A prickly subject

What's the difference between a thorn, a pricle and a spike? All is revealed here.

Along with the fact that I got Guns'n'Roses confused with Poison.

The Bellowhead

A new video and a new 'musical' instrument!

This is the story of creating the BELLOWHEAD.

I've made a few weird instruments in the past year such as the Horn of Geddon, the Didgeridon't, the Eye-Lo-Phone and the Hornyx. 

This one takes 'weird' one step further.

The basis for this instrument was a pair of corrugated air hoses that attach a face mask to a C-PAP - one of those machines that people use when they suffer with sleep apnea. I discovered that if you attach some form of diaphragm at one end you get a deep sonorous rumble.

(Note: A diaphragm or membrane can convert mechanical vibration into sound - think drumskins or analogue speakers. If you introduce a diaphragm somewhere between the entrance and exit points on a pipe the airflow sets up a vibration that emerges as sound. A kazoo works on this principle. If you want a greater understanding of how these things work, do check out Nicolas Bras's YouTube channel - this video is a good starting point.) 

The length of the pipes - around five feet each dictated that I create a tall instrument. The rest of the story can be seen on this video:

It was a really fun project with almost zero cost - even the C-PAP pipes were donated by a friend who had a family member who no longer needed them.

So what do I do next??

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