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capturing the spirit
The weather in the West of Ireland could best be described as mercurial today. As I type the wind whips the trees in my back garden and stampedes piebald clouds. A sudden, violent deluge of rain has just ended. Looking out a window at the front of my house I see sunlight streaming through an aquamarine scrap of sky. It’s a day of squalls and sun linked by rainbows. Earlier, I found one of those favourable, magical periods in between the cloudbursts to walk my dog in the woods. As usual I was taking photographs. As much as I love woodlands they are one of the most difficult landscapes to…
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Galway Junior Film Fleadh 2010
Last year I was one of the judges for the Galway Junior Film Fleadh pitching competition, and it was a brilliant experience. First off I was delighted that all four of the finalists were girls, and each of them had a great story idea. I was also impressed with how they dealt with having to be on stage and pitch their story to the jury and the audience. That’s a daunting prospect no matter your age! This year’s Junior Film Fleadh will take place from the 3 – 6 of November, and once again it’s running the script competition. Here are the details: The Junior Galway Film Fleadh, in association…
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novelty
Say hello to Ustulina deusta, a fungus that grows on dead trees in our forests. The quality of the picture isn’t the best (by my standards), but the light and my mobile phone camera didn’t allow for a better shot. I snapped this yesterday, because today there was heavy rain during my walk and photography would have been useless. Instead I pretended to enjoy becoming increasingly wet, and sang a couple of nonsense songs about how much I liked the rain. It was just a trick to keep me in good humour as I find it hard to be glum if I’m singing. Of course, it would be easy for…
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in praise of libraries
I had a different post planned today, but then I read writer Saundra Mitchell’s guest post on Mundie Moms’ blog in support of Banned Books Week. Not only is it a clear essay about the importance of having a diverse selection of books available to children so they can navigate life, but it’s a fantastic reminder of the importance of libraries. Personally, I feel I owe a major debt to the library in my home town. I grew up in pre-web, pre-mobile phone Ireland, where you had to travel to Dublin to find a bookshop for the kind of novels I liked: i.e. the weird stuff. This is not that…
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people are amazing
I took the above picture just over a week ago at the banks of the River Corrib, where it overlooks the Salmon Weir. The peacefulness of the scene struck me: the young man taking a break to enjoy the good weather, the view and the antics of the ducks, gulls and swans. This spot is well known to fans of the Galway Film Fleadh as it is right beside the Rowing Club, where many of the receptions during the festival take place. I was in the city attending the demonstration at the Town Hall Theatre for the National Day of Action to support the arts in Ireland. I had taken…
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beautiful fungus
Today I noticed a small track in the woods I’d never seen before. There are a number of old earthen paths criss-crossing the heavily wooded sections which connect to the main trail I tramp along most days. Many of them are little more than a memory of a passageway through the trees, and often fade away or end abruptly. Over the years I’ve explored most of these tracks in an attempt to give my dog – and myself – a bit of novelty. So I was surprised at this revelation because I should have spotted it ages ago. Still, it was fun following it, ducking under branches and weaving between the…
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frog hide
Today, I noticed this chap leaping through the undergrowth in the woods. He was shy, and I was towering above pointing my mobile phone at him, so it’s not a bad snap considering the circumstances, and the greyish light. It’s the equinox today – an unusually late one – and it’s also a full moon. Perhaps the craziness that is supposed to afflict people at this time of the month will be offset by the day being in balance. Or, you know, it might just be another bead on the year’s necklace. It was chilly this morning, a real harbinger of the deepening of autumn. Yesterday evening the daylight departed…
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Autumn
I spotted this fine fellow on my way into the woods to walk my dog this morning. It’s a good example of Coprinus comatus, also known as the shaggy ink cap or the lawyer’s wig, among others. I usually refer to it as the shaggy ink cap (or, as I misspoke this morning upon my return – the shaggy inkwell). This mushroom erupted and flourished in the mere 48 hours since my last visit to this location, or else I was singularly unobservant during my previous trip. Change can occur in a day or two, if you notice. It was the first thing I spotted on this occasion, and I…
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Black Static 17
Black Static, issue 17, has been sent to the printers, and you can expect to see it around June 11th. The cover is by Ben Baldwin. The first group of ten winners from the Campaign for Real Fear will be published in this issue: ‘Copy Degradation’ by Gemma Files ‘The Rude Little Girl’ by Kaaron Warren ‘Nice One, Truly’ by Alan Morgan ‘On The Beaten Path’ by Janos Honkonken ‘In The Night Supermarket’ by James Burt ‘Shades of Blue’ by Catherine MacLeod ‘This Is Mung’ by Christine Emmett ‘The Price’ by Jennifer Williams ‘The Flinchfield Dance’ by Mary Elizabeth Burroughs ‘Sanctuary’ by Katherine Hughes As well as the following…
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not at Bristol, alas
This weekend the Bristol International Comic & Small Press Expo is taking place and I can’t attend, alas. Luckily, my compatriots in crime, Rob Curley and Stephen Daly, will be at Bristol, giving away preview issues of Róisín Dubh. Drop by the Atomic Diner stand, say hello to them and claim your copy! As long as the Icelandic Ash Miasma doesn’t change direction of course. It’s like a fickle supervillian who specialises in ruining holidays. “Ha! You are grounded! Fear my engine-clogging abilities! Cry over your unsigned collectible art!” I’m inundated with work at the moment, and tomorrow I have to attend the AGM of the Irish Playwrights and Screenwriters…
