The Weight of Tradition

Back in June 2022 - not long after I started this blog - I wrote about the curious and unique tradition of Weighing the Mayor that takes place annually in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire (read it hereread it here). 

This year I decided to record the event for my YouTube channel so you could see it too. Enjoy.

An encounter with Bambi

My latest 'week of walks' video which includes meeting a roe deer unexpectedly.

Corn Walls

I've been watching a few episodes of those 'Ancient Aliens' TV shows recently. Why? 

Trust me, it's not so that I can become a believer. 

Like many teenagers in the 1970s I was taken in by the likes of T Lobsang Rampa who told us that he was some kind of Buddhist prophet with the knowledge of the ages (he turned out to be a plumber from Plymouth called Cyril), and Erich Von Däniken who kickstarted the whole ancient aliens shtick with his hugely bestselling Chariots of the Gods? As I got older I discovered that these kinds of authors fudge their findings, often lie outright (Von Däniken wrote two of his books while in prison for fraud) and, more importantly, present themselves as viable and equal alternatives to mainstream science. They're not. They're fantasists who give themselves titles like 'Ufologist' or 'Ancient Astronaut Theorist' or 'Investigative Mythologist' and who hide behind pseudo-science and cherry-picked 'evidence'. Everything they claim is preceded by phrases like 'perhaps', 'maybe' and 'could it be' - there are no hard facts here at all.

To be fair to them - they may be right and I can't prove that their claims are wrong. Maybe some ancient artists really did create depictions of other-wordly visitors. But the evidence is simply not there. Trained archaeologists who have spent decades in the field can give you perfectly good - if more mundane - explanations of what these things are. And, besides, how did the aliens cross the huge gulf of space - the nearest star would take decades to reach even if you could match the speed of light. And why come all that way with their advanced technology and not make official contact? Surely our primitive weapons would be no match for their science.

But the thing that bugs me the most about these shows is when they try to shoehorn everything into their nonsense theories and give no credit to human ingenuity and skill. 'The pyramids must have been constructed by aliens!' they say. No, they were constructed by people - tens of thousands of people - over decades, even centuries. People with faith can move mountains. 

The cathedral at Chartres in France was built as much by the people as it was by the church. Thousands of devotees volunteered to help transport the stones to the building site while others - princes and paupers alike - provided food and drink and first aid to the workers. The building took 26 years to complete. St Paul's Cathedral in London took nearly 50 years to build. And the magnificent Cathedral of St Mary of the Flowers - better known as La Duomo - in Florence took 150 years to build. Therefore, it's no stretch to imagine the pyramids taking just as long to be built - or even much longer - by a deeply religious society who believed that their pharaohs were gods. And of course, they also had access to a lot of slave labour. 

The same dull ancient alien theories are rolled out for the walls of various Inca structures in South America. 'How could humans of that era have made their walls so well?' say the UFO brigade. 'It must be aliens!'

Well, no. The answer is probably more corny than that.

The Inca, like many ancient civilisations, had ingenuity and sophistication that we don't credit them with. Built centuries ago, their structures captivate us with their precision. But, according to archaeologists, at the core of their architecture lies a fascinating connection to one of the Americas’ most cherished crops: corn. 

The Inca Empire flourished in the Andean region of South America from the early 15th century until the arrival of Spanish conquistadors in the 16th century. Their empire encompassed vast territories, stretching across present-day Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, and parts of Chile, Argentina, and Colombia. Inca architecture reflected the empire's advanced engineering and organizational skills. Their structures, often built without mortar, demonstrate an acute understanding of their environment. 

Corn held deep spiritual and cultural significance for the Inca. Revered as a gift from the gods, it symbolised fertility, abundance, and sustenance. Corn was not only a staple food source but also featured prominently in religious rituals, ceremonies, and art. 

The design of many Inca structures, including temples, palaces, and agricultural terraces, incorporated elements inspired by the shape and symbolism of corn kernels. From the rounded corners of buildings resembling corn grains to the strategic alignment of structures with celestial events linked to agricultural cycles, the influence of corn is pervasive in Inca architecture. One striking example is the famous city of Machu Picchu, a UNESCO World Heritage Site renowned for its architectural marvels. The layout of Machu Picchu mirrors the shape of a corn cob, with its terraces resembling the kernels of corn. This architectural feat not only demonstrates the Inca's reverence for corn but also their deep understanding of agricultural principles and environmental sustainability. 

The architecture of the Inca civilization offers a window into a bygone era, where corn was not just a crop but a sacred symbol woven into the fabric of daily life. By exploring the intersection of corn and architecture, we gain a deeper appreciation for the rich cultural heritage of the Americas and the enduring legacy of ancient civilizations.

Aliens, my arse.

More ramblings (and aren't the spring wildflowers gorgeous?)

Another week of dog walks compressed into a single video on my YouTube channelYouTube channel:

I also took the macro lens attachment for my iPhone out on a walk today and snapped these images:

Cleavers ('Sticky Willy')

Meadow Buttercup

Field Sorrel 

Dandelion Clock

Ribwort Plantain

Lichen on Goat Willow

Cow Parsley

Greenbottle fly

Elderflowers

Forget-Me-Nots

Acer 'helicopter' seeds

Speedwell

Milton and Hegley

Well, this was a treat. In fact, it was a double treat! 

My podcasting colleague Paul Waters and I hosted a live We'd like a Word event this week. Our guest was poet, author, musician, artist, comedian and national treasure John Hegley, ably accomanied by poet and musician Clare Elstow. The podcast episode will be available to download and listen to very soon.

It was a fantastic evening. The venue was pretty fantastic too. 

