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February 27, 2011
some dresses
costume ideas for the new film
Posted by john at 08:02 AM | Comments (0)
February 26, 2011
rusting away in Co.Durham
Posted by john at 08:01 AM | Comments (1)
February 25, 2011
The Invisible Thread Theatre of Animation
more images for Liz Walker and her wonderfully mad puppets
Posted by john at 08:47 AM | Comments (0)
February 20, 2011
the off on switch
[on Katrin's Pfaff sewing machine]
Posted by john at 10:54 PM | Comments (1)
February 19, 2011
not today
today it's snowing, but when the sun came out last week it stuck its sticky marmalade fingers through the window glass and onto the dresser
Posted by john at 10:33 AM | Comments (1)
February 17, 2011
wider aspect more to see
35 mm lens
20mm lens
[but still can't see His Highness Akbaloddowla the ex-King of Oude]
Posted by john at 02:06 AM | Comments (0)
February 15, 2011
His Highness Akbaloddowla ex-king of oude
back of another family photograph from the beginning of the last century
Posted by john at 05:11 PM | Comments (0)
February 13, 2011
Led Zep II
My first record, my first LP that is, [and for those of you unfamiliar with the term LP, of which there are doubtless many, it means Long Player. As opposed to EP, Extended Play, or Single]. They were soon to be called Albums, which, in a way, they still are.
I wasn't allowed to buy records, or at least Rock Music. My mother had a PYE Black Box HiFi record player and she said I couldn't play any Rock Music on it as it would damage it. Notwithstanding the fact that Beethoven's 9th symphony or Rachmaninov's Night on Bald Mountain didn't seem to do it any harm.
So I bought a second hand Decca Dansette, from where I know not, and I still wasn't allowed to buy Rock Music.
I used to play Dvorak's Hungarian Dances on it - which is pretty stirring stuff if you're in the mood. But I saved my pocket money and naughtily bought Led Zepplin II. I kept it in by sock draw, under the socks.
The thrill of owning an LP. The thick cardboard sleeve, with this image - which summed up everything rebellious to a 14 year old. Then tilting the sleeve and sliding out the white paper inner-sleeve. It was almost as good as Mac packaging. From there care had to be taken not to touch the surface of the record, it's black shiny surface like anthracite, and almost as brittle. With a thumb on the edge of the record my small hand stretched to reach the paper coated centre section. The sleeve being discarded the record was held between both hands, edge on, and spun to the desired side before being placed on the record player. This was the Japanese Tea Ceremony of music listening compared to the instant coffee of the iPod.
When I got a bit of money and after days spent going through the Comet warehouse [and it was just a warehouse in those days] adverts in the Yorkshire Post with William Eagles, I bought the ubiquitous Garrard SP25 MkIII deck, an Amstrad amplifier and, on advice from the brown coated Comet warehousemen, a pair of Solavox speakers which, I have to say, are still excellent to this day.
Posted by john at 07:20 PM | Comments (1)
February 12, 2011
OOPS!
Did I mention that the engineers cut the first panel twice by [expensive] mistake?
So I've ended up with some lead mining words on the end of the Old Printworks:
Posted by john at 04:49 PM | Comments (1)
February 11, 2011
Grandfather
My Grandfather, John Coombes, on the 7th August 1911, three months before my father, John Coombes, was born
Posted by john at 09:40 PM | Comments (0)
February 09, 2011
Copper & Tin
a copper and tin vessel, bought from and old lady in a street market in Sofia, Bulgaria. Used to bring water from various distances, and pour it into a big tin bath, in order of that distance.
Posted by john at 06:34 PM | Comments (0)
February 07, 2011
some dead sunflowers
Posted by john at 11:07 PM | Comments (1)
February 03, 2011
lead mine accoutrements
Posted by john at 10:08 PM | Comments (0)
February 02, 2011
The Lead Mine
looking the other way
Posted by john at 08:38 PM | Comments (0)
February 01, 2011
Hanging Steel
Spent the day up in Co.Durham, on a windswept hillside, hanging the lead mining words, cut in steel, on the side of the Killhope Lead Mine Museum
Matt and Sue discuss something important
Posted by john at 10:02 PM | Comments (2)