Move It

Lots of moving going on this week. Our good friend Art Nahpro is moving down in Sussex to a lovely house , deep in the countryside. Also our neighbours Andrew, Sara and their two kids are moving to a bigger house in a nearby village. Hazel volunteered her box packing services and helped out yesterday. I did my bit by going to the chippy round the corner for the lunch which we ate at our place. The new neighbours have moved in now and confusing us by having a blue car each which will clash horribly with all the other blue cars in the street - we won't know who's is who's if anybody asks to move them etc.!
Archie is happy now he has broken up for Easter and has two weeks to continue with his latest animation for Easter project from the Cornerhouse. He had to choose a song in a list of new bands from Manchester. Its looking great so far but can't tell you much about it yet.
Hazel is aching all over from her box packing today. She's been in the workshop again - finishing off some work for this exhibition at the MMU.
I've been doing some collages for Scrapiteria ( one above) for the new theme of Stars at Home.

Rainy Sunday Boot Sale

agreetingcard2
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

The only boot sale was at Anderton in the community hall and the small field outside didn't find much just a double CD by Russ Noble - "Russ Noble Goes Global" that used to be on Radio 4 a few years back before he became a big name on the comedy scene. Hazel got some plants and a very substantial metal propelling pencil with lots of dents all over it. Archie got the bargain of the day with a stack of 10 " Horrible Histories" for 10p each. All looked brand new but smelled of cigarettes he said. Hazel took her Mom and sister later on and they got three bags of wool and nick nacks.
This afternoon we saw "Ice Age 2 " at the Regal that was fun though not quite as clever as the first one.
Then back to Granma's house for tea and biscuits and a view of their finished jigsaw. I helped Archie break it up and pack it away.

The Little Dot We Live On

A fine sunny morning so had a pleasant walk into town early to get a few things - black face soap, nail through finger, fake blood, rubber pencil, rubber fried egg etc. The library sale came up trumps with an old Richard Thompson CD and one by Vic Chessnut for a quid each. Also a video of Bob & Margaret animated by Alison Snowden and David Fine. I always enjoyed there brand of english humour ( though David Fine is from Canada I think).
I didnt find any pound coins super-glued to the pavement this year or fake dog turds. Quite an uneventful walk really. I got some bread that had no mouse traps inside and some sticky labels for Hazel's " String Too Short For Use" badges that she's just had made by Mark Pawson for her exhibition at MMU.
We tried to trick Archie as he came down for breakfast at 11 ( he needs a good sleep ) we said that we'd eaten all the bagels. He wasnt fooled though and found them in the bread bin. He spent a very long time in the bathroom and we discovered later he'd changed over all the labels on the shampoo and soap etc. to get us back.

"Wheel" now at YouTube

Wheel
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

Gradually in process of uploading Archie's animations to YouTube. HERE's the latest - "Wheel" which never got much attention at Flickr and so may reach a bigger audience here. Viewing figures show that over 500 people have watched Archies animations so far in just a few days, so it looks promising. Mind you, it could be Hazel watching them over and over again!
Went into town this morning for a walk and browse around the library. Delighted to find "Howl's Moving Castle" on DVD to borrow. Archie will be pleased. Maybe we can get them to stock all the Studio Ghibli films which would be good. Most of them have just been re-released on DVD and some for the first time. This latest has an extra disc of extras with John Lassiter and the author, Diana Wynne Jones etc.
Also bought some bagels from M & S and the papers to see if any boot sales are on this weekend. Good to see one in Anderton on Sunday. Let's hope the weather stays fine.

Bits & Bobs

A slightly different version to the one shown on Flickr. I choose an old whistling version of a very old tune thats name escapes me for the moment. Also some of the clips are different or in a different order. These were just Archie's experiemnts when he first was learninghow to animate using Flash and Ive compiled them into some sense of progression. I had fun too, ofcourse. I only wish i had Archie's patience at drawing all this stuff! Watch it HERE.
Went into town yesterday but didnt get much. Found a dutch film on video about Van Gogh for 50 pence in a charity shop sale. Very windy and a bit colder than the weekend. At home I copied more to disc from old VHS tapes. The pile seems just as high as before though!

Don't Litter

A public information film that Archie made last year. I added the music. Actually there was a version with him playing a guitar in background but I don't know whats happened to it. See it at YouTube HERE.

Mad Mouse

Archie made this animation last year when he was 12. The link on Flickr got broke so uploading using YouTube which has a wealth of amusing material if you go and browse through the hundreds of films in the archive.
It was Mother's Day today so Hazel's Mom and sister came over for Sunday lunch ( fish and chips) and some games on the console, cards and bricks. You pull a brick out at a time and wait for them to fall over. Very funny. We are easily amused obviously! Hazel managed to pounce on Flo, the smelly rabbit, and snipped off a dangly ball of poop and straw that had been bouncing around for a few days just under her tail. A Mother's Day treat! Earlier we had a brisk walk around Shakerly Mere to feed the baby swans, geese, ducks etc. who fought over the bread like it was the elixier of life! It was nice to get out whilst the sun was shining. It didn't last long though - in the afternoon the rain came down.

Woodchuck Song

The latest animation by Archie who knocked this out in about 2 hours after lunch after seeing the collage I made. He couldnt find a woodchuck so had to use a hamster. Still, very funny .I sang the song based on " The Woodpecker Song" by the Billy Cotton Band ( I have it on an old EP somewhere with the Marrow Song).
This morning we went for a nice walk over to Marbury to feed the ducks out stale bread and watch the gulls fighting over the scraps. Then to Granma's and Audrey's to take the car back.
Hazel was feeling better today after a day of sickness and headache yesterday thank goodness. She was in the workshop this afternoon to make up for lost time. Getting panicy about how much work she will have for this exhibition soon.
I did some collaging and read the Sunday papers. Another weekend flown by in the twinkling of an eye!

