tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64113758062186117362024-03-13T18:20:51.933+00:00Brain Tracings (Saw This and Thought of....)~Following trails of mental breadcrumbs~Brain Tracerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05441537319439268497noreply@blogger.comBlogger80125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6411375806218611736.post-89108356443195477592016-01-02T20:37:00.001+00:002016-01-02T21:01:52.692+00:00Wandering With the Ghosts of Christmas Past at the Geffrye Museum
This weekend is the last chance to observe Christmas
celebrations over the past 400 years at London’s wonderful Geffrye Museum.
It’s a splendid privilege to wander from one decade to
another simply by waltzing down a corridor along a row of rooms. Even better is seeing those rooms decorated
for Christmas in the vastly different styles of the ages—some with barely a sprig
of holly Brain Tracerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05441537319439268497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6411375806218611736.post-20015917306290878132015-06-14T01:44:00.001+01:002015-06-14T02:11:16.580+01:00The Joy of London's Open Garden Squares Weekend <!--[if gte mso 9]>
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Brain Tracerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05441537319439268497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6411375806218611736.post-70723921226149542092014-11-11T15:29:00.001+00:002014-11-11T21:25:36.027+00:00Fields of Battle in the ParkOn the warmest English Halloween on record, and the last
expected lovely day, I made certain I wandered out at lunchtime and into a
park, St James’s Park. As I admired the manicured
gardens along the path, I was curious to see a big square of midnight blue
amidst the greenery. As I neared, I saw
it was a painting. And behind it was
another, out in mid-air.
Surprisingly, there Brain Tracerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05441537319439268497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6411375806218611736.post-88430036230158782012014-09-15T00:00:00.002+01:002014-09-15T00:26:21.315+01:00Sensational Butterflies at the Natural History Museum
Some of you, like me, may have heard of the National History
Museum’s annual
Sensational Butterflies exhibition and thought little of it,
dismissing it as something for the kids.
But then I started to think, I love seeing nature, and I rarely see butterflies—just
the occasional moths (which I’ve come to appreciate)—and here was a chance to be
surrounded by hundreds of them flying aroundBrain Tracerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05441537319439268497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6411375806218611736.post-18940831934384819072014-07-30T18:14:00.004+01:002014-07-30T18:24:36.443+01:00And Now for Something Completely Different....I’m appalled to see how long it has been since I’ve updated
this blog. I regularly go to talks,
exhibitions, events and quirky places and often stat, bashing something out to
post here about it, but I’ve been so busy that I’ve not had a chance to finish
it before attending the next thing, or having to focus on work
commitments. I may well put some ‘old’
things up here when I get a Brain Tracerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05441537319439268497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6411375806218611736.post-68277801332771534842014-03-03T03:00:00.000+00:002014-03-03T20:32:02.284+00:00How My Heart Broke Watching Channel 4's First Dates - Thoughts on Stammering
I recently accidentally saw part of a show that is not the
sort I would ever seek to watch, but which I felt surprisingly moved by,
principally because of the experience of one person in it. The show has left me thinking about social
issues for a few days, but it was not
some philosophical existentialist programme extorting mind-blowing theories. It
was First Dates on Channel 4.
I Brain Tracerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05441537319439268497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6411375806218611736.post-87292299985073770772013-12-06T13:31:00.000+00:002013-12-06T13:53:48.251+00:00The Dorich House Museum - A Hidden Treasure You Should DiscoverThis Friday (6th December 2013) presents a rare
opportunity to visit a unique museum in a marvellously unusual house with views
over Richmond Park. I finally managed to
get there during one of its summer open days after planning to do so for the
past year. A friend told me it was a
fascinating wonder, and it topped my expectations.
You may perhaps have driven past it, or wondered Brain Tracerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05441537319439268497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6411375806218611736.post-22587043563674160632013-11-12T01:53:00.000+00:002013-11-14T00:57:13.467+00:00Getting to Know the Grandfather I Never KnewWhen we pause for a moment’s silence on Remembrance Day, I
think of all the men in my family who were soldiers at one time but thankfully
survived those wars, although they are now sadly gone, and one is buried in
Arlington National Cemetery. I think of the friends my late father once mentioned
losing as he fought the Vietnam War from the Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, where
I was born. I Brain Tracerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05441537319439268497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6411375806218611736.post-34183396442904019302013-05-24T04:26:00.002+01:002015-07-18T20:20:21.658+01:00Why You Mustn't Miss David Bowie - Five Years on BBC2 on 25 MayOn the day that YouTube reinstated the blocked video for
David Bowie’s latest single, I was at the Victoria & Albert Museum watching
a remarkable new feature-length documentary on David Bowie to be screened on
BBC2 this weekend. Sitting amongst such vintage
hacks as NME’s Charles Shaar Murray and Michael Watts
and esteemed directors like Nicolas Roeg and video guru David Mallet, I Brain Tracerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05441537319439268497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6411375806218611736.post-78658980204821729942013-05-03T16:06:00.001+01:002013-05-03T16:12:43.489+01:00Messing with Thatcher's Equipment
(I intended to post this on the day of the funeral, but was hampered by technical difficulties. However, as Radio 4 has Charles Moore's biography of Thatcher as its book of the week, accidentally hearing it each day has reminded me of this abandoned post, so I thought I would post it anyway.)
I try to keep my life relatively anonymous here. I don't want an online presence in case, say, I Brain Tracerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05441537319439268497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6411375806218611736.post-13590433523832111712013-03-19T00:35:00.002+00:002013-03-19T00:35:53.790+00:00Neil Finn and Paul Kelly - Watching Sydney from London
I have spent many years going to concerts and weirdly taking
copious notes. It started when I noted
down the set list for fans around the globe who obsessively wanted to know what
they missed, and then I couldn’t help myself in adding thoughts and observations. That led to my rambling play-by-play accounts
that I later put on my website About Last Night, long neglected now until I Brain Tracerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05441537319439268497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6411375806218611736.post-66957193491991982092013-02-06T00:09:00.001+00:002013-02-06T00:22:27.781+00:00Elsie Cat (Khanate Miss Moneypenny) - Tribute to a Lost Friend
[The post below was written several
months ago when the pain was raw. I felt that I needed to announce Elsie's loss to those who are close to me, who knew that Elsie was
a dear friend. I always meant to add it here as a tribute to
her, and as it may perhaps be of interest to others who have lost feline family (although I know many will find it silly). Then I got too
busy and it seemed too Brain Tracerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05441537319439268497noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6411375806218611736.post-67936116448337676952012-04-09T18:29:00.010+01:002012-04-09T19:16:50.438+01:00The Fabergé Big Egg HuntA few weeks ago, en route to an interview, I came across a giant egg sitting on a base outside the National Gallery. I obviously couldn’t be late for my interview, but it would have killed me to run past without pausing to inspect it. So I took a quick photo of the first egg I saw in the Fabergé Big Egg Hunt before I was entirely aware of it. Not long afterwards, that egg was sadly Brain Tracerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05441537319439268497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6411375806218611736.post-13511565309035176752012-04-03T23:57:00.015+01:002012-04-04T01:56:14.255+01:00Talking Zoffany Sheaths as A Helicopter Lands in Trafalgar SquareThe worrying news this morning that the Air Ambulance had to attend an accident on the M26 reminded me that, the other day, my plans to walk across busy Trafalgar Square were diverted by a helicopter landing in my path.
After a nearby job interview, I was drawn into St James's Park, where there are vast clusters of daffodils and cherry trees laden with early blossom in thisBrain Tracerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05441537319439268497noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6411375806218611736.post-20177598060147348502012-02-06T04:22:00.009+00:002012-02-06T05:07:46.487+00:00London Wetlands Centre's Winter WonderlandOn London Tonight on Friday, photographer Iain Green was shown demonstrating how best to take photographs on an icy day at the amazing London Wetlands Centre in Barnes. A fortnight ago, I was there photographing some of the same subjects on just such a day, but whereas he’s a talented photographer whose work turned out beautifully, I barely know how to switch on the camera. I have little concept Brain Tracerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05441537319439268497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6411375806218611736.post-86686921653511232092012-02-06T01:50:00.003+00:002012-02-06T01:56:05.320+00:00We've Detected a Problem With Your Cookie SettingsNo doubt the main reason I’ve not written the myriad blogs I’ve planned on the many lectures, exhibitions and events I’ve attended is because I naturally must devote most of my time to finding a job as well as juggling finances to eek out my few remaining pounds for a little bit longer. But I’d find it easier to dash a few quick things off (and possibly spare you these endlessly long ramblings) Brain Tracerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05441537319439268497noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6411375806218611736.post-86286828332052288172012-02-01T19:14:00.005+00:002012-02-02T04:38:43.066+00:00If I Smell of Wee, Mr Paxman, I Can Assure You It Isn't My WeeNot long ago, an embarrassing incident led me to be in a position where I was shaking hands with the great Jeremy Paxman—or rather, he simply sweetly touched my hand in an apologetic gesture as we were speaking—and I worried that I might smell of wee, albeit not of my own wee, and that that might be foremost in his mind. It’s not a position I ever expected to be in. Happily, Mr Paxman made no Brain Tracerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05441537319439268497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6411375806218611736.post-12583363000933896982012-01-30T18:54:00.004+00:002012-01-30T19:07:06.145+00:00Bankers' Bonuses: Why is There No "Right to Offset"?Bankers are always quick to point out