Heading Home

A Squirrel Head
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

Latest text from Archie says he's on English soil now and soon to be arriving in Eurostar terminus in Kent and getting back on coach. Should be home by teatime. He cheekily added " Is it true that bird flu has arrived in France? Atishoo!" So he's in good spirits obviously if he's able to crack jokes.
Went into town with Hazel this morning to get some shopping. Found some old Alfred Hitchcock films on DVD in the cheapo bookshop sale. Four DVD's for £3.

It's quiet around here.

Crabby Road
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

Still missing Archie but nice to get his text messages and the odd phone call. I spoke to him in person yesterday and he sounds like he was in the next room which was very strange. He sounded fine except for the blisters on his feet from too much skiing! He texted again today and said his feet were feeling better and he was on the Red slope which is slightly harder than the nursery slope. He seems to be enjoying it. His spelling isn't getting any better as he said he was having a "grate" time. Could be the text though as they tend to choose the wrong word sometimes.
Just back from town which was very cold and windy despite a clear blue sky ( now clouded over). I got some bagels and cherry and fruit cake from M & S that hazel fancied. Also a PS game called Diablo in a charity shop.
Sunday we went to the Antique Centre in Barnton which is a converted pub - a great ramblingplace with dozens of rooms up rickety stairs and nooks and crannies stuffed full of mostly hideous old junk. I did look through some old postcards and sepia photos but nothing caught my eye and all very expensive.
Later Hazel drove Audrey over to Lady Hayes for more antique hunting. She bought a few strange metal objects for her blog including an Old Bill ceramic mug to put her pencils in.
Good to hear The Mighty Boosh on the Radio 7 and took advantage of the listen again thingy to record all six shows for Archie as a treat when he gets back and for Hazel's iPod.
We have a house guest at the moment, a goldfish called Dora, who belongs to our neighbours who are on holiday in Scotland over half term. We also have to uncover and feed the rabbit and guinea pig who acalled Pippin and Merry. They live in the back garden of our neighbours house but have a duvet over the hutch at night as its so cold. This is a bit of a faff to get on and off as its tucked under a tarpaulin and has house bricks weighing it down. Still, they do the same for us when we are away and so we don't mind. Sadly they are selling their house and won't be our neighbours for much longer. All our nice neighbours have moved or died!
O yes, Archie said he was going bowling tonight and maybe swimming tomorrow so lots of things to do besides the skiing. He'll sleep for a week when he gets home!

Archie off to Austria.

Yesterday was a bit fraught what with all the last minute packing and making sandwiches etc. for Archie's trip to Austria on the coach. He had to go to school in the morning which I thought was rather cruel of them- better to have gone off first thing and had the whole day to travel. Anyway, in the morning I went into town to take my mind off the lunchtime trauma of waving him goodbye. I found a video in the library sale, which they seem to have every other week now. Its a comedy that I can't remember the name of, off hand, but it has Robert Crumb in it briefly. American Splendour? Something like that.
At lunchtime we went down to the school with all the other parents and waited whilst the bags were stuffed into the hold. This took ages as they had far too much stuff! So plenty of time for family hugs and goodbyes. Anyone would think he was going around the world for 6 months! It was good to see Archie looking happier now his bags were on board and he had his seat next to James and Matthew, his friends. Eventually after an hour or so they closed the doors and rolled off only to stop a few yards further on for more searching of documents or maps or something? After a short delay they were off again and we went home to our very quiet house and lunch. A few hours later got a text from Archie saying they were passing London and making good time. Another an hour after that saying they were going by Eurostar and not a ferry as planned! It will be quicker though and no sea sickness to worry about. A few hours later another text saying he was in France. It was good to get these brief messages so we knew he was o.k. but then you start to wait for the next one!
Well, it's the next morning and no further text messages so hopefully he's getting some sleep or at least some rest and will be in Austria soon so they can stretch their legs and get settled into the hotel. We miss him but you have to let them stretch their wings a bit don't you.

Drip drip drip drip drip!

