The light was fantastic; like lucid dreaming. It was so clear the Varne LV (light vessel) could be seen. Samskip Endeavor – container ship – Rotterdam Waalhaven – Dublin. ….and the Varne LV (lightvessel). Varne LV warns shipping of the Varne bank – which is right in the middle of the busiest shipping lanes inContinue reading “Spring light, and Varne lightvessel”
Author Archives: anon_for_now
To the Finland Station
I would love to visit Russia. Take the train from Helsinki to the Finland Station, St Petersburg. Spend days dreaming in the Hermitage and the museums of the Revolution. Edmund Wilson’s book To the Finland Station remains a favourite book. And then to Moscow, reading Gorky and Pushkin, Trotsky and Kropotkin. From there to theContinue reading “To the Finland Station”
Canterbury Cathedral
The cathedral itself is currently closed, but the precincts and the cloisters are open. There was hardly anyone else around. I sat for a long time, within the stone, alone. It was fantastic. It will take many visits and a great deal of study to properly work out the political, social and architectural history. TodayContinue reading “Canterbury Cathedral”
‘Let us now transport ourselves…
…from Robinson’s island, bathed in light, to medieval Europe, shrouded in darkness. Here, instead of the independent man, we find everyone dependent – serfs and lords, vassals and suzerains, laymen and clerics. Personal dependence characterizes the social relations of material production as much as it does the other spheres of life based on that production.Continue reading “‘Let us now transport ourselves…”
Monkey on an Ass Carrying a Hare
The church of St Nicholas Barfrestone was built around 1180 – roughly the same time as Dover Castle. It seems to have been commissioned by Adam de Port, a Norman baron who lived in the castle itself. It could be that he was hoping to make money (and influence) from pilgrims traveling to Canterbury. ButContinue reading “Monkey on an Ass Carrying a Hare”
General Cargo
Although it’s a bank holiday there are still a lot of people working. Global shipping doesn’t stop for anything (blocked canals being the exception). Certainly not festivals and holidays. The first ship is the Reimerswaal, a hopper-dredger, last port Northfleet, destination unknown. The other ship in the channel is the Autopride, vehicle carrier, en routeContinue reading “General Cargo”
Ships
The Moment Folkestone Police Station Did Not Burn Down
The government lies, the Tory party lies, Dominic Cummings lies. the police lie. But if you protest those lies you face imprisonment. These are dangerous times. But the danger should be felt on their side. They are the ones who are full of fear, hate and greed. They are afraid of graves and the flowersContinue reading “The Moment Folkestone Police Station Did Not Burn Down”
Bird with blue plastic
The sea is full of pollutants including plastics, chemicals, oil, raw sewage, radioactive waste, explosives. Every single square metre of ocean which has been surveyed now contains plastic. Plastic has been found in the deepest ocean trench; that’s at a depth of 36,000 feet. There are estimated to be over 5 trillion pieces of plastic,Continue reading “Bird with blue plastic”
Aegean Horizon
Just been to check that no ship(s) have got stuck in the Narrow Seas. All’s good. Here’s the Aegean Horizon (Crude Oil Tanker) on its way from Rotterdam to Algeciras. I made the mistake of leaving it too late to identify the other ships. It was one of those sorts of days.