Liverpool Biennial

We went to Liverpool on the train today. Hazel had been before but keen to show us round and some of the things she'd discovered.
The car park was full at the station so it was touch and go whether she came along with Archie and me. Luckily she found a parking space nearby down a side road and joined us on the platform before the train arrived. It was pretty packed but we managed to get seats and enjoyed the 25 minute journey.
Most of the Biennale work was spread out over town in various old buildings and galleries around the old cathedral and down towards Chinatown and the more seedier parts of town.
A great deal of video work and installations to view and not so many paintings and 2 dimensional work. In one old tower a huge sword hanging from the ceiling. In FACT and great swathe of old clothes rigged like a mighty sail. In an old foundry an oriental lady like a modern Repunzel sat on a high platfom and cut white paper continously until it flowed down the walls and up into a huge hanging festoon.
Further on was the Young Contempories and art from Asia and the Netherlands. Art from all over the world infact.
Had a nice cheeseless toastie ( cheese lorry stuck up the M6 apparently ) and sald for lunch in CAC. More video and installation.
Popped in a nice antiquey junk shop on the way and found three old scratchy records so I was well pleased. Expect them on my Flickr stream and audio blog any day now.

Fado Fourday

A bit of an accident prone day culminating in a nosebleed but otherwise not too bad for a four day.
Walked briskly into town via the docs to drop off my prescription form. Still long tailback of traffic due to new gas pipes by the station. I was walking faster than the bus which always pleases me. Not many bargains but did find a nice Portuguese fado cassette in the Sally Army shop for 10p. The other cassette by some native Americans dancing round a cactus wasn't nearly so exciting!
I expect both will appear shortly on my audio blog if I can be bothered to get the ION turntable down from upstairs.

Post from Ennio Pauluzzi and Ron Bookless. Ron sent a nice 'zine that I contributed a couple of pages to. Also a CD of a podcast to conjured up by Bob Hampshire who sounds like a Hamster sucking on a helium balloon.
We be thankful for small Murphy's.

I made a delicious spinach bake. Yum!

More snaps here sent by Hazel's Uncle John and Auntie Audrey in OZ of our visit which seems ages ago now. Thats us posing with Bryan Ferry , an old convict who built a ferry over the Roxy River. The other is us on some lookout point - Sydney is far off on the horizon but you cant really see it from here. Actually I'm wrong having looked at it again- that's the tea and scones we had in the Norman Lindsay Gallery cafe. very nice they were too.

Pretty Typical

Valves and more valves! Archie continued his valve obsession with more this weekend from the Antique Fair- the same stall we bought his birthday valves from . He was able to see for himself the strange hirsute man behind the stall and try and haggle with him. He did finally get a small discount for being persistent. Hazel though was annoyed that his penny banks had gone up in price by a third! It seemed a big jump in just a week. Obviously the credit crunch is beginning to bite. Can we blame the government? Yes I think we can. Absolutely outrageous that antiques have shot up in price.

I am joking ofcourse.
I didn't find any bargains though toyed with the idea of buying a 78 for two quid but seemed a bit steep really. Audrey bought a small blue saucer and some postcards for Granma. We were subjected to Tescos afterwards for our sins.
I don't remember much about the last week. I scribbled a few words down in my diary but none of it is legible.
Something about a hippo wrestling in Aldi and gnat filing a snood?
We had a nice walk around Shackerly Mere and ignored the ducks. I took some photos of mushrooms that looked very poisonous and managed to tread in some dog poo.

A pretty typical weekend really.

Birthday Boy

Valves ! Valves! Yes, it's not many 18 year old get ancient crusty valves for their birthday from their mad parents. We know what he likes. He got some other nice stuff including driving lessons and DVD's and chocs. I was hoping to take him down the pub for a pint but he's got lots of homework to do- making dials - and a cranky art teacher breathing down his neck so maybe next week. We can still have some champers with out lasagne tonight though. Hic!
The boot sale this morning was a small affair round the back of the pub in town. Betty was there and I bought a DVD from her. Hazel bought four candles. Not much else.
Archie had a driving lesson and then Hazel quickly blew up a pile of balloons to hang in the window for his return. Also a banner saying "Happy Birthday" over the front door. Bruce told us about his horrible tenants who had to be evicted for not paying the rent, gas or electric. What a long and painful story that was. He just had to change all the locks on the doors.
We went over to Granma's to eat cake and Archie blew out the candles etc. We took a cake and Granma made a cake so we had cake coming out of our ears.
jack came over too this morning to give him a card and money. We looked through some old videos to try and find ones of Jack and Archie when they were 7 or 8 and used to play togther. Couldnt find them but found others that made us laugh of Archie with his Worm Hotel and paper mache puppets that were very funny. I'd forgotten just how chatty he was back then. Yack yack yack!
They are outside now doing some jig sawing and making dials from wood for the vacuum former in the art room at college.
I'm making a lasagne as that is what birthday boy has asked for.

Weakend

I think I have uploaded this photo before but its one of the few on the desktop at the moment due to some Friends ReUnited tinkering over the weekend. I joined again only to find out I hadn't really left. It kept telling me that someone was using my email address and code and then it dawned on me that it was me! Another senior moment. I seem to be getting more and more - just made a cheese and asparagus flan without eggs for some reason and in a very floppy plastic tray. It is oven proof but not ideal really. Shall have fun juggling it out of the oven and spilling contents down my leg.
Otherwise a fun packed weekend despite the torrential rain. Saturday was filled with shopping, collaging and some TV- watched Planet Of The Apes again- mainly for Archie's benefit who hadn't seen the original. He wasn't all that impressed. It still has it's moments of monkey fun.
Sunday was very wet but we foolishly drove ( or rather Hazel did with me cowering in the passenger seat) to a boot sale in Tarporley through rivers of rain making huge sploshing noises that made me jump and grab the gear stick. Hazel didn't appreciate this much as you can imagine! We got there eventually and amazed to see the community hall quite full. Got some silly games including Dastardly & Muttley. Also DVD of Dreamcatcher from a story by Stephen King.

In the afternoon as we dozed after lunch, watching the opening ceremony from the Commonwealth Games from Delhi, there came a knock at the front door and instead of the Mormons or double soffit salesman it was hazel's old college chum Stella and her other half who popped by on their way oop North. We had a nice chat and caught up with their kids education, degree ceremony photos, our photos of Australia etc. over some tea and biscuits. They showed us their caravanette whatsit parked outside complete with all mod cons. They were off to see Stella's Mom who lives up near Blackpool and then maybe the Lake District.

Today was a typical 4 day with wrong coat, walk to town, missed bus, no bargains, Q in post office, gas bills and magpies in the apple tree.
The faulty flan tasted OK thankfully so not all bad!

BTW the old photo above incase I didnt mention before was taken in 1966 outside the dining hut at the old Southend Art School in Victoria Circus. Soon after pulled down to make way for a roundabout of all things. The line up from left to right is, Ned Newitt, Richard Woods, Vic Mills (who collected the dinner vouchers ) Rick Cox, and skulking round the back is Russell Columbo. I took the photo with my trusty Box Brownie.