Bjorn Borg at Wimbledon Today: Bringing Back Some Memories

Really nice BBC internet picture of Bjorn Borg and his interesting-looking lady friend at Wimbledon for the men's semi-finals today.

Still remember Borg's five singles titles at Wimbledon between 1976 and 1980, especially the five-set battles against the big-serving Roscoe Tanner in 1979 and John McEnroe in 1980.  Also remember McEnroe gaining revenge in four sets the year after.

This all seems a lifetime away now, but I can still remember Borg with his trademark fair-haired locks and headband on, hitting from the baseline with pinpoint accuracy.

Think I can also remember seeing the famous quarter-final match between Borg and Britain's Roger Taylor from the 1973 Wimbledon in the TV room at Transparent Club in Bury, Lancashire.   Can also remember seeing Muhammad Ali's (second) victory over Don Quarry in 1972 in this TV room (which was also great for watching FA Cup Finals back then).

Warsaw: The Catholic Church at Plac Grzybowski

At last, I had something a bit better than a small mobile phone at hand to do justice to the beautiful Catholic church at Plac Grzybowski in Warsaw.

Just find this particular Catholic church majestic in structure.

Marc Ribot's Ceramic Dog Live at Warsaw Pardon To Tu 6th July 2015

This one nearly slipped under my radar, but I'm so glad that it didn't, as it was an honour to see such fine craftsmen (Marc Ribot; Shahzad Ismaily; and Ches Smith) work together live:
 

Up to a few weeks ago, I'd heard about Marc Ribot and his work with Tom Waits and others (e.g. Elvis Costello), but I'd never heard of Marc Ribot's Ceramic Dog. 

However, last Friday afternoon, upon the advice of a good friend, I gave the band a sustained listen, and, thankfully, was still able to get a ticket for the second night of their two-night stint at Warsaw Pardon To Tu (at first sight, a strange-looking, 'New Age' kind of place that surprisingly had a nice, homely kind of feel on the night).

Below, talented multi-instrumentalist, Shahzad Ismaily, seems to be (almost) in prayer on stage:

And the coordination between the three musicians on stage was continually breathtaking and mesmerising:

Don't know if it's the sitting position, but Marc Ribot reminded me a lot of Robert Fripp (only seen this guitar maestro once at Manchester Apollo with David Sylvian in the early 1990s):

Don't really know the names of many of the band's tunes, but was really happy that Marc Ribot's Ceramic Dog did 'Masters of the Internet' as one of the encores, as this song has very quickly lodged itself at the forefront of my mental jukebox.

Warsaw Summer 2015: In Full Bloom

The clear blue sky above shows that summer is now in full bloom in Warsaw.  The huge tree below provided a good place to shade away from the sun:

And quite from nowhere, this street advertisement about some kind of Japanese art exhibition caught my eye:

Warsaw Wianki Festival 2015: A Few More Shots

A few more (this time camera rather than mobile) shots of the Warsaw Wianki Festival from 20th June here, starting with five of Polish electronica outfit, Rebeka:
 

The shot below shows the wonderful background that Rebeka had from a distance:

And it might have taken loads of tries, but I finally managed to nail a shot:

Was also nice to see how the famous fountains danced to the Rebeka set:

And later on, I managed to get a decent, mystical-type shot of The Charlatans:

This shot idealises things a bit, as, in reality, it was pouring down for most of The Charlatans set, although it was well worth staying for.

Poland Warsaw LDS Mission: 25th Anniversary Weekend

A few shots from last Sunday's meeting at the 'Poland Warsaw LDS Mission 25th Anniversary Weekend' at the Warsaw Wolska chapel here (one catching the congregation in full song below):

After the two-hour Sunday meeting, there was a big group photograph:

And I just tried to half-aimlessly capture the dynamic interaction outside:

Warsaw Wianki Festival 2015: Anna Jantar Tribute

Here's a few more pictures from the 2015 Warsaw Wianki Festival from a couple of weeks ago. 

Not being Polish, the act that was on before The Charlatans at this year's Wianki was at times a bit confusing for me, but suddenly it started to get interesting as it moved into what looked like a tribute to the late Anna Jantar (below):

I was aware of the tragic story of Anna Jantar (dying in a big plane crash in Warsaw in 1980 - the plane had been returning from JFK Airport in New York), because my wife had pointed out her grave in a Polish graveyard on All Souls or All Saints Day a few years ago.

Below is a song I've heard many times by the late Anna Jantar: