where art collides philosoperontap

Sat on the deck. Bloody bird just poo’d on my wrist. Shook wrist and it dropped off. No harm done. You heard it first.

Got back from Trent Bridge at 5pm ish. Ubered it. Made more sense than a bus into town then waiting for a train. Took a look at my batch of will transcriptions and it is still running two days after setting it going. Seems to have had a few pauses. Someone had dropped the lid on my laptop so don’t know if that was a contributory factor. I was running a python command with caffeinate so should have been ok. No idea how many wills left to process. 750 or so to do in all, just for Llandysul.

Totally out of left field here is an AI generated commentary of the dirgiest and liveliest national anthems at the world cup:

Japan, the United Kingdom, and Saudi Arabia consistently top the list of the most “dirgelike” national anthems frequently heard at the FIFA World Cup.

In the context of international football, a “dirge” refers to an anthem that is exceptionally slow, somber, lacking an upbeat tempo, or sounding more like a funeral march than a pre-match battle cry. While South American anthems favour operatic bravado and European ones often choose militaristic marches, a handful of regular World Cup nations lean into a distinctly mournful or sluggish cadence.

Here is a ranking of the “dirgiest” World Cup anthems, from the absolute slowest funeral paces to the heavy, uninspiring slogs:

1. Japan (“Kimigayo”)
The Vibe: A meditative, hauntingly static, ancient prayer.
Why it’s a dirge: Clocking in as one of the slowest national anthems in the world, “Kimigayo” averages a glacially slow 46 BPM (Beats Per Minute). It lacks a distinct rhythmic drive or a dramatic crescendo, opting instead for a traditional, austere melody that sounds incredibly somber when echoing around a packed football stadium.

2. United Kingdom / England (“God Save the King”)
The Vibe: A heavy, forelock-tugging monarchist plod.
Why it’s a dirge: Even British citizens frequently describe their own anthem as a funeral dirge. Compared to the roaring energy of France’s “La Marseillaise” or Italy’s bouncing “Il Canto degli Italiani”, “God Save the King” is delivered in a plodding 3/4 time signature that feels designed for a solemn state procession rather than psyching up eleven players before kick-off.

3. Saudi Arabia (“As-Salam Al-Malaki”)
The Vibe: Abrupt, solemn, and strictly business.zdzda
Why it’s a dirge: While some Middle Eastern anthems carry sweeping, triumphant strings, Saudi Arabia’s anthem is notoriously brief and structurally rigid. At barely 32 seconds long, it feels less like a song and more like a heavy, brief ceremonial fanfare that cuts off before any athletic energy can actually build up.

4. Austria (“Land der Berge, Land am Strome”)zza
The Vibe: A sluggish, polite choral snooze.
Why it’s a dirge: Featured on the global stage at the 2026 World Cup, Austria’s anthem suffers from a classic Western European ailment: it is slow, remarkably lumbering, and incredibly polite. It completely lacks the aggressive, percussive bite needed to get a crowd moving, often making the players look bored before the whistle blows.

5. Spain (“Marcha Real”)
The Vibe: A stiff, wordless royal march.
Why it’s a dirge: Because it has no official lyrics, the Spanish anthem forces players to stand in a silent, rigid line while a mid-tempo, old-fashioned military march plays out. Without words to shout or a driving bassline to bounce to, the song relies on a stark, rigid brass progression that can feel incredibly dry and dated in a modern sporting arena.

Italy, Brazil, and France are widely considered to have the liveliest, most high-energy national anthems at the FIFA World Cup. In sharp contrast to the slow funeral dirges, these anthems are defined by rapid tempos, driving rhythms, and operatic or militaristic crescendos that actively pump up the players and electrify the stadium crowd.Here is the ranking of the liveliest World Cup anthems, from the most chaotic pre-game parties to the most fierce musical battle cries.

1. Italy (“Il Canto degli Italiani”)
The Vibe: A joyous, hyperactive opera sprint.
Why it’s the liveliest: Italy’s anthem is essentially a high-speed musical party masquerading as a military march. Driven by a bouncing, syncopated rhythm, it sounds less like a solemn state song and more like a celebratory tavern chant. It finishes with a furious, shouting crescendo (“Sì!”) that leaves both the players and the crowd completely breathless and ready for war.

2. Brazil (“Hino Nacional Brasileiro”)
The Vibe: A grand, theatrical carnival overture.
Why it’s the liveliest: Brazil possesses one of the most musically complex and upbeat anthems in the world. It features a sweeping, operatic melody with rapid-fire lyrics and dramatic brass fanfares that feel inherently linked to the rhythm of Brazilian football. When the stadium music cuts out and the crowd continues singing the second verse a cappella, the sheer volume and energy are unmatched.

