These pictures are taken from a canal-boat cruise from Boothstown to Wigan in the North of England. The legacy of Britain’s industrial past glided by, full of rust and texture. There was wildlife in the undergrowth, the banks overgrown with character (and pubs.) We had a birthday party on board and almost demolished the barge, which was eventually confiscated by the owners. Even our picnic table collapsed beneath us as we moored at a local watering hole. All told, a wonderful day, Pimm’s on the boat – terribly English!
Vibe Monitor
Doctor Who is back!
The Good Doctor returns shortly with a new season to take us into the 50th anniversary year. This trailer looks like a whole heap of fun, raising the stakes with a real blockbuster approach. Expect big changes, from a shocking shake-up in the regular cast and some new titles (like Bond, the Doctor demands an iconic introduction.) Opening episode Asylum of the Daleks has premiered at the British Film Institute, so expect transmission dates to be announced soon!
Images © BBC
PLEASE BE AWARE – THERE ARE SPOILERS IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!
The Cosmic Jukebox – Digital Art
For some strange reason I woke up with a head full of gramophones and bass-bins, and a vague smokey idea formed in my mind’s eye. Combining my fascination with retro-tech, mandalas and nixie-clock neon, a rather bold-looking music machine emerged from Photoshop in all it’s steampunk glory. This is a collage of about ten separate images, all wrangled into place.
The Cosmic Jukebox is here, and you can hear my remixes, edits and original tunes on my dream-pop music page. Expect “shooting stars and astral choirs, summer flutes and sitars.”
Gold Rush for Great Britain – Six in One Day!
Team GB won six gold medals and a silver on Day Eight of the Olympics, taking the Great British Goldrush to 14, with 7 silver and 8 bronze. Super Saturday marks the UK’s best performance in the Olympiad for over a century. The crowd in the stadium went wild as Mo Farah and Jessica Ennis stole the show. There’s a wonderful sense of pride in Britain tonight, not least because we are the host nation, and on every television there are tears of joy, shock and awe as the athletes realise their own achievements.
Women’s Heptathlon – Jessica Ennis
Men’s Longjump – Greg Rutherford
Men’s 10,000m – Mo Farah
Women’s Lightweight Double Sculls – Sophie Hosking and Katherine Copeland
Men’s Four – Andy Triggs Hodge, Pete Reed, Andy Gregory and Tom James
Kind of makes up for the Japanese complaints about their gymnastic placing, depriving Britain and the Ukraine of their original medals. Japan, you were really crap. (So much for good grace and sportsmanship…)
The Olympic Torch
The stunning culmination of the London 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony, as the torch lights the cauldron, seen here from inside the incredible structure. I had to pause my TV and snap this on the iPhone.
Original image BBC TV

















