Changing Cycles

Butterflies Effect

2008-04-22T16:03:00.000-07:00

Well it's opening night tomorrow at Contact for Voices of Dissent, and I've so far failed to post anything about the rehearsal process. I don't feel that's actually much of a failure though as I've realised that documenting something like this as you go along isn't necessarily the best course, and is probably best done in retrospect. Without wanting too sound to artsy and pretentious the creative process can be a fragile thing, and not necessarily something you want to share publicly while you're in the thick of it. And this has definitely been one of the most painful births of a piece of work I've experienced. I wasn't really happy with the writing I had going into rehearsal, which meant doing a substantial amount of re-writing as I was going along - not ideal for separating the jobs of writer and performer that I've learned is essential from previous projects! But sometimes that's just the road you get given to walk and you have to make the best of it, and I feel we have. And I've learned alot about my self and the way I need to work in future through the process, pressured though it has been. I still feel like there's a lot of room for development/improvement in the piece but I think it'll evolve as it goes along, and I've always wanted it to be the sort of piece that can respond to new events as they arise. Public attitude to environmental issues has changed a lot even in the three years I've been working on Changing Cycles, and they'll continue to, increasingly, I think.
It's actually Earth Day today, which is why I felt like I had to post something, even though I'm tired and have got a massive day ahead tomorrow. Earth Day is a US creation that begin in the 70s as a series of grass-roots teach-ins and now seems to have been embraced by politicians and corporations keen to promote their green credentials. I didn't actually know about it until I got home tonight and read about it on Grist. I'd like to think it passed with little mention here in the UK because we don't go in for dubious tokenism and are too busy considering the earth the remaining 364 days of the year, but I suspect that's not the case. Still, to mark the occasion I thought I'd share one of the best motivational quotes I've been reminded of over the last few days, wrongly attributed to Goethe (see here for why): Whatever you can do, or think you can, begin it; Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.

Fossil Fools

2008-04-01T03:54:00.000-07:00

All around the world people will be taking action today to remind the world that the only way to avert runaway climate change is to keep fossil fuels in the ground. Have a look here for details of what's going on in your area.

But hold the front page! News just in, looks like we're all going to be ok, following this post on Chris Arnold's blog. (I've included the text below, as I think you might need to register with Brand Republic to read it online, and that may or may not be something you want to use your time to do...)

Meanwhile, if you want a serious, impassioned speech, beautiful in its simplicity and clarity (unlike that sentence) check out David Suzuki's Commonwealth Lecture which he recently gave in London

Happy reading, and happy fooling...

Shell, BP and Esso combine to launch new environmental ‘A Fuel’ with record £5bn budget

by Chris Arnold 01-Apr-08

The big three oil companies are pooling marketing budget to launch the much talked about 'A Fuel' which will be available from 2009.The alternative fuel to petroleum is based on common sea water and produces almost zero pollutants while delivering 40% more energy.

The 3 year ad campaign will be the largest ever ad spend in history. But what has also surprised many is that the oil group has appointed an unknown Swedish agency EGG to create all the work. Media is currently under pitch.

‘A Fuels’ (alternative fuels) were originally developed during the Second World War by British chemists who needed an alternative due to limited oil supplies. Many were too poor performers to be productive but one that used salt water and a niobium nickel catalyst has undergone millions of pounds of research to perfect. The breakthrough has been the discovery of a new catalytic enhancer called ‘Pril’. When added to ‘A Fuel’ it creates a dramatic exothermic reaction that produces 40% more power than the equivalent quantity of petroleum.

Oil companies have refrained from releasing ‘A Fuels’ but due to world political pressure (it’s believed Bush has been instrumental in persuading the big three to bend) and a secret agreement in Paris last summer, they have finally agreed to launch this much acclaimed technology.

‘A Fuels’ will require a new generation of engine but they produce minimum pollutants. All the major car companies have been developing ‘A Fuel’ engines and Honda plan to launch their first later this year, with Skoda following in January. However, despite its amazing environmental benefits, Earth Watch have voiced concern over Chlorites that are produced due to the chemical reaction between the water and the Sodium Chloride. “We don’t know what the consequence of increased Chlorites are yet,” said David Greenbaugh, environmental director of the charity.

A spokesman for the oil companies said, “We are all aware that there is a finite amount of oil left. Using it to fuel cars to go shopping or to do the school run is insane when it is far better used for producing plastic products like buckets for the Third World and toys. We believe the time is right to launch ‘A Fuels’.”

