Tree Roots in the Snow

Love this shot I got of some tree roots in the snow while walking through Polemokotowskie Park in Warsaw earlier today. 

The moral of the story here is to always have your mobile with you for its camera lens, as you never know when the ordinary will suddenly appear extraordinary.

Whalley Abbey Catholic Church: Catholic Martyr Saints Being Honoured

Love the way Whalley Abbey Catholic church honours the memory of the Catholic martyr saints, St. John Fisher and St. Thomas More (well, that's who I think they are - I didn't check to make 100% sure), in both statue form (above) and stained glass form (below):

But this isn't the first time that I've seen these two great saints being honoured together, as I saw statues of them both (one on each side of the High Altar as it happens) when I used to go to the Old Latin Mass at the traditional Catholic chapel (first run by the traditional Redemptorists, then by the Society of St. Pius X) at Herne village, Kent in the late 1990s/early 2000s.  This was when I was living in the beautiful cathedral city of Canterbury nearby (the most beautiful place I've ever lived in).

Trying To Keep Warm during Winter in Warsaw

The picture above is of me trying  to keep warm in freezing winter weather in Warsaw this morning. 

The coldest weather I've ever experienced in Poland was -32, it was one Sunday afternoon while visiting the Society of St. Pius X church in Wielowieszka, near Radość, on the outskirts of Warsaw about 10 years ago.  Also had it really bad walking to work at about 7 o'clock in the morning last year when it was about
-26. 

However, the most shocking piece of weather I've experienced was when I was working in Nowy Sącz (in the foothills of the Tatra Mountains) in 1997 and the temperature literally dipped from about +10 Celsius in the morning to about -27 Celsius in the early evening.  As a result, I got frostbite which always returns at the first sign of any seriously cold weather.

Below, there is a plane sitting in an airfield at Stare Bemowo where I was working yesterday:

Just hope the snow/winter freeze doesn't stay long with us this year, as we had to endure it from October 2012 to April 2013 last winter.  Having said that, the real winter weather only arrived here a couple of weeks ago, but, still, let's hope it doesn't stay too long.

Deciding To See Tangerine Dream in Warsaw in June 2014

First came across Tangerine Dream in the late 1970s when I heard the 'Encore' live album (a track from this album is above), but only being 13 or 14, I just viewed the band as offering some kind of inaccessible 'long-winded' synthesiser music. 

Then, in 1980, I heard the newly released 'Tangram' album (below) which I found more accessible, but not enough to consider seeing the band live:

By the mid-1980s, I'd completely lost touch with Tangerine Dream (having only known them in passing anyway), although my good friend, Phil Taylor, who really liked them, almost begged me to see them at Manchester Apollo (of course, out of curiosity, I should've gone to this, but didn't).

Then, roll on almost another 30 years, and a couple of months ago, I saw that Tangerine Dream will be playing the Hała Ursynow in Warsaw on June 4th, and that this will be the band's last ever tour.  Thus, in response, I checked out recent live performances by the band on Youtube, especially the ones in Berlin and Zurich below:

Must say that I love these two concerts, and, of course, have now got a ticket for the Tangerine Dream Warsaw show in June.  Thus, being nearly 50 now, the music of Tangerine Dream is perfectly accessible for me.

Warsaw Winter Cold

Heavy snowfall here in Warsaw today as the picture above shows. 

However, people are still managing to get out and about to places like the Arkadia shopping centre below:

Moreover, earlier in the week, temperatures dropped to almost as low as -20  which starts to get bitingly cold.

Nevertheless, life goes on and the tall glass buildings, such as the one below on the left (near the Gdanski metro station) still continue to pop up all over the city:

Yes, despite the awful cold, Warsaw remains a city in a state of dynamic change.

Getting Drenched at Whalley Abbey

While in my hometown Bury over Christmas, me and my friend John chose the wrong day to visit Whalley Abbey (up near Clitheroe in traditional Lancashire), as it was heavily drizzling, the sort of rain that gets you wet through from head to toe:

Still, no matter the weather, there's nothing like old abbey ruins to give you a remnant taste of pre-Reformation England.  Often wonder what England would be like today if there'd  been no Reformation, probably a bit like Southern Ireland is today, but I'm only dreaming/guessing here.

My friend John, who isn't Catholic, loved the place as it just gave him a sense of history and beauty, a real nice summary of the place, I think.

The New Warsaw EIP Office

Love the newly designed EIP ('Everything Is Possible') hallway and office in Warsaw.  To start with, I was really pleased with my shot of the logo above, as the hallway lighting magically fused into it:

The hallway itself (below) somewhat reminds me of the pale blue/sky blue lighting sometimes found in clubs: 

And the office itself?  Well, for me, this is the most impressive part of the EIP decor:

More than anything, I love the ceiling design in the office, as it almost reminds me of a group of UFOs (from a science fiction film, not my own experience), being about to land, as can be seen in the two pictures below:

Finally, the picture below shows how this wonderfully designed ceiling fits in nicely with a spacious working area:

Yes, for me, the new Warsaw EIP office is an incredible work of art.

