Author: 6000

Instagram push

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While we’re on the subject of photos, I want to further my Instagram usage. It’s becoming (has become?) my “other” social media home (twitter being the first), but I’m pretty sure I’m not getting as much as I could from it, simply because I haven’t got to a critical mass of followers and following yet.

Thus, if you have an Instagram account you think I should follow – whether it be yours, someone else’s or perhaps even both – please let me know. The best way to do this would be to share the wealth in the comments section below or simply to follow me on Instagram.
Note that I’m 6000coza on there because someone else got 6000 first and then promptly didn’t post anything on it. Ever. He also has 10 times more followers than I do, despite having absolutely zero content.

Grr.

I like to think that they’re all just people looking for my stuff, and that’s great, but then I realise how much they’re getting let down by me (well, him, but you know what I mean…) and that makes me sad.

I’ll be following up on all your suggestions and following back to take a look at your images, so please don’t be shy.
That’s not how social media accounts work. (See 6000 on Instagram for evidence of this.)

Thanks in advance.

UK Photos

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I’ve finally put some photos from our UK trip onto Flickr. They’re not my best, I don’t think. A lot of them are from our day out in London and to be honest, I’m really not very happy with them. (Am I selling this to you yet? lol) But then we did go to London on a weird, hazy, dim day; it was seriously grey.

Yes, even by London’s oft monochromatic standards.

I’ve put them in anyway – for the sake of posterity if nothing else.
Fortunately, there were nicer days too:

So next time someone insists that It’s Grim Up North – simply point them in this direction…

Southernmost sculpture

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News from Cape Agulhas is that the new … the new… “thing” at the Southernmost Tip of Africa is nearly completed. I use the word “thing” simply because I’m not sure what other word I can use to better describe it. It’s a sculpture, yes, but it’s surely more than that as well.

The people building it are calling it The Agulhas Icon, which is all very well, but also suggests that they’re a bit unsure of what – other than iconic – it is.

For years, the Southernmost point in Africa – and the official meeting point of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans – has been marked by a small cairn unveiled by one P.W. Botha (who he?) on 23rd August 1986, and which people have climbed onto, been photographed next to, or blogged from several metres behind ever since. And that’s not going to change. It’s what is just next to the cairn which is being revamped.

The design is by Strijdom van der Merwe – and that’s great because I really like his stuff. It’s a circular area, sensibly based around a combination of a compass and the African continent.

The artistic representation of the African continent taking shape. It is important that this iconic form is visible on Google Earth as this will be the iconic destination point marker online.
Well-known geological features such as Cape Point, Table Mountain, Namib dunes, Victoria Falls,
Rift Valley, Sahara Dunes and the Nile River will be visible.

Low walls will encourage visitors to sit and stay for a while, soaking up the atmosphere, sheets of steel will dramatically emerge from the four points of the compass – with the Southerly point obviously given the greatest prominence – while lines created from the local stone will dissect and trisect and… well you get the idea… the space. A few teaser progress images were released this week, and I think it looks fantastic.

It’s very bold, very strong, very… Iconic.
A really cool and important addition to the area.

Bread ad

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The new ad for Warburtons bread is out in the UK. And it’s pretty funny.

Of course, if you’re reading this in the UK, then it’ll mean just that little bit extra to you, with references to certain bread products, that mobile phone ringtone, and the drop-kicked hat for example.

But even if you’re not in Bighty, don’t be put off. Plenty here for everyone.

This is a Good Day

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I used to have Snoopy mug with that sentiment on it. But that’s not what this post is about. This post is about today being a Good Day. And the reason that today is a Good Day is because there is a new a-ha album out.

Now, I’ve been wracking my brains, but I can’t recall if I’ve ever mentioned on the blog that I’m a bit of a fan of the band. And right now, I don’t have time to check, because I’m listening to the new a-ha album that came out today.

After 10 studio albums and 4 previous live offerings, several (or more) compilations, a lot of B-sides, rarities, remasterings and the like, and over a timespan of more than 32 years, you might be forgiven for thinking that I’ve heard it all. And, in actual fact, I have (albeit that there are two new songs on the album).

And of course, Unplugged albums are nothing new. But, without wanting to sound over the top, this acoustic album offers me something so weirdly unfamiliar. A wholly different angle to songs that I’ve heard so very many times. The version of I’ve Been Losing You – a song 30 years old – had me with tears in my eyes this morning: the sheer approachability of the lyrics, harmonies and emotion in this form is breathtaking.

Of course, I’ll be listening to it non-stop for the next [time span], until I think that there’s nothing more to discover. And then I’ll go away for a bit, before coming back and hopefully discovering a bit more.

But for this morning at least, every track is a completely new adventure and I couldn’t be happier.

This is a Good Day.