Frederick Forsyth

I’m a big fan of Frederick Forsyth. That’s not to say I have read all of his books, far from it, but I really like the way he writes, blending fact with fiction. The stories are so much richer for it.

The first Frederick Forsyth novel I read was The Day of the Jackal. I’d seen the brilliant film numerous times before I decided to read the book. If anything the book is better, and knowing what was going to happen did not spoil my enjoyment one bit. If anything it made me want to see the film again.

The following is from a recent article in the Telegraph newspaper 

Forsyth was flat broke, kipping on a friend’s sofa and tired of the hand-to-mouth slog of freelance life. So in the bitterly cold January of 1970, he sat down at the rickety fold-out table in his friend’s kitchen with his battle-scarred Empire Aristocrat typewriter and, in just 35 days, wrote the thriller that broke the mould.

The idea for The Jackal first dawned on him years earlier, while he was working for Reuters in Paris. Between 1961 and 1963 there was a series of assassination attempts on Charles de Gaulle by a French terrorist group, the Organisation de l’Armée Secrète (OAS), fighting to prevent Algerian independence. “It was just a question of watching the concentric rings of security around de Gaulle,” he says, “and coming to the conclusion that the OAS were not going to kill him. Most of the OAS were ex-army – which meant they were on file. Or they were white colonists from Algeria – neo-fascists.” If the terrorists really wanted the job done, Forsyth figured, they should hire an outsider: a professional hit man with no ties to them and no file with the French police.

“I went to the British Library and read copies of Le Monde and Figaro from the period. And I bought a street map of Paris.” He didn’t have high literary or commercial expectations. “I’d never wanted to be a writer. I devoured H Rider Haggard and John Buchan as a boy, and as a young man I admired the ingenuity of John le Carré, especially The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, but I never thought of imitating him. Growing up, all I wanted to be was a pilot. I just saw writing a novel – stupidly – as a way of making a bit of money. A means to get me out of a jam.”

Frederick Forsyth uses his experiences to add detail and authenticity to his stories. Advice often repeated to aspiring writers. I’m attempting to write a novel at the moment but, if I wrote it based on my experiences so far it would be about a young football loving lad who works in factories until he ‘finds’ himself after being made redundant, and gets his heart broken many times until he finds true love. Not exactly marketable material in my mind.

The Odessa File was my second book of his I read. Again, I’d seen the film first and, again, it did not spoil my enjoyment when reading the book.

If time was more kind I’d love to read his other novels but they will have to wait. 

Vinyl album covers

I am fortunate to be old enough to remember when the LP was king. There was no CD or download back then. One of the things about LP's that you don't (can't) get with cd's or downloads is the wonderful LP cover art.

Some of the designers for this art became famous in their own right, the late great Storm Thorgerson for example (Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Peter Gabriel to name but a few of the bands he worked with) or photographer Mick Rock (David Bowie, Lou Reed, Queen) but most never really got the recognition they deserved.

Some of the covers are so intricate they need to be seen full size to be able to take in the detail, Elton John's album Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy is a good example (See the video above). Others are just simplistic pieces of art that become iconic, the obvious example here being Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon.

The album art should compliment the music, to perhaps give a clue as to what the music will be about, Bat out of Hell by Meatloaf does this well. Remember, when the LP was king most of us had no idea what the album was going to be like until it was purchased and listened to. So the cover had an integral part to play in enticing the music fan to buy.

Gate-fold sleeves and inserts were further progressions to encourage the buying public, all now lost to the CD/download world. Although, more and more artists are releasing their albums on vinyl now, but I don't see the LP making a large scale comeback.

The video at the top of this post does a good job of exploring the cover of the LP in question. Some of my other favourites are shown as pictures below. Please click on the pictures to see a larger version.

The Moody Blues - Long Distance Voyager

Marillion - Afraid of Sunlight

Sting - Bring on the Night

Bob Seger - Against the Wind

(I actually bought this on the strength of the cover alone)

Meatloaf - Bat out of Hell

Camel in Concert, Salisbury, 22nd October 2013

This was a concert I had been looking forward to for some months. Earlier in the year I found out Camel were touring again. Initially the venues were too far away, but then I spotted a booking at the City Hall in Salisbury in Wiltshire, about an hour’s drive away. Despite money being tight at the time my lovely wife insisted on purchasing a ticket for me.