Where is the Spring?

Catching up again. I seem to have let a whole week go by without adding anything to flobberlob. I'll have to consult my fascinating diary of scribbled nonsense which tells me it was grim oop North. More snow! And rain and sleet. Caught in a mini-blizzard in town on Tuesday. It ended as soon as it started though. Strange weather for March. Coldest since 1987.
Archie made a short animation for a competition on CBBC TV. The prize is a trip to Aardman and animation equipment. He worked very hard on it on Monday night as it had to be in by Wednesday. Fingers crossed.
Not many bargains in the shops but did find a copy of "Space Patrol" on VHS which I remember vaguley from the 60's. It was a Roberta Leigh production ( no relation) who did things like Twizzle and Four Feather Falls I think? I will have to check the Whirlygig website ( see links ). Its in glorious black and white and the most inept puppetry one can imagine. It makes BIll & Ben look like Citizen Kane!
Archie's chipped tooth repair fell out yet again so had to make another appointment for him. This is about the third time in as many months.
Otherwise its the usual round of collaging ( new one above for Fantasy Rooms) and tape dubbing, chores and shopping.
Archie's knee is slowly getting better but he's been taking a note to school to let him off games, drama, dance and any other physical activity that might aggravate it.

More snow!

Another snowman
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

But it didnt last long. Archie was brave and went into the garden to scoop up what was left and made a snowball sized snowman and put it on the window sill to look in at us in the warm. How cruel!
Didn't bother going to the boot sale at Weaverham High School as I'm sure nobody went to it. Who'd be mad enough to stand around in this weather in a freezin' cold slushy playground?
Spent the day recording some tapes onto disc for Jim in Basingstoke. He sent some rare Chuck Berry and Don Partridge ( the one man band ) to copy.
Hazel went into her workshop once it had reached the right temperature and continued with her metal mangling.
Yesterday I went into town as it was milder than today. Tempted by some goats cheese on the market but the sign said "Rolled in ash" which put me off a bit!
The above snowman was made by Thomas and his sister over the road. I think Archie helped too. It wasnt really yellow snow- just playing about with the iPhoto tweaking system.

Melted away to nothing

Archie's snowman 2
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

All the snow is mostly gone now but we had quite a heap of it on Saturday. I trudged to town pretending I was Scott of the Antartic. Mush! And then it turned to slush!
Sunday we went to a boot sale at Witton Albion FA. There was FA there in fact but Hazel bought a ROUND TUIT which she'd always wanted, for 50p. Archie bought a book of Garfield cartoons. I guess he was desperate! It was perishing cold so not surprised at the meagre turnout.
Archie's knee seems a little better so he returned to school yesterday with no problems.
O yes. he built several snowmen over the weekend and this one (above) is the most bizarre. Obviously influenced by Tim Burton?
Sad news that the great and much missed poet, song writer, comedian and author Ivor Cutler died aged 83 last week. Shame on the BBC for not even mentioning it. You will find an obituary inthe Guardian HERE and also a little bit about our meeting with him HERE.

Yesterday I walked into town again in the sleet and drizzle ( slizzle?) and got a few things - some bread, slicing sausage, a record by Hank Snow ( how appropriate!) and borrowed stuff from the library. The video of "Legend of 1900" was there that I ordered. A bit disapointing and not nearly as good as the directors finest work "Cinema Paradiso". Also borrowed Ray Davies' first studio solo album which is good though not really listened to it properly yet , and Clap Hands And Say Yeah which sounds a bit like the early Talking Heads and worthy of investigation.
The snow has turned to rain and the snowman looks like a very sad and dejected grey amorphous blob

First snow of the year- 2nd March!

First snow of the year- 2nd March!
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

Daft weather eh? Here we were expecting the Spring and Winter makes an unwelcome return. Even Archie is sick of snow now and anyway is off school with a poorly knee. I took him to the doc's yesterday and he said he's done something to his cartledge and must rest it. He prescribed some paracetamol to help the healing process. We thought it was getting better but he did some PE at school on Monday and that must have aggravated it again. Why didnt we give him a note? So, he's sprawled on the sofa watching the Mighty Boosh and eating toasted bagels. I ventured out into the snow to get the wheelie bins. I got the neighbours too. I don't know why, she never gets ours!
I have to consult my diary to find out what I did on Monday and Tuesday, my short term memory being what it is! Seems I went into town on Monday and ordered a video at the library. It was one that Jim in Basingstoke recommended - "The Legend Of 1900" about a baby found under a piano of a cruise ship and adopted by one of the sailors. He stays on the ship all his life playing the piano - the one he was found under. Sounds daft but the director also made "Cinema Paradiso" which is a wonderful film so have high hopes. Also borrowed CD's of "Anthony and the Johnsons" for Hazel and the Fall for me. Showed Archie the Audacity recording gizmo on the computer which he's been playing with ever since - having fun recording silly conversations with himself and running them backwards and sideways and changing the pitch to make them sound like Pinky and Perky etc. Maybe it will be useful for his animated films?
I went to Chester on Tuesday and took my camera. Photos of my wander round the ancient cobbled streets cane be found at Flickr.
Didnt find much in the charity shops. Just a few postcards to collage and a scratchy LP of steel band music from Antigua. The only reason i bought it was a track called "Archie". Maybe we can add a vocal to it on the Audacity gizmo? What a frightening thought!
Got a nice packet of goodies from Jim yesterday. Some CD's of old timey music and some rare cassettes of the Oily Rags ( Chas 'n' Dave in a former guise ) who can't quite decide whether to sing like Jerry Lee or Albert Chevalier!

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.

Another week flown by!

