The Infinite Selfie

The Infinite Selfie, a photo by Bruce Hurst aka Zincfreud on Flickr.

UFO Pursued By RAF, What Happened To The Cat? Scary!

Rainforest Butterflies

Real Flying Fairies

Moths and Butterflies In Snowdonia

Moths and Butterflies In Snowdonia, a set on Flickr.

I haven't gathered all the names of the moths yet but take a look.

Via Flickr:
A number of moths and butterflies I've filmed or photographed in Gwynedd, I don't know all the names yet please let me know. The butterflies are quite common everywhere, the moths were mainly filmed in Waunfawr near Caernarfon. One was near Beddgelert.

Purple Wild Flower

Purple Wild Flower, a photo by Bruce Hurst aka Zincfreud on Flickr.

en-GB

Bruce Hurst (f100002409004833): his videos on Dailymotion#video=xz03ih

Bruce Hurst (f100002409004833): his videos on Dailymotion#video=xz03ih  The children found this specimen by a wall under the grass. Haven't seen a toad close up for years so I took some shots.

Utopia by Sandstone Candy

Sandstone Candy Story 2

       During the early nineties a plethora of  creativity emerged in Chester. Fly posters were everywhere. The authorities were not able to keep up with removing them from the walls of disused buildings or roadsigns. Band members many unemployed, would skulk around late at night promoting their gigs on posters photocopied on Job centre and 'Employment Training' facilities.
         The staff turned a blind eye, as long as the job seekers didn't report to the press about the inefficiency of the training courses or smoke weed at 'work' then anything goes. Many young staff members were becoming fans as they frequented local nightspots too.
           The local music scene became more of a co-operative more than anything, employed band members would forward their earnings to pay for equipment, transport etc. the unemployed promote by fly posting taking the risk of prosecution, the students provide gigs and fans. Musicians  would play in each others bands or take turns  supporting or headlining gigs.
                                  The bands around at the time drew their influences from all sources, indie had broken through nationally, which allowed experiment in both music and lyrics. Avaunt Gard, Blues,  Folk, world and New Age music, added to the diversity. Didgeridoos, African drums, accordions, all manner of cultural experimentation was used as well as the standard blues and indie rock. The influences had come from an interest in world culture, environmental issues,  so anything  fringe was cool. Bands such as The World Upside fronted by Dave Greenauld were popular. A hard edge indie funk band called Primitive Faith grew a large audience. There were many blues acts like Bloodshot Rolling Red, local guys who were the source of entertainment that kept the pubs and wine bars alive. Weaveworld were a band using dance music combined with New Age instruments like didgeridoos. In amongst this there were a load of indie type rock bands who were started by mainly unemployed band members who had not had formal music learning skills but put together good creative lively groups.
                                 Fly posters appeared everywhere for bands like BubbleFish, The Fourth Egg, Jupiter Moonpig, Smear, Fractal Dive, Biscuit and Sandstone Candy. These bands were perhaps more underground as they played in lesser venues and church halls. They attracted a good following. It was a lively time, plenty of sex, drugs and rock and roll. which went hand in hand with the music. It was a scene that had to cope with a dire economic downturn in British society. There could only be today as the Future was too dark.

Chester and Sandstone Candy 1

               During the early 90s, The City of Chester in the North West of England was proudly known as the 'Jewel Of The North,' The term  was quipped by Margaret Thatcher as her Conservative Government ravaged the The North of England, strangling the life out of most of the major industry there, she devastated the Unions, privatised coal and almost everything else, whilst creating a legacy of joblessness and hopelessness amongst the young that would echo through British society for generations to come.
                                Chester however, was a ghostly mirage that glimmered in the miasma of economic and political gloom. It was a Tory stronghold steeped in history and privilege, especially for the Duke of Westminster and the pullover Tory fop Gyles Brandreth.  On face value, it prospered in that age of austerity, where the wealthy and upper middle class earners did very well. It's ancient status gave it the benefits enjoyed by York, Norwich and Chichester. It was a city that would have fitted into the very opulent southern England. Unyet, here it was surrounded by Liverpool, Dee side and whole areas of economic decline and despair. Why a mirage? well, Chester despite this high earner opulence had an underbelly of jobless, frustrated poverty particularly amongst the Young. They were suffering first hand, the cutbacks to education and opportunity living in communities broken by crime and dodgy private landlords. It was just as tough for the middle class youngsters as it was for the poor, many turned to drug dealing to help fund their education and their quest for Independence. Naturally, in this harsh economic despair and uncertain personal futures, a marriage of culture developed, particularly in the arts, Chester became a hive of music, art and Drama, nestling within this city steeped in classic culture and history. It had colleges were the student elements mixed socially, with the  uneducated, disenfranchised, poor and unemployed.
                            A whole anti establishment culture developed, music was its main exponent. Bands consisting of skilled workers, higher education students and jobless 'no -hopers' (like myself!)  began to flourish carrying the banner of the disenfranchised youth. All the pubs and venues desperate for some form of custom allowed these bands to play and blossom and be as creative as they liked.
                            It became the perfect firmament for the genesis of Sandstone Candy.