a lot of activity

This is for your own works!!!
its4inthemorning
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Re: little activity

Post by its4inthemorning »

Geoffrey wrote: Fri Jul 08, 2022 3:59 am i don't understand how your wall surfaces can be so uneven, alan. are they solid 'breeze block' walls covered with a layer of plaster, or simply cheap gyprock covered with lining paper? i did notice the hairline cracks in the image you posted, and wondered if they were due to settlement. this sometimes happens after a while if one has unstable foundations. the cracks do not look serious, but you could ask for advice from a surveyor just to be on the safe side.
Geoffrey,

If Alan's walls gave you concern, it is best that I not post photos of some of our walls! Our exterior walls are field stone, and the insides of the walls are composed of horsehair plaster that was applied directly to the stone. Although horsehair plaster is extremely durable, cracks can and do develop over 200+ years.

At some point, probably in the mid-20th century, the house went unused for a period of years, and during that period the roof evidently leaked profusely and caused internal structural damage (the main beam in the basement probably decayed, resulting in the center of the house sinking). All was fixed by a subsequent owner (one with deep pockets I imagine), but when they raised the center portion of the house that had sunk, they stopped short of doing so completely for fear of wreaking havoc on the horsehair plaster and wood trim that had by then "adapted" to their sunken positions. The result is that most of our floors have a noticeable pitch from exterior to center, something that always surprises visitors. Old houses have quirks, and the older the house, the more the oddities. We also have a spring that flows through our basement!

We love the idea of living in rooms that were originally occupied by people who never saw a telephone or automobile--much less a television or computer--at a time when the birth of America was as recent as the fall of the Berlin Wall is to us today. Throughout Europe, of course, there are many old houses that predate ours by centuries. Old homes are much rarer here, partly because our country is still young, but mostly due to an unfortunate penchant of Americans to replace, rather than restore, old structures.

4
2010 DECEMBER 10 - CAESARS COLOSSEUM, LAS VEGAS / 2012 SEPTEMBER 28 - L'OLYMPIA, PARIS
2012 OCTOBER 3 - PALAU SANT JORDI, BARCELONA / 2012 DECEMBER 13 - K-ROCK CENTRE, KINGSTON
2013 APRIL 6 - RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL, NEW YORK CITY / 2013 JULY 9 - PIAZZA NAPOLEONE, LUCCA
2017 NOVEMBER 4-8 - MONTREAL "TOWER OF SONG" CELEBRATION - RIP, YOU GOT ME SINGING!
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Geoffrey
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Re: a lot of activity

Post by Geoffrey »

its4inthemorning wrote:
>If Alan's walls gave you concern, it is best that I not post photos of some of our walls! . . .

thank you for this. it's encouraging to have it confirmed that not everyone is occupied with modern 'state-of-the-art' luxuries. i have looked at some videos of horsehair plaster and field stone because these were i not too familiar with. fancy living in a house that is sunken in the middle and has a spring in the basement, never heard of that before. old properties, or even old artifacts, have an 'energy' that emits from them, but one needs to have an inbuilt antennae to pick up the signals. this is why i enjoy going to second-hand shops and holding some of the items; a sort of vibration emits from them, though it depends upon how sensitive one is. i think it's nice that we are able to talk about ourselves, and with your permission i would like to do a little of the same.

i lived in an old house in eastbourne town centre, i actually bought it, 300 years old, built on an ancient cemetery. a lot of noise came from the walls, especially at night when the traffic outside was less and it was quiet - a sort of ticking or knocking. a ghost hunter was called, a mr andrew green from nearby hastings, he had written books and was a specialist in paranormal activity. i still have his letters. he couldn't stop the noise but said it was not deathwatch beetles, nor scarab, probably a spirit that was not able to rest for some reason. in the end father derek allen, a catholic priest, came. he was a very tall man, dressed in a long black gown. he had with him some special water that had been sanctified by the bishop, and he went around the house sprinkling it everywhere while reading passages from a bible. he said it was not an exorcism, just a house blessing. long story.

lots of people are sceptical about this type of thing, incapable of accepting that there is more in heaven and earth than are dreamed of in their philosophies, horatio - if i may quote from 'hamlet'. it is not their fault, they have not developed so very far, are still on a lower level. not everyone has enriched their minds with knowledge. i can advise them to read annie besant's 'seven principles of man' or madame blavatsky, or emanuel swedenborg, or even point to john 3:12 - but it's putting caviar into the mouths of dogs - they possess not the mental equipment to advance. people come in various stages of development, different qualities. going through life we have to understand and tolerate simple people unable to reason or think, people who have not come far on the journey to spiritual awareness.
its4inthemorning
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Re: a lot of activity