The first stage of the campaign will launch on April 1st with a 6 week educational campaign on TV supported by posters and press. The TV ads feature a series of talking goldfish who mock humans for always doing the same old thing. The campaign line is “time for A change, time for A Fuels”. The TV commercial has been directed by Peter Jackson and was shot in New Zealand. The fish are voiced over by Tom Hanks and Dan Castellaneta (who also voices Homer Simpson). The commercial features a new version of Pink Floyds ‘Wish you were here’, recorded by ENO and Bono. The track will be made available to all O2 customers for free in a unique deal, but can be purchased from the ‘A Fuel’ website.

The surprising choice of the Swedish ethical specialist marketing agency EGG, has sent shockwaves through all the major groups. ”We picked EGG because of their creativity and skills at co-creation. They also have a nice sauna,” commented Kevin Woodhouse of the ‘A Fuel’s’ marketing team.

Sven Ögren, creative director of EGG just said, “this is fab, my mother was really happy for us and is baking us a cake.” (Please note this was translated from Swedish and we aren’t sure it’s accurate.)

So who would have thought, to save the planet all you have to do is add ‘pril’ to ‘A Fuel’ and you get a great reaction.

Voices of Dissent Flyer 2008

2008-03-30T16:05:00.001-07:00

And the prize for rubbishest blogger in the world goes to...

2008-03-30T14:26:00.000-07:00

Me!
My last post began 'so much has happened since my last post I don't know where to start...' And now, so much has happened since my last post I don't know where to start!
Well basically, to get a very long and pretty dull story short, I got the funding from the Arts Council (thanks Arts Council), and am currently furiously chipping away at the final version of the script, ready to start rehearsing on the 10th April.
Unfortunately, Dawn Walton had to pull out of directing the show as she was offered a job at the Royal Court which was a guaranteed pay cheque, whereas I was still waiting for confirmation for funding. However, the fantastic Leo Kay, who worked with me on my R&D phase has stepped in, so I'm looking forward to working with him. He co-directed I Hear Voices, a spoken word theatre piece we've just finished touring, so I know it'll be hard work physically (Leo's background is in dance and physical theatre) but I think that's what I, and the show, need.
For this stage of the show we're piloting the feasibility of touring the show by bike also, as we are taking the show from Contact, Manchester up to The Brewery, Kendal, and I have miraculously managed to find a technician, Dan Steele, who is also a cyclist and up for coming on the road with me. As well as a technician and cyclist Dan is primarily a great sound designer and worked on I Hear Voices with us, which means he'll also be bringing his audio skills to the project, adding a much needed extra dimension to make up for what we miss in lighting the show by pedal power (although I'm currently looking into having him on some sort of contraption to control the sound in the same way as the lights are controlled by my bike...).
Finally I have Sumit Sarkar in charge of Art & Design. He's designed a beautiful flyer/poster for the shows (see above) and will be directing any other design elements such as set, costume etc (though these are looking pretty minimal right now so I'm roping him into making me a website!)
Though I have my work cut out getting the final script ready, I'm going to try and post on this blog as much as possible from now on because I want people to be able to discuss issues arising from the show when it comes up, so I need to start discussing them amongst myself first I suppose!
While things have been changing and developing rapidly in my world, events have been moving even faster in the wider national and global world of environmentalism (I know that was a terrible sentence but I'm tired, please bear with me!) There's been the UK Govt Climate Change Bill, The Stern Report, The Bali conference, announcement of this year's Climate Camp at Kingsnorth power station to name but a few. Too much to go into now, but I'll try and make comment on them and new matters arising in the weeks to come...
Meanwhile, check out my lovely flyer, and book your tickets!

Next Phase...