For the next few months I purposely stopped listening to their music. I wanted the concert to feel fresh. I also know from past experience that I can overdose on the same music sometimes, resulting in not wanting to listen to it again for a while. I did not want to feel that way at the concert.

As anyone of a certain age knows time goes by so quickly that it was not long before the concert date came around. The weather was very stormy as I set off and the lightning flashes accompanied the music I was listening to (Camel, of course) as I made my way to the venue.

Once there I found my way to my seat and waited in anticipation. For once I was not behind giants where I would only be offered the occasional glimpse of the stage. No, this time I was right at the front, right in front of the speakers in fact. This concerned me a little. Would it be too loud? Would I hear lots of noise but be unable to pick out individual instruments? (I need not have worried, the sound was ace).

After the audience had given the band, and Andrew Latimer in particular a standing ovation before a note had been played I knew tonight was going to be special. Someone from the audience shouted out “Thank you for coming”, a statement I think we all agreed with.

The crowd became quiet and awaited the beginnings of The Great Marsh, the opening track from their 1975 album The Snow Goose which they were playing in its entirety for the first part of the show, dedicated to ex band member Peter Bardens who died in 2002. For the next 45 minutes I was entranced. The performance from the band was fantastic. The sound was perfect and the response from the audience was very mature. No shouting out during the quiet bits, full respect was given to the band to let them perform. All too quickly the first part of the show was over and an intermission was taken. I sat there, taking in what my eyes and ears had just witnessed. That was one of the best 45 minutes of a concert I had ever experienced. Magical!

A large number of the audience took the opportunity to visit the front at this point and took photos of the stage setting. I looked around to take in the venue and, whilst doing so wondered what the average age of the audience was (45 to 50 years perhaps?).

It wasn't long before the band was back on stage. This time they picked tracks from their vast back catalogue to entertain the loyal crowd. Each track was played to perfection. The band came across more relaxed now, chatting to the audience, pulling faces with each other and generally having fun. Colin Bass, a member of the band since the late 1970’s, impressed with his vocals. Denis Clement was brilliant on drums and helped out more than adequately on bass when Colin Bass was on acoustic guitar and the two keyboard players, Jason Hart and Guy LeBlanc excelled. Last but by no means least, the main man, Andrew Latimer was in fantastic form, both with the guitar and the flute. You wouldn't think he’d spent the last 20 years battling against the progressive blood disorder polycythaemia. Apparently this progressed to myelofibrosis and a bone marrow transplant was needed in 2007. I won’t pretend to understand what this does to a person’s health, nor their minds. All I can say is this man hasn't let it beat him. His energy was amazing, as were the faces he pulled during the many wonderful guitar solos he performed.

Camel has never achieved the mass popularity I feel they deserve. However, they have a strong dedicated fan base and, perhaps, this is all the band want. To be able to play their music to people who appreciate it.

The video at the beginning of this post is of one of my favourite tracks off the Snow Goose album. There are a couple of clips on YouTube from the concert I attended but the audio quality is quite poor so I opted for this instead.

If you are thinking of seeing them live this year then my advice is to stop thinking; get a ticket and go. You will not regret it.

I for one look forward to seeing them live again one day and to a possible new album in the future.

The World at War - TV Series

For me The World at War goes down as one of the best documentary programmes ever made.

The theme tune, the empathetic narration by Laurence Olivier and the images portrayed combined to create a fantastic TV series, and one that can still be watched today without sounding or looking dated.

The subject matter alone leads to interesting TV but not always in a way that informs without coming across as demeaning.

I was 11 years old when it was first broadcast in the UK so I probably watched it when it was repeated some years later. That said I think this series should be part of everyone’s education.

The more we learn about what went wrong in the past the better placed we are to make sure the same mistakes are not repeated in the future.

Bruges, Belgium.

I usually visit France a couple of times a year, visiting my wife’s family, whilst there we always try to have a day in Bruges, Belgium.

Smelling the freshly cooked waffles and listening to the church bells or just enjoying the peacefulness this busy city somehow manages to emit, it is a lovely place just to wander around. Over the years I have ventured further away from the main centre and found the lesser known areas to be just as enjoyable to explore.

