Ian Halstead イアン・ハルステッド
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ianhalst.bsky.social
Ian Halstead イアン・ハルステッド
@ianhalst.bsky.social
830 followers 530 following 2.7K posts
Retired graphic artist and web designer. History, music – bass guitarist – silversmithing, book gorger with a pile of as yet unread books taller than I am.
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Ian Halstead イアン・ハルステッド @ianhalst.bsky.social · Aug 5
Apologies to all the Gazans requesting help. I’m doing what I can in helping five families when I can, but I cannot possibly help everyone. Having to choose who to support after checking the legitimacy as genuine Gazans in real need, is torture. It’s nothing compared with their lot however. 🇵🇸🍉🇵🇸🍉
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Bramble – the furry vortex of snooze.
Female tortoiseshell cat named Bramble, curled up inside a furry circular donut style cat bed, and photographed from above.
December 17, 2025 at 5:32 PM
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And resuming the Australia trip photos. A ferry trip along the Darling River in Bourke with some views from the ferry, the Jandra Paddleboat, and sights from the town. Paddle boats once formed an important goods transportation link.
Gillian taking the wheel of the Jandra whilst underway. The Captain closely supervised passengers having a go. The large windows on the bridge and modern controls in the wooden binnacle in front of the wheel aid easy navigation. The wheel has ten spokes with handles for turning the wheel, and is around 1.5m in diameter. A handle to operate the ship’s whistle hangs from the ceiling to the left of the helmsperson. An iconic wind driven water pump, comprising a multi-vaned circular sail atop a three legged mast, is used to extract water from the river. The windmill stands next to some low sheds-like buildings near a row of mainly Eucalyptus trees. The foreground is parched earth and low grass. Two kangaroos sit in the shade beneath a large Eucalytus tree, with fallen branches on the ground nearby. One kangaroo is sitting in front of an old grey tree trunk and blends into the background. The Gidgee Guesthouse, a former bank, is a good example of Bourke’s architectural heritage. Wide verandahs shade the building from direct sunlight, which in the late spring and summer months can be brutal in intensity.
December 17, 2025 at 3:46 PM
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あなたはどこかで旅を始めなければなりません。小さなステップで、日本語学習の最初のステップは、基本的なキーキャラクターのいくつかを正しく形成することです。あまり大声で笑わないでください！🫣😬😳練習で上手になります。
Japanese characters repeatedly written in rows to practice forming them correctly. I don’t have the shapes well formed and the writing is not fluid, but it will improve.
December 15, 2025 at 8:18 PM
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Another daily (almost) dose of Australia trip photos. These are from Bourke’s historic graveyard and it’s a fascinating place. It contains a tin roofed mosque, the graves of notable cameleers, the grave of a policeman shot by a bar owner who went berserk… 1/2
A descriptive plaque next to the mosque used by Afghan cameleers. “Afghan Mosque Around the turn of the century this small building was used by Muslim Afghan Traders as a place of worship for their Islamic Faith. The Afghan traders were immigrant camel drivers, who came with their camels from the North West regions of India, now known as Afghanistan and Pakistan. They were experts in the handling, training and breaking of camels and they set about establishing carrying companies to carry goods to remote and arid areas. About two years after the Railway service was extended from Dubbo to Bourke in 1885, a camel carrying transport company was established just south of the railway at what is now the Bourke Showground area. As many as 2000 camels were stationed there as the property of the Bourke Carrying Co. under the initial management of Abdul Wade. From the railway, goods were transported by camel trains which usually consisted of between 20 and 30 camels, and 2 or 3 cameleers (and occasionally many more). Camels were also used to carry the mail. In 1886 they were used by Cobb & Co to carry the mail and passengers between Wilcannia and the Mount Brown goldfield which was then a very arid region. Again during the 1901-1902 drought the Bourke Hungerford mail passenger service used three camels to pull the standard Cobb & Co Coach, but with slightly wider wheels to assist travel over sandy country. The Muslim Afghans brought with them their religious practice of their Islamic faith, and were then called Mohammedan. For services, it is believed initially that a place of worship was set aside in a special room in the house of Bye Khan. Later this small Mosque was constructed at the rear of Marbeen Perooze's house in Hope Street, Bourke. The Mosque was moved to this site in 1998 for safekeeping. It is oriented, as it was in Hope Street, towards "Kaaba" in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. The mosque is perhaps 4 metres wide by 5 deep, constructed with a wooden frame faced by corrugated iron sheets for the walls and roof and painted white. It sits near a small copse of trees in the graveyard. The grave of Zeriph Khan, born in Afghanistan in 1871 and died March 23 1903. The Arabic inscription reads: The Merciful, there is no one but Allah, Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, Zalouhan, for the servants of Allah, Khan Zeriph. The grave of Natoolah Akonzada, who died in Bourke June 29 1922. The Arabic inscription is not legible unfortunately.
