I’m Christian Payne, autotelic, photographer and writer. In this weekly dispatch I seek out novelty, explore the relations between things, get used to my new shed and ponder where we might be going. Thanks for joining in.
#TheAction
Ahh the smell of a new shed.
A place for tools. Bits that need fixing. Bits of myself. The things that fix the other things, nails, screws, cable ties and those objects filled with undiscovered potential.
A shed for me is more than a retreat. It is a workshop, a studio, part sanctuary, part lab, it removes worries and bends time. I miss my old shed. That was a one off that over 15 years became more than the sum of its parts. I never took it for granted.
This new one, ordered months ago and finally delivered and assembled today, is more for making, honing, fixing and storing.
Now begins the quiet work of finishing and filling it. Then shaping it and letting it shape me. It is more than four bare walls. It is a clean slate and a future waiting to be made.
I’d spent most of Wednesday thinning out willow branches that were overshadowing the ponds, racing the rain. Sweaty work, with the sun somehow holding the clouds at bay. Earlier that morning the water pressure had dipped, but I thought little of it. By 4pm though, there was no water at all. The Scottish Water site confirmed a major issue and listed emergency dropoff points nearby.
We had no backup, just a few litres bought after our last plumbing disaster.
At 4:30pm the heavens opened. I stripped off, figuring this might be the only shower I’d get for a while. Cold, but effective, as most of the sweat and sawdust gone in minutes.
Once the kids were home from school, I set out to track down supplies. The first location was empty, the second turned out to be the home of an elderly lady, surprised to find herself listed as an official collection point. Eventually, after more driving round villages, I spotted pallets in random lay-bys. One had already been stripped by a couple avoiding eye contact while quietly loading 72 litres into their car. I said nothing thinking perhaps they were helping neighbours. But it made me wonder how different things might look if the outage dragged on.
I came back with 18 litres for the five of us. Enough for washing, cooking, and carefully rationed flushing.
The water was back on the following day but this is another reminder to fit water butts and make use of all the guttering we’ve got.
And on the topic of water, after a brief deluge yesterday, today we spotted a leak in our fibreglass flat roofed living room.
On the up side the mower is back and I can get back to meditating while cutting the grass.
#ThePictures
I watched Harold and Maude (1971) at the weekend. No idea how this 54 year old film got on my radar but I’ve since found out it’s a cult classic.
I loved it. It’s hard to explain, but without spoilers I’ll say the longing for death and the longing for life are not opposites, but two ways of wrestling with meaning.
This film embodies the paradox at the heart of existence and explains how it’s not about avoiding mortality… it’s about embracing it. 4.5/5
I was asked by a subscriber about where I get access to some of the obscure films I watch and they wondered if I used a VPN and then via the tor browser navigate to YTS.mx to then open the torrent file in the Mac app Transmission. While I admire their curiosity this sounds like it might be breaking some rules/laws and so would always recommend subscribing to all the streaming platforms, go to small obscure movie nights in your village hall or indie cinema, and trawl the charity shops for DVD’s with your watchlist in hand.
Incidentally, should you not have a decent VPN, use this link and we both win.
#TheWords
An atlas for escaping disenchantment
‘Reality is evil’. Despite the universe’s slide into chaos, goodness can be found in our small acts of resistance care, creativity and compassion. Even if we can only briefly hold back the tide.
#TheSound
I bought the album Rough and Rowdy Ways by Bob Dylan.
I’ll not tempt fate and say I have tickets to see him in Leeds (although I do) as he is quite old and anything can happen between now and October.
Dylan was a staple in my house from birth onwards and another one of those people creating soundtracks for the lives of millions. Me included.
If it pans out there is only really Joni Mitchell, The Stones and Ralph McTell left alive from the cassette rack/record box of my youth. I missed out on Dio and Van Halen but I did get to see the Melanie, McCartney, Van Morrison, Floyd and all of the Doors minus Jim.
Who am I missing from this era that’s still alive?
Fancy drawing some sound?
The Wicker Man: Learning to love the film that broke us. I like the lo-fi production of this chat between the interviewer Asya Fouks and Dominic and Justin Hardy, children of the Director of The Wicker Man Robin Hardy. Feels unedited and raw. In a good way.
#TheConsumed
My Neighbour Totoro ‘The official Cookbook’. This might be my new favourite cookbook.