that we silly civilians fail to understand that the arm of the RBS that makes investments is different from the arm that owes us massive debts, and that justifies the one arm taking huge bonuses to pat itself on the back rather than applying them to repaying what is owed to the taxpayers by the other arm.I do understand that, but I don’t care. The RBS is theBrain Tracerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05441537319439268497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6411375806218611736.post-87397285184254511972012-01-30T00:28:00.004+00:002012-01-30T01:20:23.983+00:00Waiting for My Real Life To BeginI’ve often thought about the natural arrogance of youth, which the youngsters would never imagine may later come crashing down around them as they become just like the adults who bore them, their teachers, their parents—-ordinary people with mortgages and unexciting jobs that they didn’t win on The Apprentice, living without fame or fortune. And I see now that even I have fallen into that trap ofBrain Tracerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05441537319439268497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6411375806218611736.post-5438155054544766142012-01-15T02:33:00.006+00:002012-01-15T09:50:32.400+00:00Waking Up to Wogan's Charms (and Geldof's & O'Leary's)Hearing Terry Wogan on Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs last week reminded me that he’s actually a rather nice man, but I had always loathed him…until I ended up sitting beside him at dinner. I hasten to add that it wasn’t the two of us on a romantic evening out. There were loads of other people there, including Arsenal/Leeds footballer David O’Leary and a saint--Bob Geldof, whose outfit made Brain Tracerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05441537319439268497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6411375806218611736.post-64271149364905471362012-01-11T00:32:00.004+00:002012-01-11T13:59:18.544+00:00The Ghosts of Christmas Past(I thought this had been posted on New Year’s Eve, but somehow it wasn’t….and it’s another meander through my memories, a leftover Christmas decoration, so enter at your peril….)If I don’t take down the holly wreath on my door before midnight, does that scupper my lottery win?I really need a lottery win now as I’m in dire straits, though I realise I only have a marginally greater chance of Brain Tracerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05441537319439268497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6411375806218611736.post-91852027103124071352011-12-26T22:44:00.010+00:002011-12-27T00:12:22.127+00:00Art and Sparkle in PiccadillyThis will be a meandering little blog about a meandering little walk I had in Piccadilly the other day. It’s been quite a sorrowful Christmastime, but just that little wander managed to lift my spirits. I love London, and I love how, even though I’ve lived here for over 20 years, I still come across undiscovered pockets and new surprises that make me smile, particularly because parts are always Brain Tracerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05441537319439268497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6411375806218611736.post-78767909981251129962011-12-04T01:13:00.002+00:002011-12-04T01:28:47.069+00:00Things to Come (That Have Gone)One of the many things I thought I would do after being made redundant was to keep up this blog better, writing regularly, as well as update my website on music reviews and the like (I have photos and notes of dozens of concerts I’ve never written up that might be worth a re-visit, most recently The Bible reunion, Neil Finn’s PaJaMa Club live UK debut, Johnny Mathis, and many others).Brain Tracerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05441537319439268497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6411375806218611736.post-19111813002354116122011-11-20T00:42:00.013+00:002011-11-20T03:35:53.757+00:00Tea & Coffee Winter Festival – South Bank CentreThe South Bank Centre never ceases to amaze me with all it offers, and much for free. I used to simply rush to concerts there and run for my train just afterwards, never fully appreciating everything the Centre has to offer. Recently, I’ve learned that it’s a welcoming all-round arts centre, not just a concert venue, where people can go at any time of day to seek refuge from the cold and rain, Brain Tracerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05441537319439268497noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6411375806218611736.post-88659238076730606452011-11-20T00:17:00.003+00:002011-11-20T02:19:17.135+00:00World Press Photo Exhibition - South Bank CentreBefore I left the Tea and Coffee Festival at the South Bank Centre, laden with goodies and loads of new teas to try, I popped into the Royal Festival Hall for a moment and accidentally stumbled upon the World Press Photo Exhibition, also free. There were numerous images that many might find disturbing, including several of corpses, a Kenyan woman whose (underwear-covered) crotch was bleeding Brain Tracerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05441537319439268497noreply@blogger.com0