Ben Oliver Artiste takes a picture everyday!Ben Oliver Artiste takes a picture everyday!I am taking a picture of something everyday, just to see what changes! Articles
Day 382 - 10th April 2008
2008-04-11 00:35:00 Pictured here lies one of the huge reasons why I don't live in the south of France, even with a choice. At 3am this morning, I felt a tickling sensation on my chest and neck which woke me up - I was wrong in thinking it was a fly as you can see...I don't know what on Earth it was, but in all my travels I'm not sure I ever seen anything so hideous; definitely not this close to home. It was the length of my hand, if not more, in this picture you can see its head and its segmented body; about an inch wide including the feet.Safe to say that after 3am I didn't get much sleep at all. There are insects and then there's stuff which is just Doctor Who fodder; this is without a doubt one of the latter.This is primarily why it feels so good to be back in Britain - no crazy mothers like that trying to crawl up your arse at night. Ugh, anyway, I had a good trip back; saw the new Wembley from the plane and yes, it's bloody massive. More About: April , 2008
Day 381 - 9th April 2008
2008-04-09 22:46:00 'Defcon 5; inform the Prime Minister a missile has been launched.' That's right folks, I went back on the flight sim today - and aside from packing my bags to leave for England tomorrow that's about all I did.It's a sad story I suppose, but there you have it. Early start tomorrow, better be off then... More About: April , 2008
Day 380 - 8th April 2008
2008-04-08 23:13:00 My usual trip to the sea was marred by rain and bad weather today, although as you can see in the picture it wasn't that bad.The same sea and the same lighthouse usually means I've done little else; and I haven't. Oh, but I did just watch Liverpool beat Arsenal in the champions league; a last minute penalty and bucket loads of action ended the game 4-2 - although it was really down to the last five minutes, brilliant game... More About: April , 2008
Day 379 - 7th April 2008
2008-04-07 23:29:00 A strange tiredness washed over me today, so I went to the beach and took some pictures instead of doing anything too grand.Personally, not much has happened to me, but in the news I think I should mention the embarrassment of the Olympic flame. This year, China is to host the Olympic games; this has caused much controversy over their stance on Tibet amongst other major human rights issues.The running of the flame through the cities of the world has so far been met with heavy protest, one man in London even tried to put out the 'eternal' flame with a fire extinguisher.Today, the problems were worse than ever as it made its way through Paris, the route had to be shortened for security fears. As the debate flairs on as to whether or not we should boycott the games, Stoke managed to lose a crucial match.They are coming so close to screwing it all up, luckily it seems to be the most boring title race in history, with all of the teams drawing and losing every week. This week was no dif... More About: April , 2008
Day 378 - 6th April 2008
2008-04-06 22:16:00 We went to the Camargue today, basically a big flat salt pan on the Mediterranean, and it was nice. Nice, but, I always think, somewhat dull. The towns, like the one pictured, are nice and it's not at all a bad area and yet I can never stop myself thinking of East Anglia.I suppose it is more interesting than the Fenlands though, we saw some pink flamingoes, some bright white horses and some jet black bulls on the plains; it was a nice way to spend an afternoon after all...Tomorrow I've got the car back so who know where it'll take me, I'm not thinking of anything big though... More About: April , 2008
Day 377 - 5th April 2008
2008-04-05 22:52:00 From the brilliant to the banal, from the magnificent to the moronic, from the imaginative to the, well, shite.I almost feel I have to apologise for today's picture, I suppose little would have topped yesterday's. Nothing happened to me all day though, and shit all happened on TV either.France is a TV wasteland. I switch the box on to find, what else, Boney M and Village People live, revived! How dare you think they were dead? Anyway, disco apparently never died even if some of them did - this particular televisual crime even has subtitles so you can sing along to 'in the navy' for whatever reason.Tomorrow, I hear plans of a small trip out, but I'll find something to do if that doesn't happen; the feeling of wasting away started to come back. I'll have to get back in time to catch the prime-time midsomer murders repeat though... More About: April , 2008
Day 376 - 4th April 2008
