Cycling 2019

After last weeks more serious piece on That Boarding School Girl we return of sorts to more enjoyable things after eventually finishing off an Easter Egg.

 Cycling isn't something I'm capable of being both being incapable of staying upright on two wheels or having the strength in my legs to actually make the chain move by moving my feet on the peddles.
I always hung out with people that did though so I like to watch groups of cyclists travel though our area at weekends and if it is a competition, cheering them on.
This last weekend there were a good number out so on Sunday morning I was out watching taking my camera out to practise panning and taking rapid sequences having now gotten a DSLR.
This is one I took using a telephoto zoom lens set at the equivalent of 280mm in 35mm film terms with a shutter speed of 1/80th of a second hand held camera being set at ISO 100.
I quite enjoyed taking the pictures while also taking in plenty of sun.

Notre Dame

Picture credits: The Independent.
For as many years as I care to remember the Notre Dame in Paris, France, has been a building I enjoyed looking at having first got the bug for church architecture when I was much younger reading up about Cathedrals in my Ladybird book which telling I still have in the bookcase.
I also it has to be said had an interest in how fires start in buildings and what lessons can be learnt when it comes to procedures, how we go about building things plus how buildings of great antiquity can be repaired after fires or war such as at Dresden, Coventry and the Balkan coasts in the 1990's.
Watching helplessly as the news broke of Monday's fire that coincided with teatime here fills me with sadness because whatever ones religious beliefs may be, that building was a important part of the culture heritage of the continent of Europe and the Normans were a part of our history when a good number of our own cathedrals and abbeys were built.
It was a building that played important roles in the history of the French nation over 855 years and like a number of similar fires here, it also appears to be connected with renovation work.
While much such as the whole roof and spire were lost, the good news of sorts is it is possible to restore it as we ourselves did at York and famously Windsor Palace to something like what it was.
Moreover there is much goodwill backed by money from people in France and beyond to see this medieval building restored in a phased way probably starting with structural work going into roofing before the bigger task of interior repairs  and the business of repair or replacement of the organ which while not being burned has no doubt suffered from the intense heat and dust.

Let it happen.

Vangelis

While all the mess is still going on around me I was looking back at a pair of albums I loved in the early 80's which were a bit different from much of the music I was listening to being mainly electronic and atmospheric tying in more with the ambient sounds of  the Windham Hill label in the States than the likes of much of the British "New Romantics".

The Best of originally came out in 1978 but by the time I bought my copy in 1981 had already been reissued and takes in such groundbreaking tracks as Pulstar, Spiral and Bacchanale.
One thing Vangelis was known for in that year was providing the theme from the acclaimed movie Chariots of Fire which charted as a 45 that bought them greater public attention.
During this period they collaborated for three albums with Jon Andersson who had done much with the group Yes supplying vocals.

 Originally issued on record and tape and shortly after on cd, The Best of Jon and Vangelis had a mix of album tracks such as The Friends of Mr. Cairo and two top ten hits, 1980's I Hear You Now and 1981's I'll Find My Home issued around Christmas which I remember well.
These albums were taped at the time on to cassette - the duck egg and purple coloured  Yashima label of one I can still visualize to this day - and in time I bought the cd versions which for early discs were pretty impressive still sounding fine.

Musings from the dorm 2019 style

I can't say I ever lived in a house that had large grounds as the best it got with me were the grounds of ones boarding school that had acres for safe exploration and play but if there were pictures to be taken of me in such a setting they'd be like this
For me at least there's always a bit of younger past mixed in with an older on paper present and like her I'd be their holding a plushie or a doll simply because it makes me feel secure, comfortable as myself.
That always was and truthfully is what I've been looking for from relationships with people not that I don't subscribe that you to offer something in them that's of benefit to others - that's a given with me - but in terms of what aids me especially in those that of necessity involving caring for me.
Neither overly cuddly nor sternness really satisfies either one or alternating between the two but warmness, empathy and active listening  is what is called for.
Re-reading a few books this week dealing with the stress of the current political issues rather brought much of this into focus.

 If your co-ordination is anything like mine scenes like these are by no means uncommon now as they were back then where if you could just walk into something or go to pick it up and just end up with everything all over the place then it would.
When things are like that an offer to help sorting things out are much appreciated.