One hundred years ago and more instead of the view in the picture above you'd be looking at the entrance to the Stevengraph Works. Stevengraph's were woven pictures which were very popular and are collectible now.
The car park itself is very familiar to me. I used to walk through there regularly on a Saturday morning on my way into town. I used to call it a "par cark" because for some reason I mixed things up easily. I've skateboarded through there and walked home slightly the worst for wear when I lived in a flat opposite when I was 18. Had the building still been standing during my lifetime I'd have had to walk around it. Instead I walked through the ghosts of Jacquard Looms.

As with everything it looks familiar but different. The older I get the more I know about my own life and what went before me. I step over, through and around ghosts of people and places I'm only just finding out about. I do the same for my memories but for the most part they get in the way of learning new things.

I'm not nostalgic. I don't want or need to be anywhere but now, but I am increasingly missing times and places I've never experienced. It's annoying to have so many questions and so few answers.

Moving Around Something

 

It's been a few years since I messed around with images and 3D and stuff like that. I was actively trying things out during COVID so at least 4 years ago.

I like the halftone type of effect you can see in the image above. It's more of a dithered image but I wanted something that closely represents silk woven pictures. There is a whole history of this type of art and especially so in Coventry which is where I'm from. Three minutes walk from where I once lived is the site of a weaver's where Stevengraphs were originally made. The French couldn't close the business in the nineteenth century but the Germans eventually did in the 1940's.

There is still a lot of Stevengraphs to admire and own in circulation. Owning one is high on my list of things to do.
I'm sure it'll happen soon.

Let The Sun Shine

It's about time the sun came out.

Today is the first time this year that I've sat in the garden and stared at the plants and into space as well. I wished while I was sitting out there that I had brought a radio with me. There's nothing quite like skipping around the bands in a quiet space. I luckily had a can of 'Mega Monster Energy' with me. I'm in a weird situation where I definitely need both the calories and the physical and mental boost.

With the cancer treatment now over I'm not doing so well. If I can stop the pain in my throat I can eat. If I can eat I can put on weight, I've lost a lot of weight. And if I can put on weight I can get back to some sort of normality that is until I try and eat anything and find it still tastes like crap. 

My taste buds took one hell of a hammering so the whole eating experience is unappealing. That is why small pleasures like a sunny day to enjoy the garden is so important. It's supposed to be sunny tomorrow.

I'm packing a radio.

You Who!

 

I've been messing around for most of today with a very short tune that I have now uploaded to the Internet Archive. It's called You Who!

Smile

The dentist is done.

It's a requirement before going to oncology next week and before treatment. I'm now waiting in a cafe for a phone call from a stop smoking service. I really should stop before any treatment. In reality I'm only vaping, the real smoking stopped about a month ago. What I need from them is the tablets that stop your brain craving nicotine.

Time to enjoy my coffee and samosa before negotiating for something better than rubbish patches and mouth spray. I've had that before and in all honesty it made very little difference. I have a high nicotine dependency.

Hopefully their call will be on time too. No time to hang around these days.