We are going well
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

Where does the time go? One of the reasons I haven't been blogging much is that I can't get photos from my camera into iPhoto for some reason. I will try again later. I was hoping to show you a shot of Marbury as we went there yesterday afternoon as the sun was shining and good weather for a walk and feed the ducks with our weeks supply of stale bread. Needless to say they woofed it down in about 10 seconds flat! Lots of ice on the mere floating in thin sheets like polythene.
Lots of boats on the lake from the sailing club. Enraged shouts of "Get back here!" and "Avast ye lubbers!" etc. It seemed a very stressful sport and not the calm and peaceful one I'd imagined.
Previously in the week it was the usual healthy walks to town and search for bargains. Found a nice old Gerard Hoffnung LP from 1956 in a charity shop yesterday which I've just put on Boot Sale Sounds. I think I may already have it but with a different sleeve design? Still for 75p I couldnt pass up such a bargain.
Not much else really to report. Hazel is pleased that Next has opened after a tantalising delay just outside town next to B & Q and Currys.
Archie is off for another ski lesson today- probably the last before his trip to Austria in February. His strumming is becomg more frantic and furious. He sounds like some demented spanish flamencoist sometimes. Is there such a word? I've just invented it. He's working on a sequel to his animation "Wheel" and doodling in between.
Post has been very thin on the ground but did get a packet of postcards from Boomergang who had re-printed an old Valentines card of mine from last year. I have set myself the task of re-cycling them all with help from others at Flickr. One such is above using an old chinese envelope and Hell stamp by unknown mail artist.

Runcorn Ski Centre

Another trip over to Runcorn this morning with Hazel, Archie and James for the 5th or maybe 6th ski lesson. They are both getting quite confident now and enjoying the ride to the top and the swift descent. We went off and left them to it and walked round the park ( part of the Mersey Forest ) that surrounds the ski centre on three sides. Lots of narrow gauge train tracks around the park which seem to go for miles with sidings and loop lines and must be fun for kids to ride on in the Spring and Summer. Sometimes you see the engine driver tinkering in the engine shed as we leave to go home. Perhaps someone should inform the authorities?
We also saw a heron on a small reedy pond but it flew away as we approached and I didn't get a photo. We got lost after about 30 minutes and so had to ask the way back. A helpful elderly couple out for a walk led us to where they thought the ski centre was asking others on the way if we were going in the right direction. One chap we asked sounded like he was Eastern European and reminded of the programme we saw the other day about the influx of foreign workers from Poland to Cheshire since the relaxation of the borders between European Union members. As many as 3,000 have migrated to Crewe of all places, where they work in factories making pizza and garlic bread!
Anyway, we got home for a late lunch and in the afternoon Hazel took the car back via Aldi for some groceries.
Last night we had a nice take-away curry and a family film on DVD. One from the library sale called "Second Hand Lions" with Michael Caine and Robert Duvall as two cantankerous Texan brothers who get lumbered with a nephew played by the boy who was in A.I. It was quite amusing and Caines texan drawl didn't sound too bad considering.

Trip to Chester

norway fire meet
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

I went to Chester on the train yesterday for a change of scenery. I took my camera but neglected to take any photos , being too busy shopping for old postcards like the one you see here. The Oxfam shop had the best selection and i got just 5 for 20p each. Also found an old 1960's Ray Stevens album with a few novelty songs on the best being uploaded to Boot Sale Sounds.
A lot of the charity shops seem to have closed or moved which is a shame. I was tempted to go and listen to the Free Lunchtime Concert in the old victorian town hall but bought a chewy health bar for my lunch and walked round the covered market. Seems they have plans to re-furbish that whole area so hope they don't spoil it. Saw a few crocodiles of school children marching to the Roman walls and museum etc. with a cold kneed centurion leading them. "Sinister Dexter Sinister Dexter!"
Home in time for tea and toast. Archie ran in and ran out again, off to play with James at his Gran's until dinnertime.
Hazel has been sorting out her cupboard. She;s bought a strong metal box for all the important documents, wills,deeds,birth certificates etc. in case of a fire. She thinks of everything!

Ski Sunday

the optimist
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

Archie went skiing again today with James and his Mum. He watched Ski Sunday on the telly later from Switzerland. He took a shine to the cross country event with rifles to shoot targets on the way! Boys eh?
Hazel went shopping. I stayed in to wash my hair and catch up with some recording. Later we all went for a windy walk round Shackerly Mere and fed the ducks, geese, swans and gulls our stale bread. Lots of people out walking with mad dogs and children in tow.
Popped round to hazel's Mom's to give them back the car for another week. Took photos of their finished jigsaw puzzle they were very proud of. Still using up film from Xmas. One of my presents was a photo album so determined to fill it this year and not take so many digital shots that just get erased after a while.

Great Tit?

Great Tit?
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

It looks like a crow of some sort to me but what do i know? A rare New Year's collage for Flickr. I must admit I have found it difficult to get back into making anything over the last couple of weeks- feeling rather guilty that I've been adding work from the archives to my various blogs and groups.
Hopefully this feeling will pass and i can get on with things. Hoping to combine my pleasant task of dubbing all our VHS tapes to DVD ( a Xmas present) and running upstairs to stick something to a collage in between programmes!
This week has mostly been taking up with piling up suitable tapes in order of interestingness and seeing if they will fit onto a 4 hour disc without too much quality loss. The difference between the 2 hour disc and the 4 hour is only slightly noticable and the old tapes are pretty jumpy anyway. Luckily the Joseph Cornell documentary from the 90's I watched yesterday hadn't deteriorated too much. His birds and targets boxes are a definate inspiration in this collage here. So wonderful to see again and I must mention the fabulous book of Cornell and Duchamp that Angelica sent from Texas which arrived three weeks late but great too!
Not to mention all the other things in the parcel that seems to have been stuck in New Jersey over Xmas for some reason.
Other highlights of the week have been the school ski meeting that i didnt go to. Hazel has ordered some more ski clobber for Archie's trip. I have a photo of the resort in front of me- it looks fantastic! The hotel is on the ski slope doorstep at Hochkar in the Austrian Alps. "25 kilometers of piste- 12 ski lifts( 4 chair) Extensive snow making- good progression- exhilarating runs- fabulous powder, moguls and spring crystals ( whatever they are?) hot lunch included". Sounds fab! Hazel and I are extremely jealous!
Went to town on ednesday to the library sale again hoping for reductions but still the same price. I found some cheap cranberry juice with white grape which is delicious. Had a slight kidney infection over New Years so trying to drink more healthy juice and water. It seems a lot better now I'm glad to say.
Its Friday the 13th! Oh horror! I shall stay in out of the biting wind and rain to copy more old tat to disc. Hvae about three dozen tapes of old Warner Brothers, Disney and Ub Iwerks etc. to get through!

Book Sale at Library

The library sale is usually quite exciting with lots of cheap books, tapes and videos etc. but today they seemed to have found the dullest books imaginable! I didn't buy anything. Probably just as well as we haven't any shelf space. I did the usual tour of the charity shops but also failed to find a bargain. In the discount DVD and CD shop found "Ghost World" in a sale which Angelica had mentioned as being good. I waited in the baker's to be served but the shop girls were flirting with some labourers buying pies and seemed to take ages so I left in a huff. The old dragon was in the next baker's so I didn't venture in there. I ended up buying some white rolls and a small brown loaf from Iceland which I vowed never to go in again, but time is a great healer.

Skier Of The Day

Archie was awarded the coveted "Skier Of The Day" certificate at Runcorn today - the only one in his group to get one. This made up for not being allowed onto the big slope with his friend James who is more cheeky than Archie and just went up to the top without asking. Being polite and asking first is not always a good thing. Mind you, Archie seemed to settle into the lower slopes quite well and proved he could be quite slow and meticulous when it came to going round poles.

Spellchecker suggested I replace Runcorn with "reincarnate" which i thought quite amusing.

My feet were like blocks of ice watching them ski so I got back in the car to read the sunday papers.
On the way there we passed a group of cyclists going towards Chester and heard later of a terrible accident on a notorious stretch of road in Wales today on the TV where 4 cyclists were killed by a car, and wondered if it was the same group.
Archie went to James' house to play after skiing and I watched some FA Cup action on the telly. Sadly Northwich Vics. lost at Sunderland.
Watched again the programme I found of Tom Phillips talking about his work on an old C4 programme from the 80's.

Wonky wardrobe fun!

ajulotcard
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

Not really. I had to make a hanging rail for Hazel's jackets etc. that she had scattered around the bedroom on picture rails and on chairs etc. We went to B&Q to get the expensive fixings and the expensive broom handle. A broom handle was £2.95 and a peice of dowel of the same length was £8.95 so we plumped for the broom handle. When it breaks from weight of garments I expect we shall wish we got the dowel but hopefully it won't.
Hazel was upset that NEXT hadn't yet opened - indeed the shopfitters were still painting and wiring the place up so doubt whether it will be open before the end of January.
Then went to Granma's to take down the decorations, this being 12th night and if you don't they all turn into pumpkins.
This took longer than we thought as the boxes that they put them all in were wedged in the wardrobe and the sliding door had come adrift and had to be manhandled back into it's grooves.
Then home to take down our decorations which was fun. Tree left an impressive wake of needles from the living room to the front door. Hazel hoovered them up and filled the Dyson several times. She bagged some up for the needle fairy and left them in the grate.

New year's sort out.

a10yearanniversery93
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

A day of sorting out books and junk from a wardrobe that was choc-a-bloc with stuff. Hazel needs space for her clothes and forced to hand jackets on picture rails round the bedroom which isn't the best idea. We managed to be quite ruthless and put aside a pile of stuff for the charity shop. Whether they will want it or not is another matter!
Found a lot of old slushy cards I'd sent to Hazel on our Anniversery and valentines etc. One such is pictured here. More at Flickr stream.
Being a Bank Holiday it was very quiet and no post and no shops open as far as we knew. We stayed in to fill bags of old books, toys and junk all afternoon. Hazel has enough room now to hang her jackets up at least. All we need is a pole and fixings to hang them on.

We also found an old Escalado horse racing game which Archie was keen to play. We dusted it off and tried it out despite our dining room table being rather short. It really needs a long table and the canvas "track" is held in place with brackets that screw under the tables edge. A handle is turned at one end and the lead horses ( some with three legs and a jockey with no head!) race along to the finish line caused by the vibrations of the cogged wheels moving the canvas "track" . Small wooden buttons act as "jumps" and if the horse hits them they bounce the horse back a couple of inches and so one never quite knows which horse will win. Mostly they fall over and go along on their sides! I'm sure it was a terrific game for all the family at one time before Nintendos and Playstations. The novelty soon wore off for Archie despite going to make robots out of Lego to try on the track ( a dismal failure!).

Happy New Year!

Feeding the ravenous ducks!
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

Had a nice walk this afternoon to Marbury to feed ducks our bags of stale bread we'd collected over the holidays. They were mad for it! Lots of fights and scuffles broke out and we had to step in to pull them apart! Swans and geese joined in too- they must have been really hungry.
Having a quiet night in and will drink a toast with some Bucks Fizz at midnight and let off sopme rockets we saved from November 5th if I can keep awake that long! Cheers!

