In The Garden (Part 1).

Erysium

Spring in the air, there's magic everywhere. Spring finally arrived here last Tuesday. The sun has been shining after weeks of rainy weather. Sitting in my tiny yard I observed a Red Admiral butterfly flitting about, a ladybird on the shed door, a blackbird hopping around the garden with a beakful of nesting material, and even a couple of bumble bees buzzing around. There are a few plants already in bloom such as a nice orange Erysium, Clematis, Bleeding Heart, and a few others that I can’t remember the names of now. The garden was looking quite dilapidated though and I decided that now was the time to tidy it up. They told me at the hospital to take it easy for a while because of fatigue following my treatment, but I feel less fatigued if I have a bit of exercise than if I sit around doing nothing. So, I got stuck into the job at hand. 

Clematis.

The unsightliest part of the garden is the fence which is falling apart, faded and jaded after years of rain and high winds. Several panels needed replacing. I was going to order three panels online from B & Q but in the end just ordered one. I thought I better see if I can install one successfully before I attempt any more. Before I could do that, I made the decision to get rid of the compost bin because a little garden like mine doesn’t really warrant a great big compost bin. I never liked it much, standing there in the corner looking like a great big plastic dalek. I offered it to my mate Curly who lives three doors away and has a much bigger garden than me. He was pleased to accept it. Then I had the problem of moving it because it weighed a ton, so I had to empty it. It was full of top-quality compo, but with lots of bits of twig in it. I sieved it all over my flower beds, and also filled up about thirty pots into which I’ll sow seeds later this week. 

The new panel was delivered on Saturday morning. I was relieved that after a bit of huffing and puffing I managed to install it without too much trouble. That corner of the garden looks a lot better now, so this week I’ll order another couple of panels and carry on working my way along the fence. I must say I enjoyed working out there, getting some fresh air, and being closer to nature. I found it very mindful. While I was out there working, I forgot all about the madness that is going on in the world. That is the way forward. If everyone just minded their own business and sorted out their own backyard the world would be a much happier place. I’ll let you know how I get on with the rest of my garden in due course. Cheers.

Long Live The NHS!

Dyson Centre.

Sorry for not writing much for the last month or so, but I have been quite busy and otherwise engaged. I don’t usually talk about my health on the internet as I consider that a private matter. Today however I thought that I should try and get back into things by expressing my gratitude for the medical treatment I received recently at the Royal United Hospital in Bath, and especially in the radiology department of the James Dyson Cancer Centre. I had a PSA blood test back in September and my GP referred me to the hospital. I had an MRI scan which showed that I needed a biopsy. In early October I was informed that I had prostate cancer. I feel quite lucky because it was detected early before it had spread outside the prostate. I had a course of hormone tablets and two hormone injections. Then starting in February I had to attend the radiology unit for four weeks, every day Monday to Friday for twenty sessions of radiotherapy. My last session was on March 11th. 

Linear Accelerator, 

The machine I was treated on is called a Linear Accelerator. These incredible machines cost millions of pounds each. The cost to me of my treatment? Nothing!. The people of this area are extremely fortunate to have such a state-of-the-art cancer centre right here in Bath. The facility was opened by Queen Camilla only two years ago. It was partly funded by the generosity of local inventor and entrepreneur James Dyson and dozens of other fundraisers. I met some wonderful people during the twenty days. The doctors and nurses are amazing, always greeting the patients with a smile even though they are rushed off their feet with the amount of people they have to treat every day. Also, because of seeing the same fellow patients every day I got to know some of them quite well. They all had interesting stories to tell. The whole experience has confirmed to me what a precious institution the NHS is. When the National Health Service was created in 1948 it was the envy of the world. Everyone in Britain was entitled to free health care regardless of their status. I believe that the vast majority of people in this country still support the NHS and want to see it continued and adequately funded. 

There are certain figures though in politics who would like to see it sold off and replaced with an American style insurance system. So, if you support the NHS, next time you go to vote, I hope you remember which government established the NHS and ask yourself which party is most likely to protect it for the future. The other point I want to make is that we don’t have a national screening programme yet for prostate cancer although it is the most common male cancer, so if you have any concerns ask at your local surgery for a PSA blood test. It might save you a lot of trouble further down the line. I have another blood test at the end of May and a final appointment in June when I’ll find out if my treatment is a success. I was told to take it easy for a while because of side-effects. However, the weather has been so good this week I have been doing some gardening. I’ll try and tell you about that later in the weekend. 

