Song of the Day: 'Fantasy' by Earth Wind & Fire

This song just takes me back to 1977, my first year at secondary school, St. Gabriel's in Bury, Lancashire.  Just love the upbeat mood and rhythm and beautiful melody of this song. 

Remember buying this as a 7-inch single and marvelling at the yellow-orange CBS record label logo which I was setting my eyes on for the first time.

This song also gave me some kind of enchantment:  a kind of idealised image of a magical world that existed over the Atlantic.

Warsaw Lutheran Cemetery: Some More Shots

Below are some more shots from the smaller of the two sections of the Lutheran cemetery at lower Wola, Warsaw:

The statue above almost reminds me of the Catholic saint, St. Theresa of Lisieux, but the woman in the statue above has a plain cross rather than a crucifix.

Love the tree-enshrouded grave below, as nature seems to perfectly balance with human construction as a fitting memorial to the deceased person (or people):

Inside the smaller of the two parts of the Lutheran cemetery, there is also the extremely photogenic church building below:

As can be seen below, the stained glass windows are also beautiful:

And, finally, there are quite a few interesting-looking statues dotted around the smaller part of the Lutheran cemetery, such as the two below:

Yes, if you're ever in Warsaw, both parts of the Lutheran cemetery at lower Wola are well worth a visit.

A Red Squirrel Leading Me a Merry Dance in Lazienki Park

This red squirrel led me a real merry dance while I was trying to take shots of it in Lazienki Park, Warsaw.  Almost every time:  in the split second that it takes for the flash to go off, the 'little critter' had moved.

Still, in the end, my perseverance somewhat paid off, as I eventually got the semi-decent shot of the squirrel above.

Misiek: A Fine Golden Retriever

Some time ago, I put a picture of Misiek, my wife's parents' Golden Retriever, on here from when he was a puppie.  So, here's a far more recent picture of him, as he now is a finely developed Golden Retriever.

Warsaw: The French Orphans' Grave?

Came across the following what, at a guess, may be a French orphans' grave in the smaller of the two parts of the Lutheran cemetery at lower Wola in Warsaw (here, I'm assuming that the smaller second part is related to the much larger definitely Lutheran part just up the road, which may not be the case)

For obvious reasons, this grave caught my eye, and took me back to Blake's 'Songs of Innocence and Experience', especially 'The Chimney Sweeper' and 'Holy Thursday' poems.  

All in all, the grave looked very distinguished with the dragon-type coat of arms above, and the old but still elegant gate below:

But beyond the gate, there was the locked opening, and I couldn't help but think about how many orphans may've been buried below:

Just seen an article on the internet in French which may suggest that this grave relates to a German massacre that took place in the Wola district of Warsaw in 1944.

Some More Rich Robinson Band Shots from Warsaw Klub Progresja (22-6-14)

Still can't get over how good the Rich Robinson Band concert at the Klub Progresja was recently, so here's a few more decent shots from the gig:

Rich's recently released (third) solo album, 'The Ceaseless Sight' is an absolute cracker, one of the best albums I've heard in a long, long time.  So here's a few of my favourite tunes from the album ('I Know You'; 'Trial and Faith'; and 'In Comes the Night'):

Think this trio of tunes gives a nice taste of just how beautifully varied this album is.  From a few reviews I've read, I've seen phrases like 'country psychaedelia tinged with blues and jazz' which may be quite apt.

Deciding To See Martin Barre at Warsaw Klub Progresja on 16th October 2014

Saw Jethro Tull four times in the 1980s:  on the 'Broadsword and the Beast' tour at Birmingham NEC in 1982; at Milton Keynes (with Marillion, Gary Moore, Magnum, and Mamas Boys) in 1986; then on the 'Crest of a Knave' tour at Manchester Apollo; and another time at Manchester Apollo.  Absolutely loved the first three times I saw Tull, but was a touch disappointed the last time as the early bluesy stuff seemed to outweigh (my favourite) folky stuff.

However, a few weeks ago, I saw that Tull guitarist Martin Barre and his band will be playing Warsaw Klub Progresja in October, so I thought that I'd check him out on Youtube, saw that he did cracking versions of 'Minstrel in the Gallery' and 'Thick As a Brick' (as well as other interesting things such as Gov't Mule's 'Thorazine Shuffle'), then it was second nature to get a ticket to see him:

Full credit to the vocalist here as well, as he sounds somewhat like Ian Anderson while having a good voice in his own right. 

As for my favourite Tull albums, they are 'Songs from the Wood'; 'Heavy Horses'; and 'Stormwatch' (the folky stuff), but my favourite tune would have to be 'Mountain Men', as the start, lyrically and musically, just sends shivers down my spine: