Ireland

The picture was taken on September 2nd out towards Galway Bay from the road that winds up onto The Burren from Ballyvaughan, County Clare. I was with my son Ian and minutes before we had dropped off "The Hitchhiker from Hell" with his bloody bandaged hand dripping all over the hire car and pissed as a lord. I would have needed subtitles to fully understand him. He was what you call a drunken bleeder.

My brother Paul and his wife Josephine live up a winding lane with their boys Michael and Kevin. At night when the sky is clear it is filled with a billion white stars with the ghosts of billions more behind them. There's zero light pollution.

Thanks to Paul and Jo for their hospitality. That leg of local lamb smouldering in the oven with rosemary and garlic and local mushrooms and spuds and the orgasmic orange cake from Ennistymon. These are memories to keep you afloat during the winter.... On the TV, we watched the horror of New Orleans unfold and though we were thousands of miles away from this tragedy of nature, arrogance, cruelty and incompetence - our hearts went out to those poor people. This is one world. Never ask for whom the bell tolls - it tolls for thee. Rest in Peace all ye who have drowned or drifted away and may the jazz trumpet once again echo in those sultry empty streets.