where art collides philosoperontap

February 7, 2017

What goes around

Filed under: fusion — Tags: — Arty Farty @ 7:06 pm

relaxing sound

Round like a circle, in a spiral, like a wheel within a wheel*

Things that spin are fascinating. I have long pondered why both my children, and my (ex) cats would just sit and watch the washing machine.

Lets not talk about the time the cat got in the tumble drier…

The changing colours and images as your eyes try to make sense of what’s going on.

“Why do the wheels of the cars on television sometimes go backwards daddy?”

I always thought it was the perfection of a circle that draws us in. But the clothes drop and move in random patterns, the wheels spin and glitter as speed changes, so its not perfection its the imperfection we watch and long for.

Never ending or beginning, on an ever spinning reel*

Its the constant change you look for. it never ends. On and on and on every spin is a new imperfection and you look for and start to anticipate the next one. Then eventually, if you can sit, you just see, nothing else, your mind can drift and wander and ponder, all the things that you, perhaps don’t find time to think of normally.

I don’t think adults sit and stare. I have no evidence for that I’m just guessing. And any one who doesn’t should.

Next time you have the chance, just sit and watch the world go by out of the window. On the train, the plane, the car (unless you’re driving) or just out the office window.

And the world is like an apple whirling silently in space, like the circles that you find in the windmills of your mind.*

My windmills take me to places I have been and places I haven’t. Gig’s I haven’t played, Girls I didn’t kiss. Arguments I should of had. Arguments I shouldn’t of had. Things I shouldn’t of said. Girls I shouldn’t of kissed.

As things revolve and swirl, they always come back to the same reality. Time with my family, the birth of my children, joy of first steps, first words and that smile on everyones face when I get home from a trip away.

The dead pan way my youngest told me my father had passed away. Not because he wanted to be the first to tell me (he wasn’t) but because he thought he could make it better by being the first person to give me a hug.

Like a door that keeps revolving in a half forgotten dream
Or the ripples from a pebble someone tosses in a stream*

My windmills take me all everywhere. My actual past. My made up past and the past I sometimes wish I had had.

But they always remind me, that where I am, is the place I want to be and I wouldn’t change anything. Like ripples in a pond, once change could bring the whole thing crashing down around me.

“As this images unwind,
Like the circled that you find in the windmills of your mind.*

Lyrics taken from “Windmills of you your mind” Michel Legrand, Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman

Michael

=========================================================================

This picture reminds me of the time last year when I lost my phone. We were on holiday. Staying with my dad in the Isle of Man. The drill when staying with dad is that on the last day we change the sheets on all the beds and stick the old ones in the washing machine ready for the next lot of visitors.

On this occasion after breakfast I came looking for my phone, last seen on top of the bed. Nope. Nothing there. Only a newly made bed.

Hmm. Looked all over the house and tried ringing the phone but absolutely nothing. Then I had a thought. What if the phone had been mixed up with the sheets and was in the washing machine? We went out to the garage where said appliance resides and lo and behold, there in full view was the phone going round and round.

I almost said “in full glare of the media” when describing seeing the phone but that was no true. This is because the media need methods of recording to be able to apply glare and the device in question was the phone, presently, as we know, going round and round in the washing machine.

Now this is where the picture comes in. I had in mind the concept of sitting in front of the washing machine listening to my Spotify playlist emanating from the phone over my Bluetooth enabled headset. Perfectly feasible as the phone, being a Samsung Galaxy S7, is waterproof. Or so they say. It’s one of the reasons I bought it. Thing is I hadn’t had the courage to really test it out, even though the ad shows it being dropped in the kitchen sink. Now the decision was taken away from me and it was being tested in a real life situation.

I was quietly confident that the phone was going to be ok although I must admit there was an element of concern here. The problem with my Spotify/headphones scenario was that in order to access my tunes I’d have to open the App on the phone and that was not possible because of where it was.

Tbh that scenario didn’t even cross my mind at the time. I was more concerned with retrieving the phone and seeing it if still worked. I switched the machine off. Unfortunately just doing this doesn’t work because the door won’t open. I must have moved the dial on to the end of the cycle where it drains the drum and then had to wait a few minutes before the door would open. When it did open I am happy to report that the phone was amazingly in full working order.

Now coming back to this particular picture I do wonder what the kid in the red is listening to. Probably not the same stuff as my Spotify playlist. I totally get the hypnotic attraction of the washing machine. Very therapeutic. Might even try it myself sometime. Maybe.