2007-09-26T14:48:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's been so long since my last post I don't know where to start...
Well basically, the state of play with the show is that I finished my period of research and development, which was useful, but I still feel like I have a way to go with the writing before I'm ready to do a full touring production.
However, I do at last have a bit of a team around me to help me make it happen. Ric Watts, the guy who helped me write my last Arts Council proposal has come on board as my official producer, and we've just finished writing the bid for the production next year. I've got dates booked provisionally at Contact in Manchester in April and we're looking at a couple of other venues that are interested.
My dream is to be able to tour the show by bike, though I realised I wouldn't be able to do this on my own and would have to find a technician/stage manager who was also up for cycling around parts of the country (I'll resist making a cheap joke about the physical attributes of most theatre techies I've met, but suffice to say I thought it would be a tough call!) and I've found him, in the shape of Dan Steele, who is also an excellent sound designer.
One of the main things lacking from last year's work in progress version was some strong direction, so I've got Dawn Walton, a fantastic director I've been fortunate enough to work with once before, interested in the project.
And then there's my mate Sumit Sarkar, one of the best young artists in the country for my money (don't take my word for it though, see for yourself: www.kriksix.com ) who will be designing publicity and some new set and costume elements.
Woo! Just better hope I get the funding now... Though with the current climate that's far from certain. If you're not involved in the arts you may not be aware that the government, in their boundless wisdom, have raided the lottery for money to cover the Olympics. This means that money available to people like me through the Arts Council has been cut by 35%! Boo. Still, I think it's best that we, as artists, don't rely too heavily on funding from one source, and try to create our own economy so we're not constantly reliant on hand-outs... Easier said than done.
Anyway, it's time for me to go, as even though I know no-one's reading this I don't want to waffle on too long. Now I'm getting on with the show again though I will be making regular contributions to this blog again, updating the progress of it, and dissecting any relevant topics that come up in the news as I do so... Whilst trying to be moderately entertaining.
Good luck.

Slow progress

2007-02-09T05:14:00.000-08:00

I'm finding it hard to juggle the things I have to do to make a living (ie running youth arts projects/workshops etc) with the things that are ultimately most important and inspiring to me (ie writing this show, and keeping all my other creative irons in the fire), but I am making progress, albeit a bit glacial (mind you, with the effect of global warming, the rate of movement that metaphor implies is speeding up a bit...).
I'm still going over my original research, trying to answer questions about my central trickster character that I never properly answered in the first script. Weighty mythological questions about who the gods are and what Tali's relationship is with them (I've decided that making corporations the gods is too simplistic, and gives them too much power...), but also more practical problems about the piece such as if this is supposed to be an interventionist piece of art that stimulates action, what pragmatic solutions to global meltdown can I offer when my protagonist is a mythical being capable of magical feats beyond the average mortal? Hmm... I can feel a headache forming.
My course in London is proving very stimulating anyway, particularly for asking, if not answering, these sorts of questions. This week we will be talking about a recent PLATFORM project 'And While London Burns' - a walking opera around London that you download onto an MP3 player.
Meanwhile, an excellent alert was sent out by Media Lens this week in response to the hypocrisy of papers like the Guardian and the Indepent reporting on the most recent doom-laden report on climate change by the IPCC, interspersed with the usual adverts for gas-guzzling cars, cheap flights and all the usual consumer nonsense. The alert can be found here, I recommend a read, and then maybe a letter to one of the editors...

It's been a long, long time...

2007-01-23T11:36:00.000-08:00

... Since I got you on my mind...

But now I'm back, and I've got some funding!
The good people at the Arts Council have granted me a bit of cash to research and develop the show from what it was at the summer into a full length, shiny, spangly production ready for touring in Autumn.
Sooo, I thought it was about time I caught up with the blog, as it's supposed to be a record of my creative process and general thoughts about stuff...
Since the summer I've been involved in a couple of other projects, so it was only around Autumn time that I started getting my head back into the show, and trying to access some money to develop it, which, as it was my first attempt at writing a funding bid took me almost until Christmas! In the mean time I've been going back to some of my original sources of inspiration for the main character, Tali, and making more notes to develop him, and figure out where his story is going to take him next.
I'm planning to have a second draft ready by April in time to work with an excellent movement director/performer called Leo Kay, who's going to help me develop the physicality of the work.
I'm doing a course down in London once a week now too called The Body Politic. It's all about art, activism and social and ecological justice, and so far it's excellent. It's run through Birkbeck College by a company called PLATFORM, who I found out about just over a year ago and have wanted to work with ever since. I'm hoping to use my second draft of the show as the assessment for the course, another way of testing it's strength and getting more valuable feedback... More about that, and about other general ecological matters to follow soon anyway...
I've made a new year's resolution to write this blog at least once a week so keep checking back, you'll not be disappointed...

Show shots

2006-07-11T08:47:00.000-07:00

Here's a few of the beautiful shots taken for me by my lovely (and talented) friend Elise McCave. Cheers Elise x

What they said...

2006-07-11T07:05:00.000-07:00

Below are some of the comments, good and bad, that people made about the show... I won't add anything to the positive things that people said (neither vanity nor false modesty are particularly becoming qualities) but I may try to answer some of the criticisms...

