Stupidity Hole

A Stormy Sea Scene

Posted on June 15, 2025 by Stupidity Hole

I’d probably thought of sharing this photo a few months ago, but I didn’t, but now it’s here.
Sometimes I really like intense weather. Not so much when I’m in it, but sometimes. Anyway, stuff like this I think has a kind of calmness to it when viewed as an image, despite it not being a calm scene.

This is my submission into the three hundred-and-fifty-third Lens-Artists Photo Challenge. The theme for this one is “Stormy“.

The host of the Lens-Artists challenges cycles weekly between the following people:

Tina

Patti

Ann-Christine aka Leya

This one is curated by Beth. The next one is curated by Anne.

At the moment Patti is sitting out the challenges whilst she recovers from wrist injuries. Go send her some love.

I recommend joining the community and participating in the challenges. They’re pretty straightforward, allow room for interpretation, and provide a good way to think about photography in general. If not, however, then at the very least you should check out what others submit to the challenges.

I hope you enjoy.

Posted in Photography | Tagged cliff, coastline, lens-artists, nature, ocean, rock, sea, storm, water, waves, weather | 8 Comments

Five-Hundred Word Challenge 1509: As I Always Do

Posted on June 15, 2025 by Stupidity Hole

Tomorrow morning I’m gonna get up, get ready and ride my bike most of the way to work. I’m not sure why I’m saying this, but I guess the main reason is so that people are ready for the inevitable “Cycling is great” rambling that will come after. But cycling is great, and I’ve missed it… as I always do. But this time I’ve really missed it… as I always do.

It has been a long week and it has been a long day. Or perhaps it is a new week. It depends on how you count the calendar, really. What I do know is that the period spanning from Monday to Sunday has been a long one and I am tired. I am, however, still kicking small goals and I’m continuing on. I’m tired, but I’m working on things and the more I work on them, hopefully he better I’ll feel. It’ll take time, though. Always does.

There’s been a lot and not much over the past few days especially, and I’ve been particularly lazy at the same time. There has been the enjoyment of friends, the appreciating of their company… those sorts of things. There has als9o been a good deal of sitting around doing nothing when there has been plenty of need to do stuff. This week, hopefully, will be a bit more of a kick into high gear, though it depends on the usual depending on everything and my own enthusiasm to continue on with whatever it is.

I’ve been tired and I’m quite tired right now, but I have the ability to improve things. I have the ability to be productive and I need to get back onto it. I have ideas and I have time, and I can get done the doing if I so desire it, and I do desire it. Right now, however, I just want to sit and soon go to sleep. Sleep is desirable. It’s especially desirable right now, and I’ll soon have it as though a prize I won through great effort. Maybe I did this time. Maybe I did earn my sleep. I don’t know.

I’m thinking about my ex and I’m wondering how she is doing. I’m thinking about a lot of things though, so this is much of nothing, really. There are other things running through my mind also. This is one of many. Or rather, these thoughts are some of many.

I find myself missing her a bit more now, but a few days ago I realised that she was willing to tell me she loved me at a time she didn’t, and I’m reminded that I’m better off. So more sadness creeps in, but so does more happiness in a way. Things change. Time continues on. I am alive and I am able to keep going, and so long as I can keep going I can keep working on myself, and that will continue tomorrow into cycling, which I’ve missed… as I always do.

The time it took to write five-hundred words: 07:53:48

Decent speed. Meandered a bit, however.

Written at home.

Posted in Life | Tagged ability, contniues, creeps, ideas, improve, missed, sleep, thinking, time | Leave a comment

Morning Vagueness

Posted on June 14, 2025 by Stupidity Hole

This is another photo taken for a challenge that didn’t fit due to it not being taken in the way the challenge required. I was walking when I took this and wanted to see the effect and if it would work. I do like the effect, however.

There’s this sort of painting feel to this that I like, and it’s not in the lights, but more the urban structures.

I hope you enjoy.

Posted in Photography | Tagged lights, long exposure, morning, motion, movement, structure, urban | Leave a comment

Calm Colour Sunset

Posted on June 13, 2025 by Stupidity Hole

Just a sunset photo.

I hope you enjoy.

Posted in Photography | Tagged calm, cirroculumus, clouds, nature, rows, sky, sunset, weather | Leave a comment

Five-Hundred Word Challenge 1508: Comfortable Banality

Posted on June 12, 2025 by Stupidity Hole

Is this cafe my new regular? I don’t know, but the atmosphere remains nice.

I’m thinking about how much work and effort goes into making a place inviting. It must take a lot of time, and other things. Well, that’s the end of that thought.

The sun shines and it’s a beautiful day. It’s also cold as, but it is beautiful, and that’s nice. It’s nice to see some clouds away. The trees aren’t looking the best, but it’s cold and it’s winter and that’s to be expected, really. What else is there to expect, other than many other things out there? Nothing; that’s what.

But on a more serious note, it’s a nice day. The clouds are gone, or at least minimal and things feel alright, and I’m tired and stressed and nothing changes, but the view does and that’s always something to look forward to.

My life is slipping into a comfortable banality right now, but I’m restless. Need to be less lazy, I guess, but that takes time. But I have been lazy and it’s starting to bite me. Therefore I need to ramp things up.