Mr Happy ( a sneaky addition by Hazel)

Mr Happy
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

Michael also left his Blog logged on so I can add a page to his blog...little does he know.
I thought this would be a good one to say HAPPY NEW YEAR to you all....
Hazel x

There it was - gone!

Best present ever!
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

Well Christmas has come and gone again in a flash and we are almost back to normal again except for the bloated feeling and the slight hangover. It went pretty much to plan with no upsets though Granma had to have her tooth out the day before Xmas Eve , so that wasnt so good for her, but she seemed O.K. when we went round for our Chritsmas dinner . She had to cut her turkey up really small. I made a nut roast with chestnuts, walnuts, cashews and variious roasted seeds which was very nice even though I say so myself. We had to take our own Marmite and onion gravy too. Archie took his new guitar which you can see here- trying to crack granma's ornaments! Even though she is partially deaf she had no trouble hearing him! Argh! The poor neighbours! Out of all his presents this is the one that is picked up constantly, so a good choice. The 99p balancing tops are a favourite too.
After dinner and the huge pile of washing we sat down to play games like Cluedo but we all felt shattered by this time and dozed off in front of the telly watching Shrek or whatever it was.
Yesterday was a quieter day with some more games- Ludo, Coppit and cards etc. and more TV and hazel and Archie went into the garden to burn all the wrapping paper and boxes. For lunch we had the rest of the nut roast and some of granma's trfle for pudding. Pulled the home-made crackers that Roger and Jilly sent and wore silly hats. Mine had "Mr. Happy" scrawled on it. I'm not sure if this was supposed to be ironic or not? But I was happy most of the time and felt a warm glow of contentment being at home with the family. How lucky am I?

Merry Christmas!

santa - xmas 1999
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

Excursion to Crewe.

Deep fat fryer attacking South Sea islanders.
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

The market was pretty quiet at Crewe today with half the stalls taken over my xmassy things like holly wreaths and wrapping paper etc. Hardly any junk to look through. I didn't find one bargain which is unusual for me. Hazel got a few stocking fillers though and the pork pie her Mom wanted. Also some spinning tops.
We decided not to look for the bigger shops like Currys and Dixons etc. and come home again as we were hungry.
Archies gone to see the "Narnia" film today with the school and this afternoon an assembly and prize giving. After we are going to see Granma Jones as it's her birthday.

Week Buzzing By!

Make a Buzzing Snap Fly!
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

Its hard to keep up sometimes - this last week seems to have whizzed by. Time to catch up.
On Wednesday went into town again and found a DVD of old Felix the Cat films from the 20's. They hadnt even been digitally restored - just filmed as they were projected onto an old bed sheet hung up between some railings in an industrial estate somewhere? Hazel went for staff meal at weird shack in seedy part of Manchester. she said it was lovely food but the photo of the outside looked pretty scary with old car tyres and rubbish lying about outside the mean streets.
Thursday was mostly forgotten. I sent out some more cards I think?
Friday I walked into town again for some exercise and swapped the dodgy PS2 controller for a new one as it had been sticking and driving us mad. The shop assistant happily swapped it but said most people dont bother to bring them back as they "obviously will wear out if you use them a lot" and are happy to buy another! What an idiot!
Also got some ink cartridges at a reduced price but even so they were very expensive. We tried the recycled ones but they last 5 minutes.
Watched the last of Bleak House which has been very enjoyable - the best thing on the telly all week apart from Creature Comforts.
Went to see the new King Kong film on Saturday which was excellent but very l-o-n-g! Too long really. I think they could have trimmed at least 30 minutes off it. Cinema only half full despite a big Q to start with.Hazel dropped us off at the Regal and went shopping for three hours as she didnt fancy three hours of screaming and monkey noises.
Very cold with a thick frost over the weekend.
Went to our old neighbours place in the nearby village for drinks and "light supper". I drank three glasses of mulled wine and felt very Christmassy ( tiddly).
Today it was the shopping again and a haircut. I can feel the wind whistling round my ears now. Hazel has been clearing out cupboards of junk and throwing more stuff away. Finding things for her blogs and some old sketchbooks.
The "Snap Fly" was an invention for SNAP comic which folded soon after I was introduced to it by Ivor Cutler. Typical! This was my first and last commission. It was published by Walker Books who had offices just around the corner from where we used to live.

Archie 's Interview.

We were searching through Google to see how Archie was doing with his animations and came across this INTERVIEW from the Cornerhouse website that was alos published in their monthly magazine. Also a whole page of mentions about the various film festivals his films have been seen at and mail art sites I have dropped his name over the years.

Curios Tuesday

Curios Thing 15
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

Unlucky for some. It wasnt too bad actually despite the heavy shopping bag weighing me down and making my arms ache. I looked round for a bus but by that time I'd spent all my money anyway! Found a few bits and bobs for under the tree including a PC game about planet colonising and space station building for Archie. He likes all those Zoo, City, Rollercoaster Tycoon etc. type build up an empire games so he'll probably like this. Also some Popeye films on DVD from the 50's that have a couple of great old Fleischer Bros. animations sprinkled in between. A bargain for two quid in a charity shop. Bought a calender for next year to write reminders on- dentist appiontments, holidays, etc. Some typing and copying paper and sellotape. Found "Kid A" by radiohead for 50p which must be a bargain. I havent really liked much of what they do though- all sounds a bit doomy and gloomy to me. Also "We Are Scientists" from the library which is good and reminds me of Franz Ferdinand and The Kaiser Chiefs a bit.
The postman has just been. A card and nice letter from someone who I used to work with and they moved to Amsterdam a few years back and I lost touch with them so that was nice. No address on the letter or envelope though so hope the old one will find them. Posted tons of cards and packets today. The post box was full and they all slid out again so had to find another to stick them in!


