Friday, August 20, 2010

Cruise Ships and Cast Iron Crocodiles



Invergordon was full of ships: a gigantically huge cruise city (left) that had decanted Spaniards into the mural-decorated streets to take photographs of each other in the Highlands sunshine. There was a baby cruise ship too, and a monster of a work-ship that we thought looked like the Starship Enterprise. Next to that one was a decapitated oil-rig on its massive stumpy legs, being fixed. Seagulls yarped and begged, not understanding what dogs learned aeons ago: you have to be nice if you want that food!
We went to Dornoch beach and looked at the endless sands and the horizon full of nothing, and listened to the silence; the only sound was  the hissing waves against the sand. I wonder if the secrets of the universe are in their sound, just like the secrets of humans are held in their DNA. People would have laughed at that years ago, wouldn't they?
Under a Victorian water fountain, four cast iron crocodiles bore the disfigurement of years of re-painting in Standard Green.
In between wandering around, we made some recordings. Martin has become adept at using Garageband, and we recorded a song of mine called Steal You Away, and then a song of Martin's called Rockabilly Heaven. In fact we did another one of his but we worked so hard I can't remember which one it was! The next day we recorded a song called Give Me a Chance to Talk, which is one I wrote years ago, and a new one which I wrote partly at Luton Airport, Gaudi's Garden, which he put some lovely guitar on this afternoon. It's next door to this posting on my player if you want to have a listen. Martin has an autoharp, and we also made a little recording together, with Martin on guitar and me on autoharp, which I will post on Reverbnation one day if you are very, very good indeed.

2 comments:

Jude Montague said...

I didn't know you played auto harp. I have often thought of getting one. Would you recommend it? I have too many instruments I don't play already, one more wouldn't make any difference at all! Jx

Anonymous said...

We have friends who keep telling us we would love cruising - but looking at the cruise ship just confirms my view that I would rather stick pins in my eyes than be on one of those!!