Personal

Sunset coast

Call me slow, but I've just realised there are some places that rarely see the sky blush while other places - such as Saranac Lake - have a daily evening glow.

Aberystwyth - or I suppose anywhere on the west coast - is one such place, and its sunsets fascinate me.

Angels

Yes, already

After all, November begins in just two days time.

Personal

East vs. West

Emma and I spend a fair bit of time comparing our current home towns. After all, they're both coastal towns of similar size. Both have are served by infrequent branch-line railways. The similarities seem to stop there though.

Aberystwyth, on the west coast of Wales, is bubbling and alive while Woodbridge snoozes into the east coast night with its slippers by the fire. Tonight we're off to see Kate Rusby at the Arts Centre in Aber. Woodbridge doesn't even have an appropriate venue to host live music.

I think the key is the location of the Arts Centre - at the university. Woodbridge is the sort of place people run away from to go to university. Aberystwyth - quite literally on the other side of the country - is the place school-leavers run away to, to become adults. They take their need for arts and culture with them, leaving a drained soul-less place.

So the next time I move, "Does it have a university?" will be right at the top of my checklist for a potential hometown.

Comment

Just a debate

Last weekend's in-car listening for me was the Presidential Debate. In equal measures laughable, insightful (yes!), worrying and reassuring.

I see that Michael Howard has challenged Tony Blair to a similar debate, just as William Hague did in 2001, and the Conservative Party as a whole did in 2000. (It seems the Tories don't understand what 'no' means.)

Personally I don't want to hear a 'debate' along the lines of the one I listened to in the car. Both candidates sniped at each other, neither debated, both digressed without intervention from the moderator, both were repetitive.

No, if we do this in the UK, we'll have to do it properly. We need a chair who'll ensure participants don't deviate from the topic, repeat themselves or hesitate. In short, we need a special edition of Just a Minute.

John Kerry's already got the hang of it. "I want you to notice how the president switched away from jobs and started talking about education," he said at one point - a textbook call of deviation. Though later on, he seems to forget that rule: "Let me just answer one part of the last question quickly, and then I'll come to immigration."

As chair, Nicholas Parsons would be ruthless and entertaining. And for those of you who think there should be no room for entertainment in such events, let me remind you of George W Bush's closing comment in the last debate in 2000. He said, "I'm asking for your vote. For those of you for me, thanks for your help. For those of you for my opponent, please only vote once."

Arts

Film: Shark Tale

That'll be a "don't bother", then.

You can tell it's half-term: a cartoon at the cinema, seats suddenly full (but I'm still the only person there alone), and all the adverts are for products I'd thought were stuck in the 70s (Barbie, Hubba-Bubba, etc).

There are moments of genius in Shark Tale - I love the way the animators have let the actors' physical appearance influence the way they draw their characters, especially Missy 'Misdemeanor' Elliott. But on the whole it's a dud. Formulaic (does every Dreamworks Animation have to reference quite so many old films?), a limp script and dull.

(And now Liz can tell me how I'm just confusing the film with Wimbledon.)

Tech

I will not spend more money

I try not to be too materialistic, but I can think of so many uses for the new iPod Photo.

For example, why take a laptop to a presentation you're giving? Load your slides onto the iPod as images and hook the device straight into the projector.

How about when I'm visiting my Gran? I'm sure she'd be much more comfortable with me showing her my latest snaps by displaying them on the TV than having to use my laptop. (Yes I know I could always use prints, but they're so low-tech!)

Or out walking, I could carry mini maps of the area. (OK, again I recognise the invention of paper maps.)

And don't get me started on the alt.worship scene, where the iPod seems to have taken on the mandatory role occupied in the 70s by the tambourine and acoustic guitar. This new one is just made for those guys. How else would you explain the part of the sales pitch where Apple encourage you to "mesmerize friends and family with a glorious multimedia experience, offering them a breathtaking slideshow accompanied by music"?

I don't need one, so I've locked my credit card away. But that doesn't mean I can't hear it calling to me.

Personal

Another voice lost

I'm sure 90% of my friends feel the same way about this sad news. John Peel was a landmark in our listening lives. Besides, he made living in Suffolk seem cool.

Arts

Book: Coastline UK

Waiting for me at the Post Office this morning was a copy of Coastline UK.