A bit out of date but you can find a page about my Gocco exploits a couple of years ago courtesy of Mark Pawson HERE.

More Crimble Shopping.

axmasbuyersguide94
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

This is an old booklet I used to make around the festive yule-tide to swap with mail artists and amuse my friends with at Xmas. I dont make them anymore. I'm all Christmassed out.
Last night went to the schools "World Fusion " evening which was mostly depressing playettes and songs about death, poverty, AIDS, global warming etc. They could have lightened the mood a bit with something cheerful at this time of year! Bring back the panto! Archie was in a short piece about a black boy being bullied. Archie was a bully and had to say "He's black!" and "Blacky!" etc. and strike a pose as another group on the stage did there bit about the Greenhouse Effect and so on. Sheer torture! Hazel escaped by being at college all day and having a lecture to sort out when she got home but i think she was really watching the Culture Show.
She said it was weird at the college today as they are filming a future episode of Coronation Street in the main gallery and she kept seeing members of the cast and even walked to work with Sanita- a strange parrallel universe she'd been sucked into.
I went to town and didn't see anyone famous. The library book sale was still on but didn't find anything else. I bought a book about horror films in the Help The Aged shop to cut up. I already have it.
Also some small presents. Also milk and bread.
Walked home as it was quite a pleasant day , milder than of late. Found some packets and other mail on the doorstep so presume our usual postman is away or ill. Have been making more Xmas cards and putting them in envelopes.

Manchester trip

Went to Manchester yesterday and stayed over night at a hotel near the Cornerhouse where Archie's animations were showing at the Under Exposed student film festival. It was pouring with rain by the time Archie and I got to Piccadilly Station and we had to walk through great puddles all the way to the Cornerhouse where we met Hazel, who had been at college all day. We dropped out stuff off at the hotel just round the corner which was quite spacious and clean and dried off a bit before walking to the Continental market behind the imposing grandeur of Manchester Town Hall which has a huge plastic Santa climbing over the roof. The market is great and full of intriguing stalls of bubbling cauldrons of spicey soups and sauerkraut. Great rotating grills of sausage and kebabs were roasting over fires blazing under awnings groaning with holly and misteltoe etc. A brass band played carols nearby to complete a very festive scene. We all had delicious dutch pancakes which were tiny but very filling , covered in cream and chocolate sauce ( had lemon juice ). Archie bought some gingerbread and brandy snaps.
Then we had a pizza before the showing at 8.i5 at the Cornerhouse cinema 2, down in the basement which was a sell-out. Lucky to get seats ourselves as they forgot to put any aside for us.
A short interview conducted by Ra from the Cornerhouse with Soup Collective who make promos and films for bands like Elbow and Snow Patrol etc. Then the films in competition including Archies which was well recieved and won the runner up prize, we leaned today.
I didn't sleep very well in the hotel although it was perfectly comfortable. I never do in a strange bed though and woke up several times wondering where I was!
After breakfast at the college we wandered back to the Cornerhous for the next showing with Archie's films in the shorts section for Students ( last night was for everyone ). A bit rowdy with groups from several schools and youth groups attending. Some good films though and there was a raffle too which I won ( book about horror films and Corpse Bride T-shirt) so a pretty good day all round. Caught the 12.26 p.m. train from Piccadilly to Northwich and home by two. Had some japanese fishy/rice snacks on the rain as a treat. Archie has gone off to ski practice now with the school - a busy boy!

Overtaking the slow cars.

Beatle Beat
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

I think they must have been digging the road up somewhere because the traffic was at a crawl today into town. It was quite nice to actually walk faster than they were moving and get there before them. I felt quite smug and healthy as they fumed in their Ford Mondeos and Robin Reliants etc.
No rare Beatle Beat record at the Oxfam today. Nothing infact. I got some butter, bread and bananas- everything beginning with the letter "B".
Ex-Beatle George was next on the Concert for Bangla Desh DVD borrowed from the library. I never saw it at the cinema so nice to see now. The hair in it was phenomenal! Everyone had beards and moustaches, even the women!
Bought a video at the library sale too for a quid. "24 Hour Party People" with Steve Coogan and Peter Kay. It's about Tony Wilson and the Manchester rock scene of the 80's. I think Peter Kay plays Morrisey in it.
Walked home despite the heavy bag of shopping. Collected all the hair and fluff in the bedroom. Hazel is going to knit a vest with it. Hoovered the rabbit and cleaned out the hutch. Those big Sunday papers are so useful aren't they?

Sneezin' Dan McGrew

Percy and chum. 1913
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

Whoever he might be? I'm certainly doing my fair share of sneezing and snorting at the moment - full of this cold that Archie has passed onto us! Hazel has it too so fighting over the boxes of tissues and paracetamol and the hundred and one other cold medicines we seem to have aquired in our First Aid cupboard!
I did stagger into town yesterday, for exercise more than anything. It snowed on me half way and the big flakes turned into small grains of rice by the time I got to the railway bridge and then they vanished and the weather improved a bit. I didn't find much on my charity shop trail - just a story tape for Archie ( another stocking filler) and some CD's from the library. I found the latest from Futureheads, The Bravery and Arcade Fire which I've heard lots of good things about and enjoyed them when they were on Jools Hollands show on BBC2.
Hazel found this old postcard at the boot sale ( or was it me?) It's of Percy and his "chum" in Liverpool of all places in 1913. One wonders if they were sent off to the war a year later, and what became of them.
Glad to get home after walking back in the cold, to a nice warm house.
A nice pile of mail for a change with a wonderful envelope full of little home-made books from William S.An Ivor Cutler CD from Pamela and a packet of lovely collaged postcards from Angelica in Texas.

