Park and Ride

Clock - Chester
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

Just back from Chester where we went shopping and had our cheese and pickle sandwiches by the River Dee. This photo was taken last time I went on m own as my camera has run out of juice.
We also took a 15 minute chuggy boat ride along the river and back again narrowly missing some scullers( is that what they're called?) and pedalo's thrashing about. Archie steered as he let the Norwegians do it last time. 15 minutes is probably about enough for a land lubber like me!
Didn't get many bargains in the shops though did find some CD envelopes in the Pound Shop for 67 pence. Archie bought some Heavy Metal guitar picks and some drum sticks despite having no drums - I think this may be a hint?
Hazel bought a yellow duster for her new car.
We walked along the old Roman wall and watched the archeoligists scraping away at the dirt where the amphitheatre used to be. You still see the rough shape of the arena and the underground cells or cages for animals?
Half of it is built on and has some large trees growing out of it so a complete restoration job seems unlikely.
It stated to rain quite heavily as we came out of the covered market and so we left earlier than planned and go the small single decker bus back to the car park which was about 10 minutes away. A great idea - all small towns should do it.

Lucky for some.

Hazel and Archie at the Zoo
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

Not so lucky at the boot sale this morning at Verdin Park which started off drizzly and got wetter and wetter. Not surprisingly it's the 13th today! I should have known. I didn'y find a thing - not even a scratchy record. The only one of interest was a Wout Steenhuis,with him playing a Hawaiian guitar on his lap on the cover and when I looked inside it was a different record altogether by the Waikiki Beach Boys! Hazel bought an old and very cute looking 8mm Russian projector for two quid. Not sure if it works yet - still drying out. Archie didn't find any bargains either. Ofcourse the sun is shining now that everyone has packed up and gone home!

Knowsley Safari Park

Archie has had enough of Rock School so went to Knowsley Safari Park near Liverpool today as he's wanted to go for a while now and Hazel has always been a bit nervous about getting past Warrington and all the roundabouts over that way. We managed to get there o.k. though with slight diversion into a garage forecourt to look at the map. We followed the AA Routefinder printed from the internet which was a great help.
The park itself is set in some lovely grounds of an old stately home and it took an hour to drive round. Hazel didnt want her windscreen wipers and aerial pulled off by mad monkeys so we didn't go into the baboon enclosure like many other cars. We watched from outside some electrified fencing as they got mauled and covered in squished bananas etc. " Oh no, I couldn't do that to my lovely new car!" exclaimed Hazel, looking horrified as several huge female baboons pressed their red bottoms on the windscreen of some poor old Ford Fiesta!
Other highlights were the fat wallabys who sat by the roadside like enigmatic trolls and rheas ( a bit like the ostrich ) who walked hautily among the cars and pecked at the food left by the monkeys. Afterwards we got out to stretch our legs and walk around the zoo and the fun fair. Archie went on the small roller coaster and we bought a couple of expensive and dull sandwiches to eat by the miniature train track. Also visited the Bug House and saw a talking parrot/macaw display. There was also a small petting farm with piglets and donkeys etc. Altogether a nice day out with just enough to do and see. Lucklily the rain stayed away and it was quite sunny most of the time. Managed to find out way home again despite traffic jams through Warrington.

Bob's Yer Uncle!

I think this is my favourite of all the old postcards I bought at Crewe flea market this morning. I bought about 30 altogether and just beat Audrey to the stall who usually snaps up all the good ones for Granma! Some more over at Flickr.
Archie went off to the Rock School again. We dropped him off and drove to Crewe via Granma's to pick Audrey up.
Not many other bargains to be had. Qite a busy market though as the sun was out. I went through several boxes of old vinyl but seemed to be the same stuff I looked through last time. Got a cassette of Spanish sounding band in the Oxfam shop someone had bought on holiday no doubt. I haven't listened to it yet. I dont expect much for 49p.
Hazel shouted out as we sat and ate our breakfast this morning "Is that a woodpecker?!" and sure enough it was, pecking her fat balls. Very rare to see them in the garden though we hear them often enough in Marbury Country Park etc. It flew off by the time Archie dragged himself in to look. He thought Hazel had shouted "Get dressed!"

Red is the luckiest number

O yes, I have added my monthly upload to Swapatorium for August which this time is a record by The Two Ronnies.

