Called as if by the alluring enchantment of a Siren quite possibly? I’m considering a move after twelve years of relatively stable home ownership in dear old Prestbury. There are reasons for this, some of which are private (but not hugely significant) others have to do with some newly acquired and deep seated desire for a simple change of scenery. In fact ‘scenery’ is one of the keywords underpinning this whole idea, I need to pay homage to Bollington’s White Nancy on a daily basis — or similar; as it might be. I don’t intend to give away all of my prospective purchasing secrets just yet, but I do know what I want and I think I know how to get it to paraphrase the famous song. Other locations that are calling yours truly include the beautiful and sedate hamlet of Kerridge and the more remote and rugged surroundings of Rainow. The idea is to provide oneself with some extra cash whilst maintaining outright homeownership status and remaining in a rural location. Some of these locations are even more rural than my current one — some are downright remote! Cameras, cars and an essential boost to my free-lance career options have also become a major driving force.
As always, much of this is still at a certain stage of pure speculation but you never can tell if I may go off like an explosive and act on a speculation as if it where just the blue touch paper. Of course, I may also just simply fizzle out and spend the rest of my life in a state of interminable status quo.
Anything is possible within the coming weeks and the likely direction of my life does still depend on a number of external arbitrary factors.
It is now almost eight months since I last had a cigarette and all cravings are a thing of the past. I looked pretty young for my age before but now I have youthfulized by about another five years I reckon. Skin is much smoother, circulation greatly improved and I have almost boundless energy and physical motivation.
We are sweltering in semi tropical conditions with very high humidity. At least we are having some sunshine, which is more than can be said for previous years, and even better, I am able to enjoy it with all of this free time. I don’t mind the heat so much as the humidity, which apparently is a very difficult condition for northern Europeans to adapt too.
Despite the preponderance of decent light (in the later afternoons and dawn) I don’t seem to be quite as active in photography as I should be. A project to capture my surroundings in a more unconventional manner has resulted in the production of a lot of rather twee photo cliches. In other words a Cheshire Life like rendition of prettiness, the kind of approach relegated to my general Prestbury page(s) — anyway not the intended results. I don’t have anything against prettiness mind; it is just that I had an idea to portray the village in a way that is more akin to artistic documentary. Not having the confidence to turn my camera on strangers or marshal them into interesting scenarios is a definite disadvantage here and it is certainly about time my photos had a little more human interest.
So many recent commentators and other (valid) critics that have expressed an opinion on my efforts seem to be suggesting that I have a knack for landscape shots so I may go and work on that a little more. By way of a slight digression I’m quite fascinated by the layout and artificial contours of the local golf course too, with its huge collection of arboreal delights. One good thing about (good) golf courses is when they are cared for or designed by arborealists or horticulturists and then become a sort of living museum of all indigenous tree species in their most splendid full form condition. Mottram Hall was a bit like that and I have never seen such magnificent horse chestnuts and copper beeches anywhere else, other than that of course golf courses are a waste of time — an interesting walk through the trees spoilt by too many Daly Mail readers no less.
Feeling a bit glum this evening as my situation is now becoming something of a worry. Still, everything passes and all things improve as a matter of the natural course of life, or so I have found! It’s just that this period of immobility is tending to linger rather too long and I am concerned about ‘issues’ of age and other things!
On a lighter note, I have been helping Mr N to cut the grass in the churchyard today which is always an enjoyable get away. We also went up into the tower to re-set the church clock just as a team of ringers started up! The sound in the bell room was defining but standing just a few feet below the very large bells as they swung through 270 degrees at very high velocity was quite a scary experience. I’m sure I could feel the whole tower shaking with all of that mass in motion!
The weather has turned a bit dull but it is a pleasant spring-like dullness, fresh and scented air at a very comfortable temperature, ideal cycling conditions. Last weekend I rode up to Timperley to see Brother and SIL, always a most enjoyable adventure and my first proper long ride of the year. Toby and I ended up riding all over Hale and then mooching around the fields at the bottom of Shay Lane / Ash Lane were we used to play as kids and I just wish I had a camera with me then.
Photographic activities are slowly moving along and I have an idea to do some more B&W of the locality, just waiting for the right sky at the right time of day with the sun in the right position for desired effects on some of my planned shots! I feel a strange dual pull to both comply with more traditional forms of photographic reportage but also to bend the rules and try to find or develop my own unique style and then stick with that. Many have defined my approach as ‘multi genre’ that means that I don’t have any readily definable style but instead just happen to evoke other styles by accident when the mood, subject and camera settings take me! Still I tend to cite Brandt, White and occasionally Ansel Adams and Imogen Cunningham as inspirational sources. I think these old school art photographers really did set out the fundamental agenda for the creative photographer and there are few I can think of since that have really added to the kind of approach that most interests me. One, which puts a great deal of emphasis on subject matter transcended by technique. I only wish I had gear that was capable of f64 Group levels of finesse!
