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28 March 2012

Tumblr

http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/irish-writers

I'm back using my Tumblr account after months of neglect. The tagging system there is especially pleasing.

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27 March 2012

Photography Links

Readers who come across this blog by chance may not know that I also have a photography blog called "Short Sights at Noon".   There is a link further down the page here directly to some past posts there.


I continue to send little pieces round to friends and now that Boards.ie seems to be back on an even keel, I'm happily posting some comments there as well.


Blogging continues to bemuse many of the over-fifties, but gradually the value of combining snappy pieces of writing with a photo is gaining popularity with my friends.   It would be excellent if they took to blog writing as well as it's such a painless way of keeping in contact with those living far away.



Fountain Fantasy at the Villa d'Este
Not travelling abroad this year has turned out to have many benefits, notably the time available to organise photo archives and think about projects for Summer.   I continue to wish I could visit Italy more often, it is such a beautiful place.

http://shortsights.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2011-08-30T10:02:00-07:00&max-results=7

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Criminality?

The penal codes of every society have a sobering effect on the reader. I have the sense of having lived through so many social shifts, noticably the criminalisation of work, that I stay as focused as possible when thinking about all the demands and stresses on the individual that the weight of generations of law makers impose.

Perhaps this thought could help explain the astonishing popularity of crime writing in every genre which has dominated the popular publication industry for the past ten years in particular?

I was very pleased to be able to attend a seminar, with readings from new work, by Irish crime writers, in Maynooth recently. There was humour during the proceeding, but one tends to come away from such meetings with a strong sense of the seriousness of contemporary life. Ghost estates, which seem to be the most popular metaphor for the "Irish" way of doing things, were mentioned and while it is easy to point fingers at politicians, developers, builders and hacks working in the property pages of national media, there is also a question that could yet be answered... why do ordinary citizens not buy small plots of land and keep the ecological benefits of small holding management alive for generations yet to come? We have a small suburban garden and I am now interested in that strange, eerie movement, Guerrilla Gardening, where people plant trees and shrubs on abandoned estates in an effort to restore them to the natural balance that was there before they were excavated and rendered dangerous and empty of all life.

The latest question on the Internet... Is crime writing redundant?... may be controversial and give pause for thought but it seems to me that writers who tackle the difficult social issues of our day still have a lot to write about.

There should be many books yet to come...
Portraits of Irish Crime Writers And heres a comment for Peter Rozovsky on the subject of work and social control.

"I think that the crime boom is only getting into its stride. The laws that surround the management of work forces worldwide alone could give an army of writers enough material for generations to come. I still remember UB40 and wandering round with a P45 clutched in my frozen fingers as I tried to find work during the last recession. Work is now so controlled by governments it is a wonder anybody bothers to go for it.


"https://twitter.com/#!/search/%23Crimewriters

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26 March 2012

A Lily

It's time to start thinking about Easter and relaxing days with flowers indoors and out.

It is some time since I took macro photos of stamens and stigmas, but this photo pleases me a lot, so I hope that visitors here enjoy it too. A Lily Macro, SOOC

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25 March 2012

But is it Real?

Peter Rozovsky, always one to keep readers on their intellectual toes with his questions, is now wondering whether or not crime fiction may be closer to real life than news reporting.

Darned if I know... but at least his post got me up and running with a response...

I'm tempted to wheel out that old chestnut... "what is Reality?" All media are a form of art, floating above the real world in my view of things. Photography is increasingly the medium I cling to when recording outings and I wonder if graphic novels may not be on the increase because readers like images so much more than words? Just some lazy Sunday morning thoughts...

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Dublin on a Saturday


Sweet Shop in Dublin

An early wander round Grafton Street yesterday was so pleasant I must go into town more often from now on.

The Spring sunshine has stayed with us all week and I was inspired, almost compelled, to buy a new orange filter in Conn's Cameras, just to try out some new toning tricks.

South Anne Street on a Saturday Morning in Dublin


Phil Lynnott, Sculpture in Dublin

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