Enough is enough

I had intened that this site would mainly be based around the Photography on Flickr, with the occasional side step into politics. The point is that there are other sites that do the politics better than me.

However, as with the Memo there are things that are beyond the pale. More people need to stand up and say enough is enough. I campaigned and argued for 18 years to get rid of the slime ball Tory government that trampled over the have not's to help the haves have more. When Labour were elected you could have powered a small city with my grin.

Increasingly this same Labour government has moved further from the principles that I could support. But this has not been enough. If I am anything it is a democrat. If the Labour government simple did not represent my views that would be annoying but I would have to live with it. If that same government supports a war that I disagree with then I still have to bow to the democratic government. When that government starts to clamp down on protests and make it a crime to read out a list of those who have died that's not democracy.

The latest however is stomach turning. Don't get me wrong I am not stupid enough to not think that governments of all stripes don't break the law. I'm also aware that the security services are no angels. But, and its a bloody big but, if a democratic government is caught out being complicit in torture then that government has no legitimacy. It should resign.

If you want to know whats pissing me off read here or here at Blairwatch or more importantly at the source Craig Murry's own weblog.

Kinder Downfall 2

Kinder Downfall 2
Originally uploaded by Stuart Davies.

The very first walk I did around here was Kinder Scout. One day I was bored and fed up so I jumped in my car and went for a drive. Eventually arriving outside the Snake Pass inn in Derbyshire I parked the car and set off walking. The route, I later found out, was up Fairbrook.

At the time I hadn't been walking since a school trip to the lake district. So the first time I walked this route I was doing so in t-shirt and trainers (it was summer though). Ever since then I have always liked to go back and do it again. As a note to any one who cares if I disappear in a huff it might be worth looking for me some where along this route.

When ever I do it I am reminded why I live where I live. Kinder Scout is only 40 min's away from my house going south. The Lake district is 2 hours north west. While Snowdonia is 2 hours west. The moors of North Yorkshire are 2ish hours north east and the Yorkshire Dales are under 2 hours north.

We think of Britain as a 21st century metropolitan country, and it is. But the majority of the land (80% I think) is agricultural and it also contains some of the most accessible and stunning country side you can find.

The majority of the people however never get to see this. I'm guessing that the majority of them have no desire to see this. I on the other hand couldn't live with out it.

If you do wnat to see more then i have a selection of photos taken on the walk that can be found in the Kinder Scout set on Flickr.

What scares me however is that as house prices rocket the pressure to build on this land increases by the day. But more importantly the over paid twats who decide to buy a nice little cottage in countryside, just for weekends don't you know. If only the Country side alliance were fighting on issues like this and the appaling transport links to the British country side. All of which create a hidden pool of rural poverty. These are the real country side issues not ye olde right to gallop around butchering wildlife.

Before any one says anything I grew up in the country side and I ride so I am not one of those city folk who know nothing of rural affairs.

Christmas Presents

I have been thinking about the kind of Christmas pressies I have been given, and by whom. For example, my beloved got me a watch. That's good, no problem there. She also got me a couple of books, "Talk to the Hand", by Lynn Truss and "The World According to Clarkson" by Jeremy Clarkson.

If you don't know about these books one, "Talk to the Hand" is about the utter bloody rudeness of modern life and Jeremy Clarkson is well renowed right wing, whinging, petrol head. So what is she saying here? What does she really think of me? Hmmm, I think I might not dwell too long on that. Not when you consider my present to her was effectively Wellington boots. In my defence, they were expensive and very high tech Wellington boots. More importantly she had asked for them. But at the end of the day they are Wellington boots.

Another book that I got was the autobiography by John Peel, "Margrave of the Marshes". Again for those who do not know John Peel he was quite probably the most influential DJ of the past 30-40 years. He was a man that I think many men of my generation would have loved to have been. He was a fanatic about music and unlike many DJ's of his generation he didn't get stuck in one decade or one type. He maintained his thirst for new music and because he was genuine he kept his connection to people of all ages.

This came from my brother and because of the conversation we had had before Christmas I think it had more meaning. I had been complaining about the fact that the family had resorted to asking each other what they wanted for Christmas. This takes away the surprise and I was saying that the best present was the one where you opened it, were surprised, and then realised that it was something that you didn't know you wanted. And this was.

More telling was that some one bought the same book for him.

Snow in Grimescar

IMGP3962
Originally uploaded by Stuart Davies.

At last is snows. Not much but enough to get me out the house. I'm not sure why we in England are so fascinated by the arrival of snow, especially at Christmas but it is enough to turn every grown man in to a five year old child.

I suppose its that thing that because it is uncommon and as children a heavy snow meant the suspension of normalcy. If it was a school day there was always the chance that it would be heavy enough to close the school.

For me these days its an excuse to pick up my camera and run. Ok, its another excuse for me to pick up my camera and run. If I was any good then I would use the snow to get shots that used the highly contrasting black and white. I would aim to get the texture of the tree contrasting with the softness and ephemral nature of the snow. Instead the five year old in me makes me rush around as if driven by a sugar high, snapping this and that oh and that....

When I got back did slow down. I did modify the photos I took to see if I could get some kinda funky effects, but who knows. Any way the finished products can be found in the Snow Day on Flickr as usual.

Well that was Christmas

IMGP3905
Originally uploaded by Stuart Davies.

I never want to see another turkey.