Boot Sale Silence.

a22anniversarycard
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

I other words- i didn't find any scratchy records or any thing atall infact. Archie did quite well though - he got the Finding Nemo DVD for 3 quid ( two discs) and a PS2 game of Roller Coaster World which is even more tedious than Roller Coaster Tycoon! I think he may swap it for another quite soon. Hazel didnt find anything either. She took her Mom and sister there later and they bought a few nick-nacks. Afterwards we went into town to get some bread and general shopping. It was very quiet- mainly because it was Sunday but some shops did eventually open at 10a.m.
When we got home we found that the Finding Nemo had jam smeared on it! I knew it was a "special collectors edition" but didn't realise the head of Pixar would include jam? Thankfully the jam soon got cleaned off and the disc seems to play perfectly so it was a bargain after all.
Hazel has gone outside to the workshop to twiddle with her metal bits. Archie is sniffling and snorting still- feeling sorry for himself despite all the "bargains" he got. Colds, make you feel so lousy- I don't blame him. I think Hazel and I have caught it too as we both woke with sore throats and had a restless night- each blaming the other for stealing the duvet!

Cult figures of 2006.

acultfiguresof2006
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

This is a new mail art project by Ken Miller who has a different "cult figure" each year - usually a found photo. Find out more HERE.
Archie has a bad colb in de nobes so had the day off school. We had considered going into Manchester with Hazel to see John Hegley do a "lecture" on Inter-Active Arts course that Hazel works on. It would have been nice but Archie was full of cold and the train journey alone is enough to put you off going.Hazel phoned to say he was very good and it fitted very well into the Creative Methodology scheme of things.
Archie has been amusing himself with games , TV and reading. We played cards briefly and had a veg. sausage and fried onion sandwitch for lunch. A bloke just knocked at the door and thrust a leaflet into my hand. Another dodgy double glazing salesman. "I see you already have double glazing." he said and enquired "Do you need anymore?" My answer was in the negative. At least he apolygised for the intrusion and walked off - some just keep going on and on and on about double glazing even when you tell them you don't need any thankyou. I hate cold callers.
Time to go and get some dinner started. I think it might be stuffed pasta and tomato sauce tonight.


An old photo but a new recording of Archie's guitar progress. You can here a hissy sound bite HERE.

Flo's typing her memoires.

Make it go away!
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

Thats what it sounds like anyway but really just the water dispenser wired to her hutch being used.
Just back from town looking rather windswept but it's milder today despite the hail stones bouncing off the window just now. Quite windy too. Leaves everywhere. I didn't find much though a good copy of Tim Hunkin's book about Everything for a pound in a charity shop.
Yesterday we were startled by someone rattling our front door - I assumed it was the postman trying to force a large packet through our letterflap. I opened the front door and this woman was in our porch with a big bunch of keys trying frantically to remove one from our key-hole! She looked startled and said "Is this Mr. Wilberforces house- she phoned to say she was stuck in bed?" Seems she was from the Social Services or the Council Help Squad or something and had got the numbers mixed up. The house she wanted was on the other side of the road about 10 doors down! Oh how we laughed!
I got a nice packet from an old tape swapper pal who had sent me a cassette of some rare Johnny Standley and Spike Jones he had found. I put some tracks on my Boot Sale Sounds blog. Coincidentally another tape swapper Jim in Basingstoke phoned during the day to find out if I had anything new. I told him I'd just been to the dentist for a check-up and got a 30 minute tale about the misfortunes that have befallen his gnashers over the last 30 years! Thankfully nothing alarming happened at the dental surgery- just a routine check and hygenist scrape and polish afterwards. Glad to get that over with - I've never been very good at going to the dentist but better than I was.

Space Junk!

Space Junk!
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

Christmas junk more like - the shops are full of it! I walked into town yesterday and looked around, trying not to slip on the icey pavements. Brrr! It was very frosty but warmed up as the morning went on. I borrowed a couple of CD's from the library - Maximo Park's "A Certain Trigger" which is exellent despite the lead singers very odd haircut which makes him look like an extra from Bleak House ( which we have been enjoying on the box ). Also the latest from Gorillaz which Archie wanted to hear.
A loaf of crusty wholemeal from Greggs. My teeth dont like it though - I think i may have a cracked filling so good job it's my six monthly checkup at the dentists next week.
I resisted the junk and got a couple of cheap DVD's. Quite a pile of them now and hardly any time to watch any though we did see the old David Lean version of Great Expectations the other evening. Strong on atmostphere but the dialogue was pretty naff- maybe it was the clipped posh english accents.
Archie's animation was seen by lots of people and shown to various teachers at the school who were duly impressed but still tight with the old vouchers or whatever they are called.

"Wheel" on TV

Wheel
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

With a bit of luck Archie's animation "Wheel" , or at least a small snippet of it, will be shown on BBC's "Blue Peter" today and CBBC later on. So we are keeping our fingers crossed. "Wheel" is one of the short Flash animations that Archie got accepted by the UnderExposed Film Festival at the Cornerhouse in Manchester in December.

Spike Theatre

Went to see the Spike Theatre production of "Backwater" at the Harlequin Theatre in Northwich last night. Another fantastic show and sadly not many people there to see it. We'd seen previous shows by them so knew we wouldn't be disappointed. Only four actors but they are masters of the quick change so seems like more and they all play instruments. We love that physical theatre style and the sets and costumes are simple but very flexible so the hut by the fiord (its all set in Norway) changes into the school, the boat office and the home of Nora, the main character who finds her dead father's camera and begins to photograph the strange characters of her village and begins a journey of discovery.

