Spring Tweetings!

Spring Tweetings from Mugo on Vimeo.

At last all conditions have come together to successfully capture video and upload it to Vimeo. Thanks to all who have contributed to make this possible.

In America there is a magazine program called Sunday Morning which I particularly enjoyed watching. This short clip with spring blossom and the birds tweeting away reminds me of this program and of Rev. Master Jiyu since she enjoyed watching it from time to time. It was a quiet moment, I hope it is for you this Sunday.

A Timely Global Mosaic

If I were going around the world right now I’d go West, to New York. Because? At the Museum of Modern Art there is a fabulous exhibition of photographs by Cartier-Bresson. Hero of all aspiring documentary photographers. I was once one of those.

But all is not lost. There is a chance for everyone and anybody, aspiring or no, to submit photographs taken on May 2nd. The New York Times on line project called Lens is sponsoring this global (modern word that) effort. To produce a record of whats happening where you are, around the world. So……

Where will you be on Sunday, May 2, at 15:00 hours (U.T.C.) ?

Wherever you are, we hope you’ll have a camera — or a camera phone — in hand. And we hope you’ll be taking a picture to send to Lens that will capture this singular instant in whatever way you think would add to a marvelous global mosaic; a Web-built image of one moment in time across the world.

We extend the invitation to everyone, everywhere. Amateurs. Students. Pros. People who’ve been photographing for a lifetime or who just started yesterday.

A Timely Global Mosaic From Lens a New York Times blog. Many great pictures can be found there.

I’ve a camera with me and there are pictures waiting to be captured. But, my new high capacity memory card cannot be seen by my old (five year old) laptop. A solution will be found. Soon. Just have to take photographs of yellow spring flowers. Soon, soon.

Thanks to Jack for the link.

Going Around The World……

Where ever we are, when we go somewhere else we are going around the world. I guess. Just a thought! I did a bit of going around yesterday. First up onto the higher fells for a bit of up lift. Watching the paragliders lifting off into the air was quite something to watch. Part of me wondered if I’d ever do such a sport (that would be pre monastic life of course). And no, probably not. It was good to be up and looking out across the wide Eden Valley to the Pennines beyond. With my feet on the earth!

Later I went to Appleby, famous for the Appleby Horse Fair, which is coming up soon. Watch out grass, those ponies will be grazing everywhere they possibly can. And their free wheeling owners have been known to turn their ponies out onto farmers fields. Makes a certain kind of sense

Entering the town a small boy, with parents in tow, waved with happiness and called to me. I waved and called back. We all laughed together in recognition of…the delight of spontaneous friendliness. So good that such familiarity with strangers is possible still. The town seemed to be suffering from early closing, quite a few shops closed and it was only 3.30. My mission was to find an old fashioned video to post into the TV and watch one evening. As good fortune would have it I just made it into a charity shop as the doors were being locked. The video? Around the World in 80 Days with Michael Palin. Seeing the 1956 film of the same name, when I must have been nine or ten, probably ignited my longing to travel. Primarily my longing to go to Tibet!

Up coming travels, to Germany and on to North America, are beginning to have a ring of reality to them. In my mind at least. I’ll not being going by hot air balloon… But there are those who still want to lift off. I was with an elderly woman when she announced to her son that she wanted to Go up in one of those baskets for her 80th birthday present! I was impressed especially since she didn’t seem to be that robust physically. That spirit of adventure lives on in the older woman.

Uh! It’s Sunday night, (usually TV night in the monastery). Perhaps I’ll watch a Palin episode before turning in. A bit of going around the world.

The Lost World Of Tibet

Each summer for a number of years I’d read Seven Years in Tibet by Heinrich Harrer as my renewal time reading. Now, with the advent of the Internet, and access to videos such as the one, I can get my Tibet fix without turning a page! Since I’m still in recovery mode, from the cough, I’m particularly glad to be able to watch this video – it is renewing. And might even aid my recovery too!

To those concerned people, and thanks for your well wishes by the way, I do seem to be getting a bit better although the cough is hanging on. Tenaciously.

Thanks to Dave from Yorkshire for mentioning this video to me. Much appreciated.