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ABOUT
- Blog Category Archive
ABOUT
“Let us say what we feel, and feel what we say; let speech harmonize with life.” – Lucius Annaeus Seneca the Younger, Roman Stoic Philosopher (c.4BC – AD65).
Ephemeral Dawn is a vessel for the Wandering Old Souls; the curious, the creative, and the adventurous; paying homage to exploration in every sense: history, the world, ideas, nature, and the self.
Through it, I hope to revive the wisdom and beauty of the past to soothe the wounds left by meaninglessness in modernity. Perhaps you, too, feel cast loose, or are waiting for the right time to cut and run from a life of mediocrity and despondence. Maybe you are just eager for an adventure, or perhaps you’re just glad to see a friendly sail on the horizon – whatever it may be, there is a berth for you on this ship.
Join me, Dear Wanderer. Let’s have the courage to lose sight of the shoreline, and for the first time gaze up into the heavens through a clear sky.
“I must create a system, or be enslaved by another man’s. I will not reason and compare: my business is to create.” – William Blake, English Poet and Painter (1757 – 1827).
The Good Ship Ephemeral Dawn
Initially the name of a ship in a story I first conceived at secondary school, Ephemeral Dawn as you know her was truly born towards the end of my time at university. I didn’t know at the time, but I was soon to graduate with First Class Honours in Law, and yet in this moment I felt utterly hopeless. After years of education, I questioned – now more than ever – my capacity to make any meaningful contribution to this world. I could find nothing that ignited my soul, and each time I was asked “so, what will you do now?” I felt more and more hopeless by my inability to give any answer. The weight of “what comes next” was heavy, for something that seemed so empty.
I had worked minimum-wage jobs before university under the thumb of unpleasant managers, and hated it. My strongest desire was never to have to submit myself to that again; to do something meaningful and fulfilling, and not fade out a nameless cog in a soulless system. I wanted to build my own dreams – a vessel of purpose, exploration, and growth; to find some way of making a living that didn’t strike me full with dread, dejection, and despondence.
A Leap of Faith
This is how Ephemeral Dawn was born – a ship laid down in a dockyard of near-despair, seasoned by a hopeful sun, optimistically destined for some lost utopia not yet charted on maps of the known world. Perhaps I’ll discover new horizons, or perhaps the fears of those early seafarers will come true and I will fall off the edge of the world, plummeting into a nameless abyss to be lost to time. But I would have tried and there is beauty in that. Like every tree that is struck by lightning; every flower trampled; every warrior slain; to fall, they all had to stand, and to stand was to defy darkness and defeat for so long as they could. In that beautiful act of defiance, they left us something that lasted far beyond themselves. Something eternal; the seed of the oak from which this beautiful ship, Ephemeral Dawn, is built. Hope.
Ephemeral Dawn is my act of defiance. A quiet refusal to die out having left nothing behind; a soulful yearning for a life well-lived, that it may be a testament to hope, growth, and the fleeting possibility of something everlasting.
So It Begins
To you all – Seafarer, Wanderer, and Adventurer alike,
Fair winds and a following sea,
Ephemeral Dawn.
“I know of no better life purpose than to perish in attempting the great and impossible.” – Friedrich Nietzsche, German Philosopher and Critic (1844 – 1900).
FAQ - Personal
Hello! I’ve tried to assemble below some likely questions (I don’t have an audience at the time of writing this to ask, haha)! If you have any more, feel free to contact me and I might include them here! I’ll add to this over time as it is a bit short. I am a very private person by nature, though, so please respect that. I’m not going to want to answer anything too revealing. 🙂
What are your favourite eras of History?
I love history – The Napoleonic Wars, The Age of Sail generally, The American Revolution, The Golden Age of Piracy, the American ‘Wild West’, The American Civil War, etc.
But if you asked the people close to me what my most passionate love is in history, it’s the Royal Navy in the Age of Sail. The ships, the battles, the uniforms, the characters, the adventure… I am absolutely enthralled. I know that reality was hard and short-lived for most people in all of the aforementioned times, but there is a Romantic perception that lingers within me about the era’s highs, too. There was something to fight for. There was a world to explore; friendships to forge – people had honour, dignity, loyalty, courage and honesty. And our world feels so sorely to lack this depth and beauty to me. My heart aches at this.
What other interests do you have?
I have quite a few interests that perhaps deviate from the blog, but yet are tangentially related, too. The themes of adventure and freedom are probably evident in them all at some level, like vanlife, overlanding, tiny homes, self-sufficiency, and home rennovation.