The Pathless Country by James Harpur

It is Sunday and as I have the day to myself, I thought I would tell you about the book I have enjoyed reading for the past couple of weeks. It is called The Pathless Country, the debut novel by an Irish writer James Harpur published in 2021. James was born in 1956 and resides near Clonakilty in County Cork. He is best known as a poet, having won many awards for the eight volumes of poetry published prior to this novel. If you have read this blog page for a while you will know that I am an admirer of the Indian spiritual teacher Jiddu Krishnamurti. In 1929 when Krishnamurti dissolved the Order of The Star in The East which had set him up as the new ‘world teacher’ he famously said, ‘I maintain that truth is a pathless land, and you cannot approach it by any path whatsoever, by any religion, by any sect’. This is what drew me to reading this book because when reading Krishnamurti’s entry on Wikipedia it said that he is featured as a character in James Harpur’s novel The Pathless Country. K isn’t the only famous person to appear in the book, some of the most notable figures of British and Irish society in the early 20^th century walk across the pages of this book.

Painting by Degas

The central protagonist is a young carpenter from Galway Patrick Bowley the son of Joe a Quaker, and Bridie a Catholic. Joe experiences mystical visions such as whilst working at Tullira Castle the home of playwright and republican Edward Martyn he is transfixed by a painting of ballet dancers by Edgar Degas which has a profound effect on him. He also has a brief romantic encounter in a Galway church with Nora who later becomes the partner and muse of James Joyce. Patrick eventually moves to London to live with his aunt Faith who is influenced by theosophy and the suffragette movement. After attending a talk by the socialist and theosophist Annie Besant at the Queens Hall Patrick and Faith have a chance encounter with Jiddu Krishnamurti and his brother Nitya. This leads to a friendship and regular correspondence between Patrick and Jiddu. In London he also meets Agnes who becomes the love of his life. Later, back in Ireland he visits Achill Island and encounters the painters Grace & Paul Henry. I first thought they were fictitious characters, but on investigation I found they were real artists of repute.

Painting by Grace Henry.

The first world war arrives and Ireland is in turmoil. Irish soldiers are dying in their thousands fighting for the British Empire, while at home people like Padraig Pearse are making fiery speeches demanding independence from Britain. In the north the unionists under Edward Carson are preparing to fight to stay with Britain. Militias are training for war throughout the country. Agnes’s husband Dominic is killed fighting in France, Agnes and Patrick are now free to marry. Due to Patrick’s Quaker sensibilities and the influence of Krishnamurti he believes violence is not the way forward and he begins giving speeches appealing for unity. This gets him in trouble with the British authorities and the Irish republicans. Finally, he and Agnes set off across Ireland on a pilgrimage of peace. The book reaches its gripping climax when they arrive in Dublin on the eve of the Easter Rising 1916. I won’t tell you anymore because you also might like to read this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it because James Harpur has a poet’s eye for detail. There are some wonderful descriptive passages of the Irish landscape and people.  If you are interested in such subjects as spirituality, philosophy, art, poetry, or Irish history then I think you might enjoy this book as well.

 

 

 

Small Prophets

I’m a bit busy for the next month or so. It’s possible I might not have time for much blogging for a little while. However, I thought I would just tell you quickly about a wonderful new TV comedy series I have been enjoying. It is called Small Prophets and is written and directed by the brilliant Mackenzie Crook. If you have read my blog for a while you will know I am a big fan of his work in such series as The Office, The Detectorists, and Worzel Gummidge. I think Small Prophets is arguably his greatest creation yet. The series stars Pearce Quiqley as Michael Sleep who is missing his partner Clea who disappeared on Christmas Eve seven years previously. You don’t need me to tell you what a comic genius Michael Palin is after Monty Python, Ripping Yarns, and his film roles and wonderful travel documentaries. After reading the script of Small Prophets Michael jumped at the chance to play Brian Sleep who is Michael Sleep’s father. Brian lives in a Care Home where he creates chaos for the other residents and carer Hilary.