Not because of what I have made from it. I’ve not made anything. But my daughter is working through it.. and with great success. It’s all delicious.
#TheBody
I’ve never been one for supplements. I’ve had the occasional multi-vitamin or iron tablet but never got into a habit. I’m easily lead by friends though… and when David Charles (Who visited me last week) said that he was experimenting with Creatine and asked if anyone wanted to compare notes, I took a look at this strange white powder and bought some.
Creatine is a natural compound your body makes and stores in muscle to help with energy. Taken as a supplement, it’s popular with athletes as it boosts strength, power and recovery in short intense bursts of exercise.
But research has shown it may also support the brain when tired, helping with memory and focus. It’s also being studied for conditions like Parkinson’s and even depression. Early results look promising. Especially in Women.
So my findings after 7 days? It’s probably too soon to tell but i’ve certainly done more this last week in regards to exerting myself. I can’t say I feel smarter or cognitively quicker but I have now gone a week without coffee as I have really not felt the need. Which in a way is a shame as I like coffee. But when missing a day of caffeine normally results in a headache and lack of concentration I am now finding i’m able to focus fine and am even sleeping better. I’ll update more later.
#TheFound
I spotted these Pertex mittens in a local second hand shop. They were priced at £1 and labeled Bison gloves. But I knew exactly what they were.
They are the original Buffalo Systems DP Mitts made in Sheffield and a part of a legendary clothing brand that revolutionised outdoor clothing at the end of the 70’s. Thanks to a friend working in an outdoor shop, I bought one of their jackets (called ‘mountain shirts’ I think) in the 90’s for a bargain. Pertex outer, pile lining and designed to be worn next to the skin. So no base layers. A no-nonsense, durable, outdoor layer. Quirkier than your normal layering system but mountaineers and search-and-rescue swear by it.
I still regret selling mine despite someone offering me more than I paid for it. If you want one today it will cost you around £300. And the mitts, although now a slightly updated design cost £74. I’m almost looking forward to the Scottish winter.
#TheThings
As you can see from above my new garage/workshop/bike store is now up in the barn and I just need to insulate and board out the inside.
I got it from Robertson Timber who do good work so are in high demand. Decent quality at a reasonable price. Although the pre covid price of wood was a fraction of what it is now so sheds are now quite spendy.
I have scratches all over my arms from lugging sections of tree to be sawn and split. That is till I remembered where I put my timber tongs. I’m pretty sure I mentioned these during my recent Arborist course. Brilliant piece of kit.
Of course I could just pick up this size of log with my hands, but as this was the size I’d been trimming, that’s what I am using to demo my timber tongs.
Do you have enough signs in your life.
#TheThanks
Thank you paying subscribers and $5/month you invest to support my efforts here. I truly appreciate it.
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Either way… Thank you for reading, sharing and liking.
#TheWeb
Not sure if you ever have the need to add a subtitle track to a film on a Mac but I have found Subler useful for this. If you want it permanently attached then you need Handbrake.
Data centres rarely report on how much water they use.
Good to see some new readers on the Documentally community map. Welcome!
The benefits and risks of foraging your own food.
How I risk death to feed my family.
Some of my other places include these and supporting subscribers also get access to a Discord server. Message/email me for a link. 👍🏽 I’m also Documentally.01 on Signal.
Meta might be secretly scanning your phone’s camera roll.
27 notes on growing older
#TheEnd
Satisfaction is in the doing, meaning is in the why.
I hope you can embrace the satisfying and meaningful this weekend.
Thanks for reading all the way down here. I’m off to pour a drink and put on some Vinyl.
“If I ever go looking for my heart's desire again, I won't look any further than my own back yard. Because if it isn't there, I never really lost it to begin with.” ― Noel Langley
Do.
See you out there.
Over…
I'm late to this post but I was proper chuffed to see the Buffalo gear get a mention. The one bit of camping kit I miss dearly was an XL Buffalo outer sleeping bag. Coupled with a summer down bag and a silk liner I could (and did) go anywhere. The bushcraft crowd call them "sleep systems" nowadays, but we just made up our own kit to stay warm and dry with what was well made nearby. I was reminded that we were getting all that gear back before companies like Rab became a huge global brand, and would recycle old down from jackets or bags into a new item.