Bartolomy’s Diary

I went to Oxford Street and had a super quick shop there, it was only that I went to HMV to browse that my stay stretched a bit otherwise 30 mins in and out…..it was not busy at all, only when I decided to leave did I notice that punters had increased considerably. Lots of sales going on, not in the shops I went to though….if only.
I am away in Essex during some of the festivities and then it’s off for a chill. I may start working on a new bands website, not real work according to Stephen Martin, still I gotta have something better setup than now the gallery is a mess.
I am also aware that there are certain database problems with the archive site and that means more fixing or perhaps even a newer version of the current site and therefore a new start from the beginning. A lot of work lined up for the new year already………..

Michael Lewin of Notion fame and I are supposed to get together and do a few bands/artists in Jan & Feb., I hope some will work out.

Believe it or not but we are going to Bologna, a few day trips outside of it as well, perhaps Ravenna or Ferrara. That whole area is an enigma to me so I look forward to some culture, walks and hopefully dry weather. Need a break.

Here are some Doll and The Kicks pix I rather like, the outdoor shot in the dark was outside Hoxton Bar & Grille a few months back but I have reduced the level of effect in the b&w version and then I made a colored version of it as well,besides some filtering not a lot done. Now I don’t know which one I prefer….heh heh
Then there’s the outtakes of them, staring, yawning and moaning just before the stairwell shot at 229, followed by my fave shot of the entire session. The shot of them in the cinema seats was at Bloomsbury Bowling Lanes.

Then there’s some shots from travelling between Lyon and Moutiers and also a few snoggers at Lyon train station.


And finally the wet roses of Vienna, from three months ago.

The moon shot is from when I came back from Lyon, I found out the next day that it was taken while the moon was at its brightest. The front of Strasbourg’s cathedral looks more like a front to a hellish castle in Lord of the Rings instead.
Then there’s a close-up of my bruise, it’s almost gone and the pic should have been taken a day later when it really had set in.

Spent the weekend with Russel “Lovemuscle” Chipping and Barry & Lisa Spencer in Westcliff where the Spencers reside. It has been a while (like a year or so…) and it was fun, be it all rather short, Bazza is still working on his gaff, 6 years and counting. It does start to look like something but something tells me he aint ever going to finish the place. Sgt. Major Crawley will see to that no doubt

Me and the missus are still in dubio as to where to go. Bologna, IT looks like a serious candidate, an area in Italy I have never been before, neither has she been there. The other options are the Canary Islands or Egypt/ Marokko, but no doubt we will run in hordes of English and that is something we both have no interest in. Hopefully in a day or so we shall have an idea where we really will be going.

Besides Monday I am not going to do much over the next few weeks. I hope to go away somewhere just after x-mas, only thing is I have no idea where to. So it’ll be a real last minute booking.
Today and tomorrow I am hooking up with friends in Essex.

Furthermore Doll and the Kicks pix can be seen HERE & HERE

The day started with a bang, well certainly for my left eye. I tried to fasten a cover sheet on our outdoor table and did not realise that the desk I had been using for years and chucked out stood up on its side with its legs pointing towards my back. I turn around and the next thing I see is the end of the table leg very close to my eye. I hit myself just below it (we are talking mm here), this could have gone horribly wrong. Thankfully it bleeds so the swelling isn’t that bad, but the bruise looks more severe.
Later in the eve it’s off to see Doll and the Kicks, they are playing at 229 a small club next to Great Portland Street station, they think I have more street cred with my ‘new look’. We do a session for about 30 minutes, use two different settings and then retreat to eat (blandest soup I have ever had).
The are on at half 9 and play good, the sound system packs a punch but the right speaker just drops out when it wants to, sounds like a loose connection to me there boys…………
I thought it was their best gig I have seen. The 30 minute set is snappy (same as the week before), and they even have 4 months left to tighten it a tad more when they go on tour with Morrisey. Their debut single is out early next year with their album to follow shortly after.
I like the pix:

I have had to stay in Meribel longer, leaving for London tomorrow.
Here are a few x-massy pix of where I am staying.
The sky was just before landing at Lyon

I am snowed under, literally. In the French alps where I arrived yesterday, there was already quite some snow but last night it started again and has not stopped since. It took me 14 hours to get from London to this place, the bus from the airport was non existent so I had to take a bus into Lyon to wait almost 4 hours to snag a train to go to Moutiers, from there the cab driver charged me a stiff rate for driving me 20 minutes up in the mountains.
In Lyon I caught a few couples near the train station.
Meribel, is an English resort where you barely hear any French. The place is crowded with English twenty somethings who are there to have a good time, can’t blame them, but it’s just not my crowd anymore.
I am leaving tomorrow in the afternoon, hopefully the return journey will be quicker but somehow I doubt that……………..
Here’s a shot taken two hours ago from my hotel balcony, the slopes are right at the hotel’s doorstep.

It has been a few months since Terri and I saw Doll and the Kicks (was in Hoxton), I had flaked it 2x before but was determined to go this time, don’t think they’ll be playing smaller places much longer…as they are going to support Morrisey on his up and coming tour for almost three months, an amazing result. The band is in the middle of recording their debut (no idea as to who will release it as of yet) so it has been a real good time for them lately and it looks like it’ll even get better in the new year.
We bowl a quick game (I end up second after Matthew Garrity) which was a laugh.
Just before that I spend 5 minutes on a quick bandshot in the lobby of the Bloombury Bowling Lanes. They will need some work before I will show them.
The gig itself is fierce, the band sounds hella tight and has made some re-arrangements to their songs, all for the better I reckon. Yup glad I went.
I shall try and see them again in a week’s time, first I gotta go to Meribel, France.

Adrienne Ford, two shots retouched for the ag.

I am going to Meribel, south of France on Tuesday for three days, maybe bring some wintery pix back….

While approaching Strasbourg a few weeks back….

Terri and I braced the cold, wind and rain to go all the way to Gunnersbury to see a light installation at Syon House, it was the final day so Terri was adamant that we go….who am I to refuse
I thought it would be a cool affair just wandering about the grounds of the estate in darkness bar the installed lights all over.
Took my camera and made a few, I like the dramatic effect of them, I did not use a tripod, I tried to freeze some with fill in flash and then let the ambient light do its work, which resulted in my trying to stand as still as possible for sometimes up to three seconds. The whole thing was just great fun to be at and make pictures of. I like the abstract results.