I also like other creative outlets like photography, videography, writing of course, and digital design though I don’t claim to be any good at that.
I have a variety of academic interests, too. From law, my chosen subject at both college and university, to philosophy, history (as if that one wasn’t already obvious, haha), and English. I’m generally drawn to the humanities as a whole and find it really difficult to engage with subjects that are highly mathematical or that, at least on the surface, seem disconnected from human experience. I’ve always struggled with science, computing, and especially maths which I hated (and still do). What captivates me most is the exploration of ethics, emotion, meaning, and metaphor – areas where ideas feel alive and deeply connected to the way we understand ourselves and the world.
Oh, and I really love quotes. 🙂
What are your favourite films, books, and TV Series?
I realised half way though typing this out that it’s very long for this FAQ format so I’ll probably make this a blog post of its own at some point!
I would paralyse myself with indecision if I ranked these in order, so in no particular order:
Films:
- Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe
- Narnia: Prince Caspian
- Master and Commander: Far Side of the World
- Dances with Wolves
- Open Range
- Tombstone
- True Grit (both; a rare example of the remake being as good as the original)
- The Duellists (the last Riddley Scott film I liked)
- Lincoln
- Macebth (2015 – Michael Faasbender & Marion Cotillard)
- The Chorus
- Pride and Prejudice (2003)
- Crocodile Dundee (all)
- Beverly Hills Cop (all)
- Ice Age (1, 2, and 3)
- Goodnight Mister Tom
- David Brent: Life on the Road
- The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Books (Incl. Novellas, Diaries, Letters, and Plays):
I elected to exclude strictly non-fiction books here.
- Macbeth by William Shakespeare
- The Tempest by William Shakespeare
- An Inspector Calls by J. B. Priestley
- A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
- Bloody Jack by L. A. Meyer (Series)
- Animal Farm by George Orwell
Poems:
- To A Poet A Thousand Years Hence
- Dulce Et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen
- Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night by Dylan Thomas
- Life Be Kind! by Charles Oluf Olsen
TV Series:
- Hornblower
- Sharpe
- War and Peace (BBC 2016)
- Garrow’s Law
- Black Sails
- Little Dorrit (2008)
- Normal People
- Looking for Alaska
- Cardinal
- Upstart Crow
- Detectorists
- North and South (1985)
- The Good Life (1975)
- The Foryste Saga (2006, Damian Lewis and Gina McKee)
- The Bionic Woman
- Deadwood
- Hatfields & McCoys
- 1864
- An Idiot Abroad (1&2) + The Moaning of Life
- Monk
- Fawlty Towers
- Blackadder
- Open All Hours
- ‘Allo ‘Allo
- Yes, Minster + Yes, Prime Minister
- The Office (UK)
What are some of your likes and dislikes?
Likes:
- Glass, Wood, Metal, Wool, Leather, etc., – virtually any quality materials, skillfully crafted.
- Honour, honesty, chivalry, wit, intelligence, artisanary, craftsmanship, leadership, reasonableness, introspection, high-mindedness, courage, principles, freedom, moral resolve, patriotism (loyalty to your people, not government), creativity, Liberalism, Humanism, beauty, tragedy (as a literary device).
- The smell of campfires, petrichor, old books, scented candles, herbs, spices.
- Symbolism and metaphor – I am deeply drawn to meaning in things through these devices.
- Leaders.
- Seafood, salads, ciders, cheeses, probably any posh or artisanal food or drink I can’t afford.
- Books – I collect beautiful ones faster than I can read them.
- Humanity – not always individual people, but humanity at large I believe is good and beautiful, and in their hearts so are most people.
- German Shepherd dogs. Forever. <3
- Sailing ships and steam trains. #BringBackSteam #BringBackSail.
- Pretty plants and flowers, cute animals.
- Country, folk, epic, and indie (country and folk) music.
- History, law, philosophy, literature.
- Great Britain.
- Antiques.
- Warm lights, candles, fillament bulbs.
- Old vehicles; particularly classic Land Rovers (Defender 110, Series II and III 109) and American Classic Muscle Cars. The former Land Rover(s), I hope to own one day.
- Elegant and pretty things generally.
- Blankets.
- The English Language; it is beautiful.
Dislikes:
- Plastic. I know, it’s everywhere, and I hate it.
- Moral cowardice, pettiness, vengefulness, malice, stupidty, tyranny, incompetence in authority, vanity, bigotry.
