Wonderchild of Tyope

So, it would seem that the young Benjamin Britten rilly had a touch of Tyope from a very young age. This is his first musical drama, from when he was seven or six. "The Royal Falily".

Thank you, Britten Pears foundation (you can see the work in all its glory there).

Conductor of Magic

Came across this photo of Ralph Vaughan Williams and thought he looked a bit wizardly. But what kind of wizard would he be? Grey? Doens't seem kwite right, does it?

Anyway, looks like he's about to enact some deep magice, so I'll leave him toit.

temple of minor irregularities

i stumbled across this... a temple of minor irregularities.

i like the fact that it's under construction.

i'm planning to visit it during my procrastination pilgrimage, eventually.

nomanisanisland

today, a dem0 in dutch.

Twee boeren op een mini-eiland
Two farmers populating a small Dutch island

revisiting Avebury

I reckon that Stonehege was build by the contemporary equivalent of Microsoft, whereas Avebury was definitely an Apple circle.

this is Terry Pratchett writing (a while ago). having relatively recently learned the joys and tribulations of owning a mac, i'm inclined to disagree. i think both monuments were made by apple; both bear the company's signature sleek aesthetic. also, they were probably extremely fit for purpose, but not for mcuh else.

microsoft? they built Seahenge.

other thoughts on Avebury:

In the centre of the village is the Rectory (Vicarage), not looking towards the street, but fronting a pleasant garden and green fields, across which was a path leading to a vast mound said to be the work of human hands. Marvellous it is even as the mystic stones that tell of the creed of the generations gone by; and solemn and peaceful are the blue mists that rest upon it in the early morning, veiling its outlines as the shadows of the past.

now this is Tolkien writing. that is, it's not actually his writing, it's Elizabeth Sewell's, but the wording and spirit are very much him. in fact, she goes on in such a vein that i wouldn't be surprised if someone found a hidden manuscript by her, hidden in a sock drawer or something, about hobbits.

I have lingered at the garden gate day after day, gazing upon the old circular hill, and hearing no sound to break the stillness of the air, until I could have fancied that peace–the peace of a world which has never echoed to the sound of a human voice–the peace of the spirits who rest in hope, was lingering amidst that quiet village.

(thanks to the heritage journal for quoting Sewell and reminding me of the lesser spotted standing stones)

Happy Hobbit Hops

no angels

Galadriel at a masked ball. how ironic.

Sauron blogs

sow ee know that Sauron is very much alive on the internet, and creating a ring of blogs. Annatar's Blog is his most volcanic at the moment. i do knot know the purpose of all this, either he's just got a lot of time on his hands as a disembodied spirit, or he's plotting something.

the latter seems a bit more likely in the light of my my latest find... Ringer's Diary.

popinjay

i'm this close to accepting balrog wings, thanks to this image.

a boonk to treasure

well, it looks like he found a publisher, fater lal.

let us hope it is lal for the beest.

erm... wellcome?

these, according to the clearly-blessed-by-tyope outfit wellcome collection, are toilet instruments.

whoever used athame-like instruments for their toliet is what i'd like to know.

lurking

no more mister lol-cat.

phote by zack sheppard. cc-by-sa.

A trip to Middle Earth. Watch me Flounder.

All brooks are like a road, they say

Or maybe something versavice
I only know I run a bit like them

First fast, then slow, then gargling, then sidewise.

Warwickslade Cutting was photographed by Peter Facey and licensed under cc/by/2.0

a film to match At The

in 1953, Max Ophüls made a film called "Madame de...". in order to explicate this to anglophone viewers, the title was amended to "The Earrings of Madame de..." in english. the film, under either title, would probably go splednidly along with a meal at "Zu den", the traditional TEUNC haunt in Grz.

A trip to Middle Earth. Watch me Wander.

To reach a fence and not to jump
Most Hobbits seem to do that stunt.
But wanderlust can lift both feet and heavy rump
and set you off across that garden stump.

Hopsford was photographed by Ian Rob and licensed under cc/by/2.0

A Trip to Middle Earth. Watch me Wonder.

The road goes on. Why should it not?
Though feets may sore and roots may rot
You may find that some lives are lived just to the dot.
But others, most definitely, are not.

Withybrook was photographed by Ian Rob and licensed under cc/by/2.0

A Trip to Middle Earth. Watch me Windle.

I windled lonely as a brook
To see where fancy me forsook
I thought I might meet an Elf or read a book
But all my peace was spoilt by a Took!

Windle Brook, Surrey was photographed by Andrew Smith and licensed under cc/by/2.0

jump for christmas!

salrwater crocodiles are generally very lethargic. however, they are capable of explosive bursts of speed when launching an attack out of water. occasionally, the crocs will jump for food.


sources: telegraph (pic) and wikipedia

poor eskimo!

Eskimo the eight-year-old reindeer had a dramatic run-up to christmas as (s)he underwent keyhole surgery to "correct" a hormonal imbalance which made h(er)im the runt of the litter and a bit of a loner with a "girly" walk. his antlers were stunted and knobbly, and poor Eskimo was both shunned by males and females.

after the keyhole surgery, Eskimo has picked up a few buddies and a girlfriend. his vet, in a statement, said: "I popped up to see him today and he was munching on some lichen with a female reindeer by his side."

The North Pole was unavailanle for comment on this story.

source: scotsman

when making a wishlist

do not wish for an indoors swimming pool if you can't keep it well insulated.



source: telegraph