It's the ultimate coffee-table book for someone like me. The full-page photographs are taken vertically from above, so views of traditional sights are turned around. Durdle Door becomes a thin line of rock rather than the usual arch; The Needles are a white dot-to-dot.

Most spectacular though, are the unidentifiable places. Perhaps half of the photographs are abstract textures: sand, soil and sea mixed in rich swirling patterns. Many look more like far-off places than parts of our coast. (It's no surprise to see this comes from the same publisher as The Earth from the Air.)

If you're stuck for a present for someone who loves patterns, the coast and this island of ours, you'll be hard pushed to find a better gift.

(And if you're the person who sent the book to me, thank-you - it's perfect.)

Personal

Trees, leaves, seeds

It's been a morning of learning for me. Wakehurst Place - half an hour's drive from Mum's house - is home to the Millennium Seed Bank. So after a walk through the gardens and woods, Emma showed me something not a million miles away from her field of work.

I still don't understand fully how it works, but it's eye-opening to consider the scale of the seed bank project. And it's good to have an expert geneticist as a guide.

Personal

The West Pier

Today I've introduced Emma to Brighton. And if you've been reading this site a while, you'll know we had to take a peek at The Pier.

The damage was less than I'd expected but the structure makes a very sorry sight. The overcast sky, relentless wind and fierce waves lent power and drama to the twist of rusting iron.

One day this story will come to a close, but for now I'll give up predicting when that will be.

Greenbelt

Two weddings

It's almost the Biblical way: years of plenty alternate with years of drought.

For a while, 2004 looked as if it'd be the first year in a long time I'd not attended a wedding. But by the summer, I'd been invited to two - both today.

So I opted for the closest - Rachel and Matt's. (James and Kari's was three thousand miles further afield.)

There are so many similarities. Rachel and James are both Brits marrying Americans. I know both of them through Greenbelt. And all four blog. (As I typed the links to their blogs above I couldn't help noting how domain names have been adopted as the couples combine. Is this the modern equivalent of taking your spouse's name?)

Emma and I had a wonderful evening, celebrating Rach and Matt's betrothal. Plenty of familiar faces mixed in with some new ones. Good food, drink and chat before a drive back home.

I just wish I'd been able to do a Phil Collins / Live Aid inspired dash across the Atlantic to join the other celebration too.

Personal

For those who haven't yet seen

My unicycle habit crops up every now and then (probably because it's something I enjoy harking back to). It's usually met with a little surprise and disbelief. So in case you've not seen them before, here are some photos from ten years ago:

In the first I demonstrate how best to transport a 'giraffe' unicycle - steering it out front while riding a regular uni. The second shows I can actually get on the giraffe. (The most popular question from strangers was always, "How do you get down?". Answer: "Stop pedalling." Believe me, it's harder to get up there.)

The third is the best answer I have to the question "Why?". It's the view from the giraffe as I start to make my way through the crowds at Speakers Corner on a Sunday in September 1993.

Riding unicycles is a social, relaxing way of travelling, and it presents a unique view on the world.

I really must get mine out again sometime soon.

(Thanks Caroline for reminding me of this habit.)

Personal

The Neighbourhood

This is rather astonishing.

I've just spent a very pleasant hour with my neighbours. We talked of planning applications. We gossiped a little. We swapped stories about The Angel. We had a glass or two of wine.

Don't tell them, but I quite like the people who live around me.

Arts

The Tipping Point

I've just finished reading The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell.

I tend to come late to best-sellers so I'm sure many of you have already read it. If you've not though, I'd recommend you grab a copy. While the book doesn't provide answers in the way some suggest it might, it does at least present fascinating parallels between epidemics and the spread of information. It's full of examples from the outside columns of the newspapers, using psychology and sociology to describe what might be going on in the collective conscious.

It's a fascinating read. Take your time.

Personal , Tech

A key question

This afternoon the guy who works next to me turned and asked, "What form does an HTTP request take?"

The question itself isn't important. What is, is the way my eyes lit up, and I enjoyed explaining the answer.

I realised I had a stack of technical knowledge that's not being exercised in my everyday work, and that I love helping people solve their problems. What I don't like is punching numbers and formulae into the a spreadsheet as I have been doing this past month.

On Saturday Matt asked me why I haven't got a new job yet. I told him I'd not figured out what I wanted to do. But today it feels like I'm making the first steps.

