Plastered

It is, of course, traditional to get plastered over Chringle. For once, then, I have substituted Christmas flu for even more traditional fare. I foolishly believed that my ever-aging body, though heavier, was still up for a bit of indoor four-a-side footy.

Then the hammer fell and so did I.

Achilles tendon ruptured; three months with my right leg solidly plastered, bearing no weight and with that foot above my heart.

A fine punishment for trying to pontificate about Led Zep. Ha. Achilles Last Stand...

Totemo fuben desu ne. Zannen desu etc.

Forgive me, then, dear visitor, if the amount of nature photos is a tad reduced...

Weedon's Led Zeppelin top ten

It has become a bit fashionable in the last few weeks to say you like Led Zeppelin. All sorts of so-called celebs turned up to pose at the O2 stadium last week. And I admit to being cheesed orft that I didn't at least atempt to play the "I'm a journalist" card to get in. After all, I could write about the subject a damn sight better than the drivelling ignoramuses that have produced their pack-following, soulless, ill-informed nonsense for websites galore. I don't mind genuine Zep fans getting their thoughts down, but surely you ought to know your Friends from your Tea For One, your We're Gonna Groove from your I'm Gonna Crawl, or your Down By The Seaside from The Ocean before you are half-qualified to judge the band.

I have loved the mighty Zep for a wee while now. I bought all the LZ albums (apart of course from the later compilations and live sets) back in 1981. Oddly, In Through The Outdoor was my first (cover A, if you are that geeky, and NO, I have never wetted my pristine magic paint inner sleeve, because I am that geeky). I soon bought Physical Graffiti (for UK Pounds 5.49 from Grant's in Croydon) and then ate up the rest, usually for 2.99 or so from Our Price (though I changed my scratched The Song Remains The Same and also German pressing Led Zep II at WHSmiths for an unscratched copy, which also had the post-fade bit of Thank You which curiously my first copy didn't have).

So, I'm going to get all bloggy on you (hey, I admit I already have) and list my favourite Led Zep songs. "But where is the Nature? This is surely Weedon's World of Nature I have accidentally arrived at via the Next Blog button or via Wikipedia from the Siberian Khatru entry?) Give me Nature!"

I think I'll spare the nature-in-Zep thesis, but I may just mention the eagle metaphor of Ten Years Gone, the owls crying in the night in Four Sticks, the birds which flew in Achilles Last Stand, and I could go on, but I will steer clear of anything to do with hedgerow bustles... (by the way the transliterations of Zep lyrics on the web are, in my opinion, diabolical!)

Anyhow, these are my ten favourite Led Zeppelin songs in order:

1. No quarter
2. Since I've been loving you
3. The Rover
4. Achilles last stand
5. Ten years gone
6. Kashmir
7. For your life
8. The song remains the same
9. The Ocean
10. Fool in the rain


Thank You

Frost

It was flinking cold here yesterday. Ferry Meadows CP was bathed in mist and outrageous frost. During my cycle into work, I spent precisely one minute snapping some of it, but my fingers were developing gangrene, so I stopped before death set in.
Canon PowerShot A640.

2007 photo review, part 1 Jan-Jun

Some of my favourite photos from Weedon's World of Nature this year, arranged month by month. That's all. Click photos for bigger versions and see each month's archive (list on right) for more of the same...

January





February



March





April




May




June

2007 photo review, part 2 Jul-Dec

Part two of my favourite photos from Weedon's World of Nature this year, arranged month by month. That's all. Click photos for bigger versions and see each month's archive (list on right) for more of the same...

July






August





September




October






November




December

Fieldfares

Fieldfares at Willow Hall Lane, 2.12.07 (DSLR)

Summer seabirds, revisited...

Here are a few digiscoped photographs of Bempton seabirds, which I posted on the Bird Watching Magazine Blog from the summer. They didn't make it to this blog at the time, so, as a compulsive poster, I thought I'd add them now...

Flapping Razorbill

Guillemot laughing in your face

Imbricated Gannets