Hi Mic

Have had a ferociously busy time at work recently so have neglected our exchange. I'm going to adopt the Little Often approach to avoid such long gaps.

Have you had your exam results yet?

You talked a bit about Tel Aviv in your last post. I heard that at the beginning of the last century (I think as late as the 1920s) there wasn't much there, just wilderness. Is that true?

What's the relationship like between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem? which is considered the modern heart of Israel?

The rest of my visit to Ireland went well - after leaving Dublin and the Easter celebrations I headed up to Carlingford on the east coast, about half way between Dublin and Belfast. It's an old harbour village with a ruined castle dating back to King John in the 13th Century, time of the Crusades to the Holy Land. My late father-in-law used to be in charge of the navigation of the estuary (Carlingford Lough) when he returned to settle back in Ireland after a career as a sea captain.

Talking of captains, the Kasabian video was worth a watch although I really like the most simple of videos which help focus on the song - the best example I can think (continuing the Irish theme) is Sinead O'Connor's Nothing Compares 2U.

I've got a lot of music news for you including seeing Pink Floyd live playing 3 metres from me! That's what the picture is at the top - I took it on my phone. But I'll have to save that for when I have a bit more time in the next few days.

Glad to note you're such a big fan of The Who - they are a very important band I reckon. They were a big influence on Jimi Hendrix - their aggression/energy and showmanship. I was watching a documentary on the BBC last night which included footage of them playing My Generation on US TV and it's still astonishingly powerful.

Let's get back into the swing of things on our blog. A little often.

I'll finish by telling you about my latest project - it's to create a map of all the public art in the UK - it's called the Big Art Mob. You take a photo with your phone and then just send it (by MMS) to the website. So yesterday I was wandering around the city and finding stuff like this. From my memory of visiting Israel it's a nation of sculptors no? I recall that because of the commandment about Graven Images there isn't a strong tradition of painting.

You can also send images to the Big Art Mob by email (instructions on the home screen) so why don't you add a picture or two from your neck of the woods...