Personal

Learning to balance

Today's tide is one of the highest of the year. I didn't know this when I set out, but it was clear when I reached the river. Despite the cold, damp air there was a lot of activity on the water and on the quayside, people making the most of their Sunday afternoons.

By the boat-builders I passed a woman walking her dogs. The moment of recognition came five paces later: it was Pop, the balloon modeller. Turning to check I saw she'd stopped beside a boat where her dogs were checking out those of a boat owner.

Keen to introduce himself to the sea-farer, one of Pop's dogs started along the plank propped up on the quayside.

The next minute passed in slow-motion.

Noses on the verge of touching, Pop's dog suddenly found his own face a little lower than expected. Startled, he noticed his whole body sliding down as the plank tilted under his weight. He tried scrabbling backwards but it was too late. With an unceremonious splash, he dropped into the muddy water.

The dog, it has to be said, didn't seem stressed at all. He swam to the edge and was quickly hoisted out. Moments later the obligatory sniffing of other dogs continued.

This is a good thing. I was too busy laughing to help.

Angels

Glemsford Angel

On the corner of the old Angel Inn, next to another Angel Lane.

Walks

Clare, Cavendish and Glemsford

Distance: 13.7 miles
Ascent: 276 metres
Duration: 4 hours 37 minutes

Chocolate-box Suffolk

Some years ago I bought a book of Suffolk Walks. If you don't count the occasional flick through its pages, the book has been sitting on my self unused ever since. Today I changed that.

Walk 27: Glemsford from Clare via Cavendish

The author seems to have a two aspects of Suffolk: its hedgerows and its "classic scenes that have featured on many a chocolate box". I can't speak for Matt (who was walking with me), but neither of these particularly grabbed me today.

That's not to say the day was devoid of unusual sights though. In a field near Cavendish we spotted three Roe deer (if only my new camera had arrived, I'd be able to show you). Then in Glemsford we were greeted by Morris Dancing outside the village grocery shop.

We found it difficult to get going again after lunch at the Black Lion, but thankfully this return leg of the walk was shorter than the outward journey.

A thoroughly enjoyable walk. Complete another twenty-seven and the book will have finally served its purpose.

Arts , Greenbelt

Cash

My biggest surprise at Greenbelt was when I walked into the Johnny Cash tribute this year. There over at the side of the venue I spotted my Mum. I'd almost forgotten the show was on (it was Stocki who reminded me as we passed at the toasted sandwich van), but Mum had clearly been near the front of the queue, and was settling in.

"Dad loved Johnny Cash," she said when I asked what she was doing there.

This came as a surprise. I'd been aware of Johnny Cash for a long time, but never really listened to his music. I'd been totally unaware of Dad's love of his music. So the next hour was a time of learning for me, and I came away with the beginning of an understanding.

This week I bought three tracks that I heard that evening: Cash's own "The Man in Black", his cover of U2's "One" and his cover of Nine Inch Nails' "Hurt". They're on constant repeat wherever I go. I think this is the start of a longer lesson.

Arts

Film: Wimbledon

Some clever video mixing can't hide the fact that Wimbledon is sentimental preachy rubbish. But is that a bad thing?

I'm a sucker for seeing places I love on the big screen, so liberal use of London locations (especially South Ken), and a few shots of Brighton mean that I can't possibly agree with Liz.

Greenbelt

Stealth cistern saver

The Year of Living Generously project steps up a gear today with the launch of our website. To mark the occasion, Martin gave everyone at Monday's Greenbelt Management Group meeting a water-saver to put in their cistern.

Just think: right now, one hundred people are signing up to become stealth cistern saver droppers. If you want to find out more, check out the site.

Tech

The invisible product

Seen the new iPod advert yet?

It's distinctly iPod. It still has the black silhouettes with white wire against a colourful background, but this time the images are U2 performing their new single, rather than people listening on their iPods. Wires running from the microphone, bass and guitar replace headphones.

Well, it's nearly that. There are a couple of snatches of people listening, but the iPod itself is almost entirely missing from the commercial. I'd argue it could be done away with altogether. The product is suggested by the style.

I know very little about marketing, but I'd say this is a clear sign the campaign has won.

Tech

The last film

That's it then: I've sent off my very last film to be developed. I've a digital replacement for my SLR on order so it's full steam ahead to the digital age.