That’s right, another saint’s day about which I know almost nothing, how shameful is that? Whilst working in the churchyard yesterday I was lucky enough to be able to accompany Rob up the church tower for the ritual St George’s cross hoisting. Rob and I decided to do a homage to English radicals — I made a little video which is just below.
The spring flora has been quite magnificent this year, or maybe I am just noticing it a little more as so many previous seasons have been marred by the dehumanising and soul-dulling situation of urban office confinement. Never a good situation if you really need to experience the seasons in all their glory!
This is a shot of the white blossom on a tree, which I planted myself about ten years ago, it is now a fine specimen and compliments its pink neighbour quite well. I decided to process this image in black and white as I thought it looked so much more ‘photogenic’, I like the almost zen-like tissue print quality of the tonality in this image which has been processed for infra red. I must admit to a general gravitation toward black and white treatments on everything now. After all BW is a traditional photographic quality, sometimes I find the colour in digital images to be a little too intense and unnatural regardless of camera colour space settings though the images from my D80 yield exceptional quality in black and white.
It’s another very short entry today, very little to discuss just now the weather has turned bleak and wet again so that is limiting various outdoor operations at the mo.
Again the highlight of the week has been another recording session with Rob, sorry “Gerald Westmoreland” Jazz Critic :) This time we did a few bits and pieces about the village and other things but the main purpose of Wednesday evenings session was for Mr Westmoreland to have a final ‘practice’ before his appearance on the ‘Roundabout’ show on Bollington’s Canalside Radio at 10pm.
Rob, AKA Gerald Westmoreland Jazz Critic. by Oliver Wood
Here you can hear him discussing Miles Davis “Kind of Blue” in my ‘studio’ with a short clip of the Roundabout show at the end, all very good stuff.
I’m in something of a local interest mode at the moment and planning quite a big revamp of the Prestbury pages on my site. The idea is to incorporate much more photography along with my videos and sound recordings.
The highlight of the week has been a few recording sessions in my own ‘studio’ with my friend Rob. He is about to present a Jazz show on Bollington’s local community radio station Canalside FM. The show will be dedicated to one of his favourite albums namely Miles Davis’ “Kind of Blue”. In fact, we both share a love of this classic and it was probably the first real Jazz LP that I owned. I have an idea to see if we could record other shows here, maybe one dedicated to Joe Henderson’s 70s mile-post LP “Power to The People” as a follow on and then package the whole thing as an MP3 for Canalside FM, just an idea.
We had a lot of fun experimenting with various voices but decided in the end that Rob’s own natural voice was the best option. Back in 1999 I made a recording of Rob in the churchyard tool shed or Coach house where he is discussing various thoughts on life, memories of travelling adventures and a youthful life in the merchant navy etc. Rob wanted to do a follow on from the 1999 session where he was discussing an erstwhile ambition to emigrate to New Zealand. Having since revisited the country with some German friends Rob recounted the experience in typically charismatic style.
It’s another beautiful day and I should be out with my camera or at least getting on with a number of well overdue household repairs!
Last Sunday was a glorious day, full wall-to-wall sunshine and very clear air. I made another mini movie, sense impression?
Prestbury Solar Sunday sums it all up really, everything started to feel like magic in that light.
Not sure what my next move is to be, things are still just sauntering along and I am now running out of money but not to worry, mustn’t grumble! The “down turn” aka capitalism’s inevitable self-shafting implosion is having a noticeable effect in Prestbury now. The White House restaurant, which has been a village institution for as long as I can remember, has finally closed down and yet another landmark village building is left forlorn and vacant. I can’t remember any precedents for this in Prestbury. Even in the difficult times of the 70s I remember that the village centre still seemed to be thriving though I think it had a more residential character then anyway. The village had a very continental air about it 12 or so years ago when I first came to live here and I always enjoyed sitting out front of the Bollin Cafe with a beer. Tables, chairs and parasols on the main street really gave the Village a friendly and lively ambience I thought.
I have loads of ideas for local based photography and just waiting for more of the right kind of light and enough free time. Really need a camera upgrade too —- arrrgh!
Again we write with an almost empty head but it is necessary to make the obligatory seasonal entry. Things are still pretty much the same for yours truly and as previously mentioned there is a sense of a state of becalmed relaxation, which is very pleasant. Of course it will not, cannot last, as is always the case.
Spring has arrived in Prestbury and there is much joyful colour all around. Monday was exceptionally pleasant sunny, warm and still, just as springtime should be. Now of course this pleasant stillness and clearness of sky is just a seasonal lull, a glimps of a mini proto-summer before the depressing slide into sick climate syndrome and the grey, wet, flooded out reality of real summer months.