Christmas was around a friends house that was full of good company, good food and more booze than was strictly necessary. A good time was had by all from what I can recall. I had set out with the intention of recording the day as it went by but that didn't happen. I kept getting distracted by having a good time. Some did get taken and some did come out ok, I especially like the snowmen photos from the cake I made. Having never made a Christmas cake I was a bit worried about it. I actually made the cake its self 2 months ago and have been slowly soaking it in brandy ever since. Aware that I had yet to ice the cake I plucked up the courage and did it two days before xmas.

It was then I realised that I had no decoractions, but did have some icing left over. Started off with one snowman(he had no arms though) but he just looked sad all on his own. Had to make him a friend. Eventually I realised where I had seen them before.

Its Christmas

Christmas is a strange time of year. I have come to realise that it means a lot of different things to people. It is essentially seems to be a time of mass hysteria, but with the hysteria manifesting its self differently in each individual. We in this country, the UK, are haunted by the ghost of Christmas past in the form of the dickensian ideal of Christmas with its rich fruit cakes, snow and redemption.

The ghost of Christmas present would have more in tune with the pre-reformed scrooge as parents, partners and uncles willing dive further into debt in an attempt to buy the perfect Christmas. The smarter cookies in this world are able to recognise the rattling of a stick inside a swill bucket.

So the ghost of Christmas future, what does it all mean to me? I'm not a practicing Christian so the true meaning of Christmas is obviously not for me about the birth of some man to a single mother to an absent father, which seemed to have some obviously deep psychological impact. That said I think the foolish rubbish that pervades in some circles in the American elites, and some in this country, about not celebrating Christmas but some 'generic' holiday season is farcical. If your Jewish celebrate Hanukkah, if your a pagan celebrate Beltane, if your a muslim celebrate Eid. If your none of the above call it what you want and have a party. So from a leftist non Christian let me wish a happy Christmas to all Christians, just as I would show respect to all religions.

I do believe Christmas to be a made up ritual, but a useful one. It should be one of those times where your tribe gathers, be they friends, family or some strange man you met down the pub. To me it is a ritual that helps build the bonds between people, creating a sense of shared experience. Something that seems to have gone missing amidst the luxuries and comforts of the 1st world.

This will be only the second Christmas I have spent away from my family. So this year my tribe will be my friends - just as important as family. I'm look forward to sitting down sharing a meal and time with them. But this year I will also find a quite spot to raise a private toast to some of those who are no longer with us, to those who have no tribe to gather with and to those involved in conflicts of whatever kind. I will raise a glass to all of them.

The point being I don't need to believe in an imaginary all powerful superbeing to do this but I can respect those who do and accept the comfort it brings them. To misquote Voltaire, I don't like your imaginary friends but i will defend your right to have them - so long as you do likewise. I do not want to subscribe to the same facism that some of your co-religonists seem intent on.

I will over the Christmas period come back and edit this with other thoughts.

The Christmas Ride

IMGP3806
Originally uploaded by Stuart Davies.

Every Christmas the stables go for a fancy dress ride in to town. Either Halifax, Brighouse or Bradford. This year the the snowman and company were heading into Bradford.

Personally, I'm happy that I wasn't going. It was bloody freezing.

It should have been a good chance for some good photos but with 20 odd horses of various shapes and sizes combined with assorted riders it just produced chaos. I ended up sharing a stable with Phoenix who wasn't going, he is going barefoot and the long ride would have been too much. Phoenix and I just stood there looking out over the stable door. It must have confused the poor horses as well. Some of these animals are usually scared of horse eating plastic bags but didn't seem to bat an eyelid about the tinsel, snowmen and santas.

Eventually I joined the proud mums and dads at the main gate all waiting patiently to take a video or photo of their pride and joy. Every one demonstrating how much they were entering in to the spirit of the event. In reality we all stood there freezing and just wishing the whole bloody thing was over. The stables are on top of a hill and the wind was coming directly off the North Sea. Having traveled so far it saw no reason to bother going around any one so it just went straight through.

As the cavalry of the absurd trotted off to Bradford and I having done my fiance duties I was able to retreat to my car and head for home.

I did get some photos, nothing to write home about, but if you do want to see them you can find them here.


Technorati Tag: Horses

First Fall

I have been riding now for about 2 years. I'm not a great rider, but all things considered I'd say I'm better than average (EDIT: My beloved disagrees with my self assesment). One problem has always been that people keep tell me that you are not a proper rider until you have fallen off a horse, something I have studiously avoided.

My rudimentary understanding of physics has always led me to believe that if I am 5-6ft off the ground, with my feet in stirrups and belting along a bridle way anything that puts me in contact with the floor is bad. I'm 5' 11" and weigh 13 stone (EDIT: My beloved disagrees with my self assesment) while the earth is big and a has a considerable weight advantage over me. In a straight fight I'm guessing the earth is going to win. Along with thinking that parachutes are for emergencies only I have always thought this approach was eminently sensible.

It's not that a few horse haven't tried there best to get me off. There was a small welsh cob, called meatloaf for god sakes, in Devon who tried full rodeo style bucking to remove me. I was novice at the time and I think it was more ignorance than skill that kept me on. To this day I think my future wife (fw) is secretly shocked and impressed by the casual way I stayed put.

This proud boast of mine no longer stands however. A git of a mare, called Giffy, takes the honour of being the first to remove me.