A different perspective.....

Some of Lee's excellent shots:

spot the horizon- virtual white-out conditions Saturday

Maurice and Jester

amazing image

Sarah's boys in their field

These are some shots I took when Lee and I enjoyed a winter walk

amazing ice formations




the summit of our local 15km walk in the snow




We've finished our ginger tea and jaffa cakes, and now Lee looks ready to leave the top of Moel Famau

Ong-Bak

Ong-Bak is a no-nonsense, old-school martial-arts experience. Plot is thin, acting usually on the melodramatic side, with everything geared around action sequences. And what action sequences they are- amazing chase through the streets of Bangkok, and wire-free fighting that'll make your hair stand on end. I want to see more of this stuff- Tony Jaa is remarkable. There is a hint of Thai about this film- with religion and spiritualism more prominent than you'd find in a Hollywood flick of the same genre. Great fun- recommended.

Why the British talk about the weather so much....

Because unlike many countries, which have climate, we actually have weather! Within 4 days. we've gone from sunbathing, to nearly 30cm of snow.

I wanted to show nature reclaiming the works of men. This is in the morning.

This is in the evening, at the time of writing, the rear window is no longer visible.

The morning after..

Water's all frozen- so Fred and Brio eat snow instead (watch the yellow stuff though boys ;¬)

My Gran's back garden this evening.

Last light gives an eerie other-worldly feel to the view.

Apocalypto

"Another chase scene through the jungle?" must have been muttered by the cast of this film a few times. So here's the positive: loads of action throughout. Unfortunately there are more than a few down sides: pretty grim sadistic violence (made me wince a few times- decapitations, disemboweling etc), rather repetitive (jungle chases), just a little unbelievable. All in all, I really wouldn't recommend this one, though it isn't the worst movie I've seen.

Very Lou Reed.....

Just a perfect day :¬) Dinbren, warm enough to climb with shirts off, in February- what more do I need to say?

More good weather ......

Sunset over the Dee in Chester, Tuesday evening

Dawn Wednesday

Dawn Wednesday

Fun in the sun, down at Llanymynech

Self Portrait

Above and below: Gary Gibson- who has climbed more than 3,000 new routes in the UK. That's not a typo, he's probably the most prolific climber in the sports history. A controversial figure, his love of bolts frequently making waves in the traditional climbing environment of the UK. Things are changing though, and many of his sports climbs, and crags, are some of the most popular to be found.

Grid Iron wall is pretty big, 100ft climbs. Today we climbed the 1st route put up at the crag more than 2 decades ago- Grid Iron itself- recently retro bolted (f6c) by the climber of it's first ascent; John Codling.

Low sun on the Quarry.

Winter

Some shots from today:

Casino Royale

James Bond: Vodka-martini.
Bartender: Shaken or stirred?
James Bond: Do I look like I give a damn?



This sums up the refreshing new look at Bond found in Casino Royale. Most of the old cliches are gone, the Bond girl is intelligent and plays a significant role through the whole movie. If you enjoyed The Bourne Identity/Supremacy then this is for you. I would go as far as to say that this film is such a departure from the Bond model that if you see it, you shouldn't think of it as a Bond movie- just a damn good action thriller.

Sunny Days...

Welcome respite from the rain and wind (it's been proper stormy- 110km/h gusts) saw a visit to Llanymynech Quarry near Oswestry. Perfect conditions, and great company; Ricardo, Lee and Roger. We all had a great day climbing outside for the 1st time in 2007

Lee on Crab Stick 6c+

The Deep 6c+

How's that for a garage door?

REAL Mountain Biking

I borrowed a dvd from Simon the other day- absolutely stunning- here's a taster from Roam. The elevated home-made wooden trails are what's commonly known as Northshore, thanks to it's origins on the Northshore of Vancouver in Canada. What these guys can do on a bike is beyond belief:

Pan's Labyrinth...

Is a Spanish film by Guillermo Del Toro. I knew it was fairytale like, but I hadn't realised just how grown up this one was going to be: not one for the kids....
Very dark, gritty, gothic tale with very adult themes and quite graphic violence- beautifully filmed- quite powerful.

Ever been bothered by cold calls?

Then you've probably felt a little like this (predictably, this clip includes swearing)

Panda sneezes

I laughed :¬)

Things I like....

and things I don't like is the English title of a short film by one of my favourite directors: Jean-Pierre Jeunet. I haven't found a version on the net with subtitles yet, but I think it's possible to enjoy it without:




(French title is "Foutaises" in case it's deleted from youtube)

A new blog is born.....

Alison's a friend from my days as a Glaxoid in Hertfordshire. She's somehow managed to wrangle a year long sabbatical from her job as an engineer (yes that's not a typo- she's female, and an engineer- remarkable). Alison has joined the ranks of my friends inducing envy in me by going travelling around the world. Sigh. ;¬) Check out her blog:

floatingbunnycloud.bebo.com