2008-04-04 23:02:00 Thousands, if not millions of pictures have been taken of the cathedral in Barcelona, I probably have a couple of hundred from my last visit myself, but I chose this one mainly because it sums the city up pretty well - a cool mix of old and new, ever unfinished.So I did end up going in this morning, albeit only for two hours, I'm glad I extended my trip; it was worth every last mile, and there were about 500 of them. I struck lucky with the picture, I didn't have much time but I'm not sure I've ever taken such a fantastically weird looking photograph - the mix of colours is like something I have never seen before; almost surreal.Anyway, I had to leave today too, as planned, but I was quite sad to be leaving - although so glad to have come in the first place. The window seems to be open for Italy next week, I want to go back to Florence but I might stay closer to home this time; that's if I go in the first place... More About: April , 2008
Day 375 - 3rd April 2008
2008-04-03 23:39:00 Spain! Spain! Spain! A long journey has finally brought me here, and it feels pretty good.I stopped for lunch at an old friend's house not far from the Spanish border. After that, I drove on for quite a while...Now, I'm in a place on the east coast, typing from the hotel there. The trip is short, although it has been nice - tomorrow I want to get to Barcelona, for however little time.I'll see how I feel in the morning and take a look at the weather too; I can hear huge winds blowing outside and yet I think this place provides shelter, as all I could hear on the street was wind noise with no actual breeze.I really want to spend another night out here, but I think my Dad'll want his car back so I may have to go home tomorrow; if I do go to Barcelona it'll have to be a really short stop. More About: April , 2008
Day 374 - 2nd April 2008
2008-04-02 21:52:00 Went to the shops today and what did I see?Why if it wasn't guitar hero made up for wii!A knocked down price, I took it off the shelf,Now I don't know what to do with myself.Tomorrow I'm off to see some friends and I'm thinking of swanning off to Spain for a few days - it'll be nice. Who knows, it might stop me writing crap rhymes.I've got nothing left to say, except that I really hope tomorrow's picture will be from Spain - I need to get away quite badly. More About: April , 2008
Day 373 - 1st April 2008
2008-04-01 23:03:00 My brother has gone back to the UK today to do some GCSE revision and as I sat at my desk, slightly envious, I became aware of a rather loud hum.I opened the window to find that just outside there was a swarm of umm, insects I think, flying around outside - the best bit was that they were making that comedy-style swarm noise. I still don't know what they were though...Otherwise before I go to bed, I thought I'd mention this new internet phenomenon I've just found out about - Rick-rolling. Now, I don't usually buy into these things, but I did find it quite funny when I was the victim of one.Basically, you're looking around on the internet when you click what you think is a perfectly good link, even useful, when actually it's a prank and it sends you to a video of 'Never Gonna Give You Up' by the legend Rick Astley. Today being April fools' day, YouTube decided to set all their videos on the front page to send you to the Rick video instead - I clicked on one and hey presto; I... More About: 2008
Day 372 - 31st March 3008
2008-03-31 23:16:00 Boredom once more drove me to do inane things; today I decided to make a real life money train. So there it is, some spare change on a train.Otherwise, I went to the shops - that was it. I really am such a waster on holiday; I keep trying to make a new 'artiste' record but I can never seem to get any real inspiration here.I've probably mentioned this before, but the same goes with work. All the work I get done here in France is never quite up to the standard I would like, but there you go... More About: March
Day 371 - 30th March 2008
2008-03-30 21:10:00 My uncle's latest obsession seems to lie with spending hours and hours tuning the piano. Sadly, there's a huge dismantled mess and not much progress; I think it's beyond help now...I'm not quite sure what else to say really; I feel like I'm wasting away here, but when my brother leaves on Tuesday I'll start to do some other stuff - I think we might go to Italy next weekend and I still want to go to Spain next week maybe although it's a case of wait and see really. More About: March , March 2008 , 2008
Day 370 - 29th March 2008
