Another shot from the Royal National Park.
This was taken somewhere around the last third of the walk.
I like how well the various colours in the shot have come through and how the light is hitting the sandstone.
I also like how you can see iron in the rock, as well as the shape of the sandstone.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy.
Well, well, well.
Once again, I find myself in front of a screen displaying things to me that I would not normally be able to see with as great ease, thus allowing me to do some things with greater ease than they could normally be.
And that is my introduction done. Now that I have that out of the way, I can take off my pants and really get into the typing of anger, hatred, and unabated rage.
Of course, that may cause my rage to become some sort of physical manifestation that will appear in front of me and begin punching me for no real reason.
Of course, due to it being some sort of physical manifestation of my rage, I would probably be powerless (or just too lazy) to stop it, as, despite the many fast blows it would rain upon my being, it would be fairly ineffectual, thus not causing much damage and only lead to some sort of minor annoyance.
Eventually I would have to deal with it. I would because it would eventually begin to prevent me from doing things I want to do and I would have no idea as to how long it would last for. It would probably last for a really long time.
Maybe it would last for an incredibly short time. I do not know and I do not wish to find out at any given point in my life.
I would rather just take it easy and not have some emotion become corporeal and begin attacking me.
I would much rather go for a swim after a long cycle and enjoy the water instead of having many small punches caress (almost massage) my face until I get so annoyed I asked for a relent in the continual attacking, then retaliate in such an extreme manner that it would be considered incredibly unfair to have done such a thing.
Well, fatigue just decided to hit me really hard. Perhaps it has something to do with the camomile tea that I had earlier.
I should go to sleep, I think, but I must clarify that I was hoping that this would turn out to be much more interesting than it turned out. As I am writing this, I can tell that this is not as good as it should be and, therefore, I must apologise for the silly sentences that compose this challenge on this most fine evening.
There were many sacrifices made to get it to where it was and yet it was not proof read. I can confirm that no goats, cats, manatees, or axolotls were harmed in the making of this drivel. Perhaps there was some sort of salt spillage onto a kitchen floor, but the ants did not get to it and therefore there was plenty of salt for all.
Once again, I must apologise for the lack of quality control. A bag of salt for all of you and I offer my condolences.
SALT FOR ALL!
The time it took to write five-hundred words: 08:15:93
Well, that did not turn out nearly as well as I hoped. Sleep is necessary now. Maybe that is why.
Written at my (new) desk at home.
Well, this took a while!
Originally this was going to be a bit different.
I had started the original version in October last year. I stopped working on it in December as I’m not good at doing faces.
I decided to start again in March, working toward the current version, then did no work until last weekend, then finished it off on Saturday.
This is based on a short conversation I had with someone. I ended up using a picture of them when I started again as, until I’m better at doing faces, I thought it would be better to make sure it looked somewhat okay.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy.
I took this on the way home after taking the two from Jubilee Park I uploaded recently.
I like how this one looks a bit messy. It makes it feel busier than it was.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy.
What a good day that today happens to be!
It certainly is a nice one.
Well, now that I’ve got the small talk out of the way, it’s time to get serious about something that I cannot quite put my finger on, but that is the way of these things sometimes.
the joy of cycling is one that I’ve discussed before, so I feel the need to discuss it again because I can and that is something that I like to do (pointless lengthening of sentences aside, cycling is an enjoyable activity of some sort of menace, but that’s another story for another time, maybe).
You get on your bike and you just go. You go down a long hill and feel the air on your face as you glide down, down, and further down until you reach the base, of which then you begin to push your way up to a higher point, for you do not have enough speed or acceleration to get the whole way up what is ahead of you.
You push hard and get to the top, then make your way a bit further along a somewhat flat surface before getting to a bridge.
You cross it, then go a bit further until you reach an area that can only be described as looking scenic and beautiful.
There’s trees as you’re in a large, spacious park area, so you slow down a bit and relax, enjoy the view around you and listen to the sounds of people having fun in your immediate vicinity whilst trying not to take out any kids who are you’re sharing the pathway with, as that would not end well for you and the last thing you want to do is explain to someone’s parents why the kid was horribly injured because you weren’t paying attention to what you were doing.
Once you’re on a wider path, you speed up a bit more as it’s a bit safer to do so.
You eventually hit road and pedal hard because you don’t want to hold up traffic in any manner, as the last thing you want to do is be an asshole who thinks that, just because you’ve got road rights, doesn’t mean you can go as slow as you want and hold up the cars that can’t get around you because you think that you have a right to do that.
There’ s a bit of travel along the road, so you do have to push a bit harder than you normally would, but that’s okay as you don’t mind too much.