December 15, 2025 at 3:42 PM
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Images of Australia, from a trip Nov. 6 to Nov 27 2025. Moving on from a one night stay in Dubbo, to two nights in Bourke.
Trangie, a town between Dubbo and Bourke, in a cattle and grain area. Looking across the cross-roads from Cafe 2823 (recommended, good coffee) to a line of agricultural vehicles on Narromine Street. A large red tractor pulls a red 20 wheeled grain container, ahead of combine harvesters and further tractors. Yet another seemingly randomly placed Bofors gun, spotted opposite Cafe 2823 in Trangie. Getting closer to Bourke. A refreshment stop at Mulga Creek Hotel near Byrock. The ceiling is festooned with hats signed and left by visitors. Yet another very friendly welcome! Sunset at our stay in Bourke. Clouds on the horizon catch the yellow and oranges in spectacular fashion. The local bird life was particularly vociferous.
December 14, 2025 at 10:48 PM
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The way the vast majority of our lives are structured promotes a kind of living death. We are not truly alive. We are absent from our own lives and going through the motions surrounded by a mist of distractions and actions postponed. We fail to notice what’s really important.
December 14, 2025 at 10:23 PM
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Previously thought lost in a move, but now found in a box of DVDs hidden at the back of a cupboard. My grandad features for a few seconds as he pops his head out of a hatch and finds they are under fire. He was engineer aboard the launch in real life, his squadron were chosen to take part.
DVD case with cover: “The Ealing Studios Collection The action is swift – the characters loveable For Those in Peril The Story of Air Sea Rescue Produced by Michael Balcon” The case cover features an illustration of an High Speed Launch in rough seas approaching an inflatable dinghy containing two downed aircrew. A still from the film. My grandfather – a bare chested and bald headed man in his 30s rising out of the opened engine room hatch of a 63 foot ‘Whaleback’ launch. His head and upper torso are visible as he grips the hatch sides. Sea spray kicked up by the rapid speed flares up behind him. At this point, he is supposed to realise they are under fire and he ducked quickly back into the engine room. As engineer aboard, he looked after and operated the three 500hp Napier Sealion Engines.
December 14, 2025 at 7:57 PM
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Before I post further images of my Australia trip, I want to extend my deep sympathy to those who have lost loved ones or have been injured in the Bondi Beach attack. I don’t care who you are and what you stand for, you never, ever deserve to be shot. Extinguishing lives for simply being is evil.
December 14, 2025 at 11:33 AM
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On the road from Katoomba to Dubbo – heading for outback country. Hired a Mitsubishi GSX from No Birds car hire. The hire firm were brilliant, the car less so. A bit fidgety and crashy on less than perfect roads. Decent fuel economy though.
Heading for Dubbo on the Mitchell Highway. Light traffic was the norm once past urban areas. The image is taken from the passenger seat looking down the road to a rocky outcrop alongside a bend to the right. Two vehicles are approaching on the opposite side of the two lane road. Eucalyptus trees flank the carriageway. Farming country, with a mix of grain and cattle farming. The land is mainly flat in the image with a ridge of low hills in the distance. Grasses occupy the verges with open fields beyond. There is a blue sky with high cirrus. This was on the Castlereagh Highway, past Mudgee. A mix of grasslands and interspersed trees. We came across the odd group of Emus, but didn’t manage to photograph any. The image is from the passenger seat, having just stopped for a break. A long stretch of road with zero traffic. The road is flanked by grass verges and lines of trees, and is ruler straight into the distance.
December 12, 2025 at 8:43 AM
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And… yet more images from the Australia trip. Warning ⚠️ – there are hundreds yet to come! 😬🫣. Katoomba sunsets taken from Cahill’s Lookout. Got a chance to practice a little Japanese with some lovely tourists from Japan.