Post by its4inthemorning »

Geoffrey wrote: Sun Jul 17, 2022 11:40 am its4inthemorning wrote:
>If Alan's walls gave you concern, it is best that I not post photos of some of our walls! . . .

thank you for this. it's encouraging to have it confirmed that not everyone is occupied with modern 'state-of-the-art' luxuries. i have looked at some videos of horsehair plaster and field stone because these were i not too familiar with. fancy living in a house that is sunken in the middle and has a spring in the basement, never heard of that before. old properties, or even old artifacts, have an 'energy' that emits from them, but one needs to have an inbuilt antennae to pick up the signals. this is why i enjoy going to second-hand shops and holding some of the items; a sort of vibration emits from them, though it depends upon how sensitive one is. i think it's nice that we are able to talk about ourselves, and with your permission i would like to do a little of the same.

i lived in an old house in eastbourne town centre, i actually bought it, 300 years old, built on an ancient cemetery. a lot of noise came from the walls, especially at night when the traffic outside was less and it was quiet - a sort of ticking or knocking. a ghost hunter was called, a mr andrew green from nearby hastings, he had written books and was a specialist in paranormal activity. i still have his letters. he couldn't stop the noise but said it was not deathwatch beetles, nor scarab, probably a spirit that was not able to rest for some reason. in the end father derek allen, a catholic priest, came. he was a very tall man, dressed in a long black gown. he had with him some special water that had been sanctified by the bishop, and he went around the house sprinkling it everywhere while reading passages from a bible. he said it was not an exorcism, just a house blessing. long story.

lots of people are sceptical about this type of thing, incapable of accepting that there is more in heaven and earth than are dreamed of in their philosophies, horatio - if i may quote from 'hamlet'. it is not their fault, they have not developed so very far, are still on a lower level. not everyone has enriched their minds with knowledge. i can advise them to read annie besant's 'seven principles of man' or madame blavatsky, or emanuel swedenborg, or even point to john 3:12 - but it's putting caviar into the mouths of dogs - they possess not the mental equipment to advance. people come in various stages of development, different qualities. going through life we have to understand and tolerate simple people unable to reason or think, people who have not come far on the journey to spiritual awareness.
G, enjoyed what you wrote.

Limiting one's perception of existence to only what our five senses perceive could be construed as a form of arrogance, for in doing so one has concluded that his/her brain is the summit of reality. But we know that this is untrue, for if the human brain is reality's ultimate achievement, why can't 99.9999% of them (7,999,992,000 of the world's 8,000,000,000 brains) comprehend more than four dimensions (three spatial plus time) even though advanced physics convincingly postulates their existence? (In fact, I would bet that at most only 0.01% of the human brains out there (800,000 out of 8,000,000,000) can wrap their heads around time being the fourth dimension.) A much simpler example of the limitations of the human brain is the inability to imagine death.

We have not experienced strange unexplained noises in our home, but yes, there are times when the mind drifts to the long ago past--in other words, leaves the three spatial dimensions intact, but puts time in reverse. When outdoors, for example weeding the garden, I do sense in a strange way those who were at this very place in the distant past. When your Eastbourne home was built, our property was a particularly good hunting ground for the Lenni Lenape native Americans (I have found several of their spear heads while gardening). As I weed, I think about their lives, different from ours in so many ways, and yet also much the same--doing what you need to do to survive and to provide for family and brethren. [Interesting and sad story about the Lenni Lenape: Like most native American tribes, the Lenni Lenape were gradually pushed from their land as European settlement increased. But the Lenni Lenape were more friendly to the colonists than most tribes, and attempts were made to find ways to peacefully coexist. In one such attempt in 1737, an agreement was reached between the Lenni Lenape and the Governor of the Pennsylvania colony under which the Lenni Lenape would sell, and the colonists would buy, all the land from the Delaware River to the spot where, travelling northwest, "a man could walk in one and one-half days." The problem with this agreement was that the colonists and the Lenni Lenape had different understandings of what was meant by walking for a day and a half. The Lenni Lenape's interpretation was that the walk would be leisurely along known trails, and that there would be an extended pause at the end of the first day's walking for dinner and sleep. The colonists, on the other hand, likened the walk to a race; they used very fit and conditioned walkers, took shortcuts off the normal trails, and minimized their overnight stop. In the end, about 70 miles were walked, almost double the miles that the Lenni Lenape had figured on. This agreement came to be known as the "Walking Purchase," and our property is a part of it.]

