...and longitude.

Slap wrists VapourTrail - it's been a few weeks since my last post! 

Lots has happened, though I bet I will forget to mention quite a lot - some weaves and turns, ducks and dives, frights and reliefs, surprises and predictability etc. My Dad and Jaygo had birthdays so very 'appy days to them. Seen lots of friends - Heather, Chris M, Amelia, Giles. C and I got out in the sunshine for long walks int'nature and had lots of chill time, carpet picnics etc. Saw a few films - Hancock was pretty easy viewing and good fun. Started a great new book - The Pump House Gang by Tom Wolfe - fantastic and can't wait to read more of his stuff (thanks Sam). Was reading Piers Morgan's memoirs - got bored, not my scene at all. Some great new music - Another top album from Rod y Gab - Le Foc. Also Songs in A&E from the amazing Spritualized - superb and lovely listening.

My Flickr collection of stuff has been swelling nicely as well. Enjoying making the mini-movie clips and have got lots of ideas for new ones. Need to work on the image quality whilst keeping the file sizes down though - probably can't have one with the other, but I will investigate. Have sold a few more images and had requests for others to adorn walls of family and friends. There's even been a touch of freelance work come to light from a friend/past client which is a welcome thingy wotsit.

Main thing worthy of bloggage was Latitude last weekend - Been looking forward to it for ages. Situated just outside Southwold - A beautiful part of the world for a beautiful festie. We went with old friends Chris and Marianne from that there Yorkshire. This was a great event - highly eclectic in it's design, offerings and the demographic it is aimed at. There were loads of families with kids (of all ages) which gave the place a great vibe, plus people from all backgrounds and interests. There was the music stages, theatre, comedy, poetry, cabaret, performance art, installations, happenings - there was nothing left out. Even the food was organic, wildly varied and top-notch - result. A great size too - only 25,000 people and quite a small site. The whole weekend just flew which is always a sign of a good time and the weather was generally good. Can't recommend this festival highly enough, especially if you have kids but also want to option to party until sunrise. 

Could waffle on for ages, but here are the greatest hits of the festival from my point of view: The Burlesque Caberet Tent (that was bizarrely full of toddlers as well as adults most of the time); Ross Noble's impromptu 3,000 people strong conga train through the grounds who then proceeded ask every Vegan stall for sausage rolls for the rest of the festival; Bill Bailey's set; The Go-Team; Sea Sick Steve; Sigur Ros (that part I remember anyway); Elbow; Franz Ferdinand; Blondie (she was fan-bloody-tastic); Deathray Trebuchey (these guys were simply amazing - trippy brass based post modern ska madness); The pink sheep grazing by the lake; the floating orb flutist and light show; the Caribbean curried goat and dumplings; the lack of idiots and beer monsters; The Sunshine Stage high in the woods; Stewart Lee's comedy set; The mushroom risotto; having a blow up mattress to sleep on for the first time; 

Back to the daily grind now, but in lovely summer heat - makes even the crapest day seem bearable. I had a wee epiphany whilst at Latitude and this plus other events of the past few weeks have reaffirmed to me how precious our lives and consciousness are, and most importantly how these should be treasured and not treated flippantly. Life is not a rehearsal.

I promise not to leave it so long next time.