Night Song

Cameron Mcneish's diary entry about artists and mountains is worthy of a read (as usual). By coincidence, I heard a Radio 4 programme from The Wordsworth Trust library at Dove Cottage. Poems were being read by local lad, Ian McKellen, in the local accent. I caught the BBC series a couple of years back (IIRC) on The Romantics. It blew me away. Revolutionaries.

I used the series with my students. Grab a verse from a poem, and animate it in PowerPoint (or whatever prog we're using). Reactions often change as they read words written 200 years ago that express emotions that they too recognise. "So this kid doesn't want to be in school either?", realised one lad after asking what a "bower" was.

The mountain art on Skye looked atmospheric and reminded me of seeing recordings of Aida being played near the Great Pyramids. I'm not sure that lowering opera singers off the cliffs of St Kilda will be remembered in 200 years time, but each to their own. But is it not cheating if the folk can't get down themselves? No doubt there'll be a series of programmes on BBC4 (or YouTube) about it in future.

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Finally got round to joining the Mountain Bothies Association. Costing all of £15 for the year, it is well worth it for the shelter they provide, and the warm sense of delight that such an association still exists in these days of cynicism and self-centred anarchy.

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I hope this isn't an indication that the sultry-sounding Rose is letting herself go...

"For legs, underarm bikini line etc." [source]

There I was, seeing what else I might 'need' to get from BPL.co.uk, and noticed that 'eat shoots and leaves' moment.

Rab Survival Zone bivvy bag (described as a "sleeping bag cover") and travel-razor ordered.

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Not only was it being sported at the OM Meet last weekend, but Mont-Bell got (another?) mention in TGO this month. I'll need to have a nosie round their site. As I can barely write "Totoro" in kanji, I'll have to use the English version.

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Channel 4 are starting a series today about survival, called "Born Survivor: Bear Grylls". I'll give it a watch and see if it is worth giving up an hour of my life to be educated in surviving in the jungles of Costa Rica. The gent has been in the UK Special Forces, climbed Everest after breaking his back in a parachuting accident, and explored the Arctic. Golly. That's some list of credentials.

BBC1 are starting a new series of "Castaway". In New Zealand this time. I have some painting to watch instead.

Now...why not combine the two, and have a real "castaway" with survival experts. And guns...sorry, Battle Royale slipped in there.

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Bored with reggae, I've switched to "Native American Legends". I note with interest that there is a 3-cd version too.

On my iPod, I have Michael "Kickingbear" Johnson's podcast, "Indigenous Peoples Music". He has a mix of audio and video, and a selection of modern and traditional Native American music and related interviews. Link to Kickingbear's blog. I'd love to see the video he produced of Schemitzun. I'll have to make do with YouTube for now.