I spent much of the afternoon helping Rob to clear up around Ford House in preparation for a sale. Working out doors in the sunshine with Mr N talking cinema, jazz and philosophy is the closest I can get to a sense spiritual fulfilment in Prestbury. It is such a pity that the village has lost the opportunity for a proper community centre in Ford House, a proper ‘drop in’ facility with IT and all sorts of other free ‘community’ share-ins would have been quite nice really. Prestbury needs at least one institution based on socialist principals! I suspect that it is destined to become yet another highly expensive private property though.
Music of The Moment.
It’s music of the moment time, but this time it is a desire for something exceptionally rare that is unavailable as any kind of download.
Joyce & Nava Vasconselos Visions of Dawn
Again Mr Giles Peterson has introduced me to another rare gem of an album. Visions of Dawn was a collaborative effort between Joyce and Nava Vasconselos two significant artists in the 70s Latin ‘Western’ cross over mix-up – apparently. And of course it has attracted a lot of attention as part of my ongoing discovery of progressive 70s Latin Jazz, Latin Soul and Folk Jazz. So far I have only heard the song Chegada (last track on the album) but it was impressively atmospheric in that narcotic inspired way that is essential in all such matters. Lots of reverberating vocals, spatial guitar and distinctive and refreshingly unusual harmonies. I just love these chronologically retrogressive discovery adventures.
Really very little to say tonight, I have re-grown a beard — yet again — and may be clean shaven by the time this goes to press, I reckon people must be starting to think I have some sort of schizophrenic personality disorder with all of these constant appearance changes.
I’m really stuck in a black and white mode at the moment and doing almost nothing in colour. There are a lot more of my self portraits on flickr of course.
Right now I feel strangely detached from everything, nothing is having any effect on me at the moment and life feels strangely, unreasonably, comfortable and easy, Well at least on that more mundane material level of simply existing if you know what I mean.
As usual I’m listing to Giles Peterson’s recent show and it is a good’un tonight. Eclectic as ever, but we have a rather satisfying cross section of Latin and Euro jazz. I mean we have just gone from Michel Legrand to Stereolab and then some wonderfully obscure 1976 collaboration between Joyce & Nava Vasconselos on the always interesting ‘far Out’ label. I’m getting quite fixated with the contemporary Latin Jazz and soul thing at the moment.
The weather has been slightly more unsettled today with a little intermittent drizzle. Lighting conditions will still not permit me to undertake a few local photo experiments, which I have in mind; but things are bound to change soon.
Heading out of Bollington and deep into the night.
Last night I managed to do a full circuit of the Bollipot Loop without mishap — (mental note to self) must return Jane’s light! This time I had the good sense to take one of my cameras, actually a bit of a cop-out as I decided to take the little Sony w50 — which is still rather surprisingly good and allows a lot of creative latitude — no pun intended mind! Generally, it is not quite up to ultra low light exposures as the slowest shutter speed is about 2 seconds but it did allow me to capture some interesting deliberately shaky shots of lit objects and also carry out a little “light painting” with my bike lights. A kind of luminous abstract homage to the Bollipot Loop I think.
I seem to become ever more taken with Bollington every time I visit the place, the cosy sense of community, a certain down to earthiness and the general aesthetic of the architecture, which is both typically rugged and at the same time quirky and whimsical. Bollington is full of intriguing little details. The shear variety of cottage door designs and also the way that people decorate the stone lintels and a door surround is a very charming feature. Bollington does have some semblance of an active cultural life, which is contemporary and genuinely artistic.
Night Ride
light painting with LED bike lights on drystone wall Bollington.
Next I need to do the much more challenging trip up to Bakerstonedale and Charles Head where wind formed Scots pines and gorse bushes line the hilly high altitude roadsides. A landscape which can at times appear very surreal and cries out for my black and white treatment.
Since Farrow & Ball set up shop in Wilmslow I have noticed a steady return to more traditional paint colours and finishes on a lot of the local buildings. Prestbury is starting to look a little more colourful again with personalised but tastefully traditional paint applications on New Road instead of the universally applied and rather drab black and white timber work. I have noticed quite a lot of transformative activity in and around the village since I have been enjoying the luxury of extended free time, job in-betweening or whatever euphemism is currently in vogue for the inevitable down side of capitalist labour exploitation. The large swath of land behind Ford House (the village allotments during the war apparently) is currently being landscaped, no doubt for private use. This patch would make an excellent communal village green but I have an awful feeling that it is either going to get built on or turned into a car park — eventually. The old vicarage is all being done up and the charming features of Spencer Brook close to the start of the Vicarage drive way have all been enhanced and cleared of vegetation — or something? I can’t ever remember the stream feature down there but this may be because it was so overgrown.