The bad news is the my old camera's worth next-to nothing apparently. I guess at least it means I'll always have an analogue camera to return to when the digital meltdown occurs.

Personal

The Ystwyth

You know, as in "Aber...".

To the right is Tanybwlch beach, now somewhat lighter after the removal of three large stones that I've brought back to Suffolk. I'm wreaking havoc with the balance of the country, but I can't help myself.

Ceredigion Coast Path , Coastwalk

Aberarth → Aberaeron

Distance: 1.95 miles
Ascent: 56 metres
Duration: 43 minutes

Autumn
« Llanrhystud | New Quay »

Today's been a lazy day, but Emma and I got out for a brief walk anyway. We're slowly chipping away at the coast near Aberystwyth; Aberarth is ten miles or so to the south.

From here to Aberaeron is a short walk along a pebbly beach. The promised rain didn't show, leaving a fresh cool autumn day.

By the end our pockets were full of shells and pebbles, and our bellies were full of chips and vinegar. This is what Autumn was made for.

Angels

Blurred Angel

You may think this photograph is out of focus. You'd be wrong. I've instead carefully reproduced a common visual impression of the place.

Personal

The rhythm of the counties

Suffolk
Cambridgeshire
Northamptonshire

This is the rhythm of some of my Fridays these days: a journey from the familiar.

Leicestershire
Warwickshire

The passing English counties beat the cadence of my driving.

Staffordshire
Shropshire

And then, ARAF! SLOW!:

Powys
Ceredigion

Arts

Film: Collateral

Liz was pretty much on the money: Tom Cruise, but not too much. A good evening's escape.

Tech

44,444

A minor milestone in the life of my car today. You can tell I work with numbers - this one excited me more than 40,000. Of course 32,768 was better still but only true geeks keep an eye out for that (and are ready to snicker if the mileage was stored in a signed short).

Arts

Film: Super Size Me

Last year, I overheard a seven year-old girl proclaim, "I don't want to eat in McDonalds, mummy. I don't want to eat somewhere they have to bribe you to eat their food by giving you a toy." Half an hour later almost identical words were repeated by the mother, and whether or not the message was understood (or even whether it was valid), you knew it had been learnt.

Super Size Me isn't a particularly polished film. (This much is clear in its below average sound mix and some pretty shoddy footage.) But it's been playing in Ipswich for three weeks now, so there must be some other reason why people are still going.

The film says nothing new - like the girl we all know the nutritional value of junk food - but perhaps the message hasn't sunk in. Perhaps that's why folk are going to the film. Junk food tastes good, it's a hard habit to break, so we need to be reminded once more of the facts.

McDonald's are working hard to convince us the film's not just about them, that they agree with much of the film's message. I'm more inclined to disagree with them, but still those quarter pounders taste great.

Personal

National snooze

In case you missed it (and I would have, had it not been for a circular this morning), today marks the start of National Meetings Week.

Hey, don't laugh. It's supported by Anita Roddick so it must be good.

Personal

Retail therapy

My search for a camera took me to the shops twice this weekend. Yesterday I visited Horsham for the first time. Today on the way home it was the turn of Bluewater.

It was a good opportunity to compare and contrast.

An old town centre: a cluster of streets bustling with market stalls and happy shoppers easily trumped the stressed, crowded - but clinically clean - uniform experience of the shopping centre.

I'll be back to Bluewater one day, but my insight this weekend is that I'd much rather have Horsham.

Personal

Mobile-dating

Some people count the rings running through the trunk of a tree. Others use sophisticated carbon-dating techniques.

Sadly neither of these techniques can be used on movies. You need something more subtle.

Vegging out on My Best Friend's Wedding tonight reveals the answer: mobile-phone dating. We see Julia Roberts in the opening scene - at least we think it's her; the lower half of her face is obscured by the flip-open microphone from her absurdly bulky mobile. No doubt about it; this is the mid-nineties.

Back then we probably thought they were cool. Goodness knows what ten years will do to my mobile. But in the 80s we thought fluorescent socks were sophisticated, and thankfully society's found some collective forgiveness.

Personal

Fraudulently smug

I'm at Mum's. This means many things: a warm, quiet house; good food; care; space and of course television.

So here's an admission. If ever I get all smug on you about how I don't have a TV, don't listen to a word I say. I've spent almost all the evening in front of the box. Come on, with re-runs of The West Wing how can I do anything else?