My Gran has stood in the same spot waving goodbye to visitors for 40 years. It's one of my oldest memories. I have a thousand versions of this. Leaning over the back of a car seat waving till She was totally out of sight. Or now, a wave, a double tap of the horn and a glance in my review mirror, wondering if this is the last time. The neighbours have gone or changed, my parents have gone, yet … [Read more...] about A Concrete Reminder
ritual
Celebrate the Mundane
I could make a quick coffee in the morning. I have a quality bean to cup machine that can grind, brew and pour a fresh cup in no time at all. I prefer the ritual of hand grinding though. While I weigh, grind & shape a cone of coffee grounds in a pre-heated dripper, I can't help but feel solace in that moment. Nothing else exists. We have so many rituals in our life but doing … [Read more...] about Celebrate the Mundane
Bottle-Kicking in Hallaton
On the 25th of February 2008, on a cold bright morning, I visited the village of Hallaton in Leicestershire. I was told to expect something strange. A field full of violent people, small kegs of beer called 'bottles' and man with a rabbit on a stick were also mentioned. How could I not go? They were nearly right. The man actually had a hare on a pole. Local folk law states that long ago two … [Read more...] about Bottle-Kicking in Hallaton