"Excellent show - thought provoking - great simple theatrical ideas - the show generating itself is great!"

"I would like to see you take the "content" much further. I'm already angry/frustrated with corportate power. Did you meet people taking action? Positive examples??"

(In writing this show I had to try and address a wide spectrum of people. Because of the nature of it I knew there'd be people coming who were already well versed in environmental issues, but it was also my intention to challenge people who hadn't thought much about these things to do so. It's always going to be difficult to satisfy everyone, but of course I met people taking action - they were the people who really inspired the show to go in the direction it did. That said, I'm still quite a wetback when it comes to activism so my characters may have seemed caricatured to those who've been involved for a long time but they'll develop with time. I'm sorry this person found them negative though. You tend to end up loving your characters for their follies as much as their virtues, but I suppose not everyone sees them like that...)

"The humour throughout was not only useful in carrying through from scene to scene but had the very essence of the subject underlined"

"Makes me want to get my bike out and get on the road. Well entertaining!"

"I...feel that the anti-corporation message was repeated too often - it's an easy target & the message loses currency quickly & detracts from the piece as a whole"
(Hmm, not sure about this one. On the one hand I don't think you can repeat the anti-corporate message enough as they do run (and are destroying) the world at the moment, if they're such an easy target then why haven't they been picked off yet? On the other hand I guess if the message is losing currency then you have to find a new angle to come at it, and maybe a more difficult target are the millions of us who consume products we don't really need and keep those corporations alive... Anyway, this is all stuff for my next phase of research, but good to be thinking about now)

"Fantastic! Really enjoyed it. Ben has so much energy & a really innovative way of putting the message out."

"I just can't absolutely agree with the ironic end because I think saving water and energy is the first step to protect the environment and its sources"

(This is in response to the piss-take 'government advice' I gave at the end of the show, such as listing a load of measures to save water and then undercutting it with something like 'water is privatised, so the more you save the more can be sold back to you at a profit, thereby boosting the economy'. I did this partly because I couldn't have included all that information without making it funny, but mostly because yes, we should all do those things to save energy, water, reduce emissions etc but we should also be aware of the wider issues governing where those resources come from, where they go to and who's in control of them...)

"I thought it was a really great performance - dynamic and innovative. It made me consider different points of view"

"I thought the middle-class woman was over-stereotyped and didn't really make me think. I knew what was going to happen"

(Fair enough! I think all the characters could do with shading and detail at the moment, that's why its a work in progress, and why comments like these are useful. And it was the first time I've played a woman!)

If you've got any comments to add to any of those, or a new one to make, on the show or anything else, please feel free. I'm going to be using this blog to discuss the issues I tackled in the show over the coming months as I have a break and think about where to take it next so drop by regularly (and I will be posting a bit more consistently from now on...) and join in the discussion...
X

All Over... (for now)

2006-07-11T04:54:00.000-07:00

So the show has been and gone, and hardly any of the process made its way onto this blog as I'd intended. That was largely due to the fact that it took me so long to get down to the writing that before I did I felt guilty for blogging as any keyboard tapping should have been directed at my script, and once I did start writing, which took me right up to the week of the show, there just wasn't any time left...

But despite my eleventh hour panicking and general insecurities, it all came together in the end, and was pretty well recieved. I still have a lot of work to do on it of course, but for a first showing it was ok. I'm going to have to think about how much more I write though, it's already running at about 45 minutes, and that's with less than half the characters I'd intended to create. The key really is to develop my narrator character, Tali, as all the other characters come from him.

For those who weren't lucky enough to see the show, or be bored by me about it beforehand, Tali is a trickster character who is immortal, but must survive from mortal food. When he wakes up after centuries of sleep and tries to feed himself, he realises the massive unsustainability of global food production and sets off on a mission (by bicycle of course!) to make humans act sustainably, so he can ensure that he will be fed forever.

On his journey (so far) he steps into and influences the lives of Linda - a middle aged, middle class, middle-Englander who gets involved in a tree protest to stop a supermarket being built, (with dramatic consequences for her marriage); Jim - a recently elected councillor from a certain far-right political party trying to convince his local community of his green credentials; and Dan - an unhinged veteran activist who abandons peaceful protest and takes violent action against a childhood hero.

