On a dark night, Kindled in love with yearnings–oh, happy chance!– I went forth without being observed, My house being now at rest. In darkness and secure, By the secret ladder, disguised–oh, happy chance!– In darkness and in concealment, My house being now at rest. In the happy night, In secret, when none saw me,Continue reading “Vespers: Dark Night of the Soul”
Author Archives: Content Catnip
How Long Does It Take to Make a Woods?
“How long does it take to make the woods? As long as it takes to make the world. It is always finished, it is always being made, the act of its making forever greater than the act of its destruction.” (Wendell Berry, from A Timbered Choir, 1999)
Travel: The ruins of Duntulm Castle on Trotternish
I visited Duntulm on the northerly most point of the Trotternish peninsula on the Isle of Skye back in 2010. Many many moons ago, perhaps several thousand years ago, the now mostly ravaged and ruined castle was originally a Pictish fortress, forming one of a chain of duns or forts stretching along the north coastContinue reading “Travel: The ruins of Duntulm Castle on Trotternish”
Exquisite Marine Invertebrates of the 19th Century
In this blog in previous years, I’ve talked about how humans and cephalopods are oddly similar, explored the underwater realm of Sydney Harbour in great detail, and the invisible realm of microscopic creatures rendered by Ernest Haeckel. But in terms of delicate creatures, the Blaschkas were the 19th Century heavy-weights. I originally posted this postContinue reading “Exquisite Marine Invertebrates of the 19th Century”
Travel: Exploring Ancient Kidwelly Castle in Wales
About ten years ago I visited Carmarthenshire, Wales and discovered the ruins of Kidwelly Castle with a friend and fellow couch-surfer. It was a delightful and fascinating day, full of overcast grey weather, souvenirs, bara brith, Welsh rarebit and early medieval history. Perched close to the wind-swept seaside and encircled by beautiful lapwings, ducks andContinue reading “Travel: Exploring Ancient Kidwelly Castle in Wales”
Every Picture Tells A Story: William Stanley Moore (1925)
William Stanley Moore according to his official police record was an “opium dealer/ Operates with large quantities of faked opium and cocaine./ A wharf labourer; associates with water front thieves and drug traders.” Mugshot by New South Wales Police Department (1925). He reminds me of one of the brothers in Peaky Blinders, not toContinue reading “Every Picture Tells A Story: William Stanley Moore (1925)”
Travel: Poking around the Mynydd Carningli neolithic hillfort
In 2010 I stayed for a while by the Welsh seaside in Newport, Pembrokeshire, Wales. I loved the wild waves and sea air, dramatic black cliffs and bright green hillside dotted with sleepy sheep. But most of all I loved the hill walks there, particularly Myndd Carningli, a splendid 347 meter tall mountain that holdsContinue reading “Travel: Poking around the Mynydd Carningli neolithic hillfort”
The Strandbeest and its glittering seaside evolution
Theo Jansen’s strandbeests are composed of spindly plastic organs that take elephantine strides. They have guts that store energy and are powered by wind. They are sensitive mechanical beasts that can even detect water. Each of Jansen’s ingenious strandbeests are miracles in motion. They may very well be the next stages of natural selection. JansenContinue reading “The Strandbeest and its glittering seaside evolution”
Eerie and Glorious Fake Cities Left Empty in China
“Entire townships and villages appear to have been airlifted from their historical and geographical foundations in England, France, Greece, the United States, and Canada and spot-welded to the margins of Chinese cities,” according to Bianca Bosker, author of Original Copies: Architectural Mimicry in Contemporary China. Tianducheng: A Fake Parisian Wonder Originally conceived as an homageContinue reading “Eerie and Glorious Fake Cities Left Empty in China”
11 Archaic Words That Deserve Full Revival
Here are eleven words that I have collected in much the same way as other people collect smooth stones from a riverbed or iridescent shells from a beach. With so many words and shells floating around, how can you be sure that you have the prettiest ones? Here are eleven of my favourite ancient words,Continue reading “11 Archaic Words That Deserve Full Revival”
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