- Ideology; a neat little solution for the unthinking to avoid confronting life’s complexity but still have answers for it.
- Modern ‘art’.
- Telephones.
- Managers.
- Politicians; there are better people in prison.
- Maths, Chemistry, Physics… God I hated these at school so much.
- Social Media.
- Spiders, insects generally.
- Carbohydrates.
- Cold bright lights, like LEDs.
- Most of modernity.
- Poor use of English through modern slang.
What are some interesting facts/trivia about you?
- For those who are interested in this: My Astrology sign is Aquarius and my MBTI is INFP-T (by 16personalities) but sometimes INFJ by other tests.
- As a child, I was an avid reader. My favourite childhood author was Roald Dahl. My favourite teenage author was L. A. Meyer, with his “Bloody” Jacky Faber stories.
- As I write this, I have never seen Game of Thrones (January 19th, 2025). I saw Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings for the first time in Summer 2024. All the people I’ve met who seem most put out by this have never seen Sharpe or Hornblower, so I’d say we’re even.
- I collect books. Pretty ones. Lots of them. My bank account doesn’t enjoy this hobby at all, but I might be keeping eBay financially afloat.
- I got fined once on the way to College for not having a train ticket. I was held up quite badly, and entered my law class (the irony is not lost on me) mid way through, explaining I was “sorry for the delay, I just got fined.” I won the money back on appeal over a technicality, as the form had not properly been filled out. To date that remains my proudest “lawyer” achievement.
- My favourite dog breed is forever German Shepherd; my favourite cat, Maine Coon.
- I have only ever been abroad once. Not for lack of interest – we just don’t have the means. It was in 2019 to Rhodes, Greece (where several of the banner/hero images on this blog were taken) and it’s one of the best memeories of my life.
- I only wish that I could prove this, but I cannot as the platform is long-since dead. However, back in the days of Google+, I followed Tim McGraw, who in turn followed me back!
- My first ever ‘proper’ live music concert (I’ve been to plenty of pub-singer-y venues or live, but not well-known singers at events for entertainment) was in 2024, Birmingham, England. Here before he rightfully blows up as one of Country’s best up and coming artists, I went to see Stephen Wilson Jr.
What is your taste in music?
I resoundingly agree with Nietzsche that “without music, life would be a mistake” and have over the last few years spent an average of 74,425 minutes per year listening to music on Spotify, equating to almost 52 days.
I was raised on Country music through my dad’s influence (Mum’s punk/thrash music never quite doing it for me, preferring the acoustic sound and gentle melodies of country). As I grew up I explored my own stuff, naturally, and settled very comfortably into epic orchestral for a few years, and then to where I have been ever since: indie acoustic/indie folk. If you know the YouTube channels Aperion, IndieVibes, Devoved, AlexrainbirdMusic, or M O S T L Y strings – that sort of music.
I still love and actively listen to lots of country, epic orchestral, and indie music, of course.
Giving a concise or representitive overview of my tastes is just going to be impossible, but to try and give something:
Favourite Artist (Deceased): Johnny Cash forever <3
What are some of your favourite pages/creators online?
This could be a loooong list. I might also turn it into a blog post one day instead. But for now I will mention the following:
- Geowizard – an adventure channel I love with great narration and really fun videos, especially in Britain and his “How Not to Travel Europe” series. He really captures the spontenaity, beauty, tranquility, and challenge of adventure.
- Epic History – Epic history documentaries frequently about the Napoleonic Wars. Such insane production value, I love this channel. Nowhere else do I feel that my passion for history is shared by anyone as much as I do here.
- Natalie Lynn – A masterful filmmaker and storyteller, Natalie Lynn’s ‘Borderless’ has called to my heart in a way no series on YouTube ever has. Words can’t do justice to how beautiful this channel is. It’s so intimate and personal, it’s like reading someone’s diary.
- Living Big in a Tiny House – What I love about this channel is how there can be adventure in settling down, too. It’s so passionate about tiny homes and there’s such creativity shown to us through it, as we see these beautiful, personal spaces people make for themselves in their lives.
- Modern History TV – A calm conversation with a presenter who feels like an old friend; a humble, interesting, and relaxing exploration of history with a focus on Medieval Britain.
- Lindybeige – An ecclectic channel, in his own words. Lindy does videos on everything from history to swing dance, but it’s his Britishness, enthusiasm, unique personality, humour, and presentation ability that keeps me hooked. I met Lindy VERY briefly at Tewkesbury in 2022, and he’s the only YouTuber who has stood before a camera for over an hour, with no cuts, to make a video I watched all through: The White Headhunter.