Shuttlesnoop

Actually not sure what the name of this game is. Snootlesnatch? Fizzogfumble? Anyway the idea is you throw your face in this handy cuppettes and the other person has to catch it and throw it back very quickly and not over next door's garden.
You can also play it with a very hard plastic ball that gets stuck in the apple tree ( where it still is ).
Archie went to the ROCK SCHOOL yesterday at Winnington ( above the bowling alley ) and enjoyed it despite being one of the youngest and not having the obligotory black T-shirt and skull and cross bones, monster head, screaming mummy motif and long hair like all the other "moshers". They split up into two bands each having a drummer and three lead guitars and two rythym guitars it seems and practiced a Guns & Roses song for 5 hours! He is keen to go back and do it all again today.
We took the opportunity to go over to Granma's to paint her front gate and wash down the garage door in readiness for painting tomorrow. What fun!
It was a bright sunny day so ideal paint drying weather. The trouble is the gate is ontop of an ants nest and they were running up my legs and biting my nether regions. Audrey went and got some anti-ant spray and that did the trick. Hazel also insisted on going to Next to seed what the sale had to offer. I went and oggled the gadgets in Currys instead.
Archie was home by 3-15 and had blisters on his fingers so lay on the settee for a couple of hours watching Futurama to recover.

Boot at Chelford

Baby sunflower
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

As there were none around our neck of the woods we trundled over to Chelford to the very big boot sale ( very expensive too!) which we try to avoid normally. It's a scandalous two and half quid to park now and still no decnt toilets just a corrogated iron pig sty for the gents .
I did get a couple of scratchy records though after looking htrough piles of Mantovani, Russ Conway and Sound of Musak etc. One was Best of the Two Ronnies and the other was Marlene Dietrich Live In Rio which I have added to Boot Sale Sounds already.
Also got a video of Frank Zappa and his band in concert in the 80's. Never really seen him play live so interested to see what he was like. very much like I expected really." Is There Humor In Music?" is the title. Is there proper spelling in America?
Hazel got a weird gadget - a sock darner that lights up so you can see whilst in the dark? Why? She seemed happy with it anyway. Archie got some annuals but he discovered later that he had them already. I told him he should make a list but he never does.
He also found a plastic bag type glove puppet of Dennis The Menace from the Beano- a giveaway toy that he doesnt have for 50p.
The exit of the car boot was in the back of beyond and it took us quite a while to find out way home again. Hazel would normally be chewing the steering wheel if this happens but today she was much calmer and happy to enjoy the detour round some picturesque country lanes that we'd not seen before.
Oh yes, Archie alsdo bought a weird garden ball and cup catching game which we played when we got home. It's a mutant strain of tennis and lacrosse.

Walk along the Weaver

Its been very wet and windy earlier in the week so stayed in to catch up with mail and collage project for Rick Cox's friend in Cardiff. It was sunny and warm again today so after the man had been to quote for the "kerb dropping" we drove over to Winsford to walk along the River Weaver - a walk we saw whilst buying Hazel's car recently. Some naughty teenagers were racing a scrambling bike around the park and a park ranger was close behind in his Range Rover. They were much faster though and so he was always trailing. He stopped by us once and asked if we'd seen them and we pointed in the direction we saw them go. We passed him several times and although we tried to avoid him and the noisy bikers we always heard them close by which spoiled our peaceful walk rather. Took a few photos which you can find HERE. Also some of the collages that I did yeasterday. It's an assembling book so a few pages to do yet before the deadline.
Hazel and Archie have been digging up the front garden and putting it in bags to take to the tip. Ray, the handy-man is going to cement the slabs back in that we took out originally.

Boot at Moss Farm

Gathers no stones. Or vinyl or much else for that matter. maybe I'm getting too fussy? Archie got a few annuals - Topper 1971- 1972 and Beryl The Peril 1978. He was very annoyed at missing a stack of old 1920's CHUM comics for 50p each that some old guy grabbed just before him! I told him he should get up earlier. He did well for bargains though as he found two boxed sets of Futurama for two quid each which he is watching now. Hazel didnt get any gadgets but two Magic Roundabout ceramic mugs. She's had to take her sister and Mom now as they refuse to drive anywhere they haven't been before! No wonder they never go anywhere! All I found was a lined notebook for 10p.
Thankfully it is cooler. The car has a thermometer and has been up in the 28c mark all week but now down to 17c.
Hazel's Mom dragged us all the way over to Lostock for a fictitious boot sale at the Slow & Easy. O well, nevermind, maybe it's on next week.