Palin & Quigley

Mackenzie plays Gordon who is Michael’s boss at the DIY store. Lauren Patel is excellent as Michael’s workmate, friend and co-conspirator Kacey . There are also great performances by Sophie Willan and John Pointing as the nosey neighbours. Even the minor roles of Brigham played by Ed Kear and eccentric neighbour Olive played by Shola Adewusi are deserving of a mention. Mackenzie Crook always has great music in his programmes. In the past the likes of Johnny Flynn and The Unthanks have been featured. In this series the theme song is by a singer called Cinder Well. 

Cinder Well

I hadn’t heard of her before but will certainly listen to more of her music in the future. Mackenzie got the idea for the storyline after reading about a Swiss medieval alchemist called Paracelsus. His dad Brian gives Michael the recipe for creating little creatures called homunculi. They can predict the future and only tell the truth. Before long Michael is busy growing the Small Prophets in his shed. I won’t tell you anymore because I want you to watch it yourself. It is shown weekly on BBC, but I was greedy and binge watched all six episodes on BBC iPlayer. I just want to say that there are many worthy institutions in Britain that should be preserved and treasured, but to my mind the two greatest institutions to be proud of are the NHS and the BBC. There are forces at work in the world who would like to destroy the BBC, but I don’t think there is another television company in the world that nurtures such creative talent and produces programmes of the quality of Small Prophets, so I say well done to the BBC. I’m looking forward to the next series already.

Michael & Kacey.

The Safekeep by Yael Van Der Wouden

It is now the ninth day of February, and it has rained here every day this sodden year. That has meant that I have been cooped up indoors most days. On the positive side I have read more than I have done in a long while. Yesterday I finished reading The Safekeep, the debut novel by a Dutch author called Yael Van Der Wouden. It was short-listed for The Booker Prize in 2024. I ordered the book because a Yorkshire friend of mine told me that she was reading it. When the book arrived, I made the mistake of reading all the snippets of reviews by other writers in the front of the book, by such people as Rachel Joyce, Ann Enright, Tracy Chevalier and Maggie O’Farrell, and noticed they were all women. This made me slightly wary, wrongly thinking that this was going to be chick-lit written for a female audience. It also made me aware of what to expect in the plot.

The book is set in The Netherlands in 1961 fifteen years after the war. The main protagonist is Isabel who lives alone apart from a maid Neelke who comes in to help with the housework. She has two brothers Hendrik and Louis. Hendrick has a partner Sebastian who Isabel initially dislikes because he looks ‘foreign’. When they meet up at a restaurant Louis introduces his new girlfriend Eva who Isabel also takes an instant dislike to. The story gets underway when Louis asks Isabel if Eva can stay at her house for a month while he is away on business. I knew from reading the publicity blurbs that Isabel and Eva would form a relationship. The tension between them is electric. The writing is very erotic, especially chapter 10. The romance isn’t the main story however. Gradually a deep dark shameful secret is revealed which concerns Dutch history during and after the war. I won’t tell you any more in case you read the book yourself. I don’t think The Safekeep is one of the best books I have ever read, not by any means. It is a page turner though, I had to know what happened next. It is a very promising debut novel, and I think a lot remains unsaid. There could be another very powerful story to be told if the author wanted to explore the history of the characters further, especially during WW11. I will look out for more writing from Yael Van Der Wouden in the future.

A Search In Secret India by Paul Brunton.

Yesterday the weather forecast told me that there was a 100% chance of rain until the late evening. It was no day for venturing out on the king’s highway, so to pass the time I thought I would write a piece about the book I have just finished reading. It is called A Search In Secret India by Dr Paul Brunton, first published in London in 1934. I first heard of this book when Eckhart Tolle mentioned it in one of his talks on Youtube. When my eBay paperback copy arrived, I was pleased to see a stamp in it from the famous Shakespeare & Company bookshop in Paris where the original owner of the book must have purchased it. Paul Brunton is the pen name of Hyman Raphael Hurst (21 October 1898 – 27 July 1981), a British philosopher, author of spiritual books, journalist and traveller. From an early age he had a fascination for the mystic east and took an interest in such subjects as theosophy and the occult. It was a chance encounter with a mysterious Indian man in a London antiquarian bookshop which determined him to set sail for Bombay in 1930 in search of the yogis and sages of India.