My Friend Tom's Artwork in Warsaw

The above is an interesting piece of artwork by my friend, Tom, in Warsaw. 

However, Tom is essentially an anthropologist, having worked as such at Warsaw University for many years.  In the picture below, Tom is proudly displaying the walking boots that he used for over 20 years of ethnographic fieldwork all over the  Balkans:

The title of Tom's crucifixion scene below is 'The Three Marys' (by accident rather than design, I've managed to get myself faintly into the background in the picture below):

The picture below is poignantly entitled 'The End of Life', and reminds me of when my mother was dying of cancer in 2011:

Below, Tom is turning towards his anthropological work in the Balkans, focusing on a specific dance only performed by the women there:

Finally, the picture below is entitled 'The Swiss Woman', and, for me, here, Tom creates a hugely mysterious aura about the woman in the picture:

Finally, I must say that I view Tom's drawings as representing some kind of profound pictorial anthropology, as a seemingly straightforward method draws out such deep meaning concerning various aspects of human experience.

The RBS Bank Glass Ceiling in Warsaw

On Thursday afternoon, I teach an English class at the RBS bank building (on the road to the airport) in Warsaw.  Usually arrive half an hour or so early, so that I can just take a few deep breaths and chill out for a bit in the hallway of the building.. 

In particular, can't help but admire the glass ceiling at the RBS building (in the picture above), and today it looked incredible as the snow on top of it gave it a kind of cloudy, mystical-type effect.  Yeah, it just kind of offered a strange but pleasant panacea to being badly overworked.

Walking through Whalley Abbey Gatehouse

Possibly the highlight of my Christmas stay in Bury was a trip with my friend, John, to Whalley Abbey, up near Clitheroe in (more) traditional Lancashire.  The picture above was taken as I was walking through the majestic Gatehouse at Whalley Abbey.

In the picture below, I'm looking out to the railway arches just beyond the Gatehouse:

Short Bury Walks: Passing Walmersley Golf Club To Deeply Vale

This is a great short walk that I used to do quite regularly when living in Bury many years ago.  First, after walking up Castle Hill Road, you turn left and pass Robinsons Farm (above), and later on, Walmersley Golf Club, which now seems to be serenaded by a few wind turbines (below):

While walking towards Walmersley Golf Course, you may come across some interesting insignia on the country houses/farms, such as the one below:

Moreover, some time after Walmersley Golf Club, you come across the dirt path to Deeply Vale below (there is a short cut across a farmer's field just after Walmersley Golf Course, but this can be as muddy as hell)::

At some point on this dirt path, you can get a decent shot of old Buckhurst (Methodist - I think) Chapel in the distance:

As for Deeply Vale itself, it now seems to be a bit overrun by a herd of cattle, so I didn't venture inside, settling for taking a pastoral shot from a distance (below):

Also got a shot of one of the lodges gleaming in Christmas sunshine.  Yes, it was Christmas Day when I did this walk, and it cheered me up no end.

So, Bury may be quite rightly defined as a 'bit of a shithole', but it also has lots of interesting countryside (such as Deeply Vale; Ashworth Valley; and Cheesden Valley) which offers an aesthetic escape from the ugly confines of 'Paper Town'.

A Master Horseman's Memorial, Near Norden

During my Christmas stay in Bury, Lancashire, one day, I got caught in a storm while a little lost on a dirt path just off the top end of Ashworth Valley Road, when I came across the memorial above at the side of the path.

A few weeks later when back in my adopted city of Warsaw, Poland, I decided to look into the story of the memorial, and, from a 2011 Bury Times online article, discovered that Mr. Tony Dampier (in the photo below) had been a world-renowned horseman, giving professional advice about horses and setting up stables in different parts of the world, and had been tragically thrown from a horse while going down a path near Norden. 

Of course, here it clicked, during the storm, I'd most probably wandered down the path where Mr. Dampier had tragically died.

Warsaw: Christmas Decorations Still Up In Mid-January 2014

When I went down near the Old Town on Saturday night, I really enjoyed seeing all the Christmas decorations still being up in mid-January.

Quite a few of the people out, especially the women, were enjoying having their pictures taken in the chariot below:

Absolutely loved the fact that Christmas was still alive and well here, a feel-good atmosphere still lasting deep into January.

All this compares very favourably with my homeland Britain where sadly Christmas seems to have been almost banished due to the moronic multiculturalist engineering of politically 'correct' ideologues.

