Leprous, Tides From Nebula, A.A. Williams (Warsaw Progresja 26-11-21)

This was one of those nice evenings at the Progresja when entertained by three really good bands.

First up, really enjoyed A.A. Williams:

Who did a nice six-tune set which seemed to be over in a shot.

Then, it was the turn of Tides From Nebula:

Was also transfixed to this, favourite tune of the set was The New Delta.

And finally, Leprous went back in time to the Bilateral album:

Have seen Leprous a couple of times before when they've done their more recent material, so it was nice to hear them doing older, kind of more obscure tunes live.

Yeah, all in all, a very pleasant evening, a massive thanks to all three bands and the Progresja itself, of course.

Theatre of Drama at Night

 Passing the Theatre of Drama in Warsaw, lit-up at night:

Must say that it looks rather elegant lit-up like this, but a Polish friend of mine told me that this is where all the top communists used to meet up many years ago.

And below, there's a shot of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier lit up in the dark:

A Lit-Up Skyline

 

Was waiting at a tram stop on my way up to the Progresja to see Leprous, Tides From Nebula, and A.A. Williams, when I saw this great skyline of lit-up buildings.

It was a wet and dreary evening, but this lit-up skyline kind of cheered me up, I was really grateful for it, it was a blessing.

A Great Catholic Apologetic Work

 

As I move around the Polish capital, Warsaw, here and there on the metro underground, I'm currently reading Thomas E. Woods Junior's incredibly insightful How The Catholic Church Built Western Civilization.

Through reading this book, I'm encountering all kinds of interesting information concerning such things as how monks from Ireland and Northumbria introduced lower case letters into European languages; how the Benedictines turned swamps into agricultural land, and through relentless technological innovation, paved the way for the Industrial Revolution; how the Catholic Church hierarchy played a major role in setting up the early university system etc.

Of course, it's good to get such a positive view of the Catholic Church's major role in building up Western civilisation when living in an age when history seems to be continually revised by woke (extreme left) ideology.

Old Furniture Repair Place

 

Passed this old-looking, Classical-type, furniture repair place in the Wolska district of Warsaw a few Sundays ago. It was somewhere not far from the St. Faustina compound.

In this age of globalisation, it's good to still be able to come across such shops, as they give character to a place.

Passing the Swiss Embassy

 

A quick shot taken while passing the Swiss Embassy (next to the US embassy) in Warsaw a week or two ago. 

Some kind of major renovation work was taking place so the Swiss Cross flag structure above was erected to clearly indicate where the Embassy is.

Jesus' Polish Wreath

 

Jesus with a red-and-white, Polish wreath, outside the Church of the Holy Cross in central Warsaw.

And not far away, quite a few Polish flags  stood proudly outside St. Alexander's church, near the Three Crosses:

Nice to see national identity fused with religion in one part of Europe.

Otava Yo - Warsaw Progresja (17-11-21)

 Thoroughly enjoyed this, the music, the atmosphere, and a few beers.

Wasn't too familiar with Otava Yo before the concert, but really enjoyed listening to such tunes as Cossack's Lezginka; Once Upon a Time on a High Hill; and Christmas Carol live.

Nice shot of the setlist from the mixing desk below:

 Living in such uncertain times, let's hope the gigs keep on coming.

D.H. Lawrence's Male-Female Polarity Theme

Here, I'm going to quickly summarise D.H. Lawrence's concept of male-female polarity which is a central feature of The Study of Thomas Hardy (1915) and which permeates two of his great novels, The Rainbow (1915) and Women In Love (1920).

