Sierra Madre Oriental: Geological Pink Tales, Nydia Lilian, 2024-2025

Speaking of carcasses, here are three I saw on a beach in Suffolk on a hot day last year in the springtime. Everything was dry and smelly.

The first is a seal, curled up by a marshy tide pool above the dunes, long forgotten by the ocean. I think it might be a common seal, by it’s size and blondeish fur, but who can really tell at this stage. Note the little crab claw lying on its pelt, if you zoom in. Probably carried along by the same scavengers who picked the carcass clean!

The second is a little more difficult but I think it was a harbour porpoise. All distinguishing features (tail, dorsal fin, face) are missing but it has a blowhole and is about the right size. It's grey belly had gone leathery and tanned in the sun.

The last is a lesser-spotted dogfish, or small-spotted catshark, if you are so inclined. Dog for scale.

You tell your cowgirl gf you want to bring toys into the bedroom and she brings out a handsaw, a vaguely rake-like implement, and two semispheroidal objects with handles

The Days of Heaven (1979)

sketch for the judgement, charcoal on paper, john singer sargent, c. 1903-1916

Chambered tomb, St Lythans, Glamorgan

The Way Things Work (1994) Compact Disc Player

source

AHTARI, FINLAND.

Water, earth, air: the Pewsey Vale white horse in Wiltshire.

I love your blog and am looking forward to your book! I have a cool piece of trivia to share with you that you might not be aware of. There’s a death metal band called Blood Incantation I’m a fan of, and they’ve actually used a piece of classic scifi cover art for their 2019 album Hidden History of the Human Race. It’s by Bruce Pennington, and was used for the 1957 book Space, Time, and Nathaniel by Brian Aldiss! Interestingly, it wasn’t the only time the piece was used as album art. Electronic musician Alec Empire used it the same year for Hypermodern Jazz 2000.5, and another death metal band used it, Agony, for their album Apocalyptic Dawning in 2008. I hope you find this interesting!

Very cool! Blood Incantation must really like Bruce Pennington, they have another album (this one) with his skull planet art on its cover.

There's a rich history of sci-fi paperback artists licensing their work out to rock and metal bands, especially in the 80s/90s. I should do a deep dive into the history sometime.