Art – SteveWhittythoughts1965

July 7, 2024

Embracing Life’s Twists: Retirement Plans, Record Shop Days, and Football Emotions

It has been a strange week. The one word that springs to mind when you describe it is change. Be it a change of habits or government.

Monday 1st July

I woke up to find myself in the second half of the year. The first six months have flown by. This is something that happens when you get older. Time is something you take for granted until you realise when it starts to run out.

Glastonbury has been and gone. Not that I watch any of it on the telly. I find it difficult to enjoy events held on a dairy farm. Having said that, I have attended Bearded Theory over the last three years which is held on a farm. You cannot have it both ways.

It is good to be able to reward people who do a good job. I include my team in that.

Tuesday 2nd July

There has been talk of retirement at work. Chris who I have worked with for almost ten years is due to leave in a couple of weeks. I will miss her as she was a calming influence when I joined the civil service. It has got me thinking about my retirement. This is due to happen in 2032. My aim is to make my life simpler. The first step is to combine all my old work pensions into one. This is not just for me but also for my family just in case I were to pass away before I retire. The whole process was straight forward.

I wish the trains were the same. It seems whenever summer arrives the trains become delayed. It is frustrating given the lack of information given. New trains, the same old shitty service.

Wednesday 3rd July

The best gifts are the unexpected ones. I received a £20 voucher as a thank you for my work with data quality. I will spend that on cups of coffee over the coming days.

Seeing Mark Cavendish break the Tour de France record for stage wins brought a lump to my throat. I have been following his career over the years. He is a true British sporting legend.

I was given a reminder about becoming old. I had to help my neighbour to his feet. He had fallen while trying to clean himself after an accident. He looked all bewildered by what had gone on. I felt sad for him as I suspect these problems have been going on for a long time.

Thursday 4th July

It was General Election Day. I went to vote early in the morning. I wanted to get it out of the way as I was going to be busy. It was encouraging to stand in a big queue at 7:15 in the morning. Hopefully, this is a sign of a big turnout.

Today was the start of spending three days in the record shop helping out my friend while he was attending a festival. Outside of my home, this is my favourite place to spend time. Being able to talk music is pure joy as I am always learning something new.

Friday 5th July

As expected Labour won the election by a landslide.

Saturday 6th July

I have always held a love-hate relationship with the England football team. They promise so much yet they always let you down. The match against Switzerland was going that way as well. Somehow they clawed their way back into the game. The penalty shootout was a masterclass in taking the spot kick. So we move on to Wednesday where we face the Netherlands for a place in the final of Euro 2024. Could it finally be our year?

Sunday 7th July

I woke feeling run down. I have developed a cough and a blocked nose. Normally, I would have gone and done the laundry but could not face it. I will stop off by the chemist and purchase some covid tests. You cannot be too careful.

Until the next post, keep on smiling.

January 9, 2014January 9, 2014

Photo Essay – Graffiti Art, Sniper Building, Mostar

This post replaces the normal photo of the week. This week I am posting a photo essay of the graffiti from the sniper building in Mostar. Once the war finished the building was left abandoned to rot. It became home to alocoholics and drug users. Also graffiti artists started to the walls as their canvas. Here are some of the results of their efforts.

Until the next post stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.

Steve

Posted with Blogsy

December 12, 2013December 12, 2013

Photo of the Week – Graffiti Art in the Sniper Tower, Mostar

This week's photo of the week again comes from my visit to Mostar.

It is piece of graffiti art in the sniper tower. As the building fell into disrepair it was taken over amongst others by graffiti artists to create their own permanent gallery. I will post more photos from the tower in a future post.

Until the next post stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.

Steve

Posted with Blogsy

May 12, 2013

Vienna – A Reflection

I am pleased to admit that my second visit to Vienna was more successful than my previous one. At least I avoided getting food poisoning and I also managed to get to see more of the city.

Vienna as a city has always held a fascination for me. I love history and art. The reason for my first visit was to see the ‘Madonna del Prato’ by Raphael. Sure enough I managed to get off my sick-bed to get to the Kunsthistorisches Museum. However, I left Vienna I felt that there was some unfinished business.

During the four days I spent in Vienna I managed to get to see the following:

St. Stephen's Cathedral — St. Stephen’s Cathedral

I felt that I managed to experience a lot more of what Vienna has to offer. Yet there was still more that I wanted to see.

Overall, I loved my time in Vienna with its history, sights and smells. It is a city while a capital city still felt small enough to explore by foot and getting yourself lost. To experience an authentic Viennese coffee shop was a joy or experiencing the busker playing the cello outside the Hofburg on a cold Saturday night. These are the memories that never go away.

Yes, Vienna can be expensive but with careful planning there are bargains out there. Sometimes the best experiences are free. Would I visit again? The simple answer is yes. If Vienna is good enough for me then it will be good enough for you.

Until the next post stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.

Steve

May 9, 2013May 9, 2013

Photo of the Week – Manchester Art Gallery

This week's photo is of Manchester Art Gallery.

I was there last Sunday just enjoying some time away from Birmingham. There are over 25,000 exhibits that cover three floors. It certainly were a visit band even better it is free.

Until the next post stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.

Steve

Posted with Blogsy

May 8, 2013May 8, 2013

Vienna Card – A Review

Like all major cities Vienna offers a discount card to all visitors to help the budget conscious traveller. The Vienna Card costs €19.90. It lasts for 72 hours and it entitles you to more than 200 discounts across the city.

The major discount would be the free travel on public transport for the 72 hour period. You are also entitled to discounts on major museums and attractions such as the Hofburg and Schonbrunn Palace. However, the discount is only between 10-20%. You also receive discounts for restaurants and shopping up to 20%.

The problem with the Vienna Card is that to get value out of it you will have to cram a lot in the 72 hours. Especially with the museums. You could end up running through and not really appreciating the exhibits. This could lead to a case of museum fatigue. Personally I like to take my time when visiting museums and art galleries to take everything in. Also most museums and galleries are only open from 9-5.

To get the most out of the card I suggest that you carefully plan your 72 hours and stick to that plan. Otherwise if you want to take your time and visit the occasional museum but still want to take advantage of free travel then I would recommend that you purchase a 72 hour public transport ticket. This currently costs €14.50.

In short I felt that the Vienna Card will represent value with planning but it may not suit everybody including myself.

Until the next post stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.

Steve

Posted with Blogsy

February 10, 2013

Musée Rodin, Paris

One of the most surprising delights of Paris is the Musée Rodin. Set in the outskirts of Paris the museum is based at the Villa des Brilliants which was Rodin’s old home.

When you enter the grounds you are confronted by Rodin’s sculpture of the ‘Gates of Hell’ based on Dante’s inferno. What struck me was the magnificence of the piece. There is so much detail going on and sitting at the top is a figure who I will come back to later.

Inside the museum you are given the life story of Rodin. More importantly there are on display some of Rodin’s sculptures. The most popular would be ‘The Kiss’. However, every time I view it I cannot stop thinking of Monty Python and Terry Gilliam’s animation.

An added bonus to the museum is a walk around the gardens. It was place that allowed me to contemplate about my visit to Paris. To be in the heart of the city yet find a spot that was so tranquil was something to enjoy.

Finally the highlight of the visit is the giant statue of ‘The Thinker’. This is probably Rodin’s most famous work. It is the perfect photo opportunity.