I’m not one of those who like to sit at a cafe to watch the world go by. As an enjoyable experience I’m sure that is I’d much rather be on my feet exploring. I could hire a bicycle and explore further but I prefer to be on foot. It’s easier to be able to take a photo or three.

Bruges is a photographer paradise. Street after street of photogenic medieval buildings lovingly looked after and restored. The canals break up what could be a monotony of brick and the regular boat trips give a view of the city that is not to be missed. At street level horses pull carriages of tourists on a guided tour around the narrow streets, sharing the cobblestones with the many cyclists.

I’m a country boy at heart but if I had to move to a city to live, then Bruges would be a strong contender.

The photos shown here are just a small selection of the many I have taken over the years. Many more, including 3d versions can be found on my Flickr site.

Cosmos: A Personal Voyage

When I started watching the Cosmos I was immediately taken in by the combination of the music and special effects. Today CGI is common place but in the early 80’s what they did here was slick.

To see presenter Carl Sagan stroll through ancient structures and cities made the programme much more entertaining. I liked his delivery too. There was nothing demeaning just straight forward facts and information. You felt he respected his audience and did not want to talk down to them. I was genuinely sad when I heard of his death in 1996.

The series lasted for 13 episodes and left a strong impression on me. So much so that I bought the book (and read it from cover to cover) and the LP (no CD’s at this time). Alas there was no t-shirt to complete the set.

Fast forward some 25 years and I received the whole series on DVD as a Christmas present. Watching the first episode again took me right back in time. The special effects actually held up quite well I thought and didn’t look as dated as I thought they would. It’s no surprise the series won awards.

Now a sequel is in the pipeline called Cosmos: A Space-Time Odyssey. Due for airing in the States sometime in Spring 2014. I look forward to this new series and hope it is as good as the original.

3d Photography

Cucklington, Somerset, England.

(Red & Cyan glasses are required to see the 3d effect)

I became interested in 3d photography (anaglyphs) sometime in the autumn of 2002. I was inspired by PierreGideon's web site and, as soon as I learned how to do it, was hooked.

Initially I took pictures of my house and garden to get the idea, some of my early pictures don't look so good now but its all part of the learning process. I only had one camera so I could only photograph subjects that wouldn't move, churches for example (that's also why so many of the early 3d's I made are void of people). I also fashioned an attachment to connect to a tripod so I could keep the camera pointing in the right direction when I moved it across for the second picture. After getting the hang of this I decided to invest in a second camera so I could take pictures with moving subjects. This proved to be a bit tricky at first as I had to press the shutter on both cameras at exactly the same time. Again, after a bit of practise, I got to grips with it. Eventually I learnt to do away with the tripod altogether. All of my pictures are now taken hand held.

After building up a small collection of 3d pictures a project began to take shape all by itself. I gave it some thought and decided to make an attempt to record all the villages and towns of my home county of Somerset in 3d. Every Sunday I would venture off around the county, turning off of the main highways, and discover lots of quaint and well kept towns and villages.

Eventually I thought all these pictures ought to be available to view to everyone and so the idea of the web site was born. After obtaining quotes that out stretched my income I decided to learn how to build my own web site and eventually Somerset in 3d was born in October 2005. 

For the next 5 years I would upload a new town or village, adding other features along the way, such as; Speakin Zummerzet (How to speak and understand the Somerset accent), a Media page (showing any media interest that had been created) and my very own anaglyph software, the Woolly Anaglyph Maker (created by good friend Phil Hand). I also introduced a second gallery of anaglyphs for other places I had visited outside of Somerset.

Then the recession came along and the economic situation meant the project had to be put on hold.

After a while I took the decision to join Flickr and to upload my 3d's there. It's going to take some time putting them all on as there are over 7,000 of them. All in good time.

I still do normal 2d photography and enjoy that too, but my main interest will always be 3d. I love exploring places and looking for 3d's to take and then creating the photograph once I'm back at home.

If you've never tried it yourself I encourage you to give it a go. It's a lot easier than you may think. 

Below are a few more 3d's to look at. You will need a pair of red & cyan glasses to see the 3d effect.

View from Small Down Knoll, Somerset, England.

