SUNDAY SUPPLEMENT: Viña del Mar, Chile, by JD

 

No, that is not a Disney style fantasy castle. It is a real place called Castillo Wulff in Viña del Mar on the Pacific coast of Chile.

When I visited it was a sort of museum dedicated to the Chilean writer and poet Salvador Reyes and contained the memorabilia he had collected. The Castillo is owned by the Municipalidad de Viña del Mar and I believe it is currently used as the municipality's offices.

The bridge you see leading to the tower on that rocky outcrop has a glass floor through which you can see the waves and in rough seas those waves can reach the underside of the glass.

I was fortunate in that I was working in Chile so my employer paid for me to get there and back. Perks of the job I suppose.

I managed to find a video of it, in English, made by the Municipalidad de Viña del Mar
which gives a short history and some wonderful images past and present.

This is a sketch I did of the presidential palace which is in Viña del Mar and not in the capital Santiago as might be expected. It stands atop a hill overlooking the Castillo Wulff. I have taken the liberty of ignoring the office block on the right and replacing it with a few trees.

FRIDAY MUSIC: Amble, by JD

When I see the name Amble I think immediately of the town in Cumbria which is located at the northern end of Windermere. But there is another Amble and that is an Irish folk group, a trio and there is this effusive description attached to their YouTube page. But don't let that put you off. They are very good!

"Channeling the power of tried-and-true friendship and tapping into the serenity of the surrounding countryside, Irish trio Amble harness a rare magic threaded into the fabric of their novelistic folk. The group—Robbie Cunningham (lead vocals/guitar), Ross McNerney (mandolin/bouzouki), and Oisin McCaffrey (guitar/vocals)—have unassumingly gone from quitting their day jobs in rural Western Ireland to the doorstep of an international breakthrough buoyed by over 100 million streams and sold-out shows around the world. After just one gig together, they unlocked uncanny creative interplay with each member penning songs and pouring life experience into the lyrics."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amble_(band)

Amble - Lonely Island (Official Video)

Amble – Schoolyard Days | Mahogany Session

Amble - Mary's Pub (Official Video)

Amble - Of Land and Sea

Amble - Sam Hall (Official Audio)

Amble - Jersey Giant (Live from Dublin)

SUNDAY SUPPLEMENT: Hidden Spain, by JD

Here is the tale of our journey into 'hidden' Spain. I didn't realise how long ago it was. Is time speeding up? And now that I come to think about it, I have seen a lot of places which are really worth seeing; the Alhambra, Toledo, Aranjuez, Alcala de Henares with its links to Cervantes and Don Quijote and there is lots more I have yet to see. I will probably need a couple more lifetimes to see everything!

Cañón del Río Lobos

Travel writers sometimes tell us to step back from the Costas and seek out something different but usually they direct us to the big cities where we can spend even more money.

There is an alternative, a hidden Spain, well off the beaten track but you need a guide and if you are with somebody who knows then there are some beautiful places hidden away “far from the madding crowd’s ignoble strife.”

One such place is the Cañón del Río Lobos in the province of Soria (Castilla y León) and this really is in the heart of Spain a long way from the usual tourist trails.

After parking the car, we set off following the course of the river along the pathway among the trees. We exchange greetings with a shepherd and step to one side for him as he moves his flock of about 200 or so raggedy looking sheep (not bred for their wool by the look of them.)

And on we walked for about two miles, still following the river and seeing some of the resident colony of griffon vultures flying above the walls of the canyon. Then we came into a large clearing…. this picture was 'borrowed' from Google maps:

….and in the distance the San Bartolomé Hermitage. A small chapel, literally miles from anywhere, which is all that remains of the monastery said to have been built by the Templars in the 13th century. Because it was winter at the time of our visit the Hermitage was locked so we could not see inside.

To the right of the picture is la Cueva Grande, the largest of many caves in the valley and this one has a few rock carvings and cave paintings showing evidence of occupation of this area dating back to the bronze age.

This next picture is also from Google Maps. It is not a painting. It really does look like that, blue and gold striation. Very psychedelic especially in the sunshine.

A magical place and I thank my friends in Spain for taking me to see it. It is probably 20 or even 30 years ago when we were there (as long ago as that?) and at that time it was a hidden valley with few visitors.