These were characters who I'd imagined before Tali came about so in a way they've had to be fitted into his story, or rather his story had to be fitted around them, when really I want to send him to put a spanner in the works of the dominant institution of our time, the corporation. But I've a lot more research to do before that... (Didn't really visit any corporations on my bike ride)

Technically we managed to control all the lights for the show from a dynamo on the bike. This gave a signal to an analogue dimmer which meant the harder you pedalled, the brighter the lights were. Which tended to vary according to which audience member was pedalling at the time... Well, I couldn't have done the whole show on the bike could I? The power was meant to be provided by a solar generation unit, but unfortunately they sent us a faulty inverter so we had to rely on the mains in the end. Still, the system is in place for whenever the show gets its next airing...

I'll post some photos in a minute (when I remember how!), and some of the written feedback I got from audience members. Thanks to everyone who came to see the show, and for those who didn't, well, you'll just have to come and see the more finished version sometime next year...
Peace out x

AAARRRGGGHHH!!!

2006-06-14T01:37:00.000-07:00

Good grief!
I have to be the rubbishest blogger in the world, ever! (part 3)
It's now nearly a week until my show starts, and I'm just about to start rehearsing, having finished the script ooh, about last week?! I'm assured this is the way that all good theatre productions should work, but it still feels a bit hairy.
Technically, we've figured out a way to make the lights run off my bike, all we need now is to get our hands on a solar generation unit and the show should be almost entirely emissions free! (apart from all the people who drive to come and see it...)
Artistically, I'm pleased with the characters I've written, though they all need some work... The next week will be a strange mixture of editing and rehearsing simultaneously, whilst being glad of not having any hair to pull out.
I also started a good little project with some young people from Contact, exploring what the word environment means to them... We didn't quite finish what I was planning to do with them but I'm hoping to pick it up once the show's finished. So, update over, come and see the show, and here's a look at my lovely flyer... I know it's a bit small, but if you click on it you should be able to enlarge it... Hope to see you next week!

Where'd it all go?!

2006-04-20T06:13:00.000-07:00

Whoa! I genuinely can't believe it's been over 2 months since my last post on this blog... Could whoever's got their foot on the time accelerator pedal please ease off a bit?!
I guess one reason for my lack of online correspondence has been that until recently the writing has been very intermittent due to other work commitments and a lot of un-planned for research necessary for my trickster/narrator character. So as my writing was so inactive it seemed a bit naughty to be spending time blogging...
However, things are bubbling along nicely (for now), I've recently acquired a cycle trainer to start building my pedal powered generator with the help of super technician and renewable energy enthusiast, Veronica McDonald, and the script is coming together. The trickster character (provisionally called Tali) has really taken over the show, and it's definitely more his journey than mine, he just happens to be riding around the country on a bike too! I'm happy with his voice now finally, and I hope that others will find him as entertaining as I do... I'll get to try out some of the new material in a couple of weeks when we go to visit the young artists in residence at Victoria theatre in Belgium and share some of our work (and possibly drink a little Belgian beer...).
I'm still looking into doing the piece outside and using the indoors space for some sort of exhibition, but it's proving difficult to administrate and with only ten weeks to go I'm not sure it will happen. Still, this is only a work in progress so should the piece get commissioned and developed there'll always be the possibility to do it outside later down the line...
Finally, I now have a group of young people from Contact's Drama Drop In classes to take part in some sort of participatory project. We've not started yet and I may have to scale down my ambitions with them a bit, but I think we're going to do something around film and spoken word, on the theme of 'My Environment' (whatever that may mean...)
So if I take another two months until the next post, well, it probably won't happen because I'll be in the middle of doing the show, so I'd better try to get a bit more regular... Bit more fibre in my writer's diet! Until then put these dates in your diary to come and see me at Contact theatre:
22nd - 24th June!
peace x

Back in the saddle...

2006-02-09T13:22:00.000-08:00

Well, metaphorically anyway.
After a warm and wonderful three months cycling around the country I'm back in cold, grey (but unusually rain-free) Manchester wondering how I'm going to turn the experience into a performance.
I've been awarded a 6 month (well, 5 now I suppose!) residency at Contact theatre which means I get a bit of money, a mentor, rehearsal space, technical support and a week in June to show the public what I've been doing... eek! I also have to do some participatory work with young people around the themes of my show but that hasn't started yet...
The show as it stands at the moment will be a solo performance with multiple characters who represent different 'Voices of Dissent' (tentative working title) around environmental issues in this country. This means I'll be playing the girls as well as the boys! Fortunately my mentor is the inimitable Gerry Potter, aka Chloe Poems, so I have a good guide for my first foray into drag... All these different characters will be linked by a part me/part mythological trickster type character (on a bike, naturally) who will act as a guide, commentator, provocateur, mc, joker etc.
This is also where I will be bringing renewable energy into the equation, providing some of the power for the show from a pedal generator, and hopefully the rest from solar... Looking into the technicalities of this raised questions about how to generate electricity inside a building connected to the mains so now I've started taking seriously the idea of performing outside under some sort of marquee. Seems a shame after spending so long under canvas that the audience shouldn't get to do the same!
So that's about where I'm up to, not much script to speak of yet though so I'd better stop writing this and start writing that. Watch this space for new information and over the weeks I'll be keeping the blog updated with comments and comedy regarding the local and global environment. Riveting.