Pitminster, Somerset, England.

Bruton, Somerset, England.

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Sounds of the 70's

Sounds of the 70's with Johnnie Walker is my weekly musical fix. The show plays every Sunday on BBC Radio 2 between 3pm and 5pm. As I find it difficult to listen to the programme when on air I rely on the catch up service and listen to it during the week. What I like most about the show is the information that's given out about certain tracks. I love discovering how a song was put together, or the reason a band were named or who the song was about. To me it colours in the picture that the song has already given me. The show also reminds me of the diversity of music the 70's had. There was music for everyone back then.

The 1970's were my boy to man era and listening to Sounds of the 70's often reminds me of moments and events of that decade. Music has a way of taking you right back to a moment and enabling you to revisit a time in your personal journey.

Week in week out the show has reminds me of artists or songs I'd forgotten about. The video above is one of them. Peter Skellern and the song Your a Lady (1972) was played on last weeks show (21st September 2013).

The video's below are a small selection of other 'forgotten' songs or artists that I think are worth a listen.

Duncan Browne - Journey - 1972

Greg Kihn - Remember - 1978

Area Code 615 - Judy - 1970

Gary Shearston - I Get a Kick out of You - 1974

Roy Buchanan - Sweet Dreams - 1972

Thank you for visiting and I hope I have introduced you to some new music or reminded you of a time in the past.

Marillion - Afraid of Sunlight

This is one of the best albums made, not just by Marillion but by anyone. I urge you to forget who made it and just be open minded and listen. Don’t take it the wrong way, as I am a Marillion fan, but I know many of you will see the group’s name and not bother reading any further. You’re missing out!

Afraid of Sunlight was released in 1995, their last album for EMI. It’s not a concept album but the songs do sound better together. There’s a good flow to the album, each track complementing the previous or next one.

If there is a theme it is of the destructive side of being a celebrity. References to James Dean, Mike Tyson, Kurt Cobain and O.J. Simpson can be found in various songs and there is a melancholy feel to most of the album.

‘Out of this World’ is the stand out track for me. It is based on the land and water speed record holder Donald Campbell, who died in 1967 whilst attempting another record bid on Coniston Water in the Lake District, England. The track has a wonderful atmosphere and is beautifully sung by Steve Hogarth. I never get tired of hearing this piece of music. It is truly inspiring to listen to. So inspiring that diver Bill Smith heard it and decided to go looking for the missing body of Campbell and of the wreckage of his boat, Bluebird K7, in the lake that claimed his life. On 28^th May 2001 Campbell’s body and the wreckage of the Bluebird were raised from its resting place. Steve Hogarth and guitarist Steve Rothery were there to witness the event. The BBC did a documentary about the Bluebird being raised; unfortunately the song never got a mention. As Steve Hogarth says “If Sting or Peter Gabriel had written it, I’m pretty sure the producers would have made a big thing of it. Maybe Marillion weren’t good enough for them. I’m just a kid from a council estate. I just wrote a poem and I ended up sprinkling dust on his coffin as they lowered him into the ground”. The link above is for this track. Put your headphones on, close your eyes and take it all in.

Other tracks worth a mention include: ‘Beyond You’, a beautiful song, recorded in mono and sung with such emotion. ‘Afraid of Sunrise’ tackles the fear we have of opening up to each other, the opening track ‘Gazpacho’ is a good opener and a lovely version of this track can be found on their acoustic cd ‘Unplugged at the Walls’ (definitely worth a purchase too) and finally ‘Beautiful’ is, well just beautiful.

Q magazine stated about the album “If this were by anything other than Marillion it would be hailed as near genius”. In my opinion it is genius because it IS Marillion.

They don’t get any help from the media, shunned by most of the ‘high profile’ music magazines (including Q) yet they push out stuff like this because they want to. Not to please a record company or agent but because they are first class musicians who do what they do with a passion that cannot be matched by today’s karaoke type groups that fill the charts.

I believe that if you like music you will like this, regardless of whether you like Marillion or not. Give it a try.

M*A*S*H - The TV Series

I started watching M*A*S*H in the mid 1970’s, somewhere around the end of series 2. Frank Blake was still in charge, or so he thought, and Trapper John McIntyre was Hawkeye’s best buddy.

