Here, in the UK, we have had a long period of hot, dry weather. For 26 consecutive days a temperature of 30℃ or more has been recorded. In most of the country there has been little or no rain for about three months. The reservoirs are severely depleted and the farmers are struggling to grow…Read more Mad Man Moon
progressive rock
The Voice of Beauty Drowned
"I hear those voices that will not be drowned" is a quote from Benjamin Britten's opera, Peter Grimes. It is cut into the rim of this stunning sculpture of a scallop shell standing proudly on Aldeburgh beach on England's east coast. The Scallop is a memorial to Britten who lived in the town and used to…Read more The Voice of Beauty Drowned
Blondon Fair
In the Middle Ages, Edward IV made it compulsory for all yeomen in England to learn archery. An archery butts was set up on the land in front of the Minster Church of St Mary the Virgin. It was used by the adult males of Reading to practice on Sundays. Some of the archers who…Read more Blondon Fair
Paper Earth
Crotchety Man has nothing to say this week. No words of his could possibly do justice to this spine-tingling performance by Bent Knee and the Boston Conservatory Percussion Ensemble. Just watch this video and be transported to a happier place for the next 30 minutes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1834&v=LGNZePMJ8XM BENT KNEE - Paper Earth (Live 2018 / Full…Read more Paper Earth
Far Skies Deep Time
When you look up into a clear night sky the more distant the star the farther back in time you are seeing it. This is a simple consequence of the finite speed of light but it has profound implications for astronomy. By studying far away galaxies we can look back almost to the dawn of…Read more Far Skies Deep Time
The Road of Bones
The lowest recorded temperature (-67.7 °C) in any permanently inhabited place on Earth was recorded at Oymyakon (Оймяко́н) in 1933 in eastern Siberia. In December and January the average daily temperature there is around -45 °C and the village lies deep within the permafrost region. Building roads in this frozen and mountainous part of the…Read more The Road of Bones
Manic Moonlight
On Friday Crotchety Man took his camera to the Crich Tramway Village in picturesque Derbyshire. He spent several hours the following day sifting through the photos, cropping them, straightening them and adjusting them for exposure and contrast. A selection was then published as an album on the photo hosting website, flickr. In doing so the photographer…Read more Manic Moonlight
A Thousand Shards of Heaven
The English word 'lunatic' comes from the Latin 'lunaticus', which means someone who is afflicted by one of the diseases of the mind caused by the moon. These days it is generally taken to mean a person who is endearingly foolish and unpredictable rather than actually mad and can be a term of affection. Perhaps…Read more A Thousand Shards of Heaven
But Wait … There’s More!
For this Album of the Month I was tempted to say simply, "see last month's post". You see, this is another review of a progressive rock live album by a band that has been around for more than 40 years and has recently found an astonishing new vitality. This time the band in question is…Read more But Wait … There’s More!
Radical Action …
The Buddha described the way our thoughts constantly nudge and jostle us as like a troop of drunken monkeys swinging from branch to branch. As each chattering simian swoops by its toothy grin mocks us for our failings. Behind us, it says, lie broken dreams, ahead of us endless trials and tribulations. And, as one…Read more Radical Action …
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