The Westsail 32 is one of my dreamships. 'Neverland' is a very nice example of this solid cruising yacht class which has its roots in the old Colin Archer double enders. I would love to own and sail one of these boats. This is a particularly well shot video accompanied by a couple of beautiful songs - especially the first one which begins at 2.55 minutes into the video, which is best watched on full screen - magical!
Light comes down in a shimmering ray
Oh for the yearning in my days
I will stand before you as I pray
Take me up to a higher plane.
Blackened stump bleached by the sun
Oh for the yearning in my days
Reaching up to kingdom come
There will be no brighter day.
Blinding light flash off the sea
Oh god the northern shore
Each bend and curve to beckon me
Shake me to my very core. (x2)
Pic Island arc in a perfect form
Oh for the yearning in my day
In the arms of the north I am reborn
There will be no brighter day
Give me blacks, give me blues
Oh for the whites and the yellow too
From them I'll blend the subtler hues
There will be no brighter day.
Where the lake goes on beyond my eyes
And the light goes on beyond my dreams
Where the spirit grows, it never dies, Where
the west wind blows and the Jack pine leans
Recently I posted (Scroll down a couple or seven postings) about my new Brompton folding bike. This (photo above) is my t'other bike which I have had for a number of years. I have recently had wider tyres with a more robust tread fitted. This change from narrow street tyres makes the bike more comfortable and capable on rougher bush tracks and rail trails. Although I use the Brompton early-ish every day for my daily exercise I sometimes like to stretch my legs further and do a longer ride. The above photo was taken on the first ride out on the new wide tyres. The performance was excellent and I was well pleased.
As I type this we (That is New Zealand) have entered a 7 day lock down (Auckland) and a 3 day lock down (The rest of NZ) as we now have an outbreak of the dangerous Delta variety of Covid 19. Biking, sailing etc is now on the back burner as we ride this virus out. Christine and I go for our second jab of the Pfizer vaccine on Saturday - what can I say? - Put on your mask, your common sense and 'Rock on,' is what I say.
I originally posted this in Oct 2014. I had forgotten how much I like Van Morrison. He does have the propensity towards poor enunciation on occasion which has me scrambling for a google lyric search - but he's a genius and I really like this song.
"The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn" is the name of an
enchanting chapter in the classic book "The Wind In The Willows written
by Kenneth Graham.
It
is in this book from which this classic quote comes from (Ratty is
speaking to Mole who he is introducing to the delights of his
watery world........
“Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing -
absolutely nothing -
half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.”
But the chapter entitled "The Piper At
The Gates Of Dawn" is about a transcendent encounter and quite a
proper subject in a book where 'Talking Animals' are proxies for us human beings and our lives.
I
read 'The Wind In The Willows' when I was about 12 years of age, and
again when I was an adult. I was enchanted by the book on both readings. C.S. Lewis said that he thought that the sign of a good childrens book was a book that both children and adults enjoyed - which would indeed be true for Lewis' 'Narnia Chronicles' and J.R.R. Tolkeins 'The Hobbit' and 'The Lord of the Rings'.
This chapter was obviously the inspiration for this song written by Van Morrison.
"Piper At The Gates Of Dawn"
The coolness of the riverbank, and the whispering of the reeds
Daybreak is not so very far away
Enchanted and spellbound, in the silence they lingered
And rowed the boat as the light grew steadily strong
And the birds were silent, as they listened for the heavenly music
And the river played the song
The wind in the willows and the piper at the gates of dawn
The wind in the willows and the piper at the gates of dawn
The song dream happened and the cloven hoofed piper
Played in that holy ground where they felt the awe and wonder
And they all were unafraid of the great god Pan
And the wind in the willows and the piper at the gates of dawn
The wind in the willows and the piper at the gates of dawn
When the vision vanished they heard a choir of birds singing
In the heavenly silence between the trance and the reeds
And they stood upon the lawn and listened to the silence
Of the wind in the willows and the piper at the gates of dawn
The wind in the willows and the piper at the gates of dawn
The wind in the willows and the piper at the gates of dawn
It's the wind in the willows and the piper at the gates of dawn
The wind in the willows and the piper at the gates of dawn
The wind in the willows and the piper at the gates of dawn
