the small man builds cages for everyone.~Hafiz خواجه شمس‌‌الدین محمد حافظ شیرازی‎

"The past is not just a foreign country, but also one we are all exiled from. Like all exiles, we sometimes long to return. That longing is called nostalgia. Whether it is triggered by a photograph, a first kiss or a treasured possession, nostalgia evokes a particular sense of time or place. We all know the feeling: a sweet sadness for what is gone, in colours that are invariably sepia-toned, rose-tinted, or stained with evening sunlight.

The term “nostalgia” was coined by Swiss physicians in the late 1600s to signify a certain kind of homesickness among soldiers. Nowadays we know it encompasses more than just homesickness (or indeed Swiss soldiers)......." {read more}

{Don ;a mile & a half today in Halifax swimming pool! a personal best! hurray!}

I'm "off-on one" again........This,I can confidently say, is the only blog in the whole wide world that you will ever experience (in a single post!)  combined memories of 1960/70/80's Rugby League: an audio of good+rare live  Americana music (the late Levon Helm):the existential angst of late 17th century Swiss soldiers: 14th century Persian poetry:the early days of Dr Who; a critiqe of British kitchen sink movies of 1963;a positive Muslim spin (in these rather stupid Islamaphobic days.....) :and good toilet etiquette while visiting the Ladies in Asda's loo in Halifax.Good for me ...Hurray!
Khwāja Shams-ud-Dīn Muhammad Hāfez-e Shīrāzī (Pesian خواجه شمس‌‌الدین محمد حافظ شیرازی‎), known by his pen name Hāfez (حافظ; also Hāfiz; 1325/26–1389/90), was a Persian poet.
His collected works are regarded as a pinnacle of Persian literature and are to be found in the homes of most people in Iran. who learn his poems by heart and use them as proverbs and sayings to this day. His life and poems have been the subject of much analysis, commentary and interpretation, influencing post-fourteenth century Persian writing more than any other author...........[ wikipedia]
This Sporting Life:Rotten Tomatoes



Richard Harris & Dr Who  in the movie "This Sporting Life" which was filmed at Thrum Hall.

You can  listen here to The Rugby League Oral History Project's entry on Thrum Hall. .
Maybe you might also read the wikipedia entry on Thrum Hall.
When Alan described this week's Theme, he suggested it might be "...... one thing on top of another. It's straight lines fading into infinity. It's the stations of the cross. It's whatever you want it to be...".
I chose to interpret it  as this one   location, but at  different times.
The composition of these photos are by no means exact .for example,they are not at  the  same angle.But they are near enough.(nb had i stood today in  the exact spot, I would have had to whip my camera out & stand  ontop of  a toilet  seat in Asda'a Ladies lavvy!)
Its all quite near enough tho.The terrace housing you see in the 3nd photo is part of the same terrace you also see in the 4th photo.
The 3nd  photo was taken in 1979.The 4th photo i took this afternoon at Asda supermarket in Halifax.
Objectively, 2 totally different scenes.Only someone old enough to remember the Thrum Hall Rugby League ground would know it had ever been there.
I find it very strange how my architecture keeps evaporating.I always expected people I knew to die and disapear from me .I never (for some reason) expected my physical world to disapear like smoke too..
(I've already mentioned here the importance of Thrum Hall to me. ...........)

n.b. this was a pre-season summer "friendly" game.Hence the weeds & sparse bodies. The ground's capacity & highest attendance was 29,000.

This is a Sepia Saturday post.

 

I've seen Pretty people disappear like smoke..............

A cool couple of days.I went to see John Renbourne & Wizz Jones at the Band on The Wall in Manchester on Thursday night with Cath,Don & Margaret.
Then on Friday me & Cath went to Sowerby Bridge for a Work's knees-up. Some pictures. Clive.Thanks for the mail.I will reply & also send three Blackbushes!

“I am not this hair, I am not this skin, I am the soul that lives within.” ~RUMI.

[n.b.click to  read more about the mighty Muslim Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī ]

Meanwhile.........Sepia Halifax Gives You A Permanent Wave............

This is a Sepia Saturday post.

Lets not talk about why I'm not posting much words & thinking here at the moment!
 I,m not sure why! But-hey!-I'm here today.......[smiles]

Photo Cube

This week's Sepia Topic is "Hair".And here is mine.I guess I wore it long between around 1971 to 1978.The  colour photo above is of me at Lancaster Uniy in 1978.(I look a bit of a plum.'Was still stoned from the night before-as i recall........)
The black & white ones (in the cube) are inbetween  i.e.the end of my time nursing in Todmorden:Youth Hostel Wardering in London; & at college in Liverpool 73-77.
It still stayed long post 78 but was in severe retreat!

By the way, If your Stateside, I know you sometimes get British TV series. If a show called "Happy Valley" . appears anytime, try and catch it.It's rather good good! Plus its shot 100% on Location in Calderdale (Halifax,Hebden Bridge,Sowerby Bridge,et all) If you like the photos both me & Alan share (eg the one above) you can see more here.