Looking south from Cahill’s Lookout. A light grey tree trunk on the extreme left gives way to bushes and shrubs leading to a cliff edge beyond which is a rock face of the Narrow Neck. More cliff faces are seen in the distance, as are hazy blue ridges in the far distance. The sky is orange and yellow. Further down Cahill’s Lookout, looking south across the valley. Two Eucalyptus trees dominate the foreground. The set sun glows yellow behind the far horizon. The sun shortly before setting completely. Seen from Cahill’s Lookout and viewed looking south west. Trees and bushes in the foreground catch the yellow of the setting sun. Again looking more or less south west at the setting sun, with the tops of the foliage catching the setting sun. A backlit leafless tree stump is central on the image.
December 11, 2025 at 9:24 PM
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Trip to Australia – photos around Katoomba, with discovered textures
Looking like highly compressed and folded dry noodles, this wood formed part of the root system of a tree in the temperate rainforest in the valley near Katoomba. Another exposed root section of a tree with highly convoluted folds and wraps showing in the wood grain. The lower part of Katoomba Falls. The water flow was restrained at this point and is often much more energetic. The water divides into several paths flowing over sandstone composed of horizontal layers. Foliage flanks the falls, and areas of moss grow where the rock is kept moist. The view from a track in the valley, up to a prominent cliff of red sandstone, looking a little like the bow of a huge ship. Trees and bushes form the foreground and frame the ultramarine sky on either side of the image.
December 11, 2025 at 11:15 AM
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Australia trip – more images. Moving on from Sydney to Katoomba in the Blue Mountains. A Bofors gun seemingly randomly placed in Katoomba and views of the Three Sisters rock formation.
The Three Sisters rock formation viewed from a platform at the Blue Mountains Visitor Information Centre. Standing proud of a rocky projection overlooking the forested valley below. Looking like the lower jaw of an enormous animal the Three Sisters sit like worn molar teeth on the promontory ‘jaw’. A wide valley winds past, with a cliff face visible in the far distance. Railings and viewers are seen at the bottom of the image. The weather is sunny with a few clouds. A sulphur-crested cockatoo standing on a patch of grass in the shade of some trees. Predominantly white, with a yellow crest, the colour being reminiscent of sulphur. A close-up of the Three Sisters rock formation. In the valley below the Three Sisters, the vegetation becomes far more lush, being temperate rainforest with ferns, including tree ferns, several species of Eucalyptus, Coachwood trees and Sassafras trees among others.
December 10, 2025 at 3:03 PM
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Trip to Australia – more images around Sydney. We managed to locate the heavily refurbished house in which Gillian lived until age 4. We knocked on the door, showed the occupants photos of the house from the 60s and got a guided tour! A ferry out to Watson’s Bay and a walk to South Head followed.
Looking very different, but occupying a similar footprint to the house in which Gillian spent her early years, this bay front property occupies a prime position in Yowie Bay. A two storey detached house with pale grey-blue wooden slat cladding, access is via lots of steps or an inclinator lift. Mature tree foliage is seen behind the property, together with an almost fully blue sky. Just the occasional cloud. Gillian looking out on Yowie Bay, with the house she once lived in on the water’s edge to her right. The photo is taken from the grounds of a convent adjacent to the house. The convent is now defunct and the land and buildings have been sold. On the walk from Watson’s Bay to South Head, is a gun emplacement featuring a nineteenth century muzzle loading cannon, possibly an Armstrong design. It appears to be aimed at Sydney, with the tall buildings of the city centre visible in the distance over the bay waters. Hornby Lighthouse at South Head, and featuring vertical red and white strips around the circumference. It stands at just over 9 metres tall, sitting on a bed of solid sandstone rock.
December 9, 2025 at 10:05 PM
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More images from the trip to New South Wales. Sydney again.
Hyde Park Barracks, city centre reflections and the excellent Adge Hotel.
Hyde Park Barracks – now a well thought out and run museum. It has served as a military barracks, hospital, housing for prisoners, a mint and a courthouse. Three stories high with a roof space and is built from sandstone in Georgian style with a pediments gable containing a large clock. Reflections of an adjacent building on the windows of another, the green glass giving a stylised impression of water reflections. The top floor of the barracks is a dormitory, the interior is whitewashed and contains rows of hammocks for use by prisoners. The excellent Adge Hotel in Surrey Hills. Outrageously splendid decor in bright colours with contemporary furnishings. Very reasonably priced and within easy bus travel to Sydney Harbour.
