Airbag - Warsaw Progresja (18-11-22)

From the moment Airbag came on with Machines and Men, we were treated to a wonderful, audio-visual experience.

Have seen a clutch of gigs since getting back from my summer trip to England.

But this was my first live Prog music since the New Day Festival in Kent in August (nearly three months without live Prog!).

Found myself in a trance-like state (with a couple of nice Czech beers) during the Airbag set.

Great tracks like Redemption and Killer went by in a flash.

And the close-out of the show, the epic, Homesick I-III, everybody was 100% captivated.

Also really enjoyed the Bjorn Riis set:

Especially A Voyage to the Sun and Lullaby in a Car Crash.

Love the ambience of a good Prog gig, you can't beat it.

The Band That Couldn't Get Started

 

At the Brasenose Arms fringe event at this year's Cropredy Festival, we witnessed the strange episode of a band, apparently, not being able to start their live set.

For almost an hour or so, my friend and I watched the soundcheck, and the band looked (and sounded) interesting, but they just couldn't get started due to some kind of issue with the mixing desk.

Really do hope that the band did eventually get to do their set.

Chesham Fields Overgrown

 

Have been out of Bury for about 25 years and when I occasionally return there, I feel like a stranger as many people I once knew there have moved or passed on.

But on a recent trip to Bury, I loved how Chesham Fields were now overgrown, wild and untamed.

It just looked like Nature had reclaimed what were once orderly and clean-cut fields.

I loved Chesham Fields with the new, unkempt look.

A Walk I Must Do

 It looked like the tall, stout building had once been a pub. 

The Quarryman's Inn looked majestic with low-lying hills rolling in the background.

This wonderful building lies on the outskirts of Edenfield in Bury, heading towards the small town of Waterfoot.

Must have a walk from Edenfield to Waterfoot one day. 

Waterfoot still looks like a traditional Lancashire town.

Reflective Space

 

A friend of mine from Bury, sometimes finds himself sitting outside the Anglican church in Edenfield, on the outskirts of the town, heading towards Burnley.

He finds that the church and its surrounding gravestones give him the right sort of space for reflecting on the serious things in life.

Think that the church tower here may date back to the 14th century:

The church is a mightily impressive building.

My friend isn't a formally religious person, but he still feels some kind of sacred space here, it's a special place for him.

Where time stands still, and he gets away from it all.

Not sure if he realises it fully, but he probably senses some kind of religious echo up here, a sense of a better time.

Tents Among The Gravestones (Canterbury)

In an old church graveyard, not far from Canterbury West train station, we had to look twice to make sure we weren't 'seeing' (imagining) things:
 

 My travelling companion joked:         

      "I hope they're tourists on holiday. But it's a strange place to camp, isn't it?"

 It certainly was, and the first time in my life that I'd seen it:

Still, if the graveyard campers were homeless, it was a much safer place to sleep than in a High Street doorway:

And it kind of looked like the Anglican church was allowing the campers to set up tent amongst the graves, which I guess could be viewed as a genuine act of charity.

But a much bigger question must be asked concerning what the British State is doing to help (often British) homeless people.

Don't understand why illegal migrants from Africa and other distant foreign places are given blatant preferential treatment over homeless British people. This really is taking the p*ss.

Lost in Faversham

Somehow, after quickly looking at the Almhouses, then the Gunpowder Mill, we managed to get lost in a residential area of Faversham.

Thankfully, some local council workers pointed us in the right direction, and we passed an unusual-looking doctor's surgery or some kind of clinic:

 The black-and-white house below added a kind of Gothic atmosphere to the scenario:

 

While the Duck Pond below signalled that we were definitely on the right track:

Not far from the town centre, we passed a modern-looking Catholic Church:

And finally, we reached Faversham town centre to have our Wetherspoons breakfast, and then have a scout about the Outdoor Market in the street:

Ended up getting some pretty decent samosas and onion bhajis here.