This is the entrance to Chirk Tunnel on the Llangollen Canal; I am hidden in the dark as the narrowboat enters the 495 yards of dank dark underground waterway dug into a Welsh hillside. The boat is the Anglo-Welsh Water Daffodil which we hired out of Nantwich in 1977; once considered a very desirable boat, the odd example can still be seen on the waterways in private hands, most in a sorry state.
At the entrance, nearly hidden, stands young Alice waiting to be lifted back on the boat before disappearing down the rabbit hole. I have not kept on good terms with Time who is not to be trusted – I realise that this version of Alice Liddell will now be in her late thirties:
`If you knew Time as well as I do,’ said the Hatter, `you wouldn’t talk about wasting it. It’s him.’
`I don’t know what you mean,’ said Alice.
`Of course you don’t!’ the Hatter said, tossing his head contemptuously. `I dare say you never even spoke to Time!’
`Perhaps not,’ Alice cautiously replied: `but I know I have to beat time when I learn music.’
`Ah! that accounts for it,’ said the Hatter. `He won’t stand beating. Now, if you only kept on good terms with him, he’d do almost anything you liked with the clock’.
– Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland.
This provides the perfect excuse to insert the Tom Waits track, Alice:
northumbrian : light 
Perfect synchronicity with Alice, the photo, and the music. Fabulously strange. 🙂
Many thanks – the video was quite a find – reminds me of something Adam Curtis might have produced – e.g. http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/adamcurtis/posts/MASSIVE-ATTACK-V-ADAM-CURTIS
PS – I would be interested to know if you can see the video at the end of his blog, not sure that BBC iPlayer works outside the UK. If not he has plenty of interesting stuff on youtube.
My gosh. Did you get to see this show? It looks bloody brilliant.
🙂 That answers my question – you can see it – unfortunately not but he has produced some seriously strange and thought provoking documentaries for the BBC which are mostly on youtube.
An intriguing congruence of images; love the Tom Waits.
Thanks Tish – must find more excuses for including Tom Waits 🙂
The Alice in the photo’s youngest daughter (name escapes me, I met them briefly at Xmas) must be about the same age that she is in the photo . Hadn’t seen the Adam Curtis video before either
More synchronicity or similar. I am not bothering with the future – I am staying here 🙂 BTW – Trump looked almost human before he acquired the mat on his head and started building unnecessary golf courses. Good to know you are watching Paddy.
Thoroughly enjoyed this piece of whimsy. 🙂
Thanks Jo – my ‘random thoughts’ can get a little too random at times 🙂
Splendid!
Many thanks Graham