Finished Dawkins 'The Blind Watchmaker'. Good all through until his final chapter when he makes a remarkably unconvincing attempt to demolish all competitors to evolution by random mutation and natural selection (e.g Lamarkianism, mutationism, creationism) which fails in the same way as the God Delusion fails - it's not that he's right or wrong (I think he's right about Darwinian evolution) but that he's so convinced he's right he's unable to make a convincing case for the alternatives and then show how they really can't work. His arguments against seem circular, and I suspect his description of the alternatives just a caricature. Learned a lot though. One counter / possibility he doesn't consider - that the whole of evolution, from the Big Bang on, has a direction or purpose - he definitely wouldn't like that or anything that smacks of hooey fooey mysticism. He makes his opponents all straw men.
Fascinating how filled the whole book is with biblical references - he clearly knows his bible. Quotes or refers to the bible more than any other single book - his only reference to Shakespeare, for example, is the monkeys typing Hamlet.
I posted my table pics up to The Hairy Elf and tagged Felicity. Got a comment from Joe about it "including all the angles" and pointed out (and realised myself) that it also includes a pyramid, the Golden Section, and the orbit of the earth, which is mildly spooky. Having bought all the tools and table and wood up to my room yesterday 'cos it was raining all day (and doing nothing with it apart from look at it), now the sun is shining and I could work on it outside, only I have to wash my sheets, fetch the car(if it's ready) and finish clearing out my room and the kitchen and packing it all in the caravan.
I've downloaded Dark Mountain's spec for submissions to their next anthology - the theme is Mapping the Edges (borders, transgressions, JP's hero straddling the known/unknown, the liminal - all good stuff), so I thought I might try and write a piece about my (non)journey to Naxos and search for home. This blog will be a good source for material. Deadline is 18th May, for (max) 4,000 words. I guess Nietzsche and Heidegger are pretty transgressive, in their different ways.
Diana just offered me a lift into Fram. Maybe she wants to come to Naxos.
Nightingales by the pond.
Packed everything up, washed my bedding, hoovered and dusted my room, collected the car, and had supper with Johnny and Ingrid and Fred. They're all off to Yorkshire for Easter. The garage said they'd post the bill to me, so I still have no idea what it all cost, but the brakes work fine and it feels very solid. Now I just have to hope the caravan will move. May take it to Fram Tyres on Tuesday for a grease on the way to Felicity.
Friday
Nice lunch and long chat with Ronnie Blyth, about old age, death, food and writing. I said goodbye, and see him in the world to come (he's very old).
Made Pol Boston fish chowder and went to Waj's exhibition at the Chappel Gallery. A stunning picture of a grass verge and a wheat field, but I don't have £4,000 or anywhere to hang it. (WŁADYSŁAW MIRECKI)
It looks simple and chocolate boxey but it's anything but.
Told Pol about my Naxos dream, with entirely predictable results. "You never showed much interest in growing vegetables."
We watched Simon Schama talking about landscape painting in Civilisations part 3. Very good, especially the early Chinese stuff. What is Waj saying with his landscapes?
Jeff Salzmann is getting very chatty about Jordan Peterson, but doesn't think he believes in God, or that God is personal, and loves me. Not sure I do either.
Fascinating how filled the whole book is with biblical references - he clearly knows his bible. Quotes or refers to the bible more than any other single book - his only reference to Shakespeare, for example, is the monkeys typing Hamlet.
I posted my table pics up to The Hairy Elf and tagged Felicity. Got a comment from Joe about it "including all the angles" and pointed out (and realised myself) that it also includes a pyramid, the Golden Section, and the orbit of the earth, which is mildly spooky. Having bought all the tools and table and wood up to my room yesterday 'cos it was raining all day (and doing nothing with it apart from look at it), now the sun is shining and I could work on it outside, only I have to wash my sheets, fetch the car(if it's ready) and finish clearing out my room and the kitchen and packing it all in the caravan.
I've downloaded Dark Mountain's spec for submissions to their next anthology - the theme is Mapping the Edges (borders, transgressions, JP's hero straddling the known/unknown, the liminal - all good stuff), so I thought I might try and write a piece about my (non)journey to Naxos and search for home. This blog will be a good source for material. Deadline is 18th May, for (max) 4,000 words. I guess Nietzsche and Heidegger are pretty transgressive, in their different ways.
Diana just offered me a lift into Fram. Maybe she wants to come to Naxos.
Nightingales by the pond.
Packed everything up, washed my bedding, hoovered and dusted my room, collected the car, and had supper with Johnny and Ingrid and Fred. They're all off to Yorkshire for Easter. The garage said they'd post the bill to me, so I still have no idea what it all cost, but the brakes work fine and it feels very solid. Now I just have to hope the caravan will move. May take it to Fram Tyres on Tuesday for a grease on the way to Felicity.
Friday
Nice lunch and long chat with Ronnie Blyth, about old age, death, food and writing. I said goodbye, and see him in the world to come (he's very old).
Made Pol Boston fish chowder and went to Waj's exhibition at the Chappel Gallery. A stunning picture of a grass verge and a wheat field, but I don't have £4,000 or anywhere to hang it. (WŁADYSŁAW MIRECKI)
It looks simple and chocolate boxey but it's anything but.
Told Pol about my Naxos dream, with entirely predictable results. "You never showed much interest in growing vegetables."
We watched Simon Schama talking about landscape painting in Civilisations part 3. Very good, especially the early Chinese stuff. What is Waj saying with his landscapes?
Jeff Salzmann is getting very chatty about Jordan Peterson, but doesn't think he believes in God, or that God is personal, and loves me. Not sure I do either.
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