"Halifax Noir" I believe the future may call it (thow nose).......

young fathers- i heard

I used to make phantoms I could later chase ........

If you wish to see these images all together Click Here

It is Cathy's birthday today.

On the strength of which,we caught the  train to Manchester  for a meal & a look around.
If we had known the weather would have been so hot ,'have gone somewhere greener& cooler.
Shame on you, BBC weather forcasters! The sooner UKIP get in Power & give us back our English weather the better!
Here are some photos from our visit to The Peoples History Museum and The John Rylands Library :[Both New To Cath.]
The only sadness of the day was our sweaty walk to The 8th Day veggie cafe near the Uniy on Oxford Street.Rubbish.Avoid like the plague.It nearly spoiled the day.....

Manchester 16th May 2014

Hydn;Capo Martin;Tony t ;Jim;Steve Huff;Me:Ken

cough!

Walk Like A Giant.

The Government wants to close my local Accident&Emergency Unit in Halifax.

I went on a March yesterday to protest.

Here are some photos I took.
Neil Young joined the protest in my head.........
.

*Also in my head was the thought that we passed within 100 yards of the birthplace (in 1900) of Halifax's greatest author/soldier/Marxist , Ralph Winston Fox on Rawson Avenue.*

the travellers rest .

 

Sometimes it simply is not your fault.You dont change, yet change still happens all around you anyway.But,as the I Ching would say :"No Blame".
On  odd occassions (since the demolition of The Rochdale Hamam) I now stop off at St Peter's swimming pool in Burnley for a sauna.Its actually part of the NHS Trust.It's a newish complex.
I cant say I care for the sauna there too much.The facilities are fine enough.Big steam room:Big Swimming Pool:Big Sauna:Big Jacuzzi.But ,typically,the  architects & designers forgot about the most important (yet most intangible ) thing.The sociability of the people who  use a building!
The experience for me there is spoiled by the lack of les Craic.
For me,the best saunas or turkish baths are those where people  sit in a communal area..face to face, and talk.Much like a good pub (minus clothes& alcohol!)
Burnley has none of that.All you get is a long horizontal row of plastic chairs outside the sauna& steam.With your back pressed against  a large glass brick wall that backs off to the swimming pool.You see nothing but a wall facing you.You dont even have  enough room to  stretch your legs.
It's like some  clinical waiting room corridor.No good at all for talking (your more likely to get whiplash than a conversation from such daft  poses......)The seats are squashed so tightly together you couldnt even move them (even if you had somewhere to move them too) .
Its strange how a building design hampers behaviour.Its almost designed to stop people staying too long......
Anyway.On Tuesday night I took this photo from the  car park there.Another example of buildings not being able to talk to one another?
The reason i took the photo is my interest in  "Ghost Signs"
Can you makeout the word  "HOTEL" ?
Yet you cannot  access this building  from the car park.The iron ladder you see runs to a deep,dark narrow canal below.......with no bridge across to it.
Who the hotel was actually meant for,I do not know.The other side of the building is now fast foods On t'other side , it  runs onto a dual carriageway .
Perhaps in the Olden Days  different roads & different buildings might have interested a person to rest their head .... sadly not any more...........

This is a sepia saturday post.
"...dancing, folk traditions or very silly poses..." is the prompt this week.Here you see one of my Aunt Brenda's Essex College photos from the 1920's.I dont recognise Brenda in it.Perhaps she was behind the camera....?

 

 

On Monday I attended the funeral of my neighbour of 28 years,Paul (pictured below).
A humanist service.Not a vicar ,priest or wreath in sight.
The service was led by Eileen O'Brien an actress who also lives on our road.
Anybody who is familiar with British telly will recognise her face.eg she's been in Coronation Street:East Enders;Brookside;Emmerdale.
The Service was very moving.Standing room only at Park Wood Crem.
No hymns or suchlike.Rather about a dozen or so of Paul's family & friend read out their favourite memories of his life.
(I must say, I would be intrigued if my funeral was like this.i dread to think what might be said!)
The music for the service included the Sandy Denny song Who Knows Where The Time Goes. And Tom Paxton You are Love.

R.I.P.PAUL.

a bit of eastern spice.

let me know if you want a copy of the album.

