from small acorns

A Sunday morning bicycle ride today, whilst most people were still asleep.

Tyres re-pumped to 100psi with the main noises being squarks of nearby birds and distant sounds from traffic.

I did see one person carrying a tell-tale shotgun bag, but what with it being Sunday and all, I'm assuming it was simply being moved, and not deployed. There's a couple of areas that if I pass in the week I'll hear the crack of shotguns, but I think Sunday is supposed to be silent in England.

And further along I spotted an open gate, leading to an interesting landmark that is usually padlocked away. Worth a short detour to explore, and then on the way back to stop to pick up a few acorns.

I doubt if they would grow, but it might be worth throwing a few outside to see what happens.

And soon, nearby bells begin to peal as the rest of the area begins to go about its business.

in which i get a draft trailer for the triangle novel

It's not ready for general publication yet, but I'm amused to say I've received an early copy of a trailer related to the Triangle (clickable confidential preview above).

I must admit I sort of laughed out loud when I played it, but in a good way.

This all links in with the "Hollywood adventures" related to the Triangle and the components of what will be in some sort of distribution pack.

I gather its got some fancy name (not EPK - Electronic Press Kit) - Something more film industry specific. Anyway, for the moment the fledgling trailer/sting is looking okay, even if they have got the story slightly wrong.

I suppose in time I'll have to decide whether to settle for a mini series or to hold out for a Hollywood blockbuster.

Decisions, decisions...

Meanwhile, here's the old video I made where a couple of the characters meet at an airport and Patricia is on the search for a Cinnabon franchise.

no breach of the peace around this national security

I'm having a few interesting days in London locations that are quite often featured on television. The most obvious area is around Westminster (throw in a taxi and a red bus), but there's a few slightly less well-known places that can also feature on the 'been there' list.

There's also a few anomalies, like the relative scarcity of cash point machines around this part of town. Considering I'm so central, I'd expect there to be 'hole in the wall' cash dispensers for tourists on every street corner.

Unfortunately not, and those that are available had all run out of cash when I tried to use them. It could have helped the day I accidentally brought Euros instead of Pounds.

But then someone told me there was a cashpoint by the Treasury building - although, he added, it was out of order.

Maybe a sign of the times?

Through the brightly lit eyes of the glossy romance of fashion

For some, the black tie wearing season may run throughout the year.

Here at rashbre central it's normally more of a winter pursuit, probably peaking around the turn of the year. It can also mean that the relevant clothes need reviving or replacing from whatever scrape they were in the last time.

So my illustration above from last weekend's early foray into black tie territory may be a little unusual because it also meant arriving bow-tied in daylight, which felt most strange.

Still, the evening passed eventfully and a good time was had by all. Even the moment when a police car pulled up on the gravel drive to ask one of us some detailed questions didn't squash the mood. And don't panic, I had a chauffeur from the fancy palace.

Since then, I've been back modelling tee shirts, including my recent cycling addition*. * Thanks for location instructions, mb

being very central

Well, the establishing shot featuring a red bus and a black cab by the Palace of Westminster gives away that I've decided to take the work in the centre of London at the moment.

It's pretty close to where plenty happens and the chimes from the big clock can be easily heard from where I'm working. It's also quite amusing dodging through the dozens of tourists standing in the middle of the road taking pictures of the Clock Tower and the many related sights.

The nature of my work does take me to plenty of interesting places, although its been while since I've had anything quite so central.

Lanterns on the Lake - Gracious Tide, Take Me Home

It's a while since rashbre central featured new bands, although we've struck good here in the past with newbies who subsequently make good like Laura Marling, whose third album is just released, although with a somewhat unexpected American accent replacing Berkshire on some of her new songs.

We've also had the now global Adele featured here when she was still playing acoustic guitar and before any albums.

Right now covert agents of rashbre central are ensuring that Newcastle (rashbre north-east) gets attention as part of the new scene.

So who to include? Today's obvious choice is the not new but newly released Lanterns on the Lake, who made their debut album on an eight track recorder in various Northumberland homes including the basement of a shop on the Heaton Road.

Well, it's a lovely sonic landscape, folky but with a spectral and ringing guitar backdrop. You can hear north-eastern weather in the soundtrack and there's some of those creaks that might be instruments flexing or the hull of a slow moving ship riding the waves.

The album is called Gracious Tide, Take Me Home and its one to play and immediately enjoy. The live recording I intended to use had rather a bad bass overload on it, so here's one from Glastonbury.

return of the sparrowhawk

This week kicked in with a new form of busy as I get back into work.

There's been a sort of ground rush effect as the phone calls and different opportunities beckon. The trick is not to be phased as the phone gets busy and the plates again need to be spun in unison. I'm not sure I could hunt with the calculated precision of this week's garden visitor, but I've certainly got some options to work with.

At the moment I'm deciding between an out of town assignment, some work close to Parliament or a trip to Sweden.

We shall see.

as the evening starts to glow

Quite a busy weekend, including attending the last festival of the summer.

I'm sure its not really the last event, but it certainly feels like the start of the transition from standing outside to standing inside.

