Watching the Apple Special Event (because I am a nerd) and beginning to think that they're starting to get a bit 'shouty'. They didn't used to be like this. It's ok to speak slowly. And softly. Not everything needs to be emphasised.

@KeithC interesting! Don’t know the Zappa one. Will have to have a listen!

One of my favourite things in music is hearing the influence of one musician/composer in another. Listening to some Berlioz today (trying to continue my classical music education) and am hearing inspiration for Michael Kamen's Band of Brothers theme in Symphonie Fantastique, H 48: III. Scène aux champs.

https://music.apple.com/gb/album/symphonie-fantastique-h-48-iii-sc%C3%A8ne-aux-champs-live/1675303262?i=1675303270

Another instalment in a series of things that inspire and amaze me. The life-saving efficiency of all voices involved in this audio from the crash of BA38 short of the threshold at LHR. The absolute clarity of speech and instruction is a thing to behold. It quite literally brings tears to my eyes. Teamwork and professionalism of the highest order.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Ldc8WJ7MkA

The aphid tree sap this year is intense. It’s literally soaking everything that’s outside in goo!! I walked a few trainer loads of drive gravel into the house because the gravel is so sticky with it. Madness. Anyone else experiencing this?

Is there a bushfire near Hartley Wintney today? Smelling a lot of smoke and hearing a fair few sirens.

Been a hot minute. Good to be back on.

Turns out Johnson was indeed a massive liar. Quel surprise.

@ethanschoonover Agreed. I’m surprised it hasn’t been sold to someone.

On community:

Amazon is closing DPReview.

The size and impact of the DPReview community is enormous and it's going to just shut down. Really appalling.

Twitter, DPReview, etc... All these vibrant communities that are important to large groups of users that have contributed content for years. These sites are built on the backs of users.

I hope we're learning that corporations will always, ALWAYS screw things up in the end (looks with concern at reddit).

**The commons must be public.**

Benjamin Kayser has become one of my favourite rugby pundits. Really knowledgeable, compassionate commentary and he comes across as an absolutely smashing bloke.

Ben Kayser has either just finished gardening or has a bit of washing up to do.

#fancygloves #6nations

Today my doggo, being a problem solver, ascended (via a serendipitously placed sequence of sofas & side tables) to a sideboard where a box of Milk Tray awaited. She enjoyed them, but tells me that the orange ones are a bit shit.

On discovery, we visited the lovely vets who have taken great care of her and prescribed some expensive upchucking. A few hours later, we are home, and fingers crossed, out of the woods. I'm now attempting to administer charcoal paste and will be needing a new house.

The third ep of The Last of Us was absolutely superb.

Right. Big rant over. Might start The Last of Us!

Of course many Vicars are fantastic, and I am so thankful for the welcoming ones.

However it's a TOTAL lottery and it really shouldn't be.

If you're a member of the clergy, please understand that the vast, VAST majority of photographers want to work in-concert with you and will do all they can to avoid becoming a distraction.

So yeah... let's sort this out. I don't want to have to register RateMyVicar.com but I'm getting dangerously close... 🤣

This is a first-world problem of course. Nobody was injured, everyone was safe and we shall all live to snap another day!

But in my corner of the working world, it's a massive ball ache and one that I am tired of pretending doesn't happen.

I've been pretty civil in this toot-thread thus far, but let me be direct.

I have grown contemptuous of this behaviour. Vicars who behave this way are arseholes. They have much in-common with people who abuse railway staff.

Many Churches hang signs on the door that declare 'Everybody Welcome!', gladly take wedding fees from out-of-parish couples and then throw roadblocks in the path of all the things that make a wedding a wedding. It's pathetic and it deserves to be called out.

At the end of the rehearsal I did indeed take the vicar to one side and gave him a taste of my displeasure. The image helped; showing that what he was requesting was impractical did rather defeat his illogical protestations, but I'm tired of it having to come to this.

It's not just the dogmatic resistance to sensible discussion, but the abrupt rudeness that some clergy find appropriate.

Every wedding snapper I know will have a similar story.