It was in Bombay that he had his first meeting with a remarkable man, who just happened to be staying at the same hotel. He wasn’t actually Indian; he was an Egyptian wizard or magician from Cairo by the name of Mahmoud Bey who revealed that he learned his secrets from an old Jewish magician who lent him musty old books about ancient magic. Paul Brunton asked him to demonstrate some of his skills. Mahmoud asked Brunton to write down any question on a piece of paper while he stood several yards away looking out of a window. Paul wrote in pencil, “In which town did I live four years ago?”. He was then asked to fold the paper as small as possible and clench it in his fist along with the pencil. After a few minutes he was asked to unfold the paper. To his astonishment he found the name of the town written on the paper under the question. When pressed to reveal how he achieved this feat Mahmoud Bey said he did it with the help of spirits called Jinns, one of which was his own deceased brother.  Brunton remained sceptical but couldn’t think of any logical or scientific explanation.

Meher Baba.

After leaving Bombay Paul Bruton visited Meher Baba. (1894 – 1969) who claimed that he was the Avatar, or the total manifestation of God in human form. He had taken a vow of silence and communicated by the use of an alphabet board. I knew of Meher Baba before reading this book because Pete Townshend of The Who and Melanie Safka were devotees of him. Melanie’s song Candles In The Rain mentions Meher Baba. Paul Brunton wasn’t impressed with him however. He doesn’t say that he was a fraud but felt that Meher Baba was deluded about his own greatness. Brunton also had a brief meeting with an aged Afghan female saint called Hazrat Babajaan who Meher Baba had encountered in his youth, after which he had a spiritual transformation. Brunton said of her, ‘some deep psychological attainment really resides in the depths of her being, I am certain’.

Hazrat Babajaan

As this book was written nearly 100 years ago, I find Brunton’s style quite dated, but it is still a compelling read. His attitude seems very colonial as well. He appears quite happy with the status quo of the British ruling India and doesn’t seem to have much time for Gandi and the independence movement. What I do like is his healthy scepticism of the people he meets. He has no time for the fakirs and tricksters he encounters. He has a lot of respect for many other people he met on his travels though, such as a man he called Brama who could display incredible feats of yoga including ceasing to breathe for hours, or even stop his heart from beating with no apparent ill effects. He also spent time with an elderly astrologer called Sudkei Babu. There was also Vishudhananda, the wonder worker of Benares who could produce any scent out of thin air and even bring deceased sparrows back to life. He was very impressed with Sahabji Maharaj who had founded a community near Agra called Dayalbach where the people combined modern methods of industry, farming, education, and housing with following their traditional religious beliefs of Radha Soumi. After reading the book I searched for Dayalbach on the internet and found that the community is still thriving to this very day. It was through meeting the religious leader of South India Shri Shankara that Paul Brunton was encouraged to visit Ramana Maharshi at his ashram at the holy mountain of Arunachula.

Shri Shankara

Brunton visited Ramana twice on this journey. Before meeting Ramana he had prepared a list of journalistic questions to ask. After a short while in his presence Brunton realised that questions were meaningless. He was overcome by the energy of benevolence that emanated from Ramana who just sat in silence beyond thought. Ramana taught that silence was the best communication. He imparted wisdom into people’s consciousness without a word. He had been content to live in obscurity, never leave Arunachula and never sought followers, but they had arrived anyway and the ashram had grown up around him. Brunton’s journey was coming to an end, and he was due to return home, but two days before his ship was due to leave Bombay he changed his mind and returned to Arunachula for a further month because Ramana had impressed him more than anyone he had ever met. When it was finally time to leave, Brunton said of Ramana, ‘He has taken me into the benign presence of my spiritual self and helped me, dull Westerner that I am, to translate a meaningless term into a living and blissful experience’.

Ramana & Paul Brunton.

Before this book was published in 1934 the name of Ramana Maharshi was unknown in the west, but the book made him known throughout the world. It has been translated into twenty languages and Ramana’s influence continues to grow and spread through such teachers as Eckhart Tolle and such practices as mindfulness and meditation. As the philosopher Bertrand Russell once said, "Those who live nobly, even if in their day they live obscurely, need not fear that they will have lived in vain. Something radiates from their lives, some light that shows the way to their friends, their neighbours perhaps to long future ages. I find many people nowadays oppressed with a sense of impotence, with the feeling that in the vastness of modern societies there is nothing of importance that the individual can do. This is a mistake. The individual, if he is filled with love of mankind, with breadth of vision, with courage and with endurance, can do a great deal. Every one of us can enlarge our mind, release our imagination, and spread wide our affection and benevolence. And it is those who do this whom ultimately humankind reveres.”