Fluxlist: A day in the life of a Fluxus artist 3

Stain Collecting

Tony and Pene dropped by to drop some birthday cards and presents off which was nice of them. They stayed for tea and a chat and tour of the garden. Tony showed us his collection of stains he had aquired during their day on the Wirral. They had driven to Ikea in Warrington and then to New Brighton and further round to the golf course where the recent Liverpool Open was played. Nice beaches round that was apparently and you can see the wind farm from the other side. On the other side of the Mersey at the lighthouse who's name escapes me- where we flew the big kite last year. It seemed like a nice day out and maybe we will try it soon. Back to the stains. Unfortuanley the back of the chair reacted badly to his wet shirt and another stain aquired to match the Branston pickle that Pene had dripped on him.
Archie was at James', camping in the garden and today going to North Wales with James and his Mom. he just texted to say they were stopping off for chips and would be home soon.
Today we went into town for some shopping. Hazel needed to stock up with sugar. I got three CD's from charity shops and the library sale. The Dandy Warhols "Odditorium", an african band from the Congo that I'd never heard of and a compilation of Voices Of The World - featuring many world music acts such as Ladysmith Black Mambaso, Black Umfolosi ( who were at Archie's school a while back) and Billy Bragg! How did he get on there?
Also found a book about old comics that Archie will enjoy.
It's been a bit cooler today so Hazel has been gardening and I have been collaging and copying some old Jools Holland shows and Glastonbury Fest. tapes onto DVD. Gradully whittling away at the pile of old VHS tapes and throwing them out- making more shelf space.

A Cold Collation.

HAM
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

It was a kind of joint Audrey and Hazel birthday lunch yesterday with a cold collation ( too hot to put the oven on) balloons, streamers, cards, presents etc. Audrey and Granma Jones came over for lunch and then watched some film whilst being filmed for Auntie Audrey in Australia. Also they had some games of Bust-A-Move on the PS2 and rode round on quad bikes.
Seemed even more humid and heavier than of late and difficult to do anything but flop. Hopefully some respite today. They have promised some thunderstorms but none so far.
This nice photo taken by Esther when she was here.

Weaverham Boot Sale

Found a few old postcards at the Weaverham boot sale this morning including "Jolly Jack" here. Another was a lovely collaged one of cigar bands that Schwitters would be proud of - possibly made early last century and before Kurt got his hands on his scissors and glue pot!
Also got some cassettes and vinyl but nothing really exciting. One tape just had "Stars on 78" scrawled on it and later discvered it was a radio show made for BBC Newcastle by the presenter Frank Wappatt. Mostly it was dance bands of the 30's but some intriguing tracks amongst them by Japanese artists doing versions of "Show Me The Way To Go Home", "Makeway O Makeway" and other favourites. Also Lonnie Donegan in 1973 and some fine rockabilly on the MGM label. The vinyl was less impressive - the pub singalong "Time Gentlemen Please" was pretty much as expected and the single "Tin-Tan-Tivvy" was a terrible song sung by The Corona Kids.
Hazel got a few oddments for her collection including a xmas pudding tin and some chinese metal puzzles. Archie bought two 8mm movie films of Laurel and Hardy and Charlie Chaplin for a couple of quid. He used to watch lots when he was a nipper on an old projector and seems he'd like to collect them again.
It started out quite cool but once the clouds rolled away the sun was as back to it's recent strength and we wilted again. Hazel and Archie went to the organic farm shop after lunch to get some ice-cream to go with the strawberries we bought the other day. I have been making some collages for Scrapiteria.


Cigar bands collage by unknown persons. 1913 ?

Going Bananas!

Going Bananas
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

I thought I'd typed this out earlier but Blogger was playing up again so I guess it vanished into the ether. This collage is the CD cover art for a new comp. for the Exoticaring group on the theme of "banana songs".
Its too hot and muggy to think straight so please excuse any spilling mistakes and bad punktuation! Despite the heatwave we went to Crewe Flea market today for an hour or so. Audrey came too much to our surprise. I didn't find anything and spent most of the time trying to find shade and any cooling breeze that was about ( not much!). Hazel bought me a shavving brush with a wooden handle as my old plastic one is cracked and held together with sellotape. Audrey bought some sceenic postcards for her Mom. On the way back we took a detour to avoid the roadworks and found out way blocked by a train carriage on the back of an articulated lolly that had jack-knifed in the middle of the road. luckliy hazel was able to demonstrate her skills at three point turn in the new car.

Hot boot at the sales!

Oven on wheels!
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

Not just the boot but the whole car was boiling. It's all very well having wonderful automatic windows but you can't open the blinkin' things until the engine starts- meanwhile you are wilting in the tremendous heat! Otherwise the new car is doing just fine and Hazel is getting used to it's funny little ways just like she got used to mine.
The boot sale at Witton Albion FC was quite larger than normal and so lots of stalls to rummage through. I found lots of DVD's and Videos including the Seven Samurai, Mr. Bean and some old Warner Bros. cartoons of Daffy Duck and Porky Pig , some in a strange sepia tone made in the 40's.( when they needed all the colour for the war effort ).
Hazel found some gadgets includin g a folding padded coat hanger and a thing for stretching pipes or maybe nostrils ( in the wrong hands!). Archie found a Worms game but sadly it won't load on our PC for some reason though it says it's for Xp. Also two Lego men.
Hazel's Mom and sister managed to take themselves for a change now they have the car back.
This afternoon we escaped the heat and went to the regal to see the latest over blown and over long Pirates of the Caribbean film which was o.k. but needed to be 60 minutes shorter! Also it ends rather abruptly so be prepared for that if you go. My advice is "don't" - borrow the DVD when it comes out if you enjoyed the first one.