- True Blue Travellers – An extremely talented couple who travel the world in self-made overlanding conversions, from a Defender 110 to a Sainsbuy’s Van to a Pinzgauer; a lovely balance of opennes, talent, advice, comedy, and adventure – essential viewing for the overlanding/vanlife community.
What are some of your life goals?
The dangerous thing about putting something like this out publicly, is that people might hold you to them. Nevertheless, here goes – not in order of priority.
- To own my own house. I know, I’m a dreamer.
- To own and drive a classic Land Rover – Defender 110, Series II 109 or Series III 109).
- To become fluent at French.
- To publish at least one book.
- To travel, particulalry Europe and America.
- To find true love.
- To live more self-sufficiently.
- To become more well-read.
- To put to sea on a Square-Rigged Sailing Ship.
- To visit H.M.S Victory again, after repairs are complete.
FAQ - Website
How often will you post?
I have no schedule in mind at the moment. This has begun as a hobby, with the hope – but not the expectation – that it might be a way out of a 9-5 grind. I will for now post whenever the inclination strikes, and if the ship gets under way, then I shall reconsider how long I spend actively at the helm! I might say aspirationally every fortnight, but I will not tyrannise mysef with this: I will write freely, without constraint, for it is one of the only places in life I may be so free.
Why a ship metaphor?
Well, it was a natural fit since I love ships and metaphors. I think ships – sailing ships specifically, and square rigged sailing ships even more specifically – are stunning. They have such gravitas, and yet such majesty. The lines of the masts and yards, the curves of the hull, the ornate decoration astern and at the bow, the uniformity of the gunports, and so on. They are so powerful, and yet elegant; so tough and yet delicate, and so built for adventure, but always attached to their home, to which they always ultimately try and return.
And I love metaphors for their power to tell a story, so it was just perfect. Ships make me think of hope, elegance, adventure and prowess. Paired with the romance of the sea, there could be no more fitting or beautiful metahor for what I want to convey with this website.
What ship is used on the photographs in your website?
The background behind the text you’re reading now is Admiral George Anson’s Centurion as seen on the blinds – would you believe it – in The Ship Anson, a pub in Portsmouth right outside the Historic Dockyard. I took this photo there on my visit to see H.M.S. Victory.
I have also been to Anson’s estate – Shugborough Hall, in Staffordshire, England.
The ship you see in the rest of the website’s hero/banner pictures (in that warm, sunny place) is the Queen Christine. The photos were taken abaord her in Rhodes, Greece – boarded at Mandraki Harbour in the summer of 2019. She’s not really a ship in the true sense of the word; she has only two masts and moves with an engine, not under sail, but it was nevertheless a beautiful experience I shall cherish. And the photos look the part for the website!
Variously you will also see H.M.S Victory and H.M.S. Warrior around too, probably. The more ships, the better! I love them! I’d have loved to get more from H.M.S. Victory – her significance to me is almost spiritual – but she is under extensive rennovation, was when I visited in 2024, and will be for almost another ten years! Her masts are shortened to ease strain on the hull, much of the rigging is absent, and there is no clear view bow to stern from the weather deck owing to a huge tent amidships, so I was limited in what photos I could get. I *will* return when she is mended, though. Godspeed, Victory.
Special Thanks:
I built this website by myself, starting with absolutely no knowledge about WordPress, or any of the other tools I’d need to do this. While I am proud of what I managed to create, I could not have done it without the tutorials and inspiration of a few different creators. To all of the following, equally and in no particular order, I am very grateful:
Technical Help/Tutorials:
- Web Squadron, YouTube
- WPTuts, YouTube
- Rino de Boer, YouTube
- Andrea Egli, YouTube
- Make Dream Website, YouTube
- Jim Fahad Digital, YouTube
- WP Roads, YouTube
- Jeffrey @ Lytbox, YouTube
- WP Maker, YouTube
Design Inspiration:
- The Blonde Abroad
- Salt in our Hair
“The man who has no inner life is a slave to his surroundings.” – Henri Frédéric Amiel, Swiss Philosopher and Critic (1821 – 1881).
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“The life given us, by nature is short; but the memory of a well-spent life is eternal.” – Cicero, Roman Statesman and Lawyer (106BC – 43BC).
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“Glory is fleeting, but obscurity is forever.” – Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of France (1769 – 1861).