A book I am sure you would enjoy, Geoffrey, is "The Seven Mysteries of Life" by Guy Murchie. BTW, I literally choked on my coffee when I read, "but it's like putting caviar in the mouths of dogs," for sure I will be alert to look for opportunities to use this phrase.

4
2010 DECEMBER 10 - CAESARS COLOSSEUM, LAS VEGAS / 2012 SEPTEMBER 28 - L'OLYMPIA, PARIS
2012 OCTOBER 3 - PALAU SANT JORDI, BARCELONA / 2012 DECEMBER 13 - K-ROCK CENTRE, KINGSTON
2013 APRIL 6 - RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL, NEW YORK CITY / 2013 JULY 9 - PIAZZA NAPOLEONE, LUCCA
2017 NOVEMBER 4-8 - MONTREAL "TOWER OF SONG" CELEBRATION - RIP, YOU GOT ME SINGING!
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Geoffrey
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Re: a lot of activity

Post by Geoffrey »

thank you, its4inthemorning, for a lovely message that will be replied to in due course. firstly i must answer alan's message because he's been waiting the longest. then a cheese and spinach pie i made for lunch will probably be ready. periodically as i write i will check the oven; i am actually quite hungry - several hours since my two soft-boiled eggs with soldiers.
--------------------------------------------------------------
alan wrote:
>Do you really have "impostor syndrome" if you confess to having it?

you ask an interesting question, and even though the answer is complicated, i will give it a shot.

the thing is it depends a lot upon subjective or objective. when someone gives you praise you have to wonder why; is your work really that good, are they saying it to encourage, to be polite, to show how nice they are. being genuinely kind to someone, a kindness that comes from the heart, is not easy - and it's rare to behold. people feel good about themselves when they do a kindness, which is why they do it. it's an ego booster for them, or maybe they wish to win points with a deity - and when you analyse the motives behind a do-gooder's deeds you realise that you are a cynic, a horrible person, unworthy of anyone's praise - and it's unfair.

i know i have talent, but that is merely subjective thinking, and of little value to the ears of others. to confirm what one thinks of oneself one needs to seek the opinions of onlookers, but how can one trust their positive words when they are likely to be fueled by ulterior reasons? only on a very few occasions has anyone ever said anything negative about my work - and that raises a red flag. the only way to squeeze the truth out from them is to announce how clever you are, because nobody can stand that. therefore one is forced into convincing oneself that one doesn't have a lot of talent, and a lie told enough times, even to oneself, can eventually cause permanent brainwashing. fortunately for me i am alert to this and can see the duality. i was born on a cusp after all.

>Anyhow, I enjoy all your artwork.

alan, you are a cultured man with excellent taste. my pictures are good, pick any one of them at random and you know instinctively that you are looking at something beyond special - it's undeniable. these are images that will travel into the future and be revered by countless generations to come - we all know that - especially the intelligent ones amongst us. history is being made right here and now, it goes without saying. my point is that even though i subjectively know that my artistic production is the work of rare genius, i can simultaneously observe the situation objectively - sort of 'out-of-the-body' experience if you like - and doubt that anyone, including myself, could have so much talent. i look at myself as i believe others might look at me. after all, you must admit that it is difficult for hordes of average intelligent people to appreciate quality, or to believe that any one person could possess so much god-given creativity as yours truly.

this was a long-winded reply, but i hope you were able to glean some sense from it. anyway, here is an updated picture of me taken yesterday. i never shy away from telling or showing the truth, but that is just my nature, always honest and open. it is important for one's self-esteem to have enough confidence to show who you are - and a lot of people shy away from doing that. my pie is getting nice and brown on top now, and the kitchen is starting to smell good. after eating am meeting juanita for an evening in the town. no time to read through this - too hungry.
16 july 2022.jpg
>A book I am sure you would enjoy, Geoffrey, is "The Seven Mysteries of Life" by Guy Murchie.

will put it on my harddisk, it's available (like most books) to free download on 'library genesis'. i just click on the version wanted and then 'GET'. will write later :)
book.jpg
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AlanM
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Re: a lot of activity