2008-03-29 23:35:00 Red meat and a red face just about sums up today. The French are known for not cooking food properly but my Uncle's joint of lamb today was maybe a step too far - I ate it though, can't say I feel much better for it...The red face came from pushing a shopping trolley full of water around a supermarket for the afternoon. The tap water here does actually taste a bit funny and is genuinely best avoided due to all the oil refineries and power stations nearby. So we stocked up - heavy stuff that water.Of course the supermarket trip lasted hours, if not days - I'm not sure. As it happens, I really am not sure; it's been one of those weeks where I've been a day ahead, today is Saturday but it feels so much like Sunday. Just to add to the confusion, the clocks change tomorrow; the spring is here at last then! More About: March , March 2008 , 2008
Day 369 - 28th March 2008
2008-03-28 23:02:00 No car today, although my dad came back early so it was nice to talk and go out for lunch together. Sadly, that was it - not much picture-fodder there then...Also, conversation ran dry as ever so I set about making a Clint Eastwood character on Tiger Woods golf. Anyone who knows me might think the whole Clint thing is bordering obsession - panic not; it's more about boredom really!I tried watching Top Gear tonight on the French Discovery Channel, it was quite unwatchable with the crappy voice-overs though. People yapping away in French over the top of the English makes the show strangely annoying - they've managed to ruin one of the greatest shows on TV today. More About: March , March 2008 , 2008
Day 368 - 27th March 2008
2008-03-27 22:00:00 Once again the sea called so I went out wandering. There was a strong wind, take note - this is probably as agitated as it gets in these parts; I realise that in Scotland this counts as a calm day.Otherwise, nothing much else has been going on; nothing much ever really happens round here. I'm thinking of maybe going off somewhere next week, possibly Spain, when my brother leaves early to revise for his GCSE's.I haven't yet dared tell him how much work I did for mine, none; he's got more sense than me...Tomorrow looks set to be pretty dull again, I won't have the car then either so it looks like a long walk lies ahead - I do like to get out and about, car or no car. More About: March , March 2008 , 2008
Day 367 - 26th March 2008
2008-03-26 23:12:00 It's back to the lighthouse on the coast today, a fairly nice start to a brand new year of taking pictures. I have no intention to stop as of yet, so much has changed since I started that it has made for quite an interesting project.Somewhat less interesting however was England's performance against France this evening. In their first game against a 'big' side, England lost 1-0 to a penalty in what was something of a lacklustre performance. Pants, I think, sums it up in one word.The new manager's got some work to do, you do wonder sometimes how much of it is his fault though - we seem to play crap whatever the weather. Beckham finally earned his 100th cap today, but even he couldn't make the difference - better luck next time... More About: March , March 2008 , 2008
Day 366 - 25th March 2008
2008-03-25 21:21:00 Heat, dusty plains and a strange obsession for coloured eggs can only mean one thing - I'm back in France. Yes, that strong smell of cigarette smoke which has so gladly left Britain remains here to haunt me; I would call it nostalgia if it didn't give me such a headache.The eggs, for your information, are not a French thing, but more of a Russian family tradition dating back from a long time ago when my old relatives painted eggs and smashed them on Easter Sunday. The relatives have since died and no one bothered to ask them how they made the paint, so for years now my uncle has searched for a way to continue this obscure, and really rather crap, ritual.That explained, it is important to mention that today's picture marks the end of my very first year of taking a picture every day. Much has changed in the past year - I'd like to summarise but there's far to much to go on about; I'd probably miss out loads of important stuff.You can tell I'm in France, I'm writing this up at ... More About: March , March 2008 , 2008
Day 365 - 24th March 2008
2008-03-24 23:48:00 Day 365 sounds like it should be important, but because it's a leap year and because, as ever, the full year doesn't begin until after the last day, I'll have been taking pictures for a whole year tomorrow, the new year starting on day 367 - don't get all excited just yet then!The image of patchy snow and sun bursting through jet-black clouds is becoming a regular fixture this time of year - spring has started but the weather doesn't really remind you of bunnies and trees in blossom.Tomorrow I leave for France, another change of scene should be good - I'll be there to watch England play France in a friendly on Wednesday; Beckham's back, who knows what could happen... More About: March , March 2008 , 2008
Day 364 - 23rd March 2008
