Master Matt and his amazing mongooses!

Do you know for the first time since I have been writing this I can’t think of anything to rant about. Somebody suggested that I talk about long distance relationships and whether they can work. My view is they can if you want them to. So that’s the end of that.

I’m not going to have a go at the people who were lucky enough to win tickets to Live 8 and then are trying to sell them on Ebay. I don’t blame the sellers although I think there mad. As the memory of the day will last for years to come, and is going to be worth much more than the money your going to get for them. I don’t even blame the people who will bid to buy them. For the same reasons as above the day will be such an iconic memory. That being there is probably going to turn into one of those moments that people talk about forever. I remember exactly where I was when John Lennon was shot or Princess Diana etc. In fact just as the original Live Aid has slipped into popular cultural history. I can’t blame Ebay for allowing the said tickets to be listed. Once you have been allotted your ticket and picked it up it’s yours. And as you own it if you wanted to roll it up into a tight tube and insert it up your own arse you can. As they say “possession is nine tenths of the law”.

If I were going to blame anyone for the sale of the tickets it would have to be the people who organised the ticket give away in the first place. To think that people would not try and sell them. And that people will not offer to pay a vast amount for such a media hyped event is just naive. Its just a reflection of the way people are in today’s “buy it sell it” culture. But lets face it the “buy it sell it” culture and the greed that goes with it is one of the major reasons why we need to help Africa now.

I could rant on about the British Summer or total lack of it so far. But I can’t be bothered. Because you see I have spent the last few weeks taking pictures of the area I live in. Mainly doing so as a result of the BBC’s Digital Picture of Britain. For those of you who don’t know there is a major retrospective of British landscape in 2005. One of the big partners is dear old Auntie with a big new series on a Sunday night. It’s well worth a look comparing the old painted and photographed views of Britain with the way the landscape looks today. And there is a fascinating program immediately after on BBC 4 about photography. To be precise about using various digital media to capture an image instead of the old familiar film. They’re then asking people to submit new images of Britain that reflect their personnel view of out island today in the Twenty First Century. Anyway as a result of this renewed interest in my little part of the world I have started to realise that there is much more of interest to me than just hot sunny days. Yeah the sun is fab I love it. But as a Photographer I am also interested in cloudy skies, and wind and rain. In fact any of the dramatic climates that we have. Pictures can be much more interesting with a dramatic backdrop. Some of the great masterpieces are the most fantastic record of our diverse weather.

Anyway I don’t know why we are surprised the summer has gone west. Our dear blog master has just filled his pool on the strength of one hot Friday.(tomorrow there will be a pool story to blow your minds - blogmaster) The same thing happened last year. No sooner had the sound of foot on pump stopped than the heavens opened. And to be honest the British climate is so unpredictable that it’s best not to worry too much about the weather. Make the most of every day regardless. You’re a long time dead as my Grandma used to say. Or as Billy Connolly has said “Buy a decent rain coat and live a little. There’s no such thing as the wrong weather just the wrong cloths.”
What I actually want to talk about tonight is…………… Oh bugger no more room sorry see you next week.
It has been brought to my attention that since we went to print Ebay has indeed suspended all sales of Live 8 tickets. Yipeee.
Matthew (aged 40 and a bit)