Milton's Cottage is a timber-framed 16th-century building in the village of Chalfont St Giles. John Milton and his family moved there in 1665 to escape the Plague in London. It is the only extant building he ever lived in and it's also where he completed his best known work, Paradise Lost. The seeds for Paradise Regained were also sown here. The ground floor of the cottage is now a museum dedicated to Milton and his works. The four museum rooms contain the most extensive collection in the world on open display of 17th-century first editions of John Milton's works, both poetry and prose. 

I did a longer blogpost about Milton's cottage (lots of photos) here.

And here's some video of the night:

John Hegley's website

Milton's Cottage website

We'd Like a Word podcast

The Northern Lights are in my eyes

Thanks to a short series of solar storms and a resultant mass coronal ejection, we had the rare privilege last night of seeing the Northern Lights in most of the UK. Here in my little bit of South Buckinghamshire we're lucky to have quite dark skies so I was able to enjoy the spectacle.

Wow.

 

Another Week in May

I'm ready for my Close Up

Last week I was contacted by Andrew Edgecumbe, a successful and award-winning fashion photographer. He said that he'd like to do a photoshoot with me.

I pointed out that I am to fashion what lobsters are to ballet but he insisted. He's putting together a portfolio of portraits of creatives and, as it turns out, he first came across my art during lockdown when I created the Monster Zoo project (see here). 

Anyway, I was happy to do so - it's quite a compliment really - and I agreed to meet him at Shardeloes near Amersham.

Shardeloes is a Grade I listed Palladian style country house that was designed and built by the excellently named Stiff Leadbetter. A previous manor house on the site was demolished and the present building constructed between 1758 and 1766 for William Drake, the Member of Parliament for Amersham. The interiors were designed by Robert Adam. 

The mansion remained the ancestral home of the Tyrwhitt-Drake family until the Second World War, when the house was requisitioned as a maternity hospital for pregnant women evacuated from London. Around three thousand children were born there including lyricist Sir Tim Rice in 1944. Following the war the house seemed destined to become one of the thousands of country houses being demolished, until a local conservation society, the Amersham Society, assisted by the Council for the Protection of Rural England, fought a prolonged battle to save the house. Eventually a preservation order was put on the building preventing its demolition. The building fell into a state of neglect through the 1960s but was eventually purchased in the early 1970s by local property developer Richard Watson. He, completed a comprehensive renovation of the building and converted unused parts into apartments. Shardeloes today is a complex of private flats; the principal reception rooms are preserved as common rooms for the residents. It also has extensive gardens, woodlands and a lake.

And it was to the lake that I headed, to be confronted by Andrew, his photography equipment, and a throne made from books.

Andrew is a lovely chap and a much sought-after snapper. The shoot went very well with lots of laughs - especially when he saw that I'd brought my felted owl hat. The idea was to capture 'Me' in one shot. The books represent my life as an author, of course, and - if you look closely - you may spot a pentagram among the foliage and one on my lapel to represent my interest in folk culture. The handmade hat, the art book I'm reading and one of my paintings represent my love of art. And my Cornwall lapel pin and one of my late father's walking sticks are hints to my heritage. I was also, quite appropriately, wearing a lapel pin of the Eccentric Club, of which I am a proud member and whose emblem is an owl and clock (I had a fob watch in my waistcoat pocket).

Like layers of an onion, eh?

A most enjoyable experience (how I didn't knock the books over into the lake is genuine miracle).

Do check out Andrew's website here.

Oh, and the book I'm so intently reading is Jeremy Deller's Art is Magic.

Never was a truer word blogged.

A week in May

A video that encompasses my visit to the Making More Mischief exhibition, my meeting with Roger Dean and more. 

It's been a fun week!

 

ALWAYS meet your heroes

Way back in 1976 I took on a second after-school job working at a petrol station so that I could earn enough money to buy a moped. After eight months I had enough and purchased a Mobylette Maxi. I wish I'd hung onto it as they command a good price from collectors now.

The reason I wanted this epic machine was to travel beyond the confines of my hometown of Helston in Cornwall. In particular I wanted to be able to ride the 12 or so miles to Falmouth where there was a bookshop that stocked good art books. And it was there that I bought my third edition copy of Roger Dean's groundbreaking book Views.

Views was very different to other art books. For a start, it was 12" x 12" - the same size as a viny LP cover. But that was quite deliberate because Dean was famed mostly for his album cover art for bands like Greenslade, Budgie, Asia, Osibisa and, in particular, YES. His artwork inspired so many artists - myself included - and was so popular that a company called Big O started to reproduce his album covers as posters. I had several on my bedroom wall and so did most of my friends.

Over time Dean's art matured and just got better and better. Two more collections of his work were published - Magnetic Storm and Dragon's Dream - and his imprints, Dragon's World and Paper Tiger, published some of the best art books I own with work by Rodney Matthews, Ian Miller, Bruce Pennington, Chris Foss and more.

Then, in 2001, I heard that Roger had an exhibition going on at the Cork Street Gallery in London. So I went along and took my now fairly battered and oft-read copy of Views with me on the off-chance that Roger would be there. 

Sadly, I'd missed him by a day.

All of which brings us bang up to date and 2024 when I heard that he was having another exhibition in London at the Ubicua Gallery in Fitzrovia. Even better, there were tickets available for a private view and the opportunity to meet the great man.

I wasn't going to miss him this time.

So I grabbed a ticket and I wasn't disappointed. I got to spend an hour in his company where we discussed art and music and he enjoyed hearing my moped story. He then happily signed my 48 year old copy of Views. He's a genuinely warm and lovely man.

And how nice that Roger mentiond me and my book on his Instagram account!

I also treated myself (early birthday pressie) to a nice signed print too.

They say 'don't meet your heroes.'

Rubbish.

Meeting Roger Dean was a complete joy.