Tref

If a picture paints 500 words what would those words be?

Filed under: fusion — Tags: — Trefor Davies @ 6:59 pm

Another online Arts Festival Event – 7pm Thursday 23rd Feb

Here we go folks. It’s the next phil0s0pher0ntap online event for arty types, literary types, any other types really. Here’s the deal.

Someone publishes a picture on the phil0s0pher0ntap website as a featured image. Others write 500 words about that image. Simples.

What people write is entirely up to them. You can choose more than one image to write about, just post and image or post and image and write words. Could be words about your own image or someone else’s.

You can do this now although see instructions below on how to do it.

To do this you can either

1 Message me and I’ll create a login for you – I’ll need your email address. You can then post.

2 Message me the photo (max 2MB please) together with your email address and I’ll create a login and post the pic for you.

You can use the login to post other stuff. You either need to have used wordpress before or be willing to learn. It isn’t difficult.

A few guidelines

You can either publish your own Picture Title as the title of the post or leave it to me to decide.

Pictures should be no more than 2MB in size – any bigger and page loading times start to lengthen. Smaller is also good.

Pics should be no smaller than 300 x 300 pixels in size because otherwise they won’t share to Facebook.

Lets keep it to one picture per User – wordsmiths won’t need to be logged in. They just need to leave their email address and name/nom de plume.

Pics should be published as featured images. If you need help with this ask but there is a link down the right hand side of a new post (you need to know how to create a new post obvs – again ask)

For the 500 words just write them using a wordprocessor – exactly 500 words and copy and paste into a comment under whichever picture you want to write about. The comment won’t appear immediately. We want to hold back the words until the night of the Event.

On the night (7pm Thursday 23rd Feb) I’ll publish all the comments and everyone will be able to see all the words within a few seconds.

February 5, 2017

Manhole cover out of Grimsby by Market Rasen

Filed under: the art gallery — Trefor Davies @ 2:18 pm

Fowler & Holden

February 3, 2017

Shopping list 4th February 2017

Filed under: chinks,diary — Trefor Davies @ 11:45 am

Weekend in Tealby

Dry Cured Bacon (fosters)
Spicy Lincolnshire Sausages (fosters)
Bread (Waitrose hereon)
Pizza x 3
Washing up liquid
Maple syrup
1 pt milk
Decent cheese
Walking snacks
Grapefruit

January 21, 2017

unwanted toast

Filed under: the art gallery — Trefor Davies @ 10:39 am

unbuttered and unmourned

At first sight you wouldn’t know this toast was unwanted. It was brought to the table in anticipation of butter being spread on one side and then devoured as an accompaniment to the full English that lay on a larger plate to its right.

I am here to tell you this was not the reality of the sitch. The unwanted toast now lies discarded in the kitchen swing bin together with an empty milk carton and other detritus of the culinary process. Were it not for this photograph this piece of toast would have disappeared off the map of human consciousness. Forgotten and unmourned.

It still lays unmourned. An insignificant entry in the human timeline. Goodbye toast. At the final reckoning you meant nothing.

January 10, 2017

mixing batter

Filed under: miscellany — Trefor Davies @ 6:29 pm

Yorkshires

January 5, 2017

Sycamore seeds

Filed under: the art gallery — Trefor Davies @ 10:56 am

fall on stony ground

best place for them. we don’t want them on our lawn.

January 3, 2017

walk time

Filed under: poems — Trefor Davies @ 2:07 pm

c’mon

Walk time
Screenshot brain
Needs break
Warm coat
And socks
Buy bread
In Bail
coffeeshop lifestyle
c’mon

January 2, 2017

the last mince pie

Filed under: the art gallery — Trefor Davies @ 1:57 pm

fitting end to Christmas

a moment of quiet contemplation if you please

January 1, 2017

bread and jam

Filed under: the art gallery — Trefor Davies @ 2:23 pm

strawberry conserve with champagne

simple things in life

Part of the role of art in our society is to challenge the established order. This photograph does this very successfully, posing the question “is this bread the wrong way round”.

December 31, 2016

Last diary entry of 2016

Filed under: chinks,diary — Tags: — Trefor Davies @ 12:40 pm

a great year

Last diary entry of the year. We are off out to the Lincoln Taphouse and Kitchen tonight with Nige, Terry, Jenny, Adie and Zara  and folk. Tom and John coming too. Anne has very kindly ironed my purple silk shirt in readiness. V appropriate I say. Looking forward to it. We haven’t been big NYE types for years, since we had kids. Partly to do with out early to be, early up habit but also the fact that I’m not big on the Auld Lang Syne sentiment. Anyway times have changed, the kids are now grown up and we are getting back into the groove. Nige wants to meet at 5pm in the West End Tap but that’s a recipe for disaster. He has a firmer constitution than I. Joe’s earner at the Magna Carta has been cancelled for some reason so he is now off to Tom Kelsey’s and Hannah is going to Lois’. All sorted then.