But in the intervening years it has been added to the list of tourist attractions persuading visitors to explore inland Spain so there is now this link with a substantial amount of information in English - https://www.cañondelriolobos.com/rio-lobos-canyon/basic-information.html

There is also this BBC link which has a short video in Spanish but with English subtitles giving more information about the link to The Templars as well as the precise location of the Hermitage which is in the exact centre of the Iberian peninsula:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/reel/video/p08q45rj/why-did-the-templars-mark-this-mysterious-spot-on-the-map-

FRIDAY MUSIC: Flora Cash, by JD

"Flora Cash is a Swedish–American duo formed by Kosovo-born Shpresa Lleshaj and American musician Cole Randall. The two met on SoundCloud in 2012 and became musical partners. Their music, blending melancholic melodies and a mix of genres, reflects their diverse backgrounds and has garnered mainstream recognition, most notably with the single "You're Somebody Else", from their 2017 album, Nothing Lasts Forever (And It's Fine). This track achieved the number-one position on American alternative radio and received Platinum and Gold certifications in various countries, including the United States. With the 2023 release of the EP Vår Pil (Piano Quintet Suite för Rocker Peggy), Flora Cash expanded their musical oeuvre to include classical music. As of 2025, the duo has published four studio albums and ten EPs, as well as numerous singles."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flora_Cash

flora cash - You're Somebody Else [Bardcore / Medieval Style]

Sad but smiling

flora cash - You're Somebody Else (Official Video)

flora cash - For Someone (Official Video)

flora cash - The Builder (För J. Blom) - (Official Video)
Dedicated to Hans Johan Blom The Builder. He was 44 years old.
"The Builder" is a tribute to a friend, and an acknowledgment of the unsung builders in our world.

flora cash - Soul Mate (Lyric Video)

Michael Bentine's Bumblies, by JD

In the early days of television (1954/1955) Michael Bentine devised and wrote a thirteen part children's series about three friendly little aliens from outer space, cheerful ambassadors from the Planet Bumble, who landed in their flying saucer in the garden of an absent-minded professor of astronomy, with the express purpose of getting to know the children of Earth, and learning how to play their games.

The Bumblies had numbers rather than names. Bumbly One was their leader and the most intelligent one. Bumbly Two was the fattest and most jovial of the trio, and Bumbly Three was the dim one, who always got things wrong (and was similar to the Eccles character which Spike Milligan had made famous in The Goons).

The Bumblies slept on the ceiling and at the start of the every programme 'Professor' Bentine would order: "Bumbly One, come on down; Bumbly Two, come on down; Bumbly Three, come on down".

As far as I know this short clip is the only remaining film reminder of the series and featured Bumbly Three driving a racing-car round a table fitted out with a race-track, pit-stops, and a spectators stand where Bumbly Two gave a sports commentary on the event.

See also a further link:

http://www.turnipnet.com/whirligig/tv/children/bumblies/bumblies.htm

His programmes Potty Time and Square World ought to be repeated, everything else seems to be repeated endlessly.

He is/was a fascinating character. He taught the SAS his pistol shooting technique and was at the liberation of Bergen-Belsen which he describes vividly in one of his books. He wrote three autobiographies: The Long Banana Skin, The Door Marked Summer (which deals with his psychic experiences including his son's death in an air crash) and The Reluctant Jester.

FRIDAY MUSIC: Lord Huron, by JD

Lord Huron is a Los Angeles-based American indie rock band composed of Mark Barry (drums, percussion), Miguel Briseño (bass, keyboard, theremin), Tom Renaud (guitar) and founder Ben Schneider (guitar, lead vocals). They released their debut album Lonesome Dreams in 2012, their second album Strange Trails in 2015, their third album Vide Noir in 2018, their fourth album Long Lost in 2021, and their fifth and most recent album The Cosmic Selector Vol. 1 in 2025.

Lord Huron combines country, western, folk rock, rock and roll, pop melodies and surf rock with soundtrack and new age influences to produce a sound The Wall Street Journal described as having "a decidedly cinematic flair, heavy on mood and evocative imagery. Lord Huron brings to mind the high-lonesome sound of antecedents like the Band, Neil Young, My Morning Jacket and Fleet Foxes".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_Huron

Lord Huron - La Belle Fleur Sauvage, Sandy UT, 5/31/2025 live

Lord Huron - Fool For Love (Official Audio)

Lord Huron - When the Night is Over (LIVE)

Lord Huron - Love Me Like You Used To

Lord Huron - Nothing I Need

Lord Huron - Fire Eternal (feat. Kazu Makino) (Official Audio)