one thing i am letting go of… control.
one thing i am holding onto… my relationship to me, one of confidence, curiosity and patience.
one thing i am calling in… commitment to my art.
september, oh september. thank you for cornwall, for the pilgrimage for peace, for the hedgerows, for the hawthorn and the fern, for jess, for orla, for martha, for the sea, for theatre, for cakes and candles and birthday wishes, for friends, for feasts.
1st september ‘25.
i am in kernow. i am sitting next to a lighthouse, at the end of penzance’s pier, sharing the space with the sun, the sea, the wind, and a grumpy fisherman, who is reeling it in, catchless by the whistle of the rod. i am getting goosebumps, maybe from the cool sea breeze, or maybe because i am here again. we will be starting our pilgrimage tomorrow. more reflections to come…
i am in kernow. i am sitting in the crown pub, a cornish pilsner to my right (and a scary 2l bottle of water to my left, i am dreading the weight it is going to add to my bag), waiting for my fellow players. how am i feeling? nervous. i have never done anything like this before and i don’t quite know what to expect. i am nervous for how hard it might be, the walking, the weight, the cold nights, the sweaty (stinky) days, the performing… but, despite the little doubts, i feel… peaceful. something about knowing i am spending the new week walking through the cornish countryside, knowing that i will be falling asleep to the sound of crickets and raindrops, and waking up to the sound of birdsong, hearing more of nature’s silent song, than of chatter and traffic… i can take a deep breath, sighing it out with a smile. we haven’t even begun and i am already feeling my heart swell with gratitude that this opportunity came my way.
in case you can’t read my handwriting… I don’t think we talk about it enough, the when and where of watching a film. The when and where of watching a film will often, if not always, affect the experience of watching. Me? I went to the Walthamstow Trades Hall to see OffBeat Folk Film Club’s screening of The Moon and the Sledgehammer, a documentary about the Page family, one of the last in a long line of off-grid agricultural families. Walthamstow Trades Hall is a community hall, dimly lit, save for the bar and the pool tables, comfy stackable chairs arranged in rows on a faded red, sticky carpet. The air smells of yeast and damp. It feels comforting, familiar, the place itself and the people who fill it, couples, singles, friends, bartenders, parents, etc… Something about the drinking of beer and the eating of pizza, the murmured chatter, the unfiltered laughter, leant itself to the amusing perplexity of this film. “Oily” Page and his four grown children lived in the south of England, with no gas, no electricity, and no running water, with only their organ, steam tractor, and each other. The film crew lived with them for a month, documenting their daily musings and activities. Their daily musings come out in thick, Sussex accents, sometimes making me think, sometimes making me laugh. The film is shot with a curious intimacy, the way a biologist or whoever might interact with a creature he does not know or recognise, but trusts won’t hurt him. He can get up close. Perhaps this is how we all felt watching it, watching humans being.
the screening was all the way back in january… better late than never! you can see where it is screening, or buy the film, here: .
@offbeatfilm are also hosting a folk film festival in may, which @harriolo , @soph.cooke and i just submitted our film for! keep your eyes peeled!
in case you can’t read my handwriting… Nosferatu is a remake of F.W. Murnau’s Nosferatu (1922), itself based on Bram Stoker’s Dracula, directed by Robert Eggers (The Witch, The Lighthouse…). The vampire, Count Orlok’s obsession with a young woman, Ellen Hutter, brings him from his home in Transylvania to the German town of Wisburg, where she is, bringing death and decay in his wake. On leaving the cinema, stepping out into a cold and snowy London, Dad shared his thoughts… “It is supposed to be a gothic love story! She is, in no way, drawn to him! He says she must come out of her own free will, but he tells her he will kill everyone she loves if she doesn’t! That wouldn’t hold up in a court of law! And it was so drab and dreary!” I agreed with him. “And don’t get me started on his annoying accent!” I drew the line there. While it must be judged from its source material, I can’t help but question its purpose in today’s cinematic landscape. It felt dated, repeating old and overused and unuseful stereotypes, referring to the white woman’s purity being the object of an old (to put it lightly) man’s obsession and desire and her sacrifice being the only way to save us all and the representation of the strange and superstitious gypsies. A remake, while paying homage, should surely bring something new into the [moving] picture, should it not? Despite this, I did enjoy watching it. The three stars are awarded to Lily-Rose Depp’s dresses, the final shot (the beauty of it will remain in my mind for a long time) and Count Orlok’s accent. Bill Skarsgard’s plosives did something for me.
a really nice day in a really nice house. 👍🏻
1. rosie in front of charleston house.
2. me in front of charleston house.
3. the lily pad pond.
4. rainbow chard!
5. detailed observations 1.
6. detailed observations 2.
7. the bloomsbury set’s dinner table.
8. a really nice lampshade 1.
9. a really nice pile of books.
10. a really nice chair.
11. window frames.
12. duncan grant’s en suite.
13. a really nice lampshade 2.
14. my favourite wardrobe!
15. a ceramic lamp.
16. rosie in the studio.
17. vanessa bell painting.
18. vanessa bell.
19. greeting the goats.
20. a really nice day in a really nice house. 👍🏻
![in case you can’t read my handwriting… Nosferatu is a remake of F.W. Murnau’s Nosferatu (1922), itself based on Bram Stoker’s Dracula, directed by Robert Eggers (The Witch, The Lighthouse…). The vampire, Count Orlok’s obsession with a young woman, Ellen Hutter, brings him from his home in Transylvania to the German town of Wisburg, where she is, bringing death and decay in his wake. On leaving the cinema, stepping out into a cold and snowy London, Dad shared his thoughts… “It is supposed to be a gothic love story! She is, in no way, drawn to him! He says she must come out of her own free will, but he tells her he will kill everyone she loves if she doesn’t! That wouldn’t hold up in a court of law! And it was so drab and dreary!” I agreed with him. “And don’t get me started on his annoying accent!” I drew the line there. While it must be judged from its source material, I can’t help but question its purpose in today’s cinematic landscape. It felt dated, repeating old and overused and unuseful stereotypes, referring to the white woman’s purity being the object of an old (to put it lightly) man’s obsession and desire and her sacrifice being the only way to save us all and the representation of the strange and superstitious gypsies. A remake, while paying homage, should surely bring something new into the [moving] picture, should it not? Despite this, I did enjoy watching it. The three stars are awarded to Lily-Rose Depp’s dresses, the final shot (the beauty of it will remain in my mind for a long time) and Count Orlok’s accent. Bill Skarsgard’s plosives did something for me.](https://sp1.picnob.com/p/pt_6716342251192252301028_0_a179da61ac486b2c41993b44d84dd9e0.jpg?o=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&h=4322400e6d3318735d6aff9bcf0e48a4)