3. France (“La Marseillaise”)
The Vibe: A fierce, blood-pumping revolutionary march.
Why it’s the liveliest: As the ultimate musical battle cry, “La Marseillaise” is designed purely for intimidation. It is packed with aggressive, minor-to-major key shifts and visceral lyrics about marching into battle. The driving snare drums and roaring brass sections naturally build an intense, spine-tingling wave of adrenaline right before kick-off. [3]

4. Colombia (“Himno Nacional de la República de Colombia”)
The Vibe: A triumphant, epic stadium rock opera.
Why it’s the liveliest: Like many South American anthems, Colombia’s is a multi-part epic. It kicks off immediately with a brilliant, fanfare-heavy trumpet intro that commands attention. The main chorus is incredibly catchy and fast-paced, making it impossible for the stadium full of yellow jerseys not to jump and shout along.

5. Mexico (“Himno Nacional Mexicano”)
The Vibe: A rapid-fire, thunderous military charge.
Why it’s the liveliest: Mexico’s anthem is a relentless, fast-moving wall of sound. It relies on a driving, machine-gun-like snare drum roll and booming brass sections that mimic a cavalry charge. The blistering speed of the lyrics creates an aggressive, high-velocity chant that creates a wall of noise in any stadium.

Omg tis an absolutely stunning morning. I’m sat in the sunshine on the deck with a cup of tea enjoying the best of British summer weather. Not too hot, a lovely breeze and the wildflower meadow in full bloom. Brian has caught a fish. What’s not to like.

It was a tired minibus full of cricket fans who made it back to Lincoln last night. It  had been a long, hot day at Trent Bridge, fortunately made easier by the presence of the Taverners’ Bar about two yards away from our seats. The cricket was not the most exciting. Although we did see New Zealand lose three early wickets in their second innings they recovered to very much end the second day in the driving seat. Some England (and Wales) batters need to step up to the plate and do what they are capable of. Off there again today with an overnight stay planned at the Hilton and the prospect of play on day 5 currently very much on the cards.

The meteorological office, who I pay, informs me that it should reach thirty seven degrees in Lincoln today. That is too hot to do much. I do have a job to do, which is to affix some brackets to secure the table top to the base in the garden. These I purchased yesterday from B&Q. They turned out to be larger than I had expected in my mind but they will do, just. It’s about the slotted hole and whether the washers I have will cover it, which they just about do. On the plus side they will be easier to screw in. I’ll check once more. I can always take them back and swap for a slightly smaller bracket if need be.

The raised beds near the kitchen window are flourishing. THG has her first courgette coming through and it won’t be long before we are feasting on broad beans and runner beans. Tomatoes are also emerging.

Received some bad news from @Rhys yesterday whilst playing golf. Tafarn y Glôb has “temporarily closed”. They are hoping to reopen once “matters are resolved” whatever that means I was there a few years ago with @Saad Petrous after an Engineering Lecture and Dinner and it was empty then. Students just don’t drink as much as they used to. When I was there if you weren’t in the pub by 7pm you couldn’t get a seat.

Y Glôb was the venue of the pool match I played against Gwyn Bere. Gwyn taught at Friars and I had just finished my degree, was unemployed and wasn’t exactly flush with funds. The bet was first to twenty wins, loser buys the winner dinner. The match happened over several days and I lost the first eight frames in a row which was a slight cause for concern, remembering I was skint. I scraped back and at nineteen all we were poised for an epic last frame. Epic it turned out to be with both of us missing easy shots due to nerves. In the end I triumphed and a group of us set off down town to the Italians for pasta and cheap red plonk. 

The Italians was still there a decade or so ago when I passed by. Looking at the menu it was very cheap plonk but hey, we were young, carefree and inexperienced in the ways of the grape. The normal tipple in those days was Bulls Blood, or Liebfraumilch if you were a white drinker. Memories… A long time ago now. Many bottles of wine have since flowed under the bridge.

Today is a Friday. I have a meeting at ten am. I did get a phone call as I was entering B&Q yesterday asking if I was jumping on the call and had I seen the calendar invite. It was a no on both accounts so we are having the call this morning.

After that Joe and I will head out to buy some protein to stick on the bbq later. He has invited a bunch of his pals over. We will already have a full house for the cricket so a good evening is anticipated. It’s why I need to get the table top screwed down if I can.

No fox news to report but a hedgehog was sighted overnight. Ciao for now.