January Snow in Warsaw

At last, the winter snow may be properly here in Warsaw, although the temperature isn't low enough to know if this batch will be long lasting.  Still, it is currently transforming the city into a winter wonderland as shown in the pictures of woodland up at Stare Bemowo in the pictures above and below:

The picture below was taken from the Crido office in Warsaw city centre where I work on Friday mornings, and you can see that the snow blends in nicely with both the sand-coloured office block and the Jewish synagogue (in the background):

A Few Reflections on Seeing Agnes Obel at Warsaw Palladium on 11-01-14

Glad to see that a great person managed to video a few tunes (including 'Riverside' above and 'Fuel To Fire' below) from the Agnes Obel concert at Warsaw Palladium last Saturday.  I say this as videoing this event was no easy task as the stage was sometimes dark with just lantern-type light and at other times not much brighter. 

Since last Saturday, I've been reflecting on this concert, because, despite having been to hundreds of all kinds of concerts over the years, this is the nearest I've ever come to having an opera (or Classical music concert) kind of experience, and, for this reason, the evening was really endearing.  What I'm trying to say is that the tunes seemed to subtly blend into each other, causing me to nostalgically recall and almost dream about certain episodes from my past. 

Thus, through a beautiful live musical experience, I dreamily engaged with some kind of catharsis, a really wonderful experience.  Just one last thing:  this concert was also magical, as it was the day before my 48th birthday.

The Patient Scottish Terrier

Saw this Scottie and his pal, while they were waiting for their owner outside the Slowackiego post office in Warsaw yesterday.

While his pal was a little more restless (although far from being a nuisance) the Scottie was a model of patience. 

Remember a similar episode from over 10 years ago now when me and my Polish wife, Agnieszka, saw two regal-looking Scottish terriers washing themselves while waiting for their owner outside a traditional-looking shop near the entrance to Canterbury Cathedral in Kent.

Also recall a fellow EFL teacher in Canterbury called Jan telling us that while West Highland and Cairn terriers are loyal but generally non-destructive, Scotties may be loyal but they're also well capable of ripping your furniture to pieces.  Yes, the Scotties seem to be real characters.

Warsaw City Centre on Saturday Night

Came out of having watched Agnes Obel at Warsaw Palladium on Saturday night and the whole night-time centre of Warsaw just looked magically colourful.  Love the combination of alien-looking lights and eye-catching window advertisements in the picture above. 

Buckhurst Lodge at Sundown

Did a lot of walking in the countryside during my recent Christmas trip to my hometown of Bury, Lancashire.  Above is Buckhurst Lodge with, once again, some wind turbines waving in the distance, they're actually just up beyond the Owd Betts top road.

I walked past Buckhurst Lodge on my way down from the Owd Betts and Cheesden Valley Waterfall, heading towards the top of Walmersley, after having walked through Carr Wood and Norden.  Have always thought that it would be great to go fishing on Buckhurst Lodge.

The New Mosque Being Built in Warsaw, Poland

In passing, I'd read a few times that a new mosque was being built in Warsaw, Poland, but had never quite believed it until just before Christmas, when I ended up walking past it while making my way up to the Blue City shopping mall just after the main coach station in Warsaw.  Of course, the new mosque construction (below) was fenced off on all sides:

In general, the Poles I've spoken to (mainly professionals/university graduates) are not generally in favour of having this new mosque construction, because they're fearful of the mass-scale Islamicisation process that has spread through politically 'correct' experimentation in Western Europe.

As you can see from the picture below, the new mosque construction is also fenced off at the back of the building:

Just wonder what the locals (living in the flats nearby) think about having the Muhammadan ('Moslem') religion brought to their doorstep. 

Rumour has it (but don't know if it's true or not) that this new mosque construction has been funded by the Saudi government (if true, the mind really does boggle).

Bury Walks: Through Birtle to the Pack Horse

Here's another pleasant short walk in the countryside on the outskirts of my hometown, Bury.  After going up Castle Hill Road, and turning left past St. John the Baptist Anglican church, the Church Inn; and the Quarry, you follow the old dirt track round a bit and come across Acorn Valley (above). 

Perhaps more interestingly, standing right next to Acorn Valley are the, for me, beautiful leafed ruins of the old Methodist church (below).  Just love how nature and the old church have joined together so well here, it gives an almost Druid-type atmosphere:

Carrying on round the dirt track, you pass a couple of country houses and the wonderful streetlamp below (Warsaw, where I live now, is full of such wonderful streetlamps):

Eventually, you come out somewhere quite high up Elbut Lane and turn right down the latter for a few minutes to get to the Pack Horse (below):

Nice to see that the pub has a special drinking area (below) for all the passing horses from the Smethurst horse stables lower down Elbut Lane:

Just out of interest, there's a wonderful pint of Real Ale called MPA in the Pack Horse, which I highly recommend if you happen to go in there for some refreshment.

Finally, the path going past the small row of cottages (possibly one big house now) below (just past the Pack Horse) leads nicely through a few fields and into Ashworth Valley:

From childhood, I remember one of the cottages above being a small shop, where walkers (often families on the way to Ashworth Valley) used to stop to buy lollies and drinks to quench their thirst in summer.