2008-03-24 00:09:00 Ah, the Peak District on a snowy Easter Sunday afternoon serves as another reminder as to why I haven't as of yet settled upon anywhere else to live other than this fine nation.Yes, Happy Easter everyone, hope you all got loads of eggs etc... I went to church this morning and caught up with a few people - a lot of people in fact; I was there for the best part of three and a half hours! This afternoon I went to Bakewell to collect my brother off his D of E trip which seemed to go pretty well despite the adverse weather. Today's picture comes from the car - great view. More About: March , March 2008 , 2008
Day 363 - 22nd March 2008
2008-03-23 00:02:00 The snow in this picture is disappointingly hard to make out, despite the fact that for about half an hour it came down very heavily - extremely heavily in fact.As ever, it didn't stick and the storm only lasted 30 minutes so it wasn't much to get worked up about - the same goes with today really. It's been a nice day in, doing essentially nothing fora while with the family.Stoke drew, which puts us one point clear at the top of the league - very nice indeed. Tomorrow it's Easter Sunday, the earliest it's been for about 40 years - it'll be nice to catch up with some old friends in church etc...Once again my thoughts turn to my brother stuck up a mountain in the worst weather of the year so far; he gates back tomorrow - hopefully without having lost any fingers or toes in the cold! More About: March , March 2008 , 2008
Day 362 - 21st March 2008
2008-03-22 00:42:00 Home is only an hour away on the train for me, and yet today felt like the end of a very long journey - the final stop on the long ride that has been the Lent term of 2008 .I hate these kind of days, as I don't like saying goodbye to people I don't want to see the back of just yet. It was for this reason that I left quietly and with minimal fuss - also, people were still in bed and waking them wouldn't be a great start to the holiday!It's been nice to catch up with the parents again, and so far I'm only just settling in. My thoughts are with my brother at this time, he's on his Duke Of Edinburgh award trip for the weekend to come and the weather is dire. Snow, blizzards and hailstorms are battering the country - particularly the Pennines, where his trip has gone.Barcelona's lovely this time of year. On that note, goodnight. More About: March , March 2008
Day 361 - 20th March 2008
2008-03-20 23:50:00 And so the term draws to a bleak, painful, and slow end. Ending on a Thursday probably was never going to be a fairytale, but horrendous weather aside, this has been the worst day I've had for a long time.Sitting in a class full of people who don't want to be there for a solid day just isn't very nice; it truly was the day without end - it left me so tired and delirious that I'm going to bed right now. On the way home I took this picture - I couldn't get a still shot with all the wind blowing.Home tomorrow - goodness knows I'll need the rest, even if it's just to get on a proper mattress again! More About: March , March 2008 , 2008
Day 360 - 19th March 2008
2008-03-19 23:44:00 There aren't many places around these parts that have green shopping trolleys, in fact, I can't think of any at the minute. Imagine my surprise when I found one parked up against the side of our building on my way out this morning.Nothing much else happened, although I suppose I did make some little fairy cakes - with icing. Actually, I went to the shop to get some icing sugar and on my way, what did I see; why if it wasn't a bunch of people on a university tour! Naturally I joined in and followed round a bit, before asking the tour leader if I could stop at Spar for a few ticks - he was unsure, but let me go in anyway.It did raise some suspicion when I walked out not with a drink, but with a bag of icing sugar. Anyway, my status confirmed as 'nutter' - I decided it was high time to slip away; sure, it was a dickhead thing to do, but the overwhelming self gratification I felt from having held up a group all by my self and passing off as insane was sheer bliss, it put me beyond ... More About: March , March 2008 , 2008
Day 359 - 18th March 2008
2008-03-18 23:51:00 It's been a bad day for me, but I'll stop complaining right now. It appears people are getting slaughtered in the streets of Tibet for standing up to the Chinese government - the Chinese government have attempted to launch a ridiculous attack on the Dalai Lama; blaming the most peaceful man on Earth and forcing him into exile isn't a good way to handle foreign policy.Nothing much happened to me, so I thought I'd give this a mention. Also in the news, British director Anthony Minghella has died aged 54; if you don't know who he is - he directed films like 'Cold Mountain' and 'The Talented Mr. Ripley', a true genius to die so young.Also, rather less of a shock, the writer and inventor of the satellite Sir Arthur C Clarke died aged 90 today. No beautiful sunsets, no fancy pictures; it's only on bleak days like these that we realise how good the rest of life is. More About: March , March 2008 , 2008
