Oliver Wood Photography

Thankfully the pre-Christmas stress is over for another year but it has been a rather enjoyable festive season — my first with Gill and family Though we are spending most of the Christmas-New Year interim at mine. Today we cycled up to near by Hare Hill with the intention of having a sneak (out of season) preview of the magnificent gardens but the ornamental lawn with sculptures and surrounding arboretum were closed to the public as is customary with NT properties at this time of year.

Gill however, was suitably impressed with the general Mottram St Andrew setting which seemed to be at its most atmospheric in the misty winter half-light. At this time of year much of rural Northern England has a certain quality of verdant dankness, a becalmed quiescence or a tangible lull in the proceedings before the fertility storm of spring. Our local high rainfall and atmospheric moisture levels promote the most vivid growths of bright green moss and algae on virtually anything that remains still for long enough and these bright greens combined with the rich browns of earth, mud, and leaf mould are the predominant colours of the landscape. I got to try out my new Sony W70 camera in alfresco mode for the first time. The results are quite adequate thus far and at last I now have a digital camera with a satisfying degree of manual control—but it is still just a step on the ladder to a decent digital SLR. I keep pondering the prospect of a return to film and the resurrection of some pretty good kit from previous years but unfortunately the convenience of digital continues to override virtually all other concerns.

Mr P seemed to be airing a number of concerns about London life last time we met but we appeared to reach something of a consensus on the self evident superiority of life in the North. At least one can entertain the prospect of actually being able to own the roof over ones head in many places around Manchester and Cheshire, and more than just a ‘flat’ in an over populated area. Friendlier people, a much less competitive but highly creative cultural industry sector, low density housing, open space and a generally less frenetic pace of life are just some of the things I would recommend about life up here. As would many of the those decamping to the Mancunian suburbs or Cheshire towns and villages from the South. Even by comparison with near by Manchester my local town of Macclesfield seems to be pleasantly ‘relaxed’. Gill is still marvelling at the shear quantity of good quality privately owned shops in the town along with the extraordinary concentration of pubs and inns.

Of course I had to take photo first in the true spirit of the Wood and Partridge methodology of the past. I do worry that my former partner in crimes against cameras is becoming a little conservative in his ways!

Happy Yule tide to all my reader(s)—- on lookers—-

Mr P is now safely ensconced in front of a roaring fire. Next stop the lovely Gill and family then Brother and SIL.

Arrrrhggg! 43 on Monday but still able to pass for 28-ish on a good day; 35-ish on a bad day. I suppose I shouldn’t grumble then, but of course I must digress immediately as chronological age is of no importance what so ever—naturally.

It’s a beautiful bright crisp day in glorious cestrian uber village and such a joy to be away from the city centre where I now seem to spend much of the week engaged in a rather satisfying and adequately challenging IT job. But my ‘spiritual’ home will always be rural England. Space, fresh air, the expanse of nature and the physical challenge of traversing the Peak District on a mountain bike are some of my favourite things. Though of course I do also have the consolation of a stop over and much shorter morning commutes from Gill’s in the characterful ‘up market’ and satisfyingly leafy Mancunian suburbs collectively known as the ‘Heatons’.

Gill and I continue to fly off into a fantasy world of Welsh small holdings and all manner of alternative agrarian or rustic business ventures from organic cafes to alternative energy systems installation.

Incidentally this concept of wholesome environmentally aware and engaged living (something which I seem to constantly bang on about) is gaining momentum, though its current manifestation should not be confused with that now rather passé phrase new age with all of its fashionable resonance’s for the urban right on brigade and assorted mentalists and charlatans et al.

The new “new age” sensibility seems to embody a celebration of physical courage and wellbeing. It encourages the idea of getting back to nature and the ‘environment’ in a more pro active, realistic and robust way and it has become the cult of a generation of youth with an eye on the Green agenda. It is the new ‘new age’ zeitgeist of extreme sports fanatics, BMX and mountain bikers, mountain climbers with a spiritual attitude and all manner of muscular out door pursuits rather than the hippy dippy variety offered by the old “new age”. New “new age” is a way of life for people that can actually light fires and regard getting cold and wet as a life affirming experience. It appears to be the philosophy proffered by the ultra ethical Welsh clothing manufacture Howies and the cultural thinking behind Add Busters and the concept of “media jamming”. It is anti dumb anti sedentary and anti blind acceptance of the shallow nihilistic attitudes of our contemporary society.

Digressing again—and gently meandering into the equally glorious world of music. This month we have Stereolab and something of a coup in the jazz arena. Three for December, Old stuff yes, but still good and yet another exposition of the slightly eclectic nature of my taste in these matters.

Stereolab ‘First of The Microbe Hunters’ UMO Jazz Orchestra ‘One More Time’ Dwight Trible ‘Horace’

The increasing rarity of these wondrously desirable items has finally driven me to a last ditch purchase on Amazon.co.uk, as all other outlets were proving to be less than useless. Although I would consider my lab collection to be pretty much complete, at least in terms of the creative scope of this incredible band’s output I decided to fill in some of the missing gaps. Microbe Hunters is the perfect entry-level album for anyone wanting an introduction to mid-late period Stereolab. It is the stepping stone between lofi avantgardism of their transfigured velvet underground-ish period and the sumptuous joiesence of the equally avant garde and skewed situationist European evocations. The Lab of course continue to defy categorisation even though they are essentially one of the “most important indi bands of the last 20 years” they continue to produce some of the most strikingly unique, interesting and enjoyable music under the ‘pop’ banner.

The UMO Jazz Orchestra is one of the more ‘classic’ outfits in the burgeoning and highly distinctive Scandinavian jazz scene. It’s big powerful and expansive jazz but not quite as we know it. This album is a sort of quintessential example of the Finish jazz ‘soul’ and its hugely dynamic arrangements are strangely evocative of the moody expanse of the Scandinavian landscape and cold seas. It’s unmistakably Jazz but it wouldn’t feel ‘right’ in a Manhattan studio apartment. The much sort after Horace album is much more evocative of the classic American contemporary mode but still pulls a lot of innovative punches. I seem to remember Dwight Trible’s voice having something of odd quality that boarded on mellifluent baritone androgyny—I know that sounds like an oxymoron but it is true I tell you—so coool! The ‘John Coltrain’ track was a real down tools rooted to the spot moment when I first heard it and just can’t wait to hear it again.