although the hooks was rarther tricky

i don't have a television, or take much interest normally ...

... but this billboard made me smile ...

... and so does the sign behind it

every time the balloonist tried to land, the breeze took them too close to the hedges of the little fields

 

bogus man rising early to study his book of bronze

sweet genius ... via metafilter ...

http://vimeo.com/57395065

she's only gone and bought me ...

... another wonderful book !

some years after turner came to draw the ruins, we sometimes used to sing stanford's nunc dimittis in C at malmesbury abbey on sunday evenings ...

when i was invited to confirm my loyalty to the church, after five years as a chorister, aged about fourteen, i declined, and nowadays i really dislike the imperialist triumphalist lyrics more than ever, but i still think that stanford's amen we sang was very nice ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsnBDU0RTNM

of course, fifty years on times have changed ...

... i wish i could find out the name of this photographer, to whom much credit is due

... and i think el greco would certainly have liked the lighting and the colour scheme

when hedgehogs itch ...

poetry !!!

carol-ann duffy's poem ...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2013/feb/14/chaucers-valentine-poem-duffy?INTCMP=SRCH


and her podcast ...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/audio/2013/feb/14/love-poems-carol-ann-duffy-podcast?INTCMP=SRCH

rehearsing the musical version of the shining

DJ Derek ... lovely man ... lovely Bristol accent ... parts 1 & 2

http://vimeo.com/1758371


http://vimeo.com/1758440

from thomas cole ...

... to meret oppenheim; a century of progress

blimey ! its the year of the snake again !

alvi, my grandson, and his equally lovely cousin mabel

stopped for a pee ... was spoiled for choice

dyed-in-the-wool hedonists setting a poor example to future generations of sober modern persons such as you and me ...

intolerable frivolity in the V&A

but soft ... what light through yonder window breaks ? ...

Spem in alium ... for a friend's well-loved cat, recently departed

A 1611 letter written by the law student Thomas Wateridge contains the following anecdote:

In Queen Elizabeth's time yeere was a songe sen[t] into England of 30 parts (whence the Italians obteyned ye name to be called ye Apices of the world) wch beeinge songe mad[e] a heavenly Harmony. The Duke of — bearinge a great love to Musicke asked whether none of our Englishmen could sett as good a songe, and Tallice beinge very skilfull was felt to try whether he would undertake ye matter, wch he did and made one of 40 partes wch was songe in the longe gallery at Arundell house, wch so farre surpassed ye other that the Duke, hearinge yt songe, tooke his chayne of Gold from his necke & putt yt about Tallice his necke and gave yt him.^[1]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Cn7ZW8ts3Y