New look gaucho
Look at the hazy, many-hued splendour that is my new header. This was designed by Johnathan Dodd, designer extraordinaire. If Black Sabbath were �monsters of rock’, then Mr Dodd is a �monster of design’. He can be contacted, if you want to commission some more of his superior work at johnathan@dodd.com, and I’m sure, at a reasonable rate too.
The picture however was mine, taken in the South of France, near the village of St Jean de la Blaquiere in Languedoc Roussillon in April, 2004. I took the picture at the end of a heavy storm, just as the sunlight began to break through. The effect was most striking: The darkened sky around the rainbow had turned a rich velvety purple, whilst within lay a glistening golden haze. The rainbow itself was probably the most distinct and vivid I’ve seen.
Adding to the intensity of the scene was the fact that this was on the first evening I had spent with my father since he had been diagnosed with an incurable brain tumour. I had flown in that afternoon to Montpellier airport and after being greeted by my stepmother I was led to him – sitting on a bench in the airport. He flung out his arms and shouted out my name with a childish glee: �Johnny, my Johnny.� His face had swollen from taking the steroid cortisone and his previously thick head of hair had fallen out leaving only a half inch wide layer on the front of his head.
I had to help him walk to the car, and in the journey to his house he was often lost to us, we had to speak very loudly to get his attention as his previously bad hearing had virtually packed in altogether. Back at the house I sat next to him on the sofa and tried to talk – he mentioned how time dragged �it’s like someone has tied weights to the days, tied anchors to the minutes� he said. He kept on saying how pleased he was to see me, �it’s so good, it’s so good.� It sometimes seemed as if he was in some sort of ecstasy, and his heart had completely opened up. I also remember him saying �why not!� quite a lot.
The whole thing was quite hard going. He did not like to be left alone as his failing senses and shot memory meant that he felt utterly alone, he knew not where. A dark storm blew up, and then an hour or so later broke with this spectacular rainbow. I left my dad for a few minutes to go and take a look. Amazed by the splendour I was reminded of a story I had heard of rainbows appearing at the funerals of Tibetan lamas. Although I wouldn’t make any claims for saintliness or especial holiness for my dad, it still seemed like a small goodbye from the universe to a man who had touched my life and the lives of others.