Halifax Pubs 10th April 2014

I am being very lazy recently.
Ken Kersley.Mixenden.Halifax.Woodbrook Mixenden Clarences Halifax Percival Whitely College Exley

2-0

I spent the day in Halifax.
 I went to Halifax Sauna at 830am.
Then onto North Bridge Leisure Centre for another big meeting against the Tory Closure of Halifax A&E. here are some photos I took.
Lots of things planned.We are getting input from people who prevented the closure of Lewisham A&E
After the meeting, i walked thru town (passed a Spring Fair enroute) & walked to The Shay Stadium for a spot of football (it was sunny.Had it been raining ,I would have gone straight home!)
I haven't seen Halifax Town play in years.
I was always a Rugby League fan when younger......but i did go watch Town now+again .
Most memorably in 1980 when they beat Manchester City in the FA Cup (United fans take heart! Click the link & see 10 minutes of blue-gloom!)
David Moyes, this how it is done ..so easy.....
I went down The Shay today to watch them play Luton Town. Luton are miles ahead in The Conference.They need just one more win to get back into the Football League.
Halifax can still make the playoffs (Wembley!).Before today, 4 wins on the trot........
Infact ,Halifax have done really well over the last 7 years.They were kicked out of the league for financial reasons, and dropped 6 levels (any lower and they would have been playing in Scotland).They have been promoted 6 times in the past 7 seasons.The words "rise" "phoenix ""from" "ashes" spring to mind.......
It was a good game today.Halifax won 2-0. I was sat behind the dugout. One of the Halifax coaching staff fascinated me.He looks like he should be in a Duran Duran Tribute Band (maybe he is?). When Halifax scored their second goal I'm sure I photographed him doing a Quenelle gesture.towards the home supporters.........
It  strikes me.All the places this gentle author  went today.i.e.Halifax Swimming pool (sauna & free parking for the day!):North Bridge  Centre (A&E Meeting);Halifax Library to borrow a book:Borough Market(egg butty!): Car Park at Eureka (Spring Fair);The Shay Stadium (to watch Halifax Town) they are all funded by Calderdale Council.
I also work for Calderdale Council.
Yet, The Liberal Democrates +Tories are  wishing to destroying it all.......Why?

I Forgot to Remember to Forget:{4 tracks from the basement tapes}

This week's sepia saturday theme is around the sky & clouds.This is a photo-of-a-photo i took in a Military Museum in Carlise Castle last year.My Dad was in the Free Polish Air Force.He fought in The Battle Of Arnhem.I look at this image & wonder if he was one of those wee dots....?

Arnhem 1944

"You gotta quit kicking my dog around" Two different accounts of the origins of this song have been published. Alan Lomax published it as "The Hound Dawg Song" in his book, The Folk Songs of North America (1960), and suggests that the song's origins date back to the 1880s. Others have suggested the song was written by James A. Bland. Sources agree earliest recorded version was released by Gid Tanner and his Skillet Lickers in 1928. "I Forgot to Remember to Forget" "was made famous by Elvis Presley in 1955.This version bears little resemblance to Elvis's rendition"{from:wikipedia} The Act Of Killing is one the most important film I have ever seen.
I watched it on DVD a few days ago.
You really need to view it when you can. The gentle author was blown away.
Its the best surreally political film imaginable. Think : 'Yellow Submarine' combined with 'Apocalypse Now' ( some of the photography is pure Haight-Ashbury)
The 'plot' is far too complicated  to repeat here.
Just one little image.The main man in the movie is called Anwar.He is /was a gangster who personally killed approximately 1,000 people, usually by strangling with wire. He plays himself in this film! Because he was murdering 'Communists' for the Indonesian government & that government is still in power, he & they think him a hero still. ..imagine the Nazi's had won the war...& they had let Josef Mengele direct a musical about his life.... Anwar is given licence to produce & direct reconstructions of the murders he committed!
He loves Elvis Presley Films.A movie theatre in 1965 Indonesia was just across the road from where he executed political prisoners.So In between killing ,he would watch films to relax. Often he would saunter into the murder scenes still in 'Elvis Character' You can read[ here ]what OXFAM thought of the film.And here is the trailer for the movie......
On another level ,all old men do this. Reminiscing is done to convince yourself not others. When I go out drinking with my old schoolmates in Halifax (eg Phil the x-fireman & Ken) We are constantly rehearsing the past! Come to think of it, Anwar looks amazingly like another classmate we meet sometimes.take a bow,Stanley Brown !

The longest recording of the Basement Tapes, and often regarded as one of the highlights from the sessions.

Stan gets a medal!

'still looking at Angel Meadow.........

Several things I found out  today.For example (Don,did you know?)Nobby Stiles learnt his skills as a kid,playing over the 40,000 graves of Angel Meadow! (growing up as a child the Council  had put goalposts on St Michaels Flags!)
And Lowry , although everybody thinks him a Salford painter.......many of his images  were taken from Angel Meadow ,where he worked as a rent collector.....he would sketch inbetween collecting Debt...........(i bet Mr Wonga dont do that today!)
Me & Cath are in Manchester this weekend.We went to a Talk about Angel Meadow & St Michael's Flags It was part of Manchester Histories Festivalwhich runs for the next 8 days. Today was also the Reopening of Manchester Central Library It would have been rude not to go.Its a bit like the Deck of The Starship Enterprise. A 'Must Visit' the next time your in the city.
I did these images mostly on my new Panasonic compact.I really think my late-great Fuji (RIP) was better...but these are ok...I may get used to this new regime
one 'plus' is that .I do like the "panorama" mode! The display on here doesnt do them justice....if you wish to see much better vision look at 'em  on This slideshow.....