Eventually you reach your destination, a bit sweaty and perhaps a bit tired, but you also may feel good as you were able to get there easily enough without dealing with the tyranny of public transport.
Well, sometimes public transport is much more useful when it comes to getting somewhere because cycling is not always the best option, but the more you cycle, the less you rely on public transport.
It’s safe to say that I enjoy cycling quite a lot. There’s a certain kind of grace that you get when you’re moving along on a bike.
Well, sometimes there’s a certain kind of grace. More often than not you’re probably as graceful as an oddly shaped object made of garbage rolling awkwardly down a gentle incline.
Probably.
Aside from the grace, there’s a feeling of freedom that you get from it that being in a car or walking around does not provide. they have their own types of feelings of freedom that they provide and that’s fine as they shouldn’t be the same as each other, or cycling. There should probably be a balance truck between all three that you can get, but that’s not something I’m going to try and bother to get into right now as that’s not what I’m attempting to write about.
The feeling of freedom that cycling provides is, in my opinion, a wonderful one. You get to cruise along on what is usually two wheels and really experience some stunning views with a little bit more ease than if you were driving in a car, although at the same time, it can be just as difficult (probably more difficult) as it’s a lot easier to take your eyes off the road due to not being in a huge chunk of metal going at a rather fast speed.
For me, at least, there’s a greater feeling of being connected to your movement as you’re putting in a lot more work. Cycling long distances requires a fair bit of endurance because you’re most likely going to work a lot harder than if you were driving (unless you were driving a significantly long distance because you’re less likely to take breaks and can generally bounce back a lot easier from a long drive [obviously this depends on the length of the drive]).
For me, it is frequently better to cycle to places than it is to rely on public transport. I’ll usually have access to a shower near where I’m going, which is a significant benefit to getting anywhere. I don’t have to do too much travelling to get to places as well (usually the farthest I’d have to cycle is around thirteen kilometres).
I probably should have put that before instead of now, but I can only write as I think when I’m working within a time constraint.
I quite like my bike, but soon I will have to replace it. It’s far heavier than what I want and whilst I am fairly used to the weight, there is a strong desire to get something that isn’t going to be as much of a push to cycle around. It’s great on the downhills and not so enjoyable on the up.
Still, I’d use it on occasion as it’s quite solid and still works as a bike and, ultimately, if it gets the job done, it gets the job done.
I love cycling. It’s fun.
The time it took to write one thousand words: 18:27:83
Decent speed.
This probably would have been better had I not repeated myself, but sometimes that’s the way things go.
Written at work.
Je and I went walking last night as Je had told me of a place that had a nice view near where we live and it would make a good place for taking photos, so, after asking him to take me there, that is where he took me.
It was quite a decent view.
Here’s one of the shots I took last night.
I like how the light looks in this one.
I also like how well it (to me) works as a long exposure.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy.
There comes a time in those who release albums that they must release an album, hence those who release albums.
Robin Proper-Sheppard has been around for long enough to have been a part of a number of albums that have furthered the sound of the projects that he has been a part of, as well as others.
Sophia seemed to remain creatively dormant for a while, only touring sporadically. To some, they probably seemed to have quietly wrapped up. However, Robin was still working on music, slowly moving until the time was right. After almost seven years, As we Make our way (Unknown Harbours) has been released.
Whilst “Unknown Harbours”, a piano-only, slightly melancholic track, opens the album, much of the mood feels significantly lighter than on previous records.
Right after “Unknown Harbours”, the album goes into “Resisting”, a track that starts with a wall of noise, ebbing and flowing in sound whilst keeping a constant rhythm. From there, it gradually gets lighter until “St. Tropez/The Hustle”, a bass and drum-heavy track that drives along smoothly.
Following this is “You say it’s Alright”, a song that gradually builds on itself over a drum beat that sounds as though it’s throbbing, ending before it crescendos.
The penultimate track, “Baby, Hold on”, follows after. It’s a fairly sparse track and also possibly the most emotionally raw song. This might have to do with Robin Proper-Sheppard writing it about his relationship with his daughter. It sounds quite heartfelt and has strong direction.
Closing the album off is “It’s Easy to be Lonely”. It starts off fairly light and minimal, before gaining extra instrumentation and seemingly shifting in mood. Eventually it shifts again, adding more layers of instrumentation and vocals, becoming somewhat uplifting and cathartic in mood. Despite originally being released in 2014, it’s nice to see its inclusion as it sits well with the rest of the album, not coming across as though it was tacked on.