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Went to Screwfix at around 7.30am to buy some wider washers. They didn’t have the right washers in but Toolstation next door did. However they had just been delivered, 80 packs of em, but they were “somewhere” in a big box of other delivered stuff. The guy took my number and said he would call me in about half an hour or so, which is about now.

Home for a bacon roll and a bowl of strawberries with a peach and now sitting in the conservatoire watching the garden being rainwatered and waiting for the call. If he doesn’t ring by half past I’ll nip back.

Feeling my face I realise I’ve missed a few bits whilst shaving. Need to swap razor blades but nothing is designed to make you feel like an old geezer like missing bits shaving. Problem really is that I shave in the shower without a mirror so totes relying on feel and this doesn’t always work in the shower.

Very pleasant sitting out on Hannah & George’s covered deck with a gentle rain making relaxing noises as it lands on the roof. It is fresh out here now but the temperature is set to rocket later. We still have sounds of thunder all around. Earlier a neighbour shared a video of a direct hit of simultaneous thunder and lightning. Today the Silver Bullet will have its satnav coordinates set to nowf and the tropic of Lincoln where the greenhouse chillies will no doubt be grateful for any aqueous relief we might bring.

THG has done a good job tidying H&G’s garden. Chopped back lots of growth to reveal some lovely rose plants beneath. It mostly went to the Essex County Council Recycling Centre or some similarly titled site. They were doing a steady trade with a constant queue of cars waiting to gain access. 

In the wood and timber skip I spotted a bar stool in perfect condition but a) I couldn’t reach it, b) I don’t think you are allowed to do that sort of thing anyway and c) we already sourced some on Facebook Market place that fulfil our needs. I have two in the workshop that can be moved out to the bbq area for use during extended pitmaster sessions. One is for the pitmaster himself and the other for a drinking buddy positioned there to keep him company. Plenty of bbq sessions in prospect over the next few weeks I imagine.

…

Roasting in the demesne of THG. The deck in front of the shed is not too bad as it has been in shade all day. I am watching a documentary on the history of the SAS on the TV through the wide open shed doors. That and drinking a cold one as seems right and proper on a day like this.

Tomorrow is forecast to be hotter and LNER has cancelled the direct trains to Lincoln, the buggers. Our Tom and our Joe were on such trains. They are now going to have to investigate alternatives that involve changing at Newark. Not ideal but they need to get here, in particular as Joe is off to Day 1 of the Trent Bridge test with his mates.

Long old day at the cricket in Chelmsford yesterday with Tom and George. Notts got the result before the end of day 3. Hot sunny day though not as hot as it is going to be tomorrow and the rest of the week where the forecast is to hit 35 degrees. We asked a steward for lunch recommendations to find out there were none in the ground so we nipped out and had a kebab at a Turkish restaurant down the road. Shish Meze in Moulsham Street. V good fair play. It was nice to get into some aircon. After the game we met THG and Hannah in The Orange Tree before walking back to Moulsham Street to the Balti King.

Today is the joint second longest day, I assume, based on the notion that the days either side of the equinox are of equal length. Doesn’t matter really. Up before five as it was already light and the day is not to be wasted. I did go out onto the deck but at this time in the morning there is still a chill in the air so came back in to the living room. I must say H&G have done a great job decorating their house.

I’m on standby this morning to take H&G to Bexley Heath (the ‘Eaf) to pick up their new car. Electric job. That’s about all I know about it. They did tell me. I had planned to take a stroll to watch the cricket but as you now know the game didn’t last into the fourth day. When I were a lad they were only three dayers anyway. Will find something else to do. THG is helping them sort the garden but tbh that ain’t ma thang, especially in this heat.

Great night at the chateau with the gang. Met in the Castle Hill club first which some of you will know is just outside the castle gates. Four pints was roughly sixteen quid. Inside the castle four pints was thirty quid! Service was quick though. They obviously wanted you to buy more beer 🙂 

We got in just as Marti Pellow was starting. I’d never eard of him but apaz he was lead singer of wet wet wet. Not really my kind of music but he was only the support act. I was there for Billy Ocean. Anyway turns out Marti is Scottish which took me by surprise. No reason really. He had lots of fans in the audience.

In the break between sets we retired to the Castle Hill Club only to be told upon exit that if we went out we wouldn’t be let back in. Ppfffttt (yes), pshaw and huh! The others were already in the club by the time I got this information. I figured there was no point in watching old Bill on my own, though Simon was still inside, so I joined the others and mentioned our plight. Sue rolled her sleeves up and went to talk to the supervisor who agreed, if we were only 2 mins, to let us back in on the basis that we had really just popped out to use the loo and avoid the massive queues for the ladies and that it was nothing to do with the 2x price of beer. My lager was too gassy to knock it back so I left half a pint behind.

