Systems and cycles [556]
Greetings from The Borders...
I’m Christian Payne, photographer and writer. Still in holiday mode here, so this dispatch is rush job at the end of the day. More of a “Hi how are you?” As well as a “...here are a few things I saw noticed, felt and acquired.”
Thanks for joining in.
#TheAction
We’ve had guests over for the last few days and it’s been good to wind right down. Great food drink and conversation.
Plus day trips. Today saw us head over to Cragside. The photo at the top of this post was taken there.
As were these two.
The stunning stately home we walked around (the first house in the world to be lit by hydroelectric power) and next to it, the world’s biggest (in the ground) Christmas tree. 45m high and lit with 1300 lights.
On the way back we popped into one of the largest second hand book shops in Britain, Barter Books. This was my second visit this week and I’ll certainly be returning there again soon. Not the cheapest book shop but they have some rare items.
Well worth a visit even if just to enjoy tea and cake in between the bookshelves.
Tomorrow me and my daughter continue to volunteer at the wildlife sanctuary and recently we have mostly been looking after hedgehogs that have not been hibernating in this mild winter.
Hope you had a decent chunk of time all for yourself over the new year.
#ThePictures
We watched this yesterday.
I thought that the Beatles film Yellow Submarine had passed me by as I had no recollection of ever seeing it. But on watching it with the family last night I experienced a few (non drug related) flashbacks to a reoccurring dream I’ve had for decades. It’s a dream that I only really have when with a fever or high temperature and watching the film solved a mystery as to where some of the mad visuals must have come from.
I can only imagine that as my Grandad worked in the Odeon in Coventry that my Mum must have taken me to watch it as a toddler. Mainly as the reoccurring dream is in the same mad colours and imagery and if the internet is to be trusted it says Yellow Submarine didn’t appear on TV in the UK till 1988.
The story is a psychedelic rescue mission wrapped up in a playful, surreal visual extravaganza. It’s dripping with pop art, dad jokes and absurd humour and I’d love to know what inspired much of the weirdness. Although knowing a few stories about the Beatles from people who were there, I can guess that it may have been chemically induced.
It’s quite an optimistic film and I’m glad I watched it as I feel that years later I may finally be able to put my weird and uncomfortable fever dreams to bed.
If you can handle the weirdness it’s an easy watch that I feel stands the test of time.
A talk from Cory Doctorow on The Post-American Internet.
#TheWords
Just finished I Am the Law: How Judge Dredd Predicted Our Future by Michael Molcher.
I Am the Law explores how the long running Judge Dredd comic strip anticipated the evolution of modern policing and our ‘law and order’ politics. It pulls stories from Dredd’s history in 2000AD and compares it alongside real world history, theory and policy. It’s clear that what began as satire has become scarily comparable to modern day militarised policing, mass surveillance and protest suppression tactics.
Well worth a read. Especially if you are a regular attendee of my yearly 1984 Symposium at George Orwells Grave.
#TheSound
I’m hoping a few podcasts might help me get my knowledge of ancient history up to scratch. I’ve found this list but if there is anything you can recommend please let me know.
The evolution of the genre Classic Rock
#TheConsumed
There are more and more stories coming out about the miraculous properties of tea and although I hope they are true, I’m not sure the copious amount of normal and herbal tea I drink will be the antidote to the amount of beer wine and spirits that have passed my lips in these last two weeks. I’ll be glad to break that habit.
#TheThings
Speaking of habits.
I’m finding I am not inspired enough to advance in music on Duolingo as I’m putting it off till the end of the day and it’s messing with my sleep. So as I hit a year streak, I’m binning the pro subscription. Unless they start doing morse code then i’m all in again :-) Stopping that will enable me to begin something new and exciting.
I have procured the one Silky Saw to rule them all.
Not cheap mind. But I expect it will last me a long while. If you have never heard of the brand I have to agree with a lot of what they say on their website.
I do have an issue with them only doing right handed sheaths though. I need this for cutting overhead while up a tree and would love to be able to retrieve and return the blade with my left hand. It might be that I modify the sheath so it hangs on the left. It is the best saw I own for tree work though.
Another best of the best (in my opinion) tool is the Petzl Nao RL.
It’s a 1500 lumen head torch that weighs only 145 grams. The beam self adjusts depending on your environment and there is a red rear light for cycling or running. The removable battery is also USBC rechargeable and it all comes in a small bag that acts as a diffuser should you want to use the headtorch as a lantern. As it is balanced front and back it feels incredibly light but packs a punch.
I bought it from a European shop as it looked a lot cheaper but I underestimated the import tax. :-/
Here is some of the stranger ‘Stranger Things’ merch I have seen for sale on Etsy.
Still need to watch the last episode of season five.
#TheThanks
Massive thanks to the paying subscribers who have supported me over the last year.♥️
If you also value these words, ideas and curation, please consider an upgrade to paid…
Or if you prefer a random hat tip you can do that via PayPal
or Monzo …Either way… Thank you for reading, sharing and liking these posts as this supports and elevates my human manual work as I attempt to get it seen above an ocean of AI slop.
#TheWeb
Lost Vegas
If you are reading this in China, Please drop a pin on the Documentally community map. It’s looking pretty barren over there.
Beware the Slopaganda
If you are into mid-century aircraft manuals then I can appease your nerdy needs with this link to my friends home server.
Some of my other places include these… plus Letterboxd for film logging, Discogs for my physical music collection, Strava for documenting exercise, Untappd for new beers I might sample, my audio RSS feed stores recordings, Swarm where I log the occasional place, Vivino for questionable wine reviews, LinkedIn for… not sure what that’s for, YouTube for vlogging, Mastodon for decentralised social, a ham radio newsletter, foto for random photos, or search ‘Documentally’ on Wire and Bluesky or G5DOC on Zello to stay in touch. Supporting subscribers also get access to a Discord server. Message me for a link. 👍🏽
Years ago I used to call this ‘tentacle media’. Post to your own blog and then syndicate elsewhere. I really should consider doing that again. As much as I enjoy the use of Substack, who knows where it’s going.
Security In A Box from the Tactical Technology Collective.
#TheEnd
A highlight of this week was the family sat round the table sharing what they were thankful for and any hopes they had for the future. A simple few moments that saw a lot of useful reflection and discussion. Wonderfully enlightening.
Thanks for reading. All errors are sings of life.
I’m back to manual work proper on Sunday, where I will be training it down to Cambridgeshire to assist in a house move.
What ever good stuff you’re up to, keep it up. Happiness isn’t at the end of an easy road. Discomfort is the path to happiness. Enjoy the dawn of 2026 and the promise of fresh beginnings.
“I felt my lungs inflate with the onrush of scenery—air, mountains, trees, people. I thought, "This is what it is to be happy.” ― Sylvia Plath
Begin.
See you out there.
Over…
I’m sure Yellow Submarine was on BBC TV not long after being made. I didn’t see it in the cinema, but I certainly saw it when I was living at home - i.e. pre 1971.
Thanks for sharing my classic rock piece!