Post by AlanM »

Geoffrey and 4,
I thank you both for your recent posts and the openings of your souls contained therein.
Australia is a lot younger than USA and Norway in regards to European settlement, and my house is only about 60 years old.
Unusually for this country, and bad for real estate agents, we have not moved in close to 46 years, so it has taken on some of the characteristics of the current owners. Our local soil is of poor quality and I have not yet got my garden as I want it to be, so maybe the plant shops have taken the money that otherwise may have gone to real estate agents.
Geoffrey, I was delighted to read your comments on your artistic talent. There is a tendency among a lot of Australians called the "Tall Poppy" syndrome, where even without self promotion, talented people are criticised mercilessly. I do not approve.
To me the ideal attitude is to confess your talent, accept praise graciously, but don't "big note" yourself. That is what I feel you have done in your latest posting.
Keep posting both your artworks and your philosophies, I enjoy them both.
Best wishes,
Alan
Too much Leonard Cohen is never enough.
London 1972, Adelaide 1980, 1985, 2009
Sydney 2010; Adelaide 2010
Sydney 2013 X2; Melbourne 2013; Adelaide 2013
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Geoffrey
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Re: a lot of activity

Post by Geoffrey »

two images. first a picture taken today that captures light emanating from someone with good karma. secondly, a previously unpublished photo taken some years ago of a well known gentleman enjoying paella while traveling incognito. enjoy! :) (update: third image added later)
my body is the light, my body is the way.jpg
incognito.jpg
"i want a spirit that is calm" -cohen
drama is life, with the dull bits cut out.jpg
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Geoffrey
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Re: a lot of activity

Post by Geoffrey »

AlanM wrote: Tue Jul 19, 2022 4:13 am Geoffrey, I was delighted to read your comments on your artistic talent. There is a tendency among a lot of Australians called the "Tall Poppy" syndrome, where even without self promotion, talented people are criticised mercilessly. I do not approve.
To me the ideal attitude is to confess your talent, accept praise graciously, but don't "big note" yourself. That is what I feel you have done in your latest posting.
this makes me think of an after-dinner game people can play if their number is four or more, but it's not for the over-sensitive. a paper and pencil is given to the participants. each has to anonymously write down six things about those who are present. three of the things are to be positive and three are to be negative - then the papers are folded and shuffled. then each takes a paper and reads out what is written. sometimes there are really nice compliments, and sometimes hurtful criticism, but everyone usually learns something about themselves.
-----------------------------------------------------
"jimi took some of my songs that nobody paid any attention to and sent them up into the stratosphere - turned them all into classics!" -bob dylan
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Geoffrey
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Re: a lot of activity

Post by Geoffrey »

hungry lady
it's ok to eat fish because they don't have any feelings.jpg
the town hall square is a good meeting place :)
a woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle.jpg
carefree man wandering about town
when we are good nobody remembers us, when we are bad nobody forgets us.jpg
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Geoffrey
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Re: a lot of activity

Post by Geoffrey »

woman enjoying her stroll
jeffrey and i have everyone on videotape.jpg
dar
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Re: a lot of activity

Post by dar »

I really like how you get these sketches moving. Great motion.

I was also wondering if you just might hop on a plane to Belgium this time around. I don't see your name as attending the event, so I guess you're still keeping your feet on the ground.
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AlanM
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Re: a lot of activity

Post by AlanM »

Hi Geoffrey, I love your most recent contributions.
I think that part of your skill is to make "normal" folk somehow look extraordinary.
I also love your selfie with the light streaming down.

Please keep sharing.

Alan
Too much Leonard Cohen is never enough.
London 1972, Adelaide 1980, 1985, 2009
Sydney 2010; Adelaide 2010
Sydney 2013 X2; Melbourne 2013; Adelaide 2013
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Geoffrey
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Re: a lot of activity

Post by Geoffrey »

dar wrote:
>I really like how you get these sketches moving. Great motion. I was also wondering if you just might hop on a plane to Belgium this time around. I don't see your name as attending the event, so I guess you're still keeping your feet on the ground.