Barnacle Bill was very good fair play and a step up from Marti in my mind. Even his new stuff was good. The lad is seventy six years old, I observed. Walked home whilst the others went back to the club to order taxis. Took me ages to get home as I had wisely opted to wear flip flops seeing as my sandals are in the workshop being mended. ie I’ve glued a strap back into place.

Now we are speeding south in the silver bullet with THG at the controls. Off to see Essex v Notts and staying with Hannah and George who very conveniently live a short walk from the ground. It’s going to be v hot. WIll need to stay hydrated. Notts are currently walloping Essex. Unfortunately the England and Wales men’s team ain’t faring so well against New Zealand who should level the series today and make for an interesting final test at Trent Bridge. I’m going to days 3, 4 and 5 (if it is the will of Allah).

Found out last night, although my memory is a little hazy on the subject, that Fosters butchers has been sold. Wot! After 6 generations! 130 years! Bumped in to the woman that works there (soz I don’t know your name). Didn’t recognise her at first, not being in her butchers gear an all. Anyway apparently Andy is no longer there. Oh no. Come to think of it he hasn’t been there the last couple of times I’ve been in. Will have to see how it goes.

Ciao fellows.

PS it is at once the longest day and Father’s Day.

Had a weird dream last night. Was off somewhere in Essex on business (gawd knows why) and was waiting in the train station in London (I assume). When the train arrived it had no carriage walls, just bucket seats. I got on and at some stage the walls miraculously appeared. Then I realised that I really had no idea where I was going so I got my phone out to look. Found it was THG’s phone which was no use whatsoever. I got off the train somewhere and decided I should find a wifi connection to check using my laptop. I went into a shop of some sort and when I opened the laptop found that the screen was broken at the hinge and I could see some of the electronics inside. At that point the woman in the shop recognised me and suggested we should go out for a cocktail. It was lunchtime. The End. 

Weird. What’s even weirder is that I can remember the dream!

It was light at ten to four this morning. Tomorrow is the longest day. Oh nooo. Where did it all go? Now it is ten past six and it has just started to rain. Just looking out of the conservatory at my new scaffold planks table and am pleased I got all the wood preservative down. The table still needs fixing to the base but it is v heavy and won’t be going anywhere in a hurry. 

Then, as I was looking out the window, the hedgehog scampered down the garden path and when it got past the bbq turned towards the fence. There is a hole there that it must use to get next door. It’s where the fox used to go through so plenty big enough.

Later, after two of THG’s finest banana pancakes with imitation maple syrup to break the fast, I am back in the conservatory with the door open to a now fresh, after the rain, morning. Will need to give some thought to what to do today. Tonight we are off to see Billy Ocean with support act Marti Pellow who some of our pals are quite excited about. I didn’t even know whether Marti was a him or a her. Never eard of im (turns out Marti is a him). Anyway because we are off at the crack of a bit after dawn in the morning I need to get packed before we go out tonight. We are off to Chelmsford to see Hannah & George but also to watch Essex v Notts which is the reason for the early departure. Won’t need to pack much as we are back on Tuesday. A few essentials.

I do need to buy some new sandals so might nip to GoOutdoors for that. Then a bit of family history stuff.

Tomorrow is father’s day apaz. It’s not historically significant in the way that Mother’s Day is but if the kids want to mark it in some way that is ok. We are off out for a curry somewhere in Chelmsford.

05:15. A bit bleary eyed but awake with the conservatory doors open enjoying the start to what is forecast to be a “scorcher”. Clear blue skies. Perfect bbq weather. I have a marinade in mind for the chicken. Doubt we have all the ingredients but we shall see. Might need to pop out to a suitable market.

Terrible golf yesterday and everyone was quite knackered towards the end as it was a warm day. We did sit outside for the meal at the Woodcocks. It was mostly shandies all round. Just the thing after a hot afternoon pounding the fairways. I actually lost a ball. A good one an all. Titleist 3. I don’t often lose a ball but the rough was knee deep and, like I said, the golf was terrible.

The garden is dead still. No wind. The only movement is the occasional flight of a bird. A robin hopped onto one of the scaffold planks that have been drying out, held up by various bits of furniture and a couple of saw horses. Today is the day they will be assembled. The resultant table will easily seat twelve and will be a good addition to the patio. Got a couple of benches to sand down too but they can wait until the table is finished.