Arunachula & Ramana.

 

Somebody Tried To Sell Me A Bridge by Van Morrison.

There was once a fraudster in New York who sold real estate, (Sounds familiar!). His name was George C Parker (1860-1937) who sold public buildings that he didn’t own to gullible people. His most famous exploit was selling the Brooklyn Bridge. The scam was only discovered when the new ‘owners’ opened toll booths at the bridge to recoup their investment. George ended his days with a life stretch in Sing Sing prison. His memory lives on with a saying about gullible people, ‘If you believe that, then I’ve got a bridge to sell you’. It also gave Van Morrison the title track of his new album of Blues music Somebody Tried To Sell Me A Bridge. It is the third release on Van’s Orangefield label after the excellent Beyond Words and Live At Orangefield. Van created the label to release non-mainstream archive material that wouldn’t otherwise be released on a major label.  

The sleeve design is interesting because if you look at the shadow of the musician depicted on the cover you will see that he has a tail. I guess this tells us to expect blues music because amongst conservative Christian fundamentalists in America in the early 20^th century blues music was known as ‘The Devil’s music’ as it was associated with juke joints, speakeasies, brothels, alcohol and gambling. There are twenty tracks in all, mainly blues covers with just four tracks written by Van and one by John Allair. 

Buddy Guy & Van plaque.

At nearly eighty minutes of music, you are certainly getting your money’s worth. Van’s regular touring band are mainly absent from this collection of songs, but he is joined by many illustrious blues friends such as Taj Mahal who Van has worked with many times. Taj adds excellent harmonica and vocals to four tracks including the politically incorrect Delia’s Gone which I remember Johnny Cash singing at Glastonbury in 94. 

Taj, Van, Mitch.

Elvin Bishop who I mainly know from the song Fooled Around and Fell In Love plays guitar on five tracks. There is a great video on youtube of Van and Elvin from 1977 performing Domino. Buddy Guy is still going strong at 89. You may remember that it was Buddy who unveiled the plaque on Van’s former house on Hyndford Street. I don’t think Van was very pleased about that at the time but seems to have got over it now. I love Buddy’s guitar playing and vocals here on I’m Ready and Rock Me Baby. You can see Buddy make a cameo appearance in the recent multi-Oscar nominated film Sinners. John Allair who has played piano and organ on many great Van albums contributes (Go To The) High Place In Your Mind. 

Elvin & Van 1977

I hadn’t heard Anthony Paule until recently, but he plays some excellent guitar on this album, and I think the backing singers here Omega Rae, Nona Brown and Larry Baptiste are members of his band.  Dave Lewis like Van is also from Northern Ireland. He played piano on the Magic Time album and wrote Madame Butterfly Blues featured on this album. Mr ‘Boogie Woogie’ Mitch Woods plays piano on twelve of the tracks. Eddie ‘Cleanhead’ Vinson whose songs Van has recorded previously wrote the first two tracks. Other songs were written by such luminaries as Junior Wells, John Lee Hooker, Fats Domino, Sonny Terry & Brownie Magee, Leadbelly, Willie Dixon, Blind Blake, BB King, and Marie Adams who wrote Play The Honky Tonks. I had never heard of Marie Adams, so I just looked her up and found that she sang the original version of Ma, He’s Making Eyes At Me which gave Lena Zavarone a number one hit in the UK. 

John Allair

If I had to choose a favourite song here, I think it is Van’s version of Fats Domino’s Ain’t That A Shame. I can’t fault this album. It is just what I expected when I ordered it. Van’s voice and sax playing are as good as ever, although the four tracks he wrote himself aren’t among his best compositions in my opinion. The musicianship of the players is excellent. I think the problem for me is that I’m not the world’s greatest blues fan. My initial enthusiasm to hear the songs began to wane after a while and I found they began to sound a bit samey to me. Don’t let me put you off though. I know a lot of music fans who are steeped in the blues will love this recording and find it a very valuable addition to Van’s great body of work