TWO MINUTES -Watching Morris Dancers

 

A poor life this if, full of care, We have no time to stand and stare.

William Henry Davies 

TWO MINUTES - Looking At A Field

A poor life this if, full of care, We have no time to stand and stare. 

William Henry Davies

TWO MINUTES - Walking In A Wood

     A poor life this if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.

William Henry Davies

EUROVISION 2025 - Best of Semi Final No 2

The second Eurovision Semi-Final had a better selection of songs than the first, but with no obviously killer song or performance to steal the show. There were some repeated themes. Songs that are really two types of song bunged together and will abruptly shift from one to the other style. With the best will in the world this is a hard bifurcation to pull off. You just end up surprised and not a little disappointed when the song looses consistency. After all you only have three minutes to sell your song in, keep it simple guys. The other thing was the dramatic costume change, which somewhat mirrored the song change tendency. You could tell in advance, at some point that cloak will have to be ripped off to a round of applause. It was done so often it became a cliche over night.

Our two hosts for the evening were trying too hard to be funny (failed) or did really peculiar behaviour that had you shaking your head, or turning it away cringing.. 'The so called 'comedian' was dressed like a mermaid with iridescent fertilised eggs all over her dress.  Thank god I wont be watching any more of them. So now to the three best songs.

The evening opened strongly with the Australian entry. This is a charmingly silly song that was an utterly entertaining joy to watch, which the staging and the not one, nor two, but three costume changes made all the more impactful. He gives it all the energy and sheer chutzpah he can, but it still didn't make it through to the Final unfortunately. Otherwise there would've been a serious clash of the silly song with Estonia. 

Its a tactic in Eurovision to often go for the eccentric, really out there song/performance to hit home with. What the Latvian entry does is give you a really unusual and interesting song, but on the right side of weird. The six singers are beautifully harmonised, dressed as they are in their wood nymph costumes. I think this is the most distinctive and original thing in this entire competition. For that reason alone, it is probably not going to win. But in the straight song competition, as opposed to the delightfully silly parody one, this wins hands down for me.

The Malta entry is the obvious gay crowd pleaser, sung with great conviction and gusto. Already controversial because when sung in Maltese it was very obviously playing with rude sexual derogatory words. Even adjusted to spare our blushes, the presentation is incredibly sassy and on it. This woman is happy to break those boundaries girl. A definite contender for winning, but who can say with Eurovision? 

TWO MINUTES - On A Shingle Beach

    A poor life this if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.

William Henry Davies

TWO MINUTES - Looking Up At The Tree Canopy

   A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

William Henry Davies

TWO MINUTES - Of Spring Rain

  A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

William Henry Davies

TWO MINUTES - In A Wood

 A poor life this if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.

William Henry Davies

WATCHED - What Miracle Are You? - A Reflection on Life Video

I always find it inspiring when I find someone who is plainly just being themselves beyond all limitations. The woman in this video is one such person, and is consequently a real joy to listen to. But, as ever, at the core of who she now is, is a tragic incident and a decade or two of pain. As someone who has struggled pretty much all my life to be themselves in all its fullness, and that it's still a work in progress, she challenges me to go further than I currently can conceive of. 

Absolutely bleedin marvellous.

 .

WATCHED - Freedom of Less - a Reflections on Life video

This guy has a lot to teach us all. Living without a permanent home and wandering from one casual job to the next. There is a lightness to him that's inspirational. Though I can't quite see someone of my age wanting to do it, I imagine you do need to be robustly healthy. but then maybe that limitation is all in my head.

FEATURE - David Whyte - The Conversational Nature of Reality

I found this You Tube conversation between David Whyte and Tim Feriss. It's over two hours long, but it does go deep and broad into Whyte's writing and philosophy. I found it it an invigorating and frequently inspiring listen. Give it some time, if you will.

WATCHED - On Awe Of Beauty - A Reflection on Life Video.

This is such a moving video, of a woman who has such a tender sense of both the beauty and the fragility of her life. Born in part out of the loss of her young son. She talks about starting a gratitude journal in order to appreciate her life more, and the need in later life to prioritise what you focus your attention and love upon. So, needless to say, it spoke to me.