Day 358 - 17th March 2008
2008-03-18 00:30:00 The rays of light struck again today and on my way home from an exam, for a fleeting moment only, I saw something I've only ever seen once before - and that was a long way from here.Basically, the sun set just below a gap in the clouds, causing the light to diffuse through the space towards the sky, the complete opposite to yesterday - what a sight. As a bonus, the sky below was bright orange - days like these are the reason I take a picture every day.In a place with such consistently poor weather, I'm amazed at how many great sunsets we get - I've got hundreds of pictures taken since I've been here, each as spectacular as the other... More About: March , March 2008 , 2008
Day 357 - 16th March 2008
2008-03-17 00:37:00 I'm trying to avoid mentioning my lack of sleep nowadays, but today I got up so early I actually managed to watch the Australian Grand Prix live at 04:30am! Hamilton stormed to the chequered flag to take the first race of the season - most of the cars didn't actually finish, it was a thriller!Time moves so slowly these days, the weekends, when not filled by any particular activities, seem to drag on forever. It seemed to take an age for bed time to arrive, so I went out for a walk and noticed the sky was streaked with deadly straight sunlight - as if there was something brilliant just trying to burst through the clouds to show itself to the world.One day I'll find out what it is, until then I'll just keep staring upwards. More About: March , March 2008 , 2008
Day 356 - 15th March 2008
2008-03-15 22:54:00 Wales trounced France to complete their six nations grand slam today, and because of the points difference and England's pretty decent victory over Ireland; it meant we managed to finish second and France a mere third.Lewis Hamilton is on pole position for tomorrow's first race of the season in Australia, plus Stoke drew 0-0 away to Watford, the other promotion contender - we're back at the top of the league again.It's been a dull day from my point of view though, I'll be looking forward to the race tomorrow - come on Lewis! More About: March , March 2008 , 2008
Day 355 - 14th March 2008
2008-03-14 23:36:00 Well, it was Friday bar crawl night and I was shattered - so I defied the rule of a bar crawl by only going to one. I did manage to get a picture with the DJ though, please try to avoid looking too deeply at the psychotic look on my face.Before I go to bed, I've got to mention that it's Sport Relief night tonight, and the sheer thought of watching Davina 'shiteshow' McCall, Chylamydia Winkyman and Patrick 'cock face' Kielty miserably running a telethon makes me nauseous - literally.I was on my own though, and despite my dislike for these charty TV events, I did turn the box on to watch the Top Gear boys doing 'Ground Force' in an epic they named 'Top Ground Gear Force'. I know most of it was clearly staged, but I still was on the floor crying with laughter; those guys have struck upon a format only possible in Britain, yet understandable to the world - I can't wait for the next series. More About: March , March 2008 , 2008
Day 354 - 13th March 2008
2008-03-13 23:50:00 It's been a good Thursday today; last week's wasn't bad, today's was actually pretty nice. That didn't stop me getting somewhat bored, though in my eyes a good day is one where nothing goes wrong - not one where everything goes right.So, to cure the dull moments I started to throw M&M's in the air and attempt to catch them in my mouth - practice did make perfect and I've managed to hone a skill I was previously awful at; that little white line above where the wall meets the ceiling, directly above the red and white box, is sweet in mid-flight.Tomorrow I've got an oral exam and right now I'm watching 'A Fistful of Dollars' - Clint is fast becoming my favourite cowboy. More About: March , March 2008 , 2008
Day 353 - 12th March 2008
More articles from this author:2008-03-13 00:48:00 It's been a long time since I had a Staffordshire oatcake; so I thought it'd be nice to get some in, off eBay of course. What better way to spend a Wednesday than by eating such a thing; so unique and yet so homely.Despite all this oatcake madness, I can't help the fact that tomorrow is Thursday; although things are beginning to wind down towards the end of term in a week's time so I'm not expecting anything too bad.The weather is currently shite nationwide, storms have closed most motorways and stopped many trains - not good times to be travelling. More About: March , March 2008 , 2008 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
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