AlanM wrote:
>Hi Geoffrey, I love your most recent contributions. I think that part of your skill is to make "normal" folk somehow look extraordinary. I also love your selfie with the light streaming down. Please keep sharing.

thank you, dar and alan. always a pleasure to see messages from you.

there is no conscious intention to make these sketches move or look extraordinary - it's just the way they turn out. so perhaps there is not really any skill involved. you know, these drawings appear every day, it's a sort of therapeutic hobby. if one constantly does the same activity it eventually becomes almost automatic, very little effort or attentiveness is needed. in haste i should add that it is never a tedious pastime, as long as a picture doesn't take too long to do. on the contrary, i am always interested to see the result, despite the mind having wandered during the brief process.

dar: it would be lovely to attend the cohen event, and if it was held in norway the temptation to participate might be irresistible. two or three cohen admirers have made the exhaustive journey to ålesund, and i have also met several others in oslo and bergen - such wonderful
occasions.

alan: the light streaming down in that selfie photo emanated from an electrical ceiling fixture, and i just pretended it was an aura coming out from my body. not very honest of me, but most people realised it was fake. the truth is that it takes much courage to tell a big lie, because one risks the embarrassment of being found out. people who always tell the truth risk nothing, except maybe being boring. leonard said the same in one of his songs "i cheat and i lie!"
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AlanM
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Re: a lot of activity

Post by AlanM »

I finally (?) decided where I could hang the canvas print of the photo of the island off Hydra.
I collected it yesterday and am very happy with how it turned out.
Island canvas.jpg
Of course when I got it home I changed my mind (or more accurately, my wife made a better, logical suggestion) so it is not where I had originally intended it to be. Now it is opposite to the New Zealand panorama, rather than further along the same wall.

Regarding building practices in Australia, below is a photo of a house under construction near my home. The technique is called "timber frame brick veneer". The inside walls generally are not made of brick, only the outer layer of the outer walls. Steel frames are becoming more popular, but are less flexible with respect to tolerating ground movement. They are, of course, resistant to termite infestation.
Building.jpg
I heard an "expert" on the radio a few days ago saying that better insulation is achieved by having the bricks on the inner layer and an alternate cladding on the outside of the outer walls. I only caught a little bit of his talk, so I don't know what the scientific background is.

Alan
Too much Leonard Cohen is never enough.
London 1972, Adelaide 1980, 1985, 2009
Sydney 2010; Adelaide 2010
Sydney 2013 X2; Melbourne 2013; Adelaide 2013
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Geoffrey
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Re: a lot of activity

Post by Geoffrey »

very nice indeed. from a distance it looks like a spaceship hovering above the ground, but the truth is revealed as one gets closer. is there a special reason why you prefer boxed canvas instead of a suitable glass frame with passepartout for your photographs?

what do you think would have happened had your wife's 'suggestion' not been heeded?

i note with interest and agreement your quotation marks on either side of the word 'expert'. yes, one can be rather suspicious of such a title, as dylan cynically hints at in one of his songs: "ever done the opposite of what the experts say?" as you will know, there are several ways to completely avoid termite infestation. it is not something one needs to suffer, so steel frames are not obligatory.

good to hear from you, alan.

https://vimeo.com/233208156
this is what a real expert looks like ;)
you may be a king or a little street sweeper, but sooner or later you dance with the reaper.jpg
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AlanM
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Re: a lot of activity

Post by AlanM »

Geoffrey wrote: Fri Aug 19, 2022 9:24 pm very nice indeed. from a distance it looks like a spaceship hovering above the ground, but the truth is revealed as one gets closer. is there a special reason why you prefer boxed canvas instead of a suitable glass frame with passepartout for your photographs?

what do you think would have happened had your wife's 'suggestion' not been heeded?
Thank you very much, Geoffrey.
I prefer the canvas as, due to its matt surface, it does not reflect the viewer or the room.
For the same reason I try to avoid glass over a picture.
I have another panorama photo of some mountains and lakes in south west Ireland that hangs elsewhere. It is printed on photographic paper and framed with a glass covering. It is very reflective and I might be tempted to get it printed again now these canvas prints are available.

My wife, in her great wisdom, reminded me that the position I had selected is bathed in strong sunlight (a blaze of light?) at certain times and would likely lead to fading. As the colours of the sea and sky are very delicate already, had I not heeded the guidance, they would probably have faded further.

My favourite Einstein quote is: "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

Best wishes,

Alan
Too much Leonard Cohen is never enough.
London 1972, Adelaide 1980, 1985, 2009
Sydney 2010; Adelaide 2010
Sydney 2013 X2; Melbourne 2013; Adelaide 2013
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