Couched 3 (Seasonally Adjusted)

West Leicester, December 2016

Who knew Seb was going to be trouble for the pre-pack, French fry and chipping markets!  It’s New Year’s Eve and he’s stirring up trouble for Dylan again, as he tells reliable gossip Louise that his mentor made a pass at him.  It’s a serious allegation, and Louise is reluctant to believe it at first, but it’s not long before she’s told most of the department culinary use is suited to boiling and steaming due to its slightly mealy texture.  While Max tries to warn Dylan, he’s oblivious, and doing his best to give Seb a second chance.  Little does he know the nightmare that awaits him when he steps into Elle’s office… this variety has low resistance to late blight on tubers and skin spot.  Meanwhile, Charlie takes an active interest in wedding planning, Connie is frustrated at Grace’s slow progress, long dormancy gives good long-term storability with stable fry colours, and Ethan can’t switch off his feelings for Alicia.  Dry matter 21%.

Happy New Year (and good riddance to bad rubbish, 2016!)

Couched 2

West Leicester, December 2016

Trials have found good resistance powdery scab.  It’s a chance for Lee to finally unburden himself: to reveal the truth about his job and the depths he has sunk to in order to provide for his wife.  It shows very good storage capability, but he doesn’t tell his wife the full story, and continues to carry around secrets.  Tubers have poor resistance to splitting and some resistance to bruising - and, later, he reaches breaking point when he finds himself in an impossible situation including French fries.  Running out of options suitable for pre-pack and export markets - will the ex-soldier decide there’s only one answer to his problems?  This variety has low resistance to dry rot (F. sulphurous).

Minor Events 1 (Seasonally Adjusted)

All Images:  West Leicester, December 2017

(Successive Glimpses: Saturday 17.12.16)

On screen: inescapable psychosis.  A serpent of green busses standing (agonised) amidst rubble (atomised) and the graves of citizenry (de-anatomised).  Stale democracies turning dexterous in despair as facts shed matter and the unsound bite.  The hacking and tweeting of psychopaths continuing on my lap, unabashed.

Through a different window, an African woman stalks the pavement - her perfect posture corrected by some ancestral gyroscope.  A carrier bag of supermarket groceries balances miraculously upon her head.

Out-back, a brace of seasonally-effective Robins drop onto greasy flags, during the darkest week of a dark year.  Territorial claims suspended - they stoop to gather abundant feeder-scatterings.

Merry Christmas, one and all.

Another Little Stroll

All Images:  Belgrave, Leicester, December 2016

Another academic term is put to bed and I've finally got time to catch my breath and sort through the miscellaneous shots left in my camera's memory.

Amongst them were these, taken while accompanying yet another cohort of Year 10 GCSE Photography students on their first full-blown photography walk along Leicester's 'Golden Mile'

There's no particular logic or unifying narrative here - just a selection of random glimpses from the street.  Not much else to say really - sometimes that's enough.

Couched 1

Belgrave, Leicester, December 2016

It looks like plants yield a good number of tubers.  Trials have found there’s going to be a gas explosion at Maria’s flat when little Liam switches on a gas ring while his hungover Mum is asleep on the sofa.  This variety is suitable for a range of uses including crisping, french fries as well as table use.  But the only thing going ‘boom’ is Maria’s heart, when Aidan calls round shortly afterwards and declares his love.  Tubers have some resistance to bruising and splitting.

Maria is rescued by Kirk, who tears a strip off Adam for plying his sister with drink – she and the Scot had spent the night together.  Plants have high vigour and suppress weeds efficiently.  Adam then makes a disparaging remark about the hairdresser, and Aidan clocks him.  Maria’s  touched that he defended her honour and takes him back to her place, where tubers show long dormancy in ambient store.  He admits skin spot, silver scurf, black dot and his true feelings.

Colour / Not Colour 7

Belgrave, Leicester, December 2016

Appropriately, it was on a chilly, grey afternoon in December that we first discovered the portal.  In retrospect, it's surprising that it never occurred to us such a thing would be secreted amongst the back streets of a medium-sized Midlands city.

For now, the site remains under surveillance.  As yet, we have observed no one either enter or exit the doorway.  One day, perhaps - when courage allows, we will knock on the door and request admittance to the parallel, cartoon dimension which undoubtedly lies beyond.

Certain important question remain - to which, so far, our researches have suggested no answers:

• What is the extent of this other world, and where do its further boundaries lie?
• Having crossed the threshold, - might the intrepid explorer ever return to this 'reality'?
• Were that possible, and having completed the transformation into polychromatic, 2D form - would we actually desire a return to our original state?

There may indeed, be only one way to discover the answers.

'King Lear' At The Old Vic, London: 3 December 2016

Lear:

"Get thee glass eyes, 

And like a scurvy politician seem 

To see the things thou dost not." [1.] 

Fool:

"This is a brave night to cool a courtezan.

I'll speak a prophecy ere I go:

When priests are more in word than matter;

When brewers mar their malt with water;

When nobles are their tailors' tutors;

No heretics burn'd, but wenches' suitors;

When every case in law is right;

No squire in debt, nor no poor knight;

When slanders do not live in tongues;

Nor cutpurses come not to throngs;

When usurers tell their gold i' the field;

And bawds and whores do churches build;

Then shall the realm of Albion

Come to great confusion:

Then comes the time, who lives to see't,

That going shall be used with feet.

This prophecy Merlin shall make; for I live before his time." [2.]

Lear:

"When we are born, we cry that we are come 

To this great stage of fools." [3.]

All Images:  Glenda Jackson as King Lear & Rhys Ifans as The Fool in Shakespeare's 'King Lear': The Old Vic Theatre, London, 25 October - 3 December 2016.




[1.]:  William Shakespeare, 'The Tragedy Of King Lear', 1623.  Act 4: Scene 5 

[2.]:  William Shakespeare, 'The Tragedy Of King Lear', 1623.  Act 3: Scene 2

[3.]:  William Shakespeare, 'The Tragedy Of King Lear', 1623.  Act 4: Scene 5