Monday, September 7, 2015

Every now and then

Our neighbour showed me an old photo of our house taken around 90 years ago. It's interesting to compare how it looked then to how it looks now.

Every now and then I get a bit annoyed with modern technology. I really dislike car naff sats and had mine removed when I bought my car. Let’s not lose the skill to read and enjoy paper maps and the ability to make our own minds up on where to go and which route to take. When we moved into Ash House we removed the dishwasher straight away and swapped it for two packets of sausages with the folk at Cartmel Valley Game! If we had a dishwasher, we wouldn’t spend time watching foxes and deer through the kitchen window as we wash the dishes by hand.

I also get a bit fed up with digital photography and often think about returning to film and setting up my darkroom again. Hand crafting a monochrome print is a real joy and achievement but requires time and patience and skill... something I’ve being trying to master since I was fifteen. I mustn’t give that up. Darkroom colour printing is less enjoyable, the chemicals aren't very pleasant compared to the ones used for black & white. Colour digital photography and printing is much more fun and so easy to share via the internet with blogs like this one... hmm, modern technology has its uses... I would miss the iPlayer on our smart TV... and our Mac computers... and the CD player in my car... the walkabout phones...

But I won’t give in to being told which way to go when driving my car... unless it’s by Sarah... she’s the best paper map reader I know!

You will have noticed the first line from the poem ‘Leisure’ by W.H. Davies on the banner of my blog. Sarah read this poem to me fifteen years ago this month in Eskdale. I’ve had a little fun with my own version!

 What is this life if, full of apps,
We have no time to stare at maps.

No time to follow contours and study scale,
Count the grids, up hill and down dale.

No time to plot and plan, to join up the paths,
Ponder over walks, anticipate the laughs.

No time to reminisce, picture the smiles,
Calculate how far in miles.

North South East or West,
I wonder which campsite will be best.

A poor life this if, full of apps,
We have no time to stare at maps.

2015
Circa 1921
In no time at all
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3 comments:

  1. UnknownSeptember 7, 2015 at 7:07 PM

    really good poem Dave!! lovely photos too

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownSeptember 7, 2015 at 7:08 PM

    think I messed up Dave..was saying how good your poem is!..photos lovely too

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. David McCormackSeptember 7, 2015 at 7:24 PM

      Thanks Rob.
      I remember you used to write poems, do you still do that?

      Delete

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Thanks.
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