One Day In Your Life

You never know when it'll come to an end.
I heard my mobile burble when i had already gone to bed last night. It was charging at the bottom of the stairs and it woke me. It was before midnight. I had gone to bed about 10pm as i planned to take an early trip out to the Abergwesyn Pass and Llyn Brianne just south west of there.
I had set my alarm on that ffon for just before 05:00. My old ffon i had set for a few minutes earlier again. It was this that woke me to wakey-wakey. I set the bath in motion and tripped down to my newer ffon to cancel the alarm.
The text had not been a dream. There was an unopened envelope showing on the screen. One of the guy's at work.
Mr Jackson was telling me that Mr Jackson had died. I was expecting to carry on reading and for the text to be a whimsical but bad joke. It was no joke.
Michael Jackson - Wacko Jacko - pop legend. Superstar to many was dead.

I always liked his music tho' was never moved to even buy the best seller THRILLER.
The one song he did that has always moved me is Earth Song.
It is powerful. It is not to be taken lightly.
This is it:-

What about sunrise What about rain
What about all the things That you said we were to gain...
What about killing fields Is there a time
What about all the things That you said was yours and mine...
Did you ever stop to notice All the blood we've shed before
Did you ever stop to notice The crying Earth the weeping shores?
Aaaaaaaaah Aaaaaaaaah
Aaaaaaaaah Aaaaaaaaah
What have we done to the world Look what we've done
What about all the peace That you pledge your only son...
What about flowering fields Is there a time
What about all the dreams That you said was yours and mine...
Did you ever stop to notice All the children dead from war
Did you ever stop to notice The crying Earth the weeping shores
Aaaaaaaaah Aaaaaaaaah
Aaaaaaaaah Aaaaaaaaah
I used to dream I used to glance beyond the stars
Now I don't know where we are Although I know we've drifted far
Aaaaaaaaah Aaaaaaaaah
Aaaaaaaaah Aaaaaaaaah
Aaaaaaaaah Aaaaaaaaah
Aaaaaaaaah Aaaaaaaaah

Hey, what about yesterday (What about us) What about the seas (What about us)
The heavens are falling down (What about us) I can't even breathe (What about us)
What about the bleeding Earth (What about us) Can't we feel its wounds (What about us) What about nature's worth (ooo, ooo) It's our planet's womb (What about us)
What about animals (What about it) We've turned kingdoms to dust (What about us) What about elephants (What about us) Have we lost their trust (What about us)
What about crying whales (What about us) We're ravaging the seas (What about us)
What about forest trails (ooo, ooo) Burnt despite our pleas (What about us)
What about the holy land (What about it) Torn apart by creed (What about us)
What about the common man (What about us) Can't we set him free (What about us) What about children dying (What about us) Can't you hear them cry (What about us) Where did we go wrong (ooo, ooo) Someone tell me why (What about us)
What about babies (What about it) What about the days (What about us)
What about all their joy (What about us) What about the man (What about us)
What about the crying man (What about us) What about Abraham (What was us)
What about death again (ooo, ooo) Do we give a damn
Aaaaaaaaah Aaaaaaaaah

Michael Jackson '58 - 09
died from suspected M.I.
on 25.6.09
-Here's sunrise to you!-

Summer Solstice

It's summer everyone!
well... june is the first of the summer months so i believe it starts on the 1st.
Atleast it's a dry day. A dry start anyway.
I hauled my sleepy body from my pit just before 06.00. This is normal for when i am working days but this was a choice this mornig.
Being Sunday being the longest day being early - it's time for another run out with the STORM!
-as seen a few days earlier -
I was in the car by 06.30 and away:::::::::::::::::: zoom zoom::::::::::

Talking as a loca.
I headed out on the Presteigne road. Hung a right at the Whitton turn. Over Whitton crossroads.
Cursing alot since the road had not long been topped.
AT the top of the Bush hung another right towards New Radnor.
In NR hung a further right on to the A44 to head west.
At Forest Inn hung a.... LEFT towards Hundred House. Sadly, this is where a sparrow decided to head-butt my nearside front wheel. Poor wee thing but i am as certain as one can be that it did not suffer. :0(
- and breathe -
Popped out at Llanelwedd where the Llan'dod road comes down. Much to my surprise a police noddy-mobile was coming out from Builth and heading north. Hmmm!
So - on over the bridge in to Builth and the old county of Brecknock!
thro' the town and out on the Cilmery/Garth/Beulah road. This is a lovely road. Plenty of ups and downs and sweeping bends. Mind you doesn't stop what little traffic is out at that time of day from cutting bends. tsk! good job i was 100 yards further back.
Beulah came... as did the turn for Newbridge.
Another cracking road full of more twists and turns.
When reaching the A470 at NoW the road seems like you don't have to think so much.
Left turn, me!
But not for long. Right turn, me for Lland'dod. It's a short but, again, twisty turny journey (ha) up past Llanyre.
I finally caught up with another vehicle but not for long.
Up to Crossgates - right for the short sprint to Penybont - left across the common and on to home sweet home. A trundle thro' town but very few people about.
Happy 5ing!