December 9, 2025 at 3:26 PM
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Spent from November 6 to 27 in Australia, touring around New South Wales in a hire car after an initial few days in Sydney. Some photos from the Sydney stay.
Sydney harbour bridge photographed from near the opera house. Sydney harbour is in the foreground and midground, with the bridge running left to right across the image. Largely blue sky with wispy cirrus. A stray pointing hand intruding into the photo is visible at the bottom left. The harbour bridge and opera house on the horizon, left and right consecutively, with the long curved pedestrian area leading to the opera house curving upwards left to right from the bottom left. Looking back to the Sydney business area with several skyscraper type buildings beyond the extensive opera house apron. Several apices of the opera house building, arranged around a stairway leading to a hidden entrance.
December 9, 2025 at 12:25 PM
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Mid 80s photoshoot for a band I was in – originally ‘Agent Orange’ until we found the name already taken. Became ‘Beat the Clock’. Photographed around St. Andrew’s Dock in Hull with a large format Rollei as I remember. I may have posted these before but what the hell!
Photographed at the quayside next to the bow of a trawler with its mooring rope and anchor visible. Foremost is Grant Ardis the drummer, perched on a mooring stanchion, right leg raised with a foot on the rope. Behind anto the left is the author, Ian Halstead, bass guitar. Behind Grant to the right are Maggie Foottit, vocalist and Pete Cox, guitar. Another trawler can be seen adjacent to the far dockside, and part of the bow of one berthed further to the right on this side. A bright sunny day, accentuating the monochrome tones of the image. Grant, Maggie, myself and Pete, left to right, standing facing the camera with backs to the quay. A small section of trawler now is on the extreme left, with a side view of a trawler on the far dockside with another berthed alongside this. Maggie, myself, Grant and Pete on the superstructure of a caterpillar tracked mobile crane, used in a major raid-building programme near the docks. Maggie is perched on the large striped counterweight at the rear, with the rest behind the rail alongside the cab. Right to left, flowing diagonally from lower right to top left of the frame, are Grant, Maggie, Pete and myself. We are all sitting facing left in a raised low wall at a quayside – the camera is looking down from a standing head height. Deep shadows of us are cast on the ground in front of us as bright sunlight comes from the right onto our backs.
November 2, 2025 at 9:01 AM
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A request to help a family in Gaza, if you can. Repost or donate if you feel able.
I have chatted to Rania, a graphic designer, and her sister Muhanna, I’ve been sent contemporary photographs and I’m certain everything is genuine. The link to her fund:

gofund.me/29d6d485
Donate to Help Rania and her family evacuating from Gaza, organized by Savino Farbotti
My name is Rania Muhanna, I'm 36 years old, a graphic designer and digi… Savino Farbotti needs your support for Help Rania and her family evacuating from Gaza
gofund.me
October 26, 2025 at 12:00 PM
Reposted by Ian Halstead イアン・ハルステッド
gailmyerscough.co.uk
I know it’s early but my #Christmas card and gift wrap collection is now available in my online shop
www.gailmyerscough.co.uk/christmas-ca...
Christmas cards and gift wrap collection.
October 21, 2025 at 6:44 PM
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リヤル・アルバート・ホールで開催されたグランド・スモ・トーナメント・ロンドン2025を主催し、参加してくださったすべての方々に心から感謝します。テレビで見て楽しんだ日本文化の壮大な展示。歴史的な出来事。
#GrandSumoTournamentLondon2025 #Sumo #London
October 20, 2025 at 7:49 AM
ianhalst.bsky.social
Some folks I know have made this rather good song and video. 😊
www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkqY...
#RedGuitars #UndeadGuitars
Blazing Zombies (Official Video)
YouTube video by Undead Guitars (formerly Red Guitars)
www.youtube.com
October 11, 2025 at 7:56 PM
Reposted by Ian Halstead イアン・ハルステッド
zoedrayson.bsky.social
When a typo in your Google search leads to new and exciting philosophical positions
AI Overview: "Dental realism"refers to the philosophical debate about whether teeth exist independently of human perception, a concept rooted in metaphysical realism. While realism asserts an objective reality for teeth, idealist philosophies contend that teeth's existence is tied to our consciousness and perception. Philosophers use this idea, for example, to discuss the ethics of tooth extraction, examining whether a procedure impacts a real entity or merely a subjective experience.
September 22, 2025 at 9:25 PM