More Wobbling Daffodils!

Updated video of Archie's amazing machine he made from recycled biscuit tins etc.

Happy Birthday To Me!

65th year on the planet. Who'd have thunk it? Will be nice to get a pension at last after all my hard work - ha ha! Archie going to college will make it even more useful! Lots of nice presents including a new Panasonic Lumix SZ1 camera from Hazel which I have been playing with- trying to figure out all the settings. Here's one I took at the Salt Barge beer garden where we went for an evening meal of vege burger, salad and chips. A huge plateful - couldn't eat it all. Delicious Tatton Ale too. Yum! In the morning I walked into town to take some photos of the gargoyles and other buildings of Northwich, some of which look very old but in fact are quite recent comparatively speaking. These carvings are all covered in netting to keep off the pigeons which spoils them a bit but I suppose is a necessary evil. Archie made me this lovely birthday card.

New Collaborative Online Book.

Just one of the many collaged pages from a new collaborative bookwork with Norman Conquest of Beuyscouts Of Amerika fame. Get it FREE HERE.

Michelle & John's Wedding

Nice weekend in Chatham Kent courtesy of Michelle and John Delamare-Timms who got wed in the Commissioner's House in the Historic Dockyard. The journey down was a bit fraught as first the trains were cancelled at Hartford so we had to go home again and phone for a taxi. None available but luckily our kindly old retired taxi driver Roy came out of retirement briefly to give us a lift to Crewe. What a lovely man. Just in time to get the 11-10am train to Euston. Then a short walk to St. Pancras which is a nightmare. No signs and nobody to ask for directions- how foreigners cope is beyond me! So eventually found the right platform and the train to Chatham. Walked round Chatham for a bit. Bigger than we thought. They even have a Primark and THREE pound shops! Then a taxi to the Historic Dockyard and the hotel. Had a wander round the boats, ships, submarines and cranes etc. (photos on Flickr). Found out later we should have paid £45 for a family ticket! (We tried creeping in the back way the next day but got spotted by a tubby security bloke who told us to wait until the wedding, then we would be allowed in. Nice to see everyone at the wedding he following afternoon. I don't have much chance to meet up with my family so a rare happening. The short Flip "Magic" mix film gives you some flavour of the afternoon and evening. I even had a slow waltz ( or was it a foxtrot?) with Hazel and managed to avoid most of her toes! The next day we woke bleary eyed as we didn't get much sleep due to ranting couple in the room above ( or was it outside?) I should have recorded it all. I'm sure Harold Pinter could have worked it into a fine script! Got taxi to station and then to Brighton via Victoria which was a mistake - nevermind. Dragged ourselves round the degree shows for two hours - saw lots of nude cyclists zoom by the art school and then went home. Audrey picked us up from Hartford station which was working this time thankfully. Still in recovery mode.

Daffodil Wobbling Machine

Sneak preview of mad machine that Archie made for his final piece at his art foundation course at Mid Cheshire College. Daffodils made from recycled biscuit and choc tins. Powered by electric drill with simple cam attached. He's going to make a better film once it is installed properly with a white background and no extractor fan noise.