Kaya Prem

We have discovered a joy beyond our expectations with the birth of our daughter, Kaya Prem, at 9.45pm on Wednesday the 18th March. She arrived, shot out, eventually at great speed underwater in the birthing pool at home after a very smooth 24-hour labour. The midwife team led by Rachel with Ann and Helen provided superb support and care of the highest professional level and personal dedication. She is now 3 days old and grunting out a sleep of sublime peace on my chest.

Sheffield Star

Sheffield Star ran a full page feature about my photography and Faces of Buddha Exhibition today. The article can be read online at http://www.thestar.co.uk/pictures/Buddha-can-you-spare-a.5084755.jp.

No Giro

No Giro
Originally uploaded by Bill Bevan

Graffiti below the tower blocks on the Ponderosa, Sheffield, spell out disenchantment with government.

Midwife Visit

We've had our latest midwife visit today. The baby has not initiated his/her exit strategy yet though is engaged in the process. Everything is fine - Georgia's blood pressure and baby's heartbeat. Midwife reckons the head is well and truly engaged. It is amazing to be able to hear the heartbeat. I have been able to hear it just by putting my ear to the bump for 3 or 4 weeks already.

Baby Pending

Today is our "official" baby due date. Are we waiting with bated breath, catcher's mitt and phone to the midwife in hand? Actually, no. I'm having a day off freelance work, having my photo taken for a Sheffield Star piece about my Faces of Buddha exhibition (hmmm...must blog that) while Georgia is resting and we're visiting Dinah and Jason with 11-day old Verity Ann (G made a chocolate cake for them). I'm aiming to see Jim down the pub later and Goergia will rest again.


Predicting a due date is not an exact science. In France they don't give you a date but a 4-week window of expectation. Our midwife, who returns from holiday tomorrow, is pretty certain she'll be back before our baby comes out, and we're not expecting it to happen for a few days yet. So, in the meantime enjoy these photographs of Georgia looking beautifully pregnant on the 7th March.

Dogshit Park

After walking across the green sward of Ruskin Park yesterday, taking the opportunity of a warm sun to feel the earth below my feet instead of tarmac, I soon needed to be vigilant and nimble. A short step here, wider stride there, a little pirouette and leap here. the joy of spring hadn't quite entered my step simply the need to avoid the endless piles of dog turd smothering the park from west to east, top to bottom. I think Ruskin Park should be re-named Dogshit Park in honour of those dog-owners who choose not to pick up the contents excreted from their dogs' behinds but instead seem happy that this public park should come to resemble a sewage works. Thank you for the ballet lessons.

Films

Since we've been back in Britain we have been doing a lot of getting ourselves ready for the imminent arrival of our baby. This has mostly involved a combination of totally re-decorating our bedroom (from the terrible waste of life feeling brought on by visiting retail parks to the result of a much more pleasant room to be in), shopping for baby things (and sorting out the wonderfully kind loans and gifts friends and family have given us), sorting out a baby room (we plan to have him or her in our room for the first 6 months but need a place for all the things), going to ante-natal classes (must not drop the baby like I dropped the doll), having midwife visits, creating a birth plan. Oh, and reading something about these here babies.

It has also been a welcome break to go to the cinema and see a couple of films that have enabled us to stop thinking about the baby for a couple of hours each time.

First up was the much talked about and awarded Slumdog Millionaire, an intense spice-fueled rush through the streets of Mumbai. Slumdog successfully re-creates the experience of visiting India which assails all senses at once. The film uses a riot of colour and sound matched to a fast-paced narrative as the backdrop to a story that charges through one emotional encounter after another. It is an exceptional cinematographic outing, from the acting and directing to the photography and score. Humour and tragedy are bound together by a silver thread of love that runs from the start to finish. It certainly deserves the awards it has received to-date.