Not exciting to the world out there bt a good run for me.

TWOTW in Manchester

"No one would've believed the last years of the nineteenth century human affairs were being watched from the timeless worlds of space.
No one could've dreamed we were being scutinised as someone with a microscope studies creatures that swarm and multiply in a drop of water.
Few men even considered the possibility of life on other planets - and yet across
the gulf of space minds immeasurably supior to ours regarded this earth with
envious eyes. And slowly and slowly they drew their plans against us."
-Jeff Wayne's interpretaion of the words by H.G.Wells-

As mentioned in an earlier post (or two) I and seven other people headed for the
M.E.N. close to Manchester's Victoria Railway Station.

Two of us had already had the pleasure of a trip to Cardiff in December 2007 - the C.I.A. where we had been dazzled by the performance and drawn in hook, line and sinker to a tale that we knew so well and had done since 1978.




The Martians putting their final plans together before the invasion of Earth



CGI Richard Burton - as the narrator



"Bows and arrows against the lightning.
They haven't seen the heatray yet" - artilleryman





The collected bands led by Jeff Wayne bring us the music



Alexis James as The Artilleryman with plans for a Brave New World




Fighting Machine in it's immensity.

No word of a lie this was better than Cardiff. The whole balance was brilliant. The volume was loud but not too loud.
Thank you Jeff and the gang!

Nice car...

...shame about the driver

I just wanted the driver to overtake me. I wanted to hear the sweet notes of the beating heart of the Aston Martin that was sat behind me exiting Llandrindod Wells on the A483 on the north bound carriage. Go one you can do it.... oh ok! The driver had sat off me. Ok - seemed sensible. That's always nice to see. Sense in a fast beautiful automobile.
Ok, so I, in a Renault Master dci, took the s bend halfway between Llandrindod and Crossgates a better than the floundering Mondeo in front. On the straigh the Mondeo ran away. I was not in a hurry. There was traffic coming towards us. I grumbled to myself "Bloody typical!" The AM would not be able to... ok there's a bit of a space now so... but again, the car is too far off. I returned my attention forward as a small van hove into view. As i noticed it the wing mirror on my driver's side alerted me to a movement. Now, the AM driver wanted to overtake. Now, when a van was coming towards now s/he was going.... phew! dramatically, the AM person behind it's steering wheel hauled the AM back in.
Why on earth they had waited until then to even consider the move god only knows.
We went seperate ways at Crossgates, thankfully, tho' i still missed the beautiful engine.
Shows... taste and money does not maketh sense!

I'll stick with the motor which this adorns.

Invasion is imminent

"The chances of anything coming from Mars are a million to one", he said.
- h g wells -

Countdown to 13th June 2009 -
The MEN arena will be hosting Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds.
First aired in 1978.
Loved by me and so many others since that year.
It ignited a passion that has not waned (no pun intended)

Bacteria - Earth's own weapon of mass destruction - coming to an alien-invading arena near you!

Mazda in the Mountains and more

We really have enjoyed some damn fine weather in the last few weeks.
I'd go as far as saying that we've had great weather this year.
Winter is meant to be cold. Spring is meant to be green and lush. Summer is meant to be warm and growing warmer.
Other than a few minor not-so's this has been so.
I have taken odds and sods of leave in the last few weeks that has given me time to drop some fuel in Storm and go out enjoying the landscapes of mid Wales

Taken close to Gigrin on the edge of the A470 Rhayader




Storm overlooks the Elan river close to the entry to the top dam of the
Elan valley Reservoir system




A Bunch of 5s approach in ribbon formation
Elan Valley

*****************************
Above was on sunday 31st May 2009
Below was wednesday 3rd June 2009
****************

Dylife Gorge nr Llanbrynmair
-creating following the last ice age

Borth - shrouded in a sea mist

Ystwyth Valley - close to the head

Storm enjoys the views - as do i
The Elan Valley