I was immediately hooked. I loved the dry humour and all the characters. Every one of them was strong. I also liked that it was realistic in that, amongst the jokes serious issues were addressed.

When Henry Blake left I really didn't think they would be able to replace him. I loved the relationship he and Radar had. Yet Colonel Potter more than took on the challenge. It was also the same feeling when Trapper left. I thought the relationship and chemistry Hawkeye and Trapper had come across as very genuine. I didn’t think anyone could take his place. Again I was proven wrong. B.J. Hunnicutt became a more than adequate replacement and his relationship with Hawkeye was just as strong.

Major Burns was a fantastic character (brilliantly acted by Larry Linville). I enjoyed watching him try to out-wit Hawkeye and B.J. and failing every time. When he left and Charles Winchester III arrived I knew from the previous changes that this would be fine, and it was. I missed Frank but Charles took us in another direction.

My favourite character of them all has to be Colonel Flagg, played by Edward Winter. He should have had a series of his own. It was brilliant watching and listening to him. He had some of the best gags.

"You think you're real smart. But you're not smart; you're dumb, very dumb. But you've met your match in me."

"Nobody can get the truth out of me because even I don't know what it is. I keep myself in a constant state of utter confusion."

I loved it that Major Burns looked up to him too. The character only appeared six times (or 7 if you count his role as Captain Halloran) and stole the show each time. Perhaps that’s why they limited his appearances. Sadly Edward Winter passed away in 2001 aged 63.

The TV series lasted longer than the war it was set in and the finale was a brilliant way to bow out. Tying up all the loose ends and still adding twists, like Klinger actually staying after spending his whole time in service trying to get home. Fantastic.

I like that the UK shows did not have the laughter track. I find laughter tracks demeaning. Surely it’s better left to the viewer to decide if something is funny or not?

M*A*S*H was a wonderful series and one that still stands up today.  

Calvin and Hobbes

I started reading Calvin and Hobbes back in 1985, when it started appearing in the newspaper I purchased daily. I very quickly became a fan and looked forward to the daily fix. Over the following years I collected the books, eager to read the stories again and be able to keep them on my bookshelves.

What I enjoy about Calvin and Hobbes is the way the message (sometimes a serious message) is passed on to the reader. We see a mischievous child entertaining himself with his stuffed tiger, annoying his parents and his neighbour Suzie. He gets into scrapes with his the school bully, told off by his teacher, reprimanded by the headmaster, scolded by his parents and yet, despite all the put downs, he still looks to go out and have fun. The lesson being; ‘no matter what gets in the way, don’t stop doing what you enjoy’. Clearly that’s not easy for all of us to do but I think it’s important not to forget how to have fun.

Bill Watterson, the creator, is a man I admire. Not just for creating Calvin and Hobbes but for his stand on commercialism. Over the years I have seen many things change for the worse purely because of commercialism. The English football league is a very good example (I could go on and on at this point about what I think about what has happened to English football, but this blog is about what I like, so I will abstain). I like the fact he refused to licence and merchandise his creation. It keeps it pure. He could have made a fortune by doing so but decided he wanted to keep control and not let them become monsters. I also admire him for stopping 10 years later, when they were at their peak of popularity. Sure I would have loved him to continue creating the stories but I do feel that some things can go on too long and we begin to tire and, therefore, not think as highly of them after a while. It’s good for that not to happen to Calvin and Hobbes. They deserve to remain at the top.

For the record I pronounce Hobbes to rhyme with Hopes, I hear others pronouncing the name to rhyme with Hops. To me the fact there is an ‘E’ suggests the former is correct. Anyone out there agree with me?

There are numerous websites out there for Calvin and Hobbes enthusiasts and I’d like to end this article by offering you my personal favourites: Zen Pencils, Calvin & Hobbes search engine,  Digital Calvin and Hobbes and Calvin and Hobbes in real life (sort of).
 

Daley Thompson

Daley Thompson is the kind of athlete I would liked to have been. I loved his confidence and he always looked like he was enjoying himself (and still does today). For some it was bordering on arrogance but I think he only crossed that line when required. If anything when he did cross that line I felt it was always in a humorous way rather than being too cocky. What he achieved in his time was amazing, going nine years unbeaten and setting 4 world records whilst winning two Olympic gold’s, 3 Commonwealth Games gold’s and wins in both the European and World Championships. He has also been awarded the MBE, OBE and the CBE. I wonder how long it will be before he becomes Sir Daley.

