a log of links, thoughts, notes and scribbles
Month: May 2003
Renoir’s Le Pont Neuf, 1872
Renoir used the Impressionist technique to great effect and this street scene is brought alive by colour, light and shade.
Renoir even manages to make the sunshine look warm and the shade seems cool…. brilliant !
Pablo Picasso once said, “there are painters who transform the sun into a yellow spot, but there are others who, thanks to their art and intelligence, transform a yellow spot into the sun.”
Renoir definitely falls into this category !
By ‘eck it’s a hot one today. The weather has been great over the last few days with temperatures soaring. For little Blighty that’s quite hot. The sun is out and all across London the parks are full and people are making the most of it.
I, on the other hand, am burdened with a flipping e-commerce report which I have to write for Monday…. pissed off ? Just a tad !
Also, a note to our public transport bosses – WHEN YOU BUY NEW BUSES/TRAINS/TRAMS FOR US TO USE PLEASE MAKE SURE THEY ARE AIRCONDITIONED…….doh ! At this time of year the tube is appalling and the buses aren’t much better. Air-con surely is a must these days…. !
sometimes silence is appropriate…. today is one of those days ! Nothing to say except had a good day !!!
Every now and again the Beeb produce some genuinely funny radio. If ever you get a chance tune in to the Hudson and Pepperdine Show.
Ever thought of upping sticks and moving out to Oz ? Well, if you do you may need to fill in this form: Application for Grant of Australian Citizenship…;o)
The Houses of Parliament are now ringed by a wall of concrete blocks to safeguard against terrorist attacks. The authorities must believe that there is a real threat from lorry bombs and suicide attackers. Apparently they are there as a precaution, not due to any specific intelligence of an imminent attack on Parliament.
It seems strange that nearly 2 years after 9/11 the British security people have finally decided that greater physical protection for parliament is now prudent. In the last week we’ve seen bombings in Saudi Arabia and Morocco and, I bet there is some pretty scary intelligence on al-Qaeda in the UK. They probably know that active al-Qaeda cells are in the UK and are planning attacks and Parliament is an obvious target. al-Qaeda are going to try and hit us, the only question is where and when…. could it be a truck bomb in Westminster, a gas attack on the tube or a suicidal gunman in a shopping centre on a Saturday afternoon ? We just don’t know. Expect an attack in Britain sometime between now and Christmas.
After the Brighton bombing which nearly killed Margaret Thatcher, the IRA issued a stark warning to the British Government: “”Today we were unlucky, but remember, we only have to be lucky once; you will have to be lucky always. Give Ireland peace and there will be no war.” The IRA had a demand, peace in Ireland, al-Qaeda have no coherent demands, they just hate us and our way of life. You can’t negotiate with them or agree a peace settlement as in Northern Ireland. They are ideologically opposed to us and want us destroyed.
If there were no consequences for your actions, what would you do differently ?
Chelsea Flower Show is on at the moment and James Dyson, famed for re-inventing the hoover, has produced an intriguing water feature. The water flows uphill…how neat is that ! Here’s how he did it !
awww Gawd….had a bad ‘un today ! Things just didn’t gel. Suppose it’s a combination of Monday blues and a bit of more general frustration with work and things ! A year ago today I’d just moved to Melbourne and everything was looking good….new job, new opportunities etc….
Now, it’s a bit monotonous with the regular grind of work and general hassle ! Grumble, wibble…bleh ! Shit happens I guess and then you move on !
On another note, I bought Melody AM by Royksopp and it’s pretty good…I really like it !
Another suicide bombing in Jerusalem today. At least 7 people have been killed and about 20 injured in an attack on a bus. Sadly, this happened just hours after an important meeting between Israel and the Palestinians to kick off the road map to peace.
Will this little war ever come to an end or are both sides condemned to live in a deadly cycle of violence, hate and fanaticism ?
So yeah... 