It’s been a very memorable year. Lots happened. I’m sure if you’ve read this diary from start to finish you will know it all but there were a few stand out moments. The Coast to Coast walk dominated the first part of the year. There has in fact been a lot of travel including, Venice,  Llanberis, Isle of Man, Barcelona (x2), Copenhagen, Madrid, Krakow, Dublin, Glasgow, Shanghai and Hong Kong. Even went to Cardiff to record something for BBC Radio Cymru.

philosopherontap is coming along nicely. I now have over 1,500 posts and have held a number of events including the first online arts festival and the group hug. Got to be done:) Some of our established calendar events also went really well, in particular in the run up to Christmas with the Market party, trefbash in London and Carols and Jazz at the Morning Star.

All the kids have made us proud. Hannah’s graduation ceremony was a fantastic day and well deserved. She has now got off to a great start with her job at Colt. The Pylons at Glastonbury and JoeFest 2016 also stood out. John has had a great academic, sporting and musical year and Tom now has his feet under the table at Broadcasting House with lots of creativity going on. It all cumulated with a great family Christmas.

2017 is going to be another great year. Why not? I don’t know what lies in store. Take the plunge, get on your wave and ride it.

December 30, 2016

New Years Eve Eve

Filed under: chinks — Tags: — Trefor Davies @ 3:54 pm

countdown to year end

Another very relaxing start to the day. Toast with M&S spiced seville orange marmalade for breakfast with glass of milk and a second cup of tea. Radio 4 and the dulcet sounds of Desert Island Discs on in the background together with the dishwasher. The dishwasher is just running a “self clean” routine and is a little louder than normal but it doesn’t detract too much from the ambience.

All I really need to do today is fix some of the kitchen chairs. The joints are loose and need glueing. Happens every few years. Crap really but there you go. The furniture in the conservatory also needs a bit of a once over but that will wait, if only because it’s bloomin cold in there.

Did some initial work on turning the diary into the book yesterday and came across a little issue. It’s already around 183,000 words. That would result in a 700 or so page book even without images. I’m going to have to turn it into a 4 volume set I think. Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn. That works for me. The eBook can just be the one volume. Also realised that at 83,000 words the 3rd Law is also big enough to publish. I had thought it needed to be a lot bigger but I can get on with that. It needs editing to take out some of the very time based (ie obsolete) stuff like references to the use of the Nokia N97. I wrote it a few years ago now.

Cold start again. Looking out of the kitchen window it looks like drizzle but it may just be the mist. Today is very definitely a day for staying inside in the warm. Also feels like a Strugglers early doors day. Fire going in the hearth, chink of glasses, great atmosphere etc. Timothy Taylor’s Landlord beer. Nuff said.

Was late to bed last night on account of watching Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. When it came to the news at 11pm and the realisation that the film didn’t finish before 12.30 I decided to call it quits. We have it on DVD so I may watch the rest this morning. Been meaning to have a Harry Potterathon sometime. Must get around to it.

Very refreshing shower and shave. Needed to get a wiggle on because I have had a request from the favourite daughter for a lift to her bezzy mate Lois’ at 10.30. They have some shopping planned. This is following their stint downtown yesterday, albe that a cultural visit to the Usher Gallery followed by lunch at Cafe Portico. And then the shops. And then dinner somewhere. Wildwood. Do it while you can I say.

Made some filling to go in a pie for New Year’s Day using up the last of the Christmas Day beef. Looks ok. Simmered it for two or three hours. Then watched the end ot the HP from last night – on DVD. Couldn’t play again on ITV. Then glued some of the kitchen chairs, oh and posted a card. Post Office in the Bail. Lots of people around although it really is damp and miserable out there. Also have compiled an album entitled Food of 2016. Totally unedited at 1026 photos but I may go back and trim it down a bit. 1k+ pics is somewhat over the top. Hey

Am thinking Struggs for early doors but none of the boys have replied to my text. Perhaps they are trying to tell me something. Coops did answer that he is in Chester so that’s no good. I said if he set off now he’d get there in time. Problem with the Strugs, and particularly in this yukky weather is that it’s a 20 minute walk. If I set off there and find that none of them are in then that would be a waste of time. Of course it isn’t likely to happen. For example the chance that Ian won’t be there is pretty miniscule. It’s his second home.

pic is the beef pie before it became one.

