Nordic Folk Since August, 2023 I've presented on here several pieces of music, compositions which may be best described as 'Nordic Folk.' Ulvetime On August 18 that year I posted 'Ulvetime (Hour of the Wolf)' by Northern European group, 'Songleikr.' The song’s captivating lyrics confront mortality with a mood of dread and restlessness, yet my …
The State-Sanctioned Murder of Derek Bentley ‘By killing, the evil killer rips a jagged hole in the fabric of society. The jagged hole makes everyone edgy. Edgy people respond with panic. What if the fabric rips some more? What if the next rip is closer to home? What if it rips up my street? My …
‘The nation which first learns to plot the paths of air masses accurately and learns to control the time and place of precipitation will dominate the globe.’ General George C. Kenney, Commander of the US Strategic Air Command, in the 1940s. Project Cirrus, the first explicit, military rainmaking effort in the West soon followed. IT'S …
SOME FASCINATIONS begin in childhood and never let go. For me, one such allure was the silent menace of submarines—sleek, powerful vessels gliding unseen beneath the waves. In later years I found something similarly captivating on land: the commanding presence of smartly painted, intelligently-designed heavy lorries—powerful machines that appear as stunning and substantive as any …
TWENTY YEARS AGO, on July 7th, 2005, a series of coordinated bombings struck London’s transport system during the morning rush hour, killing 52 people and injuring more than 700. Within hours, the public was told the attacks were carried out by four British-born Muslim men acting independently, radicalised by extremism and driven to murder. But …
'Upon the headland the Geats erected a broad high tumulus plainly visible to distant seamen ... within the barrow they placed collars, brooches and all the trappings which they had plundered from the treasure hoard. They buried the gold and left that princely treasure to the keeping of the earth, where it yet remains ... …
In mist-wreathed centuries before loathsome Norman banners flew over the island of the mighty, and when the names of kings were writ in runes, there came across the grey, white-capped sea many longships of oaken hull. Carven serpents adorned their prows, winds of fate filled their sails - and they came bearing stern-browed men with …
The sparks of inspiration which prompt musicians to produce pieces of music are as diverse and multi-faceted as music itself. Personal experiences, relationships, social issues and events are all possible stimuli for a songwriter’s muse, having the potential to release the flow of creative juices. Unsurprisingly, many iconic songs have their roots in their creators' …
I was ten years of age in 1968. Coincidentally, so too was Rob Blaine of Idaho, USA - but I'll come back to him later. Like many youngsters growing up in the 60s, the keeping of a scrapbook was one of my hobbies. Unlike this blog, however, the content of which could be described as …
The UK is rightly known throughout the world for its rich and varied patterns of hedgerows, a part of our cultural and landscape heritage which ranks alongside great cathedrals, quaint villages and spectacular coastlines. Hedgelink.org.uk Since discovering the Pickwalks Facebook page recently, aside from prompting me to up my litter-picking game in and around my …
RAVEN MOON 