In The Forked Flame: A Study of D.H. Lawrence, Daleski (1965: 30-31), describes D.H. Lawrence’s male-female polarity theme/theory in terms of male consciousness inclining individuals to value mental clarity and to seek concrete ideas and social relationships, while female consciousness may predispose individuals to value inner feelings, instincts and intuitions and to engage in a fuller emotional life.  Hence, this vision contrasts a male quality of rationally reaching out to an external social world with a female quality of inwardly engaging in emotional fulfilment.  Of course, D.H. Lawrence’s distinction between male and female forces of consciousness is arbitrary, as some men may be more characterised by female features and some women more by male features, especially in Western woke societies where the sexes are often conditioned into rejecting traditional male and female roles. Moreover, Lawrence’s resolution process is for an individual to harmoniously balance opposing male and female forces together both inside his/her individual psyche and in his/her relationships with members of the opposite sex in the social world.  

An Old Woman's Handiwork

 

Great piece of handiwork by an old woman in Warsaw, creating a small garden with hanging plant pots on a featureless, communal piece of land.

A Pierogi Alcove

Really like the look of this alcove at a pierogi place on Nowy Świat in Warsaw:

It's now getting a bit too nippy to eat pierogi in such an alcove, but a gas fire may be a solution for the rest of autumn, before the bite of winter begins. 

Just think that the alcove looks like a cosy place to eat pierogi.

Born-Again Christian Group Feeding People

A few more shots from the central metro station in Warsaw recently, with some kind of born-again Christian group feeding people:

The man below gave a speech about how he had managed to defeat an alcohol problem with the born-again Christian group:

 

Back in the mid-1980s, the born-again Christian movement was quite big in my hometown of Bury, Lancashire (north-west England), and I knew quite a few people involved with it, but nowadays they seem to be believers-without-belonging, agnostics, or worst of all, woke ideologues.

The Painter

 

Nice shot of an artist doing painting work outside the central underground station in Warsaw.

Warsaw: Polish Patriot March (11-11-21)

A few shots from the Polish patriot march from yesterday which was very well-organised and generally good-natured:

Some Polish ladies were wearing red-and-white flowers in their hair:

Was great to see the flag of St. Michael flying high:

As was a big Hungarian flag:

And of course, the flares added to the atmosphere:

Full credit to the organisers of the march for preventing dangerous bottleneck situations from taking place. Below, the organiser staff have formed a human wall to prevent marchers from one direction coming into contact with other marchers from the opposite direction leaving via an exit near the National Football Stadium:

And finally, behind the National Football Stadium, a stage was set up where male and female patriot speakers gave speeches about the dangers of woke ideology entering Poland from the West:

Where the organiser staff could have a well-earned rest and feed:

My First Belarus Beer

 I couldn't find any information on the Internet about this beer, but my wife says that it's a Belarus beer. 

What I can say about the beer above is that despite it only being 4% in alcohol strength, it has a very agreeable taste and is well worth a drink.

A Marian Statue

 

Saw the encased Marian statue above while on the outskirts of Warsaw, on the road to Falenica and Otwock, a couple of weeks ago.

Really like this part of Warsaw, it's away from the mad hustle and bustle of the city centre, and it really has a kind of traditional character that I admire.

My Last Concert for a While?

 

Still wondering if this will be my last concert for a few months: seeing Ragnar Ólaffson and Julia Szkrobek at Warsaw Stodoła on 27th October. Ragnar and Julia's duets worked wonderfully, really enjoyed The Message and above all else, Dragonfly.

Also enjoyed Vikowski, like with Ragnar and Julia, it was just nice to watch some good live music in a laid-back atmosphere with a couple of decent pints of beer.

 

This night of good (and free) music was arranged by the EU. Being British (and for other reasons), I'm not a big fan of the EU, but they definitely turned up trumps with this gig.

With the threat of an upcoming lockdown hanging over Poland, this could be my last concert for a while, but I obviously hope not.

Deserted Wooden House

 

Passed this deserted wooden house on the outskirts of Warsaw, on the road to Falenica and Otwock, two Sundays ago.

Also saw the wonderful, probably recently-built house below:

A Roadside Cross

 

A roadside cross in eastern Poland, sadly, they often stand where people have been knocked down and killed.