Flying Bug

Now, where did I put my Mini Ha Ha? (Insert Sid James laugh here)

Adieu to Old London

Updated for @Possible Area.
As you can see, reports of London's demise have been greatly exaggerated.

Ooh, you are Orford! But I like you...

Orford British Intelligence listening station and atomic test area.

"Culloden" (1964)

Directed by Peter Watkins (of "The War Game" and "Punishment Park" fame)the documentary is a retelling of the battle of Culloden. Very interesting feel of ancient history being told in modern BBC Reportage style. Like watching the news from 1746...

Calke Abbey, Derbyshire

This is exactly what I pictured when reading M.R. James's "The Mezzotint". This is Calke Abbey in Derbyshire, which felt as haunted as it looks.

The grounds were full of ancient trees, graveyards, stone grottos and underground passages.

Its interior was full of dark, twisting corridors, animal remains and dusty old furniture.

To see the full Flickr set, click here.

Stereo

A graphic taken from a mid-seventies copy of Practical Wireless.



http://betweenchannels.blogspot.com/

The Appearance of Bridges

An investigation into the sudden materialisations and subsequent discoveries of bridges in rural and suburban areas of Britain in the mid-seventies.



http://betweenchannels.blogspot.com/

The Exorcist-ah

M.R. James, be born, be born

Yog Sogoth. Rape me Lord
I've suffered a great wrong
Such hatred, Church's song
Part One: Spectre v. Rector

The Rector lived in Hampshire
The Spectre was not focussed on
the evil dust in the air.
The Rector locked his doors
An Inspector drives through Hampshire
Has to sleep because of the fog
And thinks of his new director.
Meanwhile the Spectre possesses Rector
Spectre blows him against the wall
Says " this is your face.
I've waited all season for this
You're flaccid, my hate is crisp
I'll wreck your hot body to pieces."

Enter Inspector
You have Inspector versus Rector possessed by Spectre
He was spoken, this devil, rose and shrunken
The Inspector is half insane.

Onto the scene comes a Hero
Soul possessed a thousand times
Only he could save the Rector
Only he could save the Inspector
This hero was a strange fellow
"Those flowers, take them away," he said.
"They're only funeral decorations.
And O this is a tragic nation
A nation of no imagination.
A stupid dead man is their ideal
They shook me and they think me unclean."
I wash all day and still it's unclean
I have saved a thousand souls
You can only save your own
It's like I drunk myself sober
I get better as I get older

The hero
The Spectre enters the Hero
but the possession is ineffectual.
So exit a spectre.
Inspector and hero walk on the scene
Is the Spectre vanished forever?
Is Spectre banished forever?
The Spectre has exit the scene
but the Inspector is half insane.

Serves him right for choosing such a crap career.
And the hero goes back into the mountains
He was an exorcist
But he was exhausted.

The Fall: Spectre vs. Rector (1979)

"You absolute sewer!"

From the Burns Brothers Catalogue, 1959.

Only indirectly hauntological, I suppose. Metal drain covers remind me of childhood for some bizarre reason - possibly a passing fascination with 'em during the walk to school. Mysterious street furniture with authority built in. See also: concrete fire hydrant signs with their mysterious code numbers, and those green or grey metal boxes full of telephone wires.

Padstow Obby Oss

Stolen from a Facebook post by Kemper Norton.

30s hauntology?

One for the ladies / Briefs Encounter

Unlike their female counterparts, the Fairburn men are happy capering about but a little coy about removing their clothes. However, this does give us a survey of 70s style gentlemens' briefs. Perhaps there is some truth in the observation that most men are happy sitting around in their pants all day.

M32 Flyover

Under construction when I was a small child, the M32 flyover cuts through my psyche as sharply as it does through the physical space of Eastville junction. Usually I'm driving over or under it, often in a hurry, cursing the traffic, but today I just stood under it and felt its looming presence with an intensity I hadn't expected. I'm sure Ballard could've explained why...

Awkward moments

 
No-one told him they'd all be wearing paisley pyjama tops.

My car is at the garage for repairs, so I'm forced to go about my business on foot or by bus. What a drag. But at least I get to take a few photos on my travels. The following selection were taken this morning on a journey from Kellaway Avenue to Stapleton Road, which I hope will clearly demonstrate how dominant that bloody tower is in my neck of the woods. It seems to be there everywhere I turn.

By the end of my journey, the tower was roughly the same enigmatic distance away from me as it was at the start, but in between the bus took me on a convoluted route through the grim urban sprawl of Lockleaze, at one point getting tantalizingly close to the base of the tower (see pic 6) which was pretty intense. Think I might be losing my mind over this thing...

Signage of the Times

Letraset 'Graphic Design Handbook', late 80s

Letraset

New Desert Boots / Worn Out Shoes

Artistic Posing

The Fairburn System of Visual Reference, UK, 1978.

Back in the days before the interweb and Photoshop, designers and artists that couldn't afford a full-time life model used reference books such as the series by Fairburn. I'm sure it was very useful but some of the poses, hairstyles and fashions clearly serve no purpose other than giving the photographer a good laugh.