Among the performers was the excellent Beverley Knight who blasted out a terrific set in the sunshine, ahead of what then became a drizzle and later a downpour.

I also broke away from recent small camera obsession and took an SLR for this one, to get a few pictures. It still a lottery about big cameras at gigs though, I still remember getting turned away at Exeter and having to take a long lens back to the car park.
No such problems here although admittedly I used the 'get close' manoeuvre to good effect.

I've been to quite a few gigs in Hyde Park and it is a very pleasant venue if the weather holds. This one started with a Bart Simpson sky although later the moodier clouds arrived. I'd travelled light relying on a cycle waterproof and baseball cap to improvise weather protection.



Others were more prepared with proper chairs and picnics but then later the umbrellas were out in force. I've no problem with either further away from the stage, but think the first rows should be kept for fans who don't want to block the view for others.

My picture below illustrates a perfect configuration; quite distant from the stage, somewhat improvised plastic bag-like waterproofing; fizz at the centre and a generally happy demeanour.
Yes, I did take a street camera as well.

World Trade Center

Look carefully into this picture and you'll see my feet, or at least my shoes. The pictures are from my old snapshots.

It was my first ever trip to New York and I'm standing at the top of the World Trade Center looking down to the Plaza below. I was with a small gang of friends and we were on our way back from a meeting in North Carolina and had routed via New York to spend a whirlwind day 'doing the sights' before hopping a plane back to London.

Our visit to New York was uneventful. It was in the days before zero tolerance and we'd moved around as slightly cautious wide-eyed tourists. I'd been back to the World Trade since then, for a proper business meeting many stories high.

Then forward to ten years ago. Like pretty much everyone, I've the solemn memories of that New York morning, viewed as an afternoon from the UK. In my case I was driving an old white car to a garage to pick up a brand new blue one from the show room. As I arrived there were people huddled by a television in the corner of the dealership.

"Someone has flown a plane into the World Trade Center," came an explanation to me. I thought they meant a light aircraft - like a Cessna - or even one of the many helicopters that flitter around New York. I walked to the television and people there were explaining "It's crashed into the Pentagon."

It was the early stages of the news coverage and didn't make total sense. I picked up the shiny new car and tuned to a news channel on the way back home. It was at least another ten minutes into the journey that the proper news reports started to come in about the atrocities that were unfolding. I drove home and flicked on the main television coverage from CNN.

Then, like many, I watched shocked as the terrible events unfolded on camera.

The world permanently changed that day and even now it is difficult to join some of the dots on things that happened afterwards. Living right in the middle of a major event, in a connected world, it is still difficult to piece together the cause and effect linkages between the brutal and callous act of terror and some of the decisions that followed.

A few days after September 11, I received a mail item from the USA. It was some sort of minor financial transaction. The address on the transaction was World Trade Center, and the date 9/11.

new lists and hold the ice cream

It might still be the ice creams and holiday season for a few people, but most of us have gone back to work now from the Summer holidays.

My proper switch-on was Monday and by Tuesday I was on client calls and by Thursday I needed to start making lists again.

Of course, in my case it a different operating model for me now. I haven't even fully got all my revised technology working. Still, I can't help noticing how quickly the familiar signs of early morning calls and mid to late evening calls are occurring. I'm thinking I may also need a revised form of self discipline to make my new approach work.

But, as I was explaining to a few people on over a pleasant evening, it's possibly the way of the future with more people developing 'portfolio careers'. I'll have to see how this all plays out but at the moment I'm thinking it could be rather good fun.

Although I'll be going easy on the Cold Stone Creamery*.

* my new favourite ice cream, discovered in Albuquerque and mercifully unavailable in the UK.

amphetamorning

Yesterday saw the start of my new work regime. I've been adapting from 25x8 and taken time out in the summer before resuming under a "new operating model."

Keen as anything I had my sharpened pencils ready and the metaphorical gleaming protractor and compasses prepared to measure angles and draw circles.

I'd also kept 'silent running' until Monday on the basis that things might get busy quickly.

I was not wrong.

I started Monday at 06:00 and was quickly sending out a few starter emails to announce my presence. The early replies were coming at me before 07:00 and progressively increased as the day proceeded. I'm already having to prioritise and start to turn a few items away.

And that was how it continued with calls running to about 19:30 in the evening. I'll admit to a short bicycle ride during the afternoon; I took my phone and had to stop in the first ten minutes to take a call.

This morning was a later start, but then I noticed I'd somehow missed an 06:00 conference call with Sweden.

I may need to think further about fine-tuning this "new operating model".

izzy wizzy, let's get busy

I see that Sooty and Sweep have returned to UK television.

It is being presented in a modern setting, but with the original glove puppets instead of a CGI or equivalent rendering. Afficionados will know that where ever Sooty goes, there's a custard pie or water pistol not far behind.

It gives a small excuse to feature the Sooty Club website here, with its range of free games.

My favourite is the Sooty Soaker, which captures the essence of the simple fun that Sooty and friends provide.

For a glove puppet, Sooty can be quite edgy and I see managed to slapstick a pizza so hard that one of the guests had to call into hospital afterwards.

And there's already an episode discussion of the first of the new series on Facebook.