Earthsea

A most enjoyable evening was had last night. We ate vast pizzas (mine was a Popeye and you guessed, it had tons of spinach and pine kernels ...mmm). Then on to the Village Theatre which was most comfortable with sofas and beanbags, a decent sized screen and good acoustics. The film White Riot, was excellent - a modern documentary about the  Rock Against Racism movement of the late 1970s, featuring lots of original footage and graphics done in the style  of the time and of the fanzine, Temporary Hoarding, which started the movement.
Basically it was a reaction to the growing power of the National Front and inspired a massive following of a very divergent group of people, mainly young but not entirely, the rock being mainly provided by Punk and Reggae bands.
Apart from the disgustingness of the National Front what was most shocking was the prevalent casual racism: sneaky asides on TV programmes, racist language and who ever thought the Black and White Minstrels were a good thing. A quote from the Guardian's review:
We were trying to get people to understand racism as a white problem,” says Kate Webb, an early member of the Rock Against Racism movement, which emerged in 1976 in protest at the white supremacist attitudes of the then fast-growing National Front. The group’s idea to “peel away the union jack to reveal the swastika” feels eerily resonant more than 40 years later.


Dull and grey today - caught up with a few emails this morning, then we packed a small picnic and went off for a walk, first dropping in to Earthsea Gallery. Stunning paintings which really capture the lush landscapes around here. We turned left on the beach and walked towards Rotarai, miles and miles of empty sand, the tide way out.  We sat on a large piece of driftwood and enjoyed cheese and biscuits, then we walked back along the empty estuary. At select places on the beach there were dumps of white shells, this was one of them - almost dot-like for today's Abstract Thursday Challenge. 


And it's Will's birthday - a biggy. How sad not to be a bit closer but we shall celebrate in fine style when we are next able. He and his mates are heading to Wales for a spot of climbing.