Second was Vicky Christina Barcelona. Another BAFTA award-winner that has been touted as Woody Allen's return to form. I think the last Allen movie I enjoyed was Hannah and her Sisters way back in the 1980s. Since then I have seen a couple I thought mediocre but have avoided most due to their poor reviews. This has been a shame because I rated Woody Allen as one of my favorite directors until the 90s. It was with relief and laughter that I watched VCB unfold. The setting is beautiful, of course being Barcelona, and the story is of top Allen comedy while avoiding being weighed down in subjects of neurosis that he has mined to successfully in the past. Yes, there are personal issues in the movie but they are explored freshly by a young cast that Allen has working to the best of their abilities rather than by an old man still coming to terms with existence. He was great at the existential angst in the 70s and 80s and now he was discovered that he can be great at more modern worries too.

Snowbusiness UK

Snow arrived in the UK on Monday. The most for 20 years. 

It brought complete and utter chaos.

As if we had never seen the cold, white powdery stuff before. 

Schools closed. People skidded to work, some didn't. All of London's buses were cancelled for the day due to the wrong amount of snow. This was the first time in  the 100-year history of the capital city's bus service that all buses were cancelled. I'm sure more snow has fallen before on buses that were probably much heavier and without the advantages of power steering or ABS braking systems. 

Russians laughed at us on national news, Swedes chortled at us in the newspapers (though worried they might not be able to leave 

this island.) The general theme from citizens of countries who have regular snow was along the lines of 'aren't you lot crap.' I'm sure old people are laughing or bemoaning too.

The great things were seeing lots of parents and children sledging together in parks. Plenty were having lots of fun, heightened I'm sure by the surprise of the day off and the sheer adventurous fun of a slope and some snow.

The kids were off because the schools were closed, some parents kept at home without this free, national child

care service. I heard mothers moaning about it while kids said 'c'mon mum, my feet are freezing.' One mate I once played football with who runs his own business decided to give everyone the day off so he could go out and play with his child who had never seen this much snow before.

Hardly anyone bothered to either shovel the snow or compacted ice from their path outside their house or clear a stretch of road with grit or a spade. I gritted and shovelled the bottom of Fulton Road, where its junction with another road had left s thick layer of ice, because we wanted to use the car to pick-up some paint. Two women passed at different times. One, maybe in her thirties and by her accent from the south, complemented me on thinking of others. A retired Sheffield-born lass shouted over 'Don't waste your time on others!'

Two faces of modern Britain caught in their attitudes to me spending 20 minutes clearing a short bit of road. It made me think. Perhaps if we spent less time complaining about the weather or the slippery conditions and a little time clearing a stretch of pavement or road, maybe just 30 minutes, we'd all have fairly clear routes and be able to get around a lot easier.

Sukhothai

Ancient capital of Siam

We pedalled past the white seated Buddha statues, each a moment of stationary meditation glimpsed amongst the trees. We had hired the bikes the previous evening from one of the many hire shops lining the approach road to the ancient city of Sukhothai. Paolo, our guest house owner, recommended the place. Visitors on old single-gear sit-up-and-beg bicycles cruise the roads that run through and around the ruins. Sukhothai is a delightful place for a bicycle ride, whether or not you're greatly interested in archaeology. The roads are predominantly level, the Historical Park is mostly woodland with large ponds that reflect the towering chedis or Buddha statues. Thai drivers are, on the whole, slow and courteous, though they have a tendency unusual to Sukhothai for announcing their approach behind you with a blast on the horn. Well-intended I'm sure but annoying after a short while. The site is spread out over a large area so bicycles really are the way to go. They make visiting all the main temples in the Historical Park easy to do in a day. There are also numerous temples beyond the original city walls, which form a rectangle 2km across, that require some form of transport to reach. Mopeds and mini-vans are other options but if you have the energy and fitness, bicycles allow you to take in the surrounding landscape and say hello to many people in passing.

We visited the Historical Park over five days, catching it in early morning and late afternoon light. The core of the Park are the temples and ponds that formed the very centre of ancient Sukhothai. Here are the remains of at least eleven of the grandest temples, many still hosting graceful Buddha statues, separated by tranquil ponds. The best-preserved is Wat Mahathat, a sprawling range of brick walls, columns, chedis and platforms set in a garden of trees and lawns. Mahathat was the spiritual heart of the city and would have held important relics of the Buddha under its spire-like chedi. Today, a large Buddha statue serenely sits in mediation at the front of the ruined temple hall and is still an important pilgrimage site. There are always offerings of candles, incense and flowers laid in front of his feet and, if you're lucky, you may see orange-robed and chanting monks leading a ceremony.



