Sleeping Lions

The Lion and Rhino Park, South Africa

 

There are not many moments in my life when i accept the reality of how feeble and breakable we are as human beings. Often lost and absorbed in my own world where facing the wrath of nature is hardly commonplace let alone facing near death at the jaws of natures proudest hunter. In fact the worst i have to deal with is a bad phone signal and the 45 bus on Pershore rd... comes right for you in the early mornings.

Luckily, when i took this photo i was safe and sound on the other side of a wire fence and not facing any jaws of death whatsoever but when the Lion stirred and a deep guttural groan escaped from his lungs i felt like i might have been in the middle of a field, in the middle of Africa with nowhere to run.

In the image, which hangs in my lounge, I find the evident power and beauty of the Lion mesmerizing and calming but there is always the reality check as i look away and take in the view of Birmingham that no danger is posed from the wildlife in Edgbaston and it is these two contrasting feelings that make me so fond of this image.

Jewellery Making

Resizing a Ring

While working for Wedding Rings Direct one of my projects was to document a few of the processes used in the production process.

In the Brighton workshop i was introduced to the head jewelery maker Dean. Among other examples he showed me the process of resizing a ring. This is done by heating the metal until is malleable enough to force around a cylinder and shape the correct ring size.

While all this may be fascinating to some i was more intrigued with the Bunsen Burner and took shot after shot of the flames engulfing the ring. This one was the best of the lot, with the glowing reflection in Deans glasses and is slightly mad scientist hair do i felt i had found where the One Ring to Rule Them All was actually made....

Chamonix - Franschhoek - South Africa

Chamonix Vineyards

On our visit to Cape Town we were lucky enough to stay in Chamonix - Franschhoek for two nights to attend a wedding of a good friend. As soon as we arrived it was obvious that it was going to be a great stay, with out of the way chalets and local wine tasting on your doorstep.

The landscape here is truly breathtaking and it seemed almost impossible to take a bad photo, i could almost carry the camera round my neck and occasionally hit the shutter release and there wouldn't have been a bad shot among them.

The most fascinating view was seeing the low clouds sweeping over the high peaks that surround Chamonix while sipping on the local Merlot.....

Smashed Music Review and Logo Design

Have a look at the New Music Review Website "Smashed Music" for cool music reviews. Read my latest review too...

The pure nature of a late night sessions album suggests the perfect setting to take in their latest compilation, so, after spending over 8 hours in downtown Digbeth (Birmingham) with a mix of intense dub step and drum & bass pounding away at my eardrums I finally staggered home in the early hours and settled down with a cold pizza to see what all the fuss was about.

After a couple of restarts (once the ringing in my ears stopped), I was able to pay considerable attention to the music. I found the hypnotic lyrics of Melody Day by Caribou drew me into the perfect mood to hear out the rest of the album which continued along the expected lines of uber chill while even prompting a couple of tear jerkers like To Build a Home by The Cinematic Orchestra.

To hope to listen to both CD’s in one sitting was wishful thinking and as the morning sun broke through the blinds it reminded me of Elbow’s – On a day like this, unfortunately this did not appear on the track listings, even though t would have fitted right in with the mood, but it did get me to stick on CD2 while I brought myself back to life.

While the Osborne Remix of Take it In by Hot Chip did nothing to ease my aching head I found myself thinking how easily this album played the morning after as well the night before and it was only after the final track Further Away (Maddslinky Feat. Tawlish) played out its final chords that I realised I was well enough to start the late night session all over again…. and perhaps this time I could pay a little bit more attention.

Review written for and taken from http://smashedmusic.com/

Visit Smashed Music for music reviews and latest music updates, kerrang style.

Cape Town Waterfront

The Clock Tower

The V&A Waterfront in Cape Town offers so many splendid photo opportunities its difficult to choose which to show. Despite all the vibrant colors around, blues, reds and greens, i still opted for this black and white of the clock tower.

There is a cafe just near to where this shot was taken that serves the best breakfast pancakes and it was while we were eating that i noticed a couple of dirty beggar seagulls hovering around the top of the clock tower.

Despite the lack of color when i look at this image i can almost still see the bright blue sky and beautiful patterns of the tower and gull reminds of the fresh breeze that seems to take the edge of the heat.

If you haven't been here yet you need to go to experience the feeling you get when you wake up to the sunshine and find it hard to take a bad photo.