why adults long to be children again...

ONE OF THOSE MOODS. I'M IN ONE OF THOSE MOODS. OH JOY JOY FOR MATTYD TO BE IN ONE OF THOSE MOODS.

My question to you sir is, if life was a person, would you be its friend? Yes? No? Maybe? After a few drinks maybe?

Oh dear in that case I think we should send you off to alcoholics anonymous. Don't worry I won't tell a soul.

So life. Is it a he or a she? Tall or short? Nice or mean? Hmm... well in this day and age I'd be a very game man to prescribe it a gender. Can't be sexist now! Can't be judgemental now! Can't Can't Can't...

It certainly seems there is a lot more of NO these days. A lot more of you SHOULDN'T say that. CAN'T say that! A man last week in the UK was sentenced and fined for a comment on Twitter. Yes, the comment was quite silly and with the benefit of hindsight we can easily say his extreme terrorist threat was of course meant to be a joke. Hmm nah mate, not a great idea. Not good at all. So that I can understand. You can understand as well I'm sure.


There's a lot of hurt feelings. Problems. Dangers. Social proprieties.

What I laugh at is that people lead complex and busy lives. We constantly claim... hmmm

'' it's complicated ''

'' it's hard to explain ''


But go on a holiday. To a forest. A forest in the.. nowhere.  Let me take you there:

The fresh smell of pine in the air. The forest floor covered in leaves and mud. The sun's warm spring rays of light sneak their way between the towering trees. One ray reaches down and strokes your cheek gently like only your mother can. You turn around and your tent rests peacefully in a small clearing. A small fox scampers across to it and sniffs about. Takes no interest in the foreign object and so runs off. There you are. A part of nature. A part of the beginning. A simple animal and a new chain in the delicate and brilliant ecosystem.

You return to realise there's a world out there. Another place where life goes on. Life exists in the simplest of circumstances. And yet, us humans, stand there so advanced in our ways that we are rendered useless in the face of a small interpersonal problem. Stricken with complexities beyond our apparent evolutionary reaches.

Oh yeah, I'm still in ONE of those moods. Put it down to skyping with one of my best friends from back home for the first time in 11 months. Haven't seen them for 11 months in the flesh or moving on screen. You know who you are. Enjoy the knowledge I've brought to light here regarding my upbeat disposition.

Everyone else, could you do me a favour please. Could you remind the sun to come up tomorrow, I think he had a bad day yesterday. Thanks a bunch.

Oh dear. I got that whole way and then assigned the sun a gender. Please don't sue me.

taunton o taunton

Mumma and Hannah bear in Taunton. The weather turned it on and autumn splashed its colours around us as if it were creating a Jackson Pollock. I squeezed out the last of the photographic inspiration provided by Hannah before she departed the next day and sucked in the beautiful fresh country air. I can almost smell it again just looking at the photos. Oh right, because I've left the window open.

hock hock with the littl'uns

We got through to Nationals!

The girls finished 3rd in their region, top 6 going through. The tournament was at Millfield. A surely globally renowned school. Funded by rich parents and Indian Princes, the school has developed such ridiculously good facilities they've held world class pentathlons here. Indoor and outdoor equestrian centres, an Olympic pool (which is in fact 1 mm short so they aren't forced to open it to the public), Olympic athletics track and field facilities, three hockey astros etc etc the list goes on and its all top quality. Quite remarkable. Oh, this is some their views, in the middle of the beautiful English countryside.

as night descends in the afternoon

It's 4pm. It's dusk.

A few hours later and the mist has descended on humble Somerset. Below is Queen's. The school I've worked at for almost a year now. The same night as the Jazz Concert below this post, I snapped a few interesting shots. The scenery is transformed under darkness. The street lights cast new shadows.



jazz jazz & razzamataz

A school Jazz Concert. How divine. Few polite claps here, some cheerful songs there. Only this is Queen's and they have some talent.

Below is Sidi. She is simply one of the most amazing people I've ever met. I can also gladly say befriend. You need only look at the photos below to see the fire she set alight on stage singing, 'That Man.' She's a quiet and gentle person, with strong and assured opinions when questioned. For that reason, I will do as she does and measure my words by their quality and not quantity.

sevilla

8 days or so travelling with your family around Spain and you begin to want a little space, for just a portion of time. I went wandering by myself for a few hours, initially heading for a local Thursday market north of the main part of the city. Unfortunately I got there as it was closing but had then found myself in the proper neighbourhood of Seville. Some of the pictures below tell a story of the real part of the city...

 Classic Vespa

Lost dog?

Cotos, Rascafria and Navacerrada - hills of Madrid

Hannah's first siting of snow in Spain!

Hannah and David

Tom

J helping me reply to a Spanish friends text that was of course written in Spanish.

Try 12th century Church in Rascafria

On our way down from Cotos in the snow