The upstairs bathroom toilet cistern has been dripping for a few weeks now and Hazel couldn't stand it any longer and phoned up the Gas people ( don't ask!) to send round a plumber. Amazingly one turned up in about an hour and did the job in about 5 minutes. He took one look at the ball-cock and said " What a load of crap!" and then quickly " Oh, I shouldn't really say that in front of a customer should I !" As he went out to get a new tiny fitting to replace the ball-cock he looked at all the framed collages on the landing and said " What did you get for Christmas, a bag of nails?"
I went into town this morning for some bread and took the Mighty Boosh DVD I gave Hazel for Valentines day , back to the shop as I thought it had a flaw in one of the discs but it turns out it was a flaw in the transparent case. Doh! The girl in the shop looked at me as if I was a mad geriatric.
A few bargains including an old book of helpful hints by Aunt Fanny from before the war. "How to get stains out of your blackout curtains" and "How to make a lovely filling pie from a carrot and a potatoe for the whole family" etc.
Also a shakey game of dice in a glass covered passe-partout box.
The washing machine is going into its final spin so I can hardly think straight. Archie is home from school and trying out his new Thermos Flask. Well, it's a flask for keeping drinks hot ( or cold) but another make. I used to work in the Thermos Factory in Brentwood in Essex. I managed about three days of torture , feeding plastic pellets into a very noisy machine that chewed them up. No idea why? I had to wear ear protectors but the noise was still deafening!
Archie had some good news today. His two animations that were in the Cornerhouse festival will be on the "Best of..." compilation DVD that will be sent round all the festivals and TV stations etc.

Weak End Doings

Aye Aye!
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

Yesterday was another trip into town by Shank's Pony do get some bread and the paper with a free DVD of Saturday Night and Sunday Morning in it. Today the same paper had A Taste Of Honey, another classic from the 60's. It will be nice to see them again but I dont know when- we have quite a pile of freebies piling up now!
Today was wet and miserable so good job Archie didnt go skiing with James and his Mum. We went to see the new Disney animation "Chicken Little" this afternoon which was O.K. but really it was aimed at five year olds and not the overall appeal of Shrek or the wit of Toy Story etc. It was incredibly loud too. Hazel said it helped the down the noise of crying tots who were obviously alarmed by the aliens in it. As "eye candy" it was fine and some parts were quite stunning to look at. Shame the script was so poor.
Home to a thick vegetable stew with parsley dumplings.
Here's Archie playing with those annoying little doo-dads that cushion CD-R's in those large spools and nearly get slid into the computer by mistake.

Friday on my mind

children of the coral
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

I think I may have used this heading before but who cares. Its saturday anyway and another week has flown. Trying desperately to remember all that happened? Nothing earth shattering. Missed a chance of going to see Chas 'N' Dave at the Lyceum in Crewe. I had a bit of a headache and didnt really fancy it - all that jolly cockney Knees Up round the old Joanna. Tony, who did go, said it was very quiet and they had lots of chat in between songs. Not what I imagined.
More trips to town round the charity shops ofcourse. Not many bargains this week. A couple of cheap Playstation games for 25p. Also a scratchy LP of honky tonk piano by Joe "Fingers" Carr that I featured on Boot Sale Sounds blog.
Rooting around in the cassette pile also found some Max Bacon too add to which always makes me laugh everytime I hear it.
I must get a paper today as they are spoiling us with the free DVD's this weekend. Giving away "A Taste Of Honey", "Saturday Night and Sunday Morning" and " Take The Money And Run" the old Woody Allen film amongst others.
This collage is one for the new theme of Heaven & Hell at Scrapiteria.

Sunday walk.

More of a gentle stroll really. Took our old bread to Shakerley to feed the ravenous hoards. Actually the ducks weren;'t all that bothered having been fed with bread all day one suspects and floating very low in the water. The gulls were quite barmy though and swooped on dive bombed the smallest crumb and fought over the crusts like things posessed! Quite a few people out this afternoon as it was milder than of late and that biting cold wind of last week had been replaced by a gentle breeze.
Lots of odd shaped dogs and odder shaped people. Sawa red headed duck like the sort Trevor had on his stretch of canal in Stafford a few years back. It was quite notoroius for chasing people down the canal bank and tow path. It even appeared on the local television news - the quirky odd item to cheer us up after all the depressing stuff! I have it on a tape somewhere with Travor in the background trying to coax the mad duck back into the canal. He used to call it Gerald, I think? Or was it Gilbert?

Zoooooooom!

Cupid Cow
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

Another week nearly gone. I look back and think that not much happened. I transformed a few more valentine cards into cards for Flickr and Scrapiteria. Dubbed a few more videos to DVD. Watched the docs about Andy Warhol, Raushenberg, Johns, and Richard Hamilton again. Hazel's gas torch has broken so she can't get on with her work much to her annoyance. She took it into college an they can't mend it either but will send it away which may take two weeks to fix.
Exciting news eh? I went to town on Thursday but didn"t find many bargains. The Kings of Leon CD turned out to be the Scissor Sisters but thats o.k. because I like them too.
New music too from Jim who sent CD's of Country Boogie and James Evans? an obscure rock 'n roller who had a minor hit back in the 60's. Not much else in mail this week. Going to town again in a bit- for a healthy walk more than anything. Free DVD of Elvis in "Loving You" in the paper today so may buy that - one of his better films by all accounts.