Back in da hood

2005-08-23T09:00:00.000-07:00

And so, some 86 days and 2400 miles since setting off from Salford, I have finally swapped my saddle for a swivel chair and hung up my cycling shorts (well, not entirely - I still have to get about and it'll be a while before the tender spots heal... but enough of that!).
After Brithdir Mawr I continued up to Aberystwyth and the warm hospitality of the family of Hannah, a friend from the G8 bike ride. Great food, conversation, music, card games and a stunning sunset backdrop... beautiful!
The next day I cycled to the Centre for Alternative Technology in Machynlleth, one of the longest established eco centres in the country and probably the biggest tourist attraction in Wales. Well recommended to anyone who's never been... Bumped into a friend from Brithdir there so had a camping buddy for the night too.

Then came a two day mission from mid-Wales to Derbyshire to the Earth First! Gathering for four days of discussions, workshops and training sessions aimed at anyone wanting to take action to stop the destruction of the planet. I'm not bothered really, I just liked the vegan carrot cake! Seriously though, it was great to meet up with friends from the bike ride as well as meeting lots of new, and on the whole brilliantly inspiring, people. I did find myself having to hold back from getting involved with every worthy campaign I heard about, but there's a lot of things I can do as I get on with writing, from organised protests to personal lifestyle changes,and I'm excited about those too, as long as they don't start taking over my life!

It's been an amazing journey, completely different to how I'd imagined it but then it was always going to be. I've met a lot of wonderful people and been inspired in many unexpected ways. And now I have to try and shape it all into some sort of meaningful and entertaining experience for other people... when all I really want to do is plan the next ride!
Off to catch up with friends and family in Edinburgh, London and Hitchin for the next couple of weeks, and may happen to chance upon a certain arms fair while I'm down, but after that it's all about pens, desks, chairs, and keyboards... and the odd cup of tea/coffe/wine/bike lubricant.
I'm going to keep the blog going for now as I'd like to continue to document the project, though maybe more intermittently as there's also the thorny little problem of supporting myself while I do so... However, there'll be a website along shortly, and before long you're going to have to relinquish your computer entirely and come and see something live... Unless I come to you first!
Thanks to everyone for all your support whilst I've been away, from hosts to centres to those at home and abroad leaving messages of love and sympathy! You've been wicked. Keep checking the blog for news and updates, it'll be cool to get people's opinions about the direction of things as they go along...
Coming to a theatre near you soon...
PEACE X

2005-08-12T12:54:00.000-07:00

Harlock Hill wind farm. Not at all noisy, and the sheep like it too!

2005-08-12T12:53:00.000-07:00

Tired of lovely views yet? I am...

2005-08-12T12:52:00.000-07:00

This is what a container for high level radioactive waste looks like. You can drive a train into it and it will stay intact. I feel so much safer knowing that!

2005-08-12T12:51:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Sellafield! Mmm, smell that radiation...

2005-08-12T12:46:00.000-07:00

Me in the Lake District! By a lake! Think this one is Lake Buttermere...

2005-08-12T12:45:00.000-07:00

That party I mentioned I went to in Hebden Bridge...

2005-08-12T12:40:00.000-07:00

...And the morning after!

2005-08-12T12:39:00.000-07:00

Boa Viagem Laura... We'll miss you!

2005-08-12T12:36:00.000-07:00

Forgot to mention I went here, this is New Lanark World Heritage Centre, a former cotton mill village run by Robert Owen (progressive educationalist and fore-father of the co-operative movement) restored to it's former glory and also home to Scotland's first hydro-power station and some pretty impressive water-falls...

2005-08-12T12:34:00.000-07:00

Cora Linn, the tallest waterfall in the UK...

2005-08-12T12:33:00.000-07:00

... And the massive hydro power station that has stolen half it's flow. Once again, renewable energy robs the people of the picturesque...