Two giant standing Buddhas flank either side of the chedi, their arms held out in supplication. Their robes are so finely made from limestone stucco that they seem to sway. Bridges and pathways radiate out from Matathat for you to explore the surrounding temples, each with its own character and distinctive Buddha image. One chedi is supported on a base of very patient elephants. There is enough to explore for at least a morning and if the heat becomes too much by mid-day there are plenty of fruit sellers under shady trees while the modern town with its cafes and restaurants is only a short distance away. It is worth hanging out in the Historical Park until sunset when you will find the Buddha images and temples are silhouetted against the rich oranges and blues of the sky. We had cloudless skies during our visit and while we missed out on the textured multi-hued skies that sun-lit clouds bring, even the gentle transition of a sky darkening from blue to black via bands of orange and red is a spectacle worth seeing.

One morning as I wandered to the west of Matathat, before the sun had risen above the trees, I stood entranced as clouds of white mist drifted languidly above the ponds. The whole world was white, pierced only by the vibrant purple of floating lotus blossoms. As the sun broke over the tree tops, the towering chedi of a temple beyond the pond glowed orange against a backdrop of still-dark woodland. The orange light seemed to slide down the chedi to engulf it and a white-stuccoed Buddha image until he shone bright amongst the pale land.



Sunrise is a magical time of day elsewhere in Sukhothai. The following morning I cycled, shivering in the pre-dawn cold, to Wat Saphan Hin set on a hilltop to the west of the city. The sun rises directly above the city and over a flat plain extending from the bottom of the hill to beyond the horizon. The morning I was there the sun rose as a solid orange globe in a cloudless sky. Here, the statue is of Buddha standing with his right arm extended and his hand facing out to greet the new day across the ancient city.

I was only able to cycle out so early and to see so much because I chose to stay in Old Sukhothai. There are, confusingly, two towns by that name. New Sukhothai is a typical noisy, polluted Thai town 15km east of the old city and the main tourist centre for visitors to the ruins. Getting from New to Old Sukhothai involves negotiation a taxi ride or taking one of the infrequent buses. Either way, the journey is about 30 minutes. You do benefit from easier connections to the rail and bus stations if you're on a flying visit as well as a larger selection of guesthouses and restaurants to choose from. If you really want to immerse yourself in the ruins and have time to explore the different places without trying to fit them all into one day, then I'd recommend Old Sukhothai as the place to stay. The town lines two sides of the main road after it enters the original eastern gate of the city and has a choice of cafes and restaurants as well as a 7-Eleven and two budget backpacker guesthouses where you can find a room for as little as 150 baht. There is also a decent day market if you want to buy fresh fruit and veg, and a small night market with hot and cold food stalls. One new discovery we made was a little stall selling mugs of hot ginger tea over tofu. The road that heads north along the outside of the eastern city wall has mid-range and up market guesthouses. We chose the Orchid Hibiscus because of the promise of bungalows set in a flower garden and an outdoor swimming pool. We weren't disappointed as you can read here.

One of my favourite morning rides was to Wat Phra Achana, where the box-like brick and mortared Mandapa hall still shelters one of the most famous Buddha statues in Thailand. Here Buddha is shown in a popular pose, sitting in the half-lotus position with the fingers of his right hand extended to the ground in the act of subduing Mara. This notable scene from the life of Buddha represents the tim when Mara, a mythical being, tried to tempt Buddha with demons, monsters and storms out of his meditation. By touching the ground, the Buddha called up the Earth Goddess who drowned Mara and his demons. His right hand is covered in tiny squares of gold leaf placed there by worshippers honouring Buddha in hope of merit. I went so early that I had the temple to my self until the ground staff and security arrived. It wasn't until almost 10 O'Clock before the first major tour parties arrived to break the spell of tranquility. That was when I chose to leave, only to be swamped by hundreds of cycling Thai teenagers who peddled brightly coloured pink and yellow bicycles passed the ice cream seller without a pause, screeched to a halt at the end of the parking lot and proceeded to charge towards the Mandapa in a hail of shouts and laughter. At least one Sukhothai bicycle hire shop was clearly doing good business today.