All the songs sound as though each element of them is to have purpose. For instance, “California” sounds significantly more lightweight than the rest of the album. On casual listening, it could sound like a throwaway two-bit song written just for fun. However, the lightness of it probably is more likely to represent aspects of California (I could be right off the mark for this, but it’s what I think), as well as the attitude of some people that Robin might be trying to represent and speak against, in which it leads to a stronger resonance for the meaning and imagery of the song.
“The Drifter” is another strong example.
A song driven mostly by light acoustic strumming and quiet instrumentation, it’s sparse sound seems to invoke either traveling through western imagery or a road during the night. The lyrics, seemingly about someone meeting someone who is continually moving, help enforce the imagery generated by the music, making the meaning of the song more legitimised than if the pairing was between a different set of lyrics and music.
Lyrically, the album is quite simple. There’s no complex wordplay and most of the lines seem to be direct. However, they’re sung with clear sincerity and openness.
They feel quite well-developed and emotive in a mature manner, seemingly with greater understanding of the emotions being expressed, almost as though it’s less about getting them out and more about going through them and letting them happen.
They are also delivered in a manner that sits with the music. Lines such as “I’m a drifter babe / You’ve caught me on the road”, and “Hoping isn’t being there/ Hoping isn’t being there, is it?” are sung as though they are to match the songs they belong to, rising and falling in strength and tone when called for.
I remember reading that Robin Proper-Sheppard said that he wasn’t willing to release an album until it felt ready. Maybe that’s part of why As we Make our way (Unknown Harbours) sounds the way it does. It’s the same and different to past Sophia albums. Robin has grown as a songwriter and it really shows.
Here we have a new album that sounds strong. It feels unrestrained, yet focused.
It’s elements are simplistic, yet it never feels dumb or basic. It’s emotively mature and, in some ways, rather graceful.
It’s a strong album and worth giving a listen.
Here’s a shot I took whilst in the Royal National Park with Ewe a few weeks ago.
I think it’s served well by the position of the sun and how close to the “Edge” the vegetation is.
I also think it has a good sense of depth.
This is the photo I’ve used for The Daily Post‘s photo challenge for this week.
I hope you enjoy.
Another shot I took on Tuesday night.
This one I like for how well visible part of the park is framed by the nighttime darkness and how the sky can still be seen as separate from the trees.
I think taking it as a long exposure worked well.
I did some minor processing with the colour saturation and contrast, and not much else.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy.
So I was hoping to have a long, long rant about something up by now (following the last one), but it seems that tonight will not be the night that it will be shared.
I also was hoping to have two reviews completed and uploaded as well, but alas, that is not to be.
Instead, I’m sitting here and feeling as though I’m falling asleep now, although, with that being said, somehow I’m still awake and listening to someone talk, so I guess that at least something is being done, although what that has to do with this, I am not so sure. Maybe that’s the problem.
That is, of course, assuming that there is a problem to be had or face.
I don’t know what I’m going on about at this point, so I’m going to… I don’t know.
Well, once again, I am showing that I am devoid of things to write about, like the orange that peels itself on the sunless night of the coldest mirth that can only be witnessed every other Tuesday when the socks are put on the wrong foot and the fat is on the other arm.
It’s times like these that make me look upon my spine with some sort of neglectful defiance that only says just how disrespectful I am to it, for it smiles in numbers and cracks in time open its ears to peel its face beyond some sort of flower that could be so sickly, citrus-like fruit that brings some sort of joyous flavour and creates a juice of form and meaning that can only be understood to be flavorsome when it is tasted, drunk, and tasted, because that is the purposes of the juice.
And yet, when one thinks about it, the purpose of the juice is to not be the juice, but for the juice to be what it is when it is needed to be what it is. But that is, of course, something that should not really be thought about for too long, for we cannot really know the juice until we taste it from every conceivable angle and juice holder that can be known, for by then we’ll have seen the juice in every possible way, therefore finally knowing the juice instead of not knowing it, which would allow a knowledge that is not meant to be known suddenly become attainable, allowing some sort of ascension to a higher plane of something, yet I think most of us would rather just go around licking trees, as fantastic as that wouldn’t be.
Of course though, none of that really matters right now, for I should probably start getting ready to go to sleep so I don’t have another day wasted because I’m too tired to do anything that I need to do, beyond the food shopping.
Ah, the joys of being an adult. What a wonderful thing to experience!
Although, to be fair, it is, but that’s another typing for another time. Not now.
The time it took to write five-hundred words: 07:32:57
Uhhh… After the next post, I am definitely going to sleep.
Written at my (new) desk at home.
Stupidity Hole 