Here are my 2020 “Top Nine” photographs on Instagram.
I think that they’re decided by likes and attention, rather than any sort of consideration of actual composition, lighting and/or skill.
Maybe they’re relying on the people doing the likes and giving the attention to makes the judgement on the composition, the lighting and/or the skill.
Morten dominating there, clearly. Also some pre-lockdown cricket, a tree-climbing beagle and a quick and dirty ISS shot. And don’t let’s omit the shipwreck in the sun.
Some decent memories there.
Seems like there were some moments worth remembering after all.
I was in a local supermarket this morning, carefully picking my way between the cold meat section, the bread roll table and the coughing shoppers (wait, what?), when I heard a familiar voice over the shop’s rather tinny music system.
Why yes, it was Morten Harket.
And he’d brought along his two friends as well.
But while you might imagine that a South African supermarket playing a-ha would obviously opt for one of the Big Two (Take On Me or The Sun Always Shines On TV), this particular establishment went for the somewhat lesser-known Analogue (All I Want).
I’m sorry, you don’t recall that song from the Norwegians’ back catalogue?
But how, given that I shared it on this very blog back in August 2012?
Have you not been reading carefully?
Actually, I’m surprised that you don’t remember it from its original release back in 2006. After all, it reached the heady heights of Number 10 in the UK Hit Parade, Number 33 in Germany and a superb Number 91 in Romania.
I wonder how many records you have to sell to get to Number 91 in Romania?
A hundred?
Fourteen?
Six?
I was never actually a huge fan of the Analogue album, if I’m honest. But hearing the title track faintly in the background while paying for my groceries did brighten my Monday morning up just a little bit.
Do things from 9 months ago (because that’s when this was) seem to be further back to you guys as well? Is that one of the effects of lockdown and all that 2020 has thrown at us?
You’d think that with so few events this year, your mind would be able to remember the ones you did go to with astonishing ease and as if they were just yesterday. After all, what else has there been to fill up that bit of your memory? And yet no: I can hardly even remember last year at all and it was only last year.
Love Karl Oluf Wennerberg’s ethereal cameo here, by the way. Spooky.
And a quick update on the number project thing I told you about 11 days ago: I have so far taken precisely zero photos for it. Well, that’s a number, isn’t it? But all is not lost. I have scouted some lovely numbers and so once I do start, I will be into my first ten with no issue whatsoever.
Keep finding myself humming and singing this one over the last few days:
Can’t work out why…
Oh wait. Got it. 🙁
They never released this as a single, which is why I had to half-inch a copy off a German charity evening TV broadcast. Big up Elke Gerrietz and her €200 donation. It’ll make a huge difference to… whatever it is they’re raising money for.
My distant love affair with Bergen continues. This time vicariously through one Åse Solvi, who has kindly given me permission to share her image of historic Bryggen and the harbour in the city.
Beautiful light, beautiful colours, beautiful city (and yes, i know that I live in one of those too).
We had pre-concert drinks in that building front and (almost) centre, which means that this image was taken from high up in the hotel outside which I took this image:
