated, thus dragging down the validity of serious blogs.

Their description is our blog, I won't argue, but surely our efforts to record family life to keep friends who occassionaly pop in informed, does not actually do any harm to the 'serious' blogger?

Happy New Year