David's BRAT

My friend, David, is selling his Subaru BRAT - Bi-drive Recreational All-terrain Transporter. He's spent the best part of a year rebuilding it and getting everything running properly. It's cool.

They were the subject of numerous lawsuits in the 'States because the market-specific seats in the load space (open to the air, atmosphere, and hard, sharp things to die against) were so dangerous in accidents, leaving many litigation orientated Americans to ponder how Subaru justified such a design. Well, one of those trials found there to be a saving of >20% tax for Subaru if they could call it a passenger car by the addition of carpet and the 'Jumpseats', instead of paying to sell it as a commercial vehicle. 

It would be great, wouldn't it; riding in the back on a sunny day, perhaps on a ranch in California, as per Ronald Regan in the eighties (I understand he was a big fan). The only other one I've known was owned by a guy called Jim we knew back home, he lived on a farm and it was the perfect workhorse come sideways learning carriage.

eBay link here

The Beautiful Brecons

I finished work on Wednesday, got home and cooked pasta, then drove to Wales to spend the night in my truck at the foot of the Brecon Beacons. I went to sleep under a bright moon with only the sounds of a flowing stream and an owl, I woke to a still-clear sky and minus five on the temperature gauge. Getting dressed in a sleeping bag is possible. Soundtrack: Michael Nyman playing piano.

That's Corn Du, looking from the West atop Craig Gwaun Taf. It's the first of the six main peaks, all joined by saddled ridgeways so you never drop below six hundred metres. I had a black pudding scotch egg coming down Craig y Fan and then stopped for a tin of rice pudding at Fan y Big, both were great. Billy Holiday followed by Bill Whitmore on my headphones. 

The trade off for this trip was inevitable - the M42 was horrible both ways and on the way home I spent ninety minutes diverting through Ross on Wye after someone crashed on the A40. People.

Real Country

Today, I am in London, and have just seen three tubes pass unboarded at Euston, overspilling with actual people. A great man once said 'Go to London! I guarantee you'll either be mugged or not appreciated'. I've not yet seen signs for Shattered Dreams Parkway. Tonight, I'm meeting my friend and we're driving to the Peak District to stay in a climbing hut and go walking tomorrow. 

There's a gorgeous singer called ALA.NI who sounds like an-almost-modern-day Billie Holiday whose music someone introduced me to last summer. She wrote a little poem:

My Love for you was sprung in Spring

And flourished in the Summer sun

Autumn killed the fresh green leaves

And by Winter all was said and done

These photos are of places near me; from fitting new glass to the cottage in Spring; working at the unit on the farm in Summer; finding bread flour (and an old Land Rover) at the local mill in Autumn; and strolling the village in Winter before coming home to light the fire. This is a year in the Country. 

The Mill opposite my house hasn't turned a sail for over a hundred years, but still stands tall in the village. I think it's really cool and I hope to capture something like this properly once I find a way to stick the camera out the window whilst keeping it steady.