Paul's Possums

An interesting shot that my brother Paul sent round Facebook.  He lives in Sydney and these two possums have taken up residence in his back garden.

Warsaw: Passing the Georgian Restaurant

Had seen the signs to the Georgian restaurant a few weeks ago, so it was nice to see what it actually looked like while making my way down to see Submotion Orchestra at the Klub Niebo this week.

Yeah, the Georgian restaurant looks quite appetising so I must try it out some time.

Submotion Orchestra Live at Warsaw Niebo 26th April 2018

First saw Submotion Orchestra a few years ago at Warsaw Basen and got the chance to catch up with them last night at Warsaw Niebo.

Wasn't really in the mood for a concert last night but thoroughly enjoyed the Submotion Orchestra set and felt uplifted throughout and after it.

Really like the 'Kites' album so it was great to hear tunes like the title track and 'Prism' live.

With Ruby Wood's rich vocals, the song 'Kites' actually reminds me of The Carpenters, it's that good.

Really like bands like Submotion Orchestra who can make a concert a dreamscape-type experience.

Kotek Trying To Open a Door

A few funny shots of Kotek trying to open a door.

What was funny was that he tried a few different methods of opening the door.

Warsaw: Sound Garden Hotel

My brother Paul was over from Australia for an IKEA conference in Warsaw and he stayed at the Sound Garden Hotel up near Chopin Airport:

Can remember when this place was being built a few years ago and it looked interesting then:

And now fully completed, the place was definitely photogenic:

Yellow Flowers, Early Spring

More flowers from early spring, this time yellow ones.

Godspeed You! Black Emperor Live at Warsaw Palladium 18th April 2018

Was an honour to see Godspeed You! Black Emperor for the second time on Wednesday evening.

To be honest, 'Hope Drone'

and 'Mladic' (the first two tunes of the set) aren't my two favourite Godspeed You! Black Emperor tunes.

So when the band did 'Bosses Hang (Buildings)', this is when things started getting seriously interesting and hypnotic for me:

And, of course, with Godspeed You! Black Emperor, the visual dimension is always going to be fascinating:

Cory Henry & The Funk Apostles Live at Warsaw Stodoła 17th April 2018

My brother Paul was visiting Warsaw this week, so a few weeks ago, I decided to get Cory Henry tickets for us both after checking him out on the Internet.

Really glad that I did check Cory Henry out, as this was a magical concert.
 

  
Loved the show from start to finish, from the opening 'Testify' to the closing (Prince tune) 'Controversy'.

Rarely have I heard such great voices as Cory Henry himself and his two wonderful female vocalists, Denise and Tiffany:

Have got to say that every member of this band was multi-talented, it was great to listen to music that wasn't super loud but incredibly melodic.

How would I describe the music of Cory Henry & The Funk Apostles?  Something like a mix of Jazz Funk, Prog and Gospel, I guess.

Other great tunes in the set included 'Love Will Find a Way' and 'Our Affairs'.

Must also say that Cory Henry and his bandmates produced a wonderful, good-natured atmosphere, a fitting accompaniment to such wonderful music.

So glad I checked out Cory Henry in time to see him live.

Eastern Poland: A Great Wooden Building

A great wooden building and restaurant on the way to Lublin from Warsaw.

Kotek's Amazing Balancing Act

Amazingly, Kotek jumped up on top of the door and calmly balanced himself there.

Enjoying 'The Cambridge Companion To Thomas Hardy'

Have currently read what looked like the more mouth-watering articles in this collection:  "The influence of religion, science, and philosophy on Hardy's writings' by Robert Schweik; 'Wessex' by Simon Gatrell; 'Hardy and critical theory' by Peter Widdowson; and 'Thomas Hardy and matters of gender' by Kristin Brady (only halfway through this).  Was always going to lap up the first two articles here, but have more surprisingly almost equally enjoyed the latter two.

What I like most about Schweik's article is the part devoted to the influence of Schopenhauer on Hardy's work (e.g. about the pain of unfulfilled ambition which is inevitably brought about by an immanent/universal and/or circumstantial/situational will that is indifferent to the suffering of any human).  Also currently reading C.H. Salter's 'Good Little Thomas Hardy' which, amongst many other things, also offers a mass of insights about the influence of Schopenhauer on Hardy's work:

Must say that this wonderful book is much heavier than its title suggests, really digging deep into what Hardy's pessimistic/fatalistic view of life actually means.  For example, the reflections on Hardy's view of suicide are not exactly uplifting (but fascinating all the same).

Anyway, back with 'The Cambridge Companion To Thomas Hardy', I became more aware of how Hardy expanded his vision of Wessex as a kind of semi-real/semi-imagined place from his early to later novels through reading Simon Gatrell's 'Wessex'.

As already mentioned, the Peter Widdowson and Kristin Brady articles have been far enjoyable than I would have ever imagined.  This is because both of these writers do build up a good picture of what Thomas Hardy has traditionally meant to many readers e.g. a liberal humanist narrative voice with sometimes exquisite streams of imagery and symbolism running throughout the novels.  As for the deconstruction; postmodernism; feminism etc., this was never going to be my cup of tea, although I must acknowledge that I've found little bits and pieces of this stuff interesting.

And there you go, a very general summary of the Hardy-related reading I've been doing recently. Must write more about C.H. Salter's 'Good Little Thomas Hardy' some time, as it really does dig deep into Hardy's psyche and outlook on life.

Spring Flowers

Thought these flowers were sweet peas until my wife corrected me by saying they were pansies:

Guess that the flowers below are (more like) sweat peas, although I could be wrong again, of course:

Can distantly remember my grandparents on my mother's side growing sweat peas in their back garden on Moor Street in Heywood, Lancashire.

Eastern Poland: After Easter Sunday Mass

A dark and wet churchyard after Easter Sunday Mass.  Glad to say that Spring has arrived in the last few days.

Eastern Poland: Spring Crocus

Spring crocus from a garden in Eastern Poland.

Warsaw to Lublin: A Great Meal

Had this great meal of grilled/boiled potatoes; vegetables and salad with a pot of honey-flavoured tea when we stopped off somewhere while journeying towards Lublin from Warsaw.

The best part was the warm beetroot, truly scrumptuous.