The hedgehog just ambled down the garden path moving away from me. Must have been foraging nearer the house. We haven’t seen the fox for some time. It is no more. Went out for a wander meself. Heavy dew on the scaffold planks.

The batch transcriber I set in motion last night has a long way to go until it finishes. In seven hours or so it has only managed 28 out of 250 wills. I suspect moving from Pro version of Gemini to Flash has slowed it down but it also makes it cheaper. Will have to see when the batch finishes. It isn’t an urgent job. And only needs doing once. At this rate it will Sunday before it is finished. Looking at the logs it paused several times during the night. Once for three hours. Maybe shows the capacity management issues facing this new technology. Maybe some people are hammering the AI servers hard overnight. It’s no wonder they are forecasting massive AI driven data centre growth.

…

An hour and 45 mins later I’m up and checked the logs again. I’ve just found out that my mac shuts down wifi if it thinks it is inactive. I thought if I leave it plugged in and with code running that would be enough to keep it awake. I was wrong. I have now discovered the  “caffeinate” command to keep the mac from going to sleep. Ya learn something new every day. Now my tech pals will say “huh, you’ve only just found that out?” I say it is never too late to learn. I’m churning through one will every two minutes so should all be done by this evening.

Was racking my brains trying to decide what to have for breakfast when THG came up with the offer of half an avocado on some sourdough. Good idea. Will slip in a couple of rashers of pig.  Breakfast on the deck in front of the lake. V pleasant. The deck is in shade at this time of day which makes it doubly pleasant in this weather. The robin is back to keep me company. THG has gone to the gym.

Twill be warm work assembling the table top later. Gotta be done. Next week I want to move on to the compost bins.

…

Cream crackered. Been at it all day making the new garden table. The table top is now finished and in place on the base. Took me until 6pmish. A few breaks during the day especially as it was 29 degrees celsius. #toohotman. We are glad we didn’t buy tix for Madness. Some of our pals are there but it’s been a busy few days/weeks and a night in is called for. Shoved some chicken in greek marinade on the barbie at around 6.30 and sat down to eat in the company of THG at seven. V pleasant meal accompanied  by a bottle of 2020 Amarone. The simple things in life.

Good day at the Lincolnshire show yesterday. Rain kept off and by the end it was tshirt weather. Bumped into a lot of folk we knew. Bought six pairs of black working socks for a fiver. Gawd knows when I’ll use them but at five quid it doesn’t really matter. Also bought some sausages and a pair of sketchers trainers/shoes. Been meaning to source a pair of trainers for a while.

Healthily tired when we got home and settled in front of the cricket on the telly. Wasn’t particularly hungry so had a single sausage sandwich later, ie one sausage and one slice of bread, toasted. Would have had an early night were it not for the fact that THG had the football on so I hung around

Got a few things to do this morning. Already tweaked the python script to use the gemini flash version instead of pro for the will transcriptions I’ve been working on. The pro version was burning through too many credits. 

This AI stuff opens up lots of possibilities. I have to manually check some names, especially place names but the effort level is orders of magnitude lower than manual transcription. Plus I wouldn’t have been able to sort the script so quickly aaand the knowledge of how to manoeuvre the way around the workings of the image viewer on the NLW website was pretty specialist. I don’t think they want you to be able to scrape their website. Anyway, it’s sorted.

Now sat in the conservatoire with the doors open listening to cheerful birdsong. THG has gone swimming. On the way here I took a look at the sandals I had planned to wear yesterday but had to abandon as a strap had broken. Figured a bit of superglue might do the job but it won’t. A new pair beckons. They do get heavily used over the summer. I reckon they last me maybe 4 or 5 years. At least new sandals won’t pong to begin with.

Gonna be a warmun today. Golf this pm. Second coat of wood preservative on the scaffold planks this morning, when I eventually get going. Tomorrow I should be able to build the actual table top and then all I need to do is figure out how to attach it to the base. There will also be the question of how to lift it but that is for another day and the (able and enthusiastic) assistance of a pal or two.

Blossoms continue to emerge in the wildflower meadow. All good.

Quite heavy rain falling on the empire of THG. The forecast said light rain but we know better. Still the garden will like it. It’s going to stop in 52 minutes anyway says THG, looking at her app. Should be a good day for the Lincolnshire Show. Gotta nip to the Rose to buy a few picnic provisions before we go.

The scaffold planks got their first coat of wood preservative yesterday before the deluge began. I’ll stick the next coat on on Friday and then would be able to assemble the table on Saturday. Might need help turning it over. 4 x scaffold planks = v heavy, man.