Tuesday 24 August 2010

Donald Campbell (1921-1967)-Bluebird



All of the old Brit heroes have gone - the world as changed and the likes of Donald Campbell and his Bluebird machine live in eternity now. I think we live in a better world today, but the old fashioned type of Brit still echos in the retro Britain I love to look back on. I was six years old when he died and now I'm approaching fifty. I've lived longer and been very unexciting and careful. I wonder if he was happy living his life on the edge and going out in an explosion of glory. We only get the excitement of the man that was Donald Campbell - the adventurer and daredevil. I think he was the sort of person who loves to push the boundaries and could not live any other way. We are enthralled by such people and I think the world needs such individuals now and then. I could never be like him, but I can't help admiring the man.









Sunday 22 August 2010

Giving You Twiggy - A Retro Brit 60s Icon





Some of these clips are great, they make you touch memories from your past. Everyone liked Twiggy in the 1960s and we all knew her as part of the boom period - when the Beatles and Rolling Stones made wonderful sounds along with a wide range of other Brit bands. There was a mood of optimism - the cars were great - E-type Jags, Aston Martins, MGBs, Triumph Spitfires. The football was great and muddy - we had wonderful cheesy TV programmes like The Prisoner, the Avengers, Doctor Who, Thunderbirds - the list goes on. As a kid, I loved it all and always find a nostalgic comfort when I think back to those times. It just seemed to fade away but I did not realise it was happening on a day to day basis. Now days I love anything with a retro Brit 60s feel - it was a time of great changes, although I was not aware of it at the time. Every man and woman over forty had been involved in the second world war but now, hardly any of these people are left.