Today we took Archie and James for their third skiing lesson at the artificial slopes at Runcorn. I was expecting a dreary industrial scene but the bit of Runcorn we went to was very green and leafy. The ski slopes are set in a big park and there is even a small steam narrow gauge railway nearby that I assume chuffs round the park perimeter.
It was quite busy with 30 or so children in Archie's group but luckily they got split into two groups and had two ski instructors to each group. They progressed onto the medium size slope this week doing some easy straight runs and then going backwards for some reason best known to themselves. I suppose it all helps to give confidence and get used to situations where you find yourself going backwards down the Alps! Archie fell over a couple of times but mostly seemd to be doing really well. He's keen to go back anyway which is the main thing. It's amazing to see toddlers flying down the bigger slope around the poles and made it look so effortless. I'm sure Archie and James will be doing that before too long.

Charity Market

Big Fish Postcard
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

It was the annual charity market today when all the stalls in the market hall are taken over by Greenpeace, Help The Otter, Mrs. Quimby's Slug Sactuary etc. Sadly they didnt advertise it very well and hardly anybody there. I only noticed a tiny poster in the Information Centre window quite by chance whilst looking at a poster for Jet Harris, on at the Winford Community Theatre (or whatever it's called?) in September.
So plenty of room which was good for me at least and I found a few stocking fillers, a nice cajun comp. Cd on the Ace label but alas no scratchy records suitable for Boot Sale Sounds. Last year I got a few so I had high hopes. Still, my plaid plastic shopping bag was heavy enough and i would have splashed out on a bus home if I'd seen one coming.
I found a CD by Kirsty MacColl in the library that I'd not heard before too.


Later I went out again to get some much needed wood chippings and pellets for Flo from the pet food shop nearby. They only had a giant sized "bale" of wood shavings so my arms were even longer by the time I got them home!
Angelica's parcel to Hazel has been full of suprises and we gather round every evening to see Hazel open another wrapped box of goodies. Angelica is obviously finely tuned to Hazel's wavelength via her blog as the gadgets and metal objects she has found are absolutely the things Hazel would dive on at boot sales if she could ever find things as bewitching as the patented Keyhole Lock or the folding set of wire coat hangers. The last box was opened tonight after she got home from college and inside was a beautiful travelling sewing set with thimble ,miniature cotton reels, needles and a wooden cone (?) that all snugly fit togther in a metal tube. As if this wasn't enough there was also a small lilliputian tin of Cork Grease and a splendid vintage Key Ring Hook on it;s original card. How Angelica is able to part with such wonders is beyond us! I expect it won't be long until they are all displayed proudly on Hazel's BLOG for all to see and admire.

Goodbye Gloomy Tuesday.

Oxfam Disturbance
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

More rain today so stayed in to collage and blog a bit before Hazel got up and wanted to do some college work. Archie has gone round to James' Grans to play until dinner. I think we might have Broccoli Cheesy bake tonight - comfort food when the weather is like this.
Yesterday I walked into town and did the ususual tour of shops and the library etc. I didn't find much just some wrapping paper to wrap some early crimble presents that are starting to accumulate. I hate last minute shopping so have to start sometime in September!
Have been listening to some recording of the Tom Robinson show on 6 Music whilst collaging and he's playing some great stuff including Maximo Park , Field Music and a band called Viva Voce, who have a great new single out. His guests are good too- last night it was Andy Partridge of XTC fame playing songs from his boxed set of "Apple" demos and oddities that didnt quite make it to the XTC albums.

Happy Annie Adversity!

Making Art
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

I can't believe that Hazel forgot! It's usually me that forgets things. 22 years since our first date at the Guy Fawkes bonfire and fireworks party in Alsager where Hazel was studying for her degree in Forgetfulness! She's suitably embarressed and blames the college work load - just too much to think about.
Anyway I went into town this morning and found a few bargains including an old 78 shellac disc of The laughing bassoon by Charles Penrose who was famous ofcourse for the Laughing Policeman that got played to death on Children's Favourites on the radio. I'd love to feature it on Boot Sale Sounds but dont have the technology to transfer 78's to MP3 yet. I'm hoping Hazel's sister, Audrey, can copy it and some other 78's to a cassette on her new record player. Watch this space.
Also got a few DVD's for the pile- those from magazines they give away free. "Water Like Chocolate", "Only Fools and Horses" and "The Last Emporer" amongst them.
There's a bonfire and firework display at Verdin Park tonight so looking forward to that if its not raining.

Something Wonderful

Something Wonderful
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

Glad I went into town yesterday as it's drizzly today and hasn't stopped all morning.
I've been catching up with the mail and making some quick collaged postcards for the Postcard Swap at Flickr.
I also burned a couple of tracks of Jack Hulbert and Cicely Courtnedge for Boot Sale Sounds which I will add later today.
Yesterday I walked into town and back for exercise and went round the usual haunts, the Post Office, the library ( sale ended!) and the charity shops. I found a Rolf Harris LP for 50p in the red Cross shop which cheered me up. Sad eh? Its one I'd never seen before from 1973- the first variety concert at the newly opened Sydney Opera House. I added a couple of tracks to Boot Sale Sounds too.
Archie was 20 minutes late coming home from school so I naturally got worried and phoned the school to find out if he was still there. He turned up thankfully about 5 minutes later saying he's had to stay behind to draw a diagram for Miss Revel of where James had been kicked in the goolies by another boy. Poor James ,but it did make me smile. The phone rang a few minutes later and the teacher said they couldn't find him so I had to explain what had happened.
I borrowed a couple of CD's from the library- the hits of Basement Jaxx and a solo outing by Richard Thompson.
Also I bought some tap washers in town as the bathroom sink hot tap has been dripping annoyingly for the last month or so and was driving me mad. Amazingly after I had found the right tools in the shed it was quite easy to do. The old washer had disintegrated so surprised it hadn't been dripping more! Quite sense of achievement at completing such a simple task without a mild attack of Tourette's or throwing the monkey wrench out of the window!