I need to launch myself across the mountains, and perhaps over them. I must travel far and wide, and hope for a chance and live on a prayer. I must see the rivers and rivulets and canals and streams and creaks and floodplains and deltas and all those other things that I care not to name right now. Much like some watery paths, I will meander and I will meander with purpose. The direction is forward and I won’t look back.

What I will find, I have no idea, but I know that on this fine day there will be the movement and the motion that I so desire. I will go ahead and go beyond what I know and see more. Once I see more, I will know more and in knowing more I can go more. I can go to where the unfamiliar leads me and I can finally find that effort that I need to put in in order to get to where I don’t need to be and then, after, to where I need to be.

It’ll be a merry old time and, at the end of it all, I will not know how to bring that back so instead of doing so, I will take a nap and call it a day. I will call it a day and rest, and I will think abut what I have learned. I will think about my gold and those that I care about, and after much time thinking, I will begin my trek home.

But it’s cold right now, so maybe not. Maybe I’ll put it off until tomorrow and I can hope for a warmer day. I can hope and hope and hope some more, and once I’m done with that, I can hope even more.

So I won’t travel today, but tomorrow it might just be.

The time it took to write five-hundred words: 06:22:77

Tried to get silly, didn’t quite.

Written at Dirty Red.

Posted in Life | Tagged banality, call, cold, comfortable, eads, effort, merry, off, tomorrow, trek, warmer | Leave a comment

Construction Wall

Posted on June 12, 2025 by Stupidity Hole

A few weeks ago, I took this photo as I was taking my camera in for servicing. I was trying to capture the details and texture. This wall has a sense of aging and decay to it, but I can only imagine it’s a few years old at most.

This is my submission into Leanne Cole‘s “Monochrome Madness” for this week. This one is hosted by Elke of Pictures Imperfect Blog, and she has chosen “Naturally Monochrome” as her theme.

This challenge is open to all, and I recommend joining in. If want to, check out more information about it here, and include the tag “monochrome-madness” when you share your photo. If you’d prefer not to join in, then at the least check out Leanne’s photography, and what other people submit.

I hope you enjoy.

Posted in Photography | Tagged aging, construction, decay, material, monochrome, monochrome-madness, urban, wall, wood | 2 Comments

Home: Decay

Posted on June 11, 2025 by Stupidity Hole

One listen.

Just went into it, wrote, came out. It’s getting easier, writing. It’s coming back a bit. That’s good. I think that’s reflected here. Short sentences.

Anyway, I think this works for the song. Not sure if it represents the song well enough, but I think it works.

HOME’s “Decay” is from Odyssey.
I hope you enjoy.

—

Synth stabs fading out and into the next, and soon more cries out shining. A bassy line comes in, creating a rhythmic counterpoint, and it’s not long before the beat comes in, strident, striking.

It’s all steady and the new sounds come in, carry a sadness. They wring out emotion from themselves and from the moment; they travel onward along a long road, and they find a little quiet. Or rather, a diminishing.

It’s a pause for thought, a pause for change. There’s space and synth moves in alternating forms whilst the melody remains the same. The flow remains the same and sound moves rapidly, reaching out above, looking down below, and driving ever forward.

Sounds come back and the moment is widened. There’s turmoil, perhaps. Despair, sadness… plenty of things. But things continue on.

It’s lament. It’s a lamentation, and maybe a letting go. A letting go, despite not wanting to. Having to let go of something falling apart, even as the song ends.

Posted in Music | Tagged decay, forward, Home, lamentation, little, odyssey, widened, Wring | Leave a comment

Leaving Croydon Park

Posted on June 10, 2025 by Stupidity Hole

Another place left behind. Moving always takes time, and this one took a lot of time, and much of that was compressed into a short period.

There was no final walk through Croydon Park. There was no exploration of what was around. It was just a slog, and by the time I was done, I wanted to be gone. Really just done with it all.

I lived in Croydon Park for a little over six years, and the second place was for two of them.

I’m not sure which day I moved out right now. I think it was the 17th of May. Maybe the 18th. It doesn’t matter, really. It was a hard day of work among many days of hard work. All of it went by slow and fast at the same time, and I had time to reflect and think about leaving the area, but I didn’t have the time at all.

I thought I’d have more words about this but I don’t. Clearing stuff out of the house continued for a few days after, then I handed over the keys. After my ex was done, realistically getting the last of the house cleared out wasn’t my responsibility. It was mostly her rubbish she couldn’t or wouldn’t take, but I wanted to make sure she got the bond back and I didn’t want it to become my responsibility. So the last load was mainly rubbish. And then it was done.

As said, there was no final walk through Croydon Park. No reflection about the time in the house. I have some good memories and a lot of bad, and I was tired by the end of it all. But I want to go back. I want to do that final walk, and I hope I get around to doing it. But maybe the moment has passed. I don’t know.

As with many things, a property becomes more than its materials and design. It gains meaning over time, and eventually it becomes meaningless once people move on. In that house, my ex and I dealt with a housemate that wouldn’t carry their weight, and then our relationship fell apart. But there were good times. I felt there were more bad than good, and I think of that house and am kind of glad I’m out. At the same time, I miss it. It was home, but it no longer is. And that’s the way it goes sometimes.