December 29, 2016

29th December 2016

Filed under: chinks — Tags: — Trefor Davies @ 11:11 am

fine cold morning

Late up. 9.15. Luxury. Cold out there. Minus 3. Made the tea at 7.45. Good kip assisted by the few pints I had with Tom and Nige at the West End Tap last night. Lift down off anne, taxi back. Hansom Cabs. Been out to get kindling from the bottom of the garden and fire is going. 9.44 and put the two remaining sausages on the stove. There is also bacon. Still holiday season.

Today is a day of relaxation. Nothing on the agenda. The odd job has been written on the back of a brown envelope. An emerging list. Not looked at it but can’t imagine it will be anything too onerous. Going to do some Anne’s Vans website stuff today – get the pricing sorted for the new season. Plan the marketing campaign. So on and so forth. Etc. ac yn y blaen. Quiet time in prospect tonight. We have venison burgers with a bit of salad. TV probs. Family time.

Deep mid winter it very definitely is. The sun is at its lowest. Doesn’t get very high in the sky and difficult to drive into. We missed a turn on the M62 when going to pick up dad from Liverpool John Lennon Airport at Speke. A while ago now. Sue made the same mistake taking him back. Slife. Garden is frosty though melting. You could clearly hear the ice cracking on the trees as it melted in the sun. Almost like Spring in Yosemite, I imagine. Naked trees.

A breakfast of bacon, mushrooms, tomato and fried bread with toast has been consumed. At this time of year it is the right thing to do. Fuel up the boiler. Fight the cold. Stay warm in front of the fire. Doing it all. Luxury. I’m sorry if this is not you. Not everyone has a fire, or food or home even. Lunch is a chicken dish that Hannah is preparing and I am delighted to eat with her.

The kitchen is now awash with soups, so to speak. We still have beef and ham stock left. More pea and ham soup is in hte making and it looks like carrot and coriander too. The roasted tomatoes (4 pence from the reduced counter – bargain) look as if we might also be in for a tomato soup. All very warming.

So yesterday’s group hug was successful. Almost 40 likes/loves and 74 comments plus replies to those comments. It didn’t work perfectly. I did consider that there might have been a scenario where lots of people hugged others not already in the thread and it snowballed into a big event. People tended to hug back but not propagate the hug to others. I didn’t want to make it too obvious that hugging others was the thing to do. It was fine. Had lots of hugs off friends. A good thing to have at this time of year.

The fire is slow going. Not enough medium sized bits of wood. It will be ok. Just a matter of time. In the meantime I am wearing a thick pullover. Pullover, jumper. Good words. Sweater just isn’t the same. It’s nice that it is cold enough to have to wear a nice warm pullover, although it wouldn’t be necessary if the fire properly got going.

We live in a big house. Joe is away at Charlotte’s at the mo but there are still five of us here and although I occasionally hear the others, especially Anne, they are invisible. This is partly because the living room door is closed. Ok entirely because the living room door is closed but I’d probably not see them anyway. Enough.

It may be seen that the fire did get going in the end.

lingering death of a tree

Filed under: the art gallery — Trefor Davies @ 10:51 am

long and slow

December 28, 2016

Hugs r us

Filed under: chinks — Tags: — Trefor Davies @ 4:42 pm

Facebook group hug

Nobody wanted to go out for a beer last night. I guess it was everyone’s first quiet night for a few days. Nige set off from Brighton at 1pm and had only made it to Heathrow by 5. M25 was stationary. In the end stayed in and watched some TV with Anne. Christmas University Challenge, a documentary on Elephants, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire again.

Bed at 10.30 but woke at 3am and only slept fitfully after that for some reason. Now down having breakfast.

Downtown with Tom to the bank and now home watching my group hug develop.  This is an idea I had a few days ago. Lots of people getting involved. People hugging people. There’s nothing quite like a good hug. Tucking into the box of Fox’s Chocolate biscuits and mince pies.

After lunch we had a family spin out to Chambers Farm Woods. Was quite late in the day when we got there so we did a short route. Not a nice afternoon after the brilliant sunshine of the morning. Now doing stuff whilst watching Kelly’s Heroes (again) on Channel 5. It’s a classic.


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