The picture above is my favourite of him and one that inspired Sir Steve Redgrave no less. It says it all about the man. His competitors lying at his feet exhausted (by the way you can purchase the picture by going here if you are interested).

Last year’s fantastic London Olympics also provided us Brits with another winner in Jessica Ennis. Watching her win gold reminded me of how Daley was in his day. Dominating the event and enjoying it along the way. I really enjoyed seeing the competitors do a lap of honour together at the end. I always think it’s nice to see competitive rivals get along once they are off duty.

My experience of athletics at school was rubbish. About 4 weeks before ‘Sports Day’ out would come all the athletics kit they had. For the next few weeks we’d all be instructed to practise the javelin, discus, long jump, high jump and running events. Then as soon as Sports Day was over it would all be packed away until the same time the following year. There was no chance for any naturally gifted athlete to be discovered in those days, at least not in the area where I lived.

As an ex Fitness Instructor I have a healthy respect for all athletes and I think it’s great that today there is so much more available to anyone who wants to have a go at athletics. I just wish it would have been like that when I was younger.

I downloaded the Jessica Ennis photos without making a note of the source. If they are your photos, and you can prove it, please get in touch and I'll put your name to them. I hope you don't mind me using them.

Supertramp - Their First Album

Growing up in the 1970's Supertramp were a big part of my youth. My elder brother did a light show for them when they appeared in Wells, Somerset, England, before they were well known. This would have been sometime in late 1970.

The album they were touring with then was their self titled debut album, released 14th July the same year (The album was not released in the States until 1977). An album that is still a strong favourite of mine and one that I feel is still one of the best Supertramp albums.

The songs have a strong melancholy feel to them but in places they rock. The band were very much a prog-rock type of band then with guitar solos and riffs far away from the keyboard based band they would become. 

This album should not be overlooked. The lyrics were mainly written by Richard Palmer and deserve to be listened to. It's a pity these songs are not sung live by Supertramp or Roger Hodgson. I'm sure many die-hard Supertramp fans would love to hear them.

The album, despite critical acclaim, was not a success. Their second album, Indelibly Stamped also failed, selling fewer copies than their first album. Apart from Davies and Hodgson the other members quit the band. Their mentor, Stanley 'Sam' August Miesegaes, (a Dutch millionaire who the band dedicated their next album to) paid off their debts and after recruiting new members the band took refuge on a farm in Somerset to work on their future. It would be here that most of Crime of the Century (their breakthrough album) and other tracks were written.

The track above, Maybe I'm a Beggar is the only track I can find on You Tube from the first album. I did try uploading my own video of the song Words Unspoken for the purposes of this blog, but the internet police took it down pretty quickly.   

If you haven’t already heard this album of theirs I strongly recommend you purchase a copy. I don’t think you will be disappointed.

Somerset Churches

I enjoy exploring Somerset and specifically exploring Somerset's churches. I don't class myself as religious but I do love the history that each church has, as well as the architecture.

I can spend a long time taking in the various inscriptions and if there's an effigy or two then I'm set for the day.

There are few churches in Somerset, as in England generally, where the Victorians have not left their mark.  Their use of Bath stone, made cheap by the use of the railways, in place of the local stone from which the original structures were made, have aggravated many, but, in a great number of cases, without the Victorian restoration work a large number of our churches may no longer have remained.

The picture above is of Meare church on the Somerset levels. There are plenty more photos of Somerset churches at my Flickr account and if you're into anaglyphs there are lots of 3d photos of Somerset at my website Somerset in 3d.

What the blog is about

This blog will feature all the things I like. That could be food, a certain song or album, a movie, a certain well known person, anything that comes to mind. Why am I doing this? Because I want to. I'm not concerned if I don't have any followers or, if I do, they don't agree with my choice. It's not a problem to me if you don't like what I do, nor is it an issue if you like something I don't. This is just for the fun of it. I'll do my best to post an entry once a week, but reserve the right to be more or less frequent as and when it pleases me. Thank you for reading.