Just been chatting with the very talented producer/director Nigel Walk, who filmed the astonishing crystal cave sequence at the start of the new landmark BBC series ‘How Earth Made Us‘. They could only film in 20 minute bursts due to the lethal levels of heat – it was a hugely difficult thing to film. Have a look, it’s an incredible, beautiful environment.
Here’s a rather good animation offering an easy (ish) way to conceive of string theory. And some rather good gadgets to browse elsewhere in the site, which I have to confess is how I came across this.
Well, get in and welcome to 2010. I trust all your 2009’s have left room for improvement and you’ll all be moving onwards and upwards. Christmas was rather lovely over at mine: we got to host two of them, and for the first time had a real Christmas tree. (All those years previously I’d been encouraged to merely visualise one, or sometimes a picture might be cut out of a magazine and adhered with glue-sticks to the wallpaper. Now I see what all the fuss was about). The anniversary of the birth of Jesu coincided with the nine months of decorating finally finishing in our apartment, so right there were two reasons to celebrate.
I received many lovely gifts, including a glorious wand remote from my brother and a fantastic Sonos system from my ever-generous self. I have to say, the chaps at SimplySonos are the most thorough and helpful team I have ever come across. It’s an incredibly simple and effective wireless through-house music system, but living amongst a million London wifi networks all competing to cause conflicts and give me different types of head-cancer, it took a bit of tweaking to get it right. The team were shockingly eager and thorough – thank you, chaps.
2010 of course will bring the Enigma Tour once again. Longer than normal, but more relaxed (it’s all several nights in each venue which makes a real difference) it’s looking to be a real treat – for me at least. I luuurrrve it. I shall be spending much of this month reminding myself of the words before setting off at the start of Feb. No London run this year, of course, though you’ll see from the Tour 2010 page that we’ll be in Wimbledon for a week or so.
I’m also working on a book, as I have mentioned here and there. Many of you have been asking what sort of book it is. I’d say it’s part-autobiographical whimsy. There you go, I hope that answers that one. I am to deliver it in April, I believe, so I shall be editing during the tour most likely. Expect the book out some time around October, cleverly ready for the Christmas market.
Three documentaries will find their ways to your screens in the Spring. In them I am spending a week or so with people making some sort of paranormal claim. It has been quite fascinating, and at times genuinely challenging. I’ve hugely enjoyed making them and hope to make more.
Further TV work should happen after the tour, but when such things will air, I know not. This current month is given over to finalising some ideas that we can film then: we re-commence on Wednesday, which is exciting. The Enigma show will be filmed too during the tour, so hopefully that will go out (or ‘TX’ as they say in the ‘industry’ (as they say in the business)) at some point too.
I have not made any resolutions. Attending my New Year’s Eve party was a hugely talented free-runner friend called, I kid you not, Chase Armitage, whose unholy levels of motivation and energy leave me feeling hopeless in comparison when it comes to setting goals. So I am not anticipating resolving or achieving anything in particular this year. If anything is achieved by accident, I shall let you know right here.
The forever-promised new website should be up soon. It has had to change in scope and nature so many times along the way that it has constantly eluded us. Now we think we have it, and shall pounce on it and hold its arms and legs down.
I have not painted since September 2008 when I was assembling paintings for the delivery of the Portraits book: the studio is now clear following the conclusion of the decorating, but I am unlikely to get a chance to paint before the tour, which means it’ll be getting on for 2 years without painting. That’s not good. The art history memory-palace project also took a back seat when filming and holidays came up, but I shall return to that this month.
Righty-ho, that might be all. Hope the returns to work have not been too painful, and the weening off chocs and crisps a triumphant success.
Ta-ta,
x
Rather tired and dreamy and overstuffed after a long and lovely day of great food, company and wine. And the JJ Abrams Star Trek on the home cinema. I hope you’ve all had a lovely one. For those not following me on Twitter – I have been away filming a documentary and then on holiday, so apologies for my recent poor turnout on the blog.
I do hope you’ve enjoyed your Christmas days, or indeed are still enjoying them for our far distant friends. Tra-la and ho ho ho.
xx
An awareness project as we approach the anniversary of a terrible disaster which has killed more people than Chernobyl. It seems that the company at fault managed to dodge liability. Please have a read and support if you can. This message from the appeal:
Wednesday 3 December is the 25th Anniversary of The Union Carbide Bhopal Gas leak disaster which has, to date, killed 25,000 in Bhopal, India.  Today the site remains contaminated, and the people of Bhopal are still dying, poisoned by a contaminated water supply:
The story is growing worldwide, with protests next week planned  in 25 countries.
We, The Bhopal Medical Appeal, are a UK charity that offers free health care and hope to the survivors of the 1984 Union Carbide gas leak disaster and those suffering from the present day water poisoning.
You could help support our work:
If you use Twitter
Follow us on Twitterhttp://twitter.com/BhopalMedAppeal and you could either tweet about us or re tweet anything of ours you like!
We will be running a re-tweet campaign on the day of the anniversary to try and get as many people re-tweeting as possible, so be great if you and your friends could use the #bhopal25 tag.Add a Bhopal/Amnesty 25 Twibbon to your twitter profile
http:/twibbon.com/Search?searchQuery=bhopalJoin us on Facebookhttp://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Bhopal-Medical-Appeal/176365402876
Link to any of the above or the Bhopal Medical Appeal website if you mention Bhopal in your blogs etc at www.bhopal.org