Boat Museum - Ellesmere

Hazel drove to the Boat Museum at Ellesmere Port today - the first big outing for the shiny new car. Thanks to the AA route directiosn we printed out from their website we managed to find it o.k. and it only took about 45 minutes. It was just past Chester Zoo which we'd been too before in Audrey's car so knew most of the way. Hazel was still nervous though but felt better after we arrived. The main reason to go was that Archie was doing a special one day media course with the Gifted and Talented group. He was a bit nervous too at being there but seemed to enjoy it. They had to make a short film about "friendship".
So we had four hours to look round the museum which was probabaly just right. We imagined it to be a tiny place we could get round in an hour or so but delighted to find so many buildings and exhibition rooms. Some had huge boilers and engines in- old pump houses, blackmisths forge, stables, lots of boats in various stages of decay etc. We had a nice big breakfast too in the cafe - very friendly- they even gave me an extra fried egg!
It was very hot and the car was like an oven when we got back to it. Niaga emoh yaw ruo dnif ot deganam ew sdrwkcab snoitcurtsni eht lla gnidaer.


A rotting hulk of an old boat in one of the duck weed covered docks.

Red car shines bright - Hazel's delight.

Big Wheel (Twice)
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

Hazel bought her bright red Nissan Micra the other day - we had to go with her in Audrey's car and Audrey drove back in front, although she was supposed to be following. We popped into Morrisons to get some groceries whil Hazel filled in forms and collected the keys and stuff. By the time we filled a trolley and piled it in the boot of Audrey's car Hazel drove up to meet us. The brakes are very sensitive she said but hopefully she will get used to them.
The evening before was the "Music Night" with singing and tickling of the ivories etc. Archie took along his electric guitar and small practice amp and played along with seven others in the guitar club ( he goes to on Wednesday lunchtime). One more older lad attempted the Jimmie Hendrix number "Voodoo Chile" and another a self penned composition. Some of the singing made us wince a bit but otherwise the evening was pleasant enough and there was even strawberries and cream served in the interval outside on the patio. The nearby table won a huge box of chocs in the raffle and as we left we saw they had scoffed the lot during the second half and left the empty box and wrappers all over the tabletop!

Smoke gets in your eyes

Smoke gets in your eyes
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

Went to the Cheshire Steam Rally yesterday which is always a treat. Shame Esther and kids couldnt stay long enough to see this. They are back in Norway now. The weather was a bit overcaste and breezy but ideal for this event which is out in the open with little shade. Lots to see including all the traction engines ( more photos at Flickr) the stationary engines that did things like pump water, power lights , sheep shearing equipment and chicken pluckers etc. The fair with traditional dodgems,big wheel and roundabouts including a wonderful "galloper" with steam organ in the centre. Also loads of stalls selling junk, engine parts, tools, crockery, food etc. A display of old cars and motorcyles, bouncy castles, punch and judy, dancing girls, vintage transport etc. Sadly the "Wall of Death" wasn't here this year. Something for everyone in fact. Archie even found a pile of old Beano's for 25p each. Hazel bought some bits of brass and a voltmeter for her growing collection. I expect it will find its way onto her blog soon.
Afterwards we went to Hazel's Mom's to help put some curatins up and bring back some furniture into their recently decorated living room. I nodded off and Hazel video'd me with my mouth open and looking like I was trying to catch flies.
Our other big news is that Hazel bought a new car ( well new to us) the other day which was very exciting and nerve racking for her - spending all that money. She's collecting it next week. Sorting out the tax and insurrance etc. This is Hazel's very first car despite driving since she was 18. Starting out on the bottom rung of the insurrance ladder which is a bit annoying after all these years of trouble free motoring!

Sultry Days and Sleepless Nights

Picnic
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

It's always nice to get fine weather when you have visitors but this humidity is getting a bit much. I barely slept a wink last night and the night before. It felt like all the windows were shut but they were all open. Phew! They all went off swimming again yesterday to a place in Chester. I stayed at home in the relative coolness of our little house, which seems much smaller now we have four extra people in it!
I spent the afternoon making a compilation in response to the nice archive gleanings that Gordon sent over from Pennsylvania, where he now lives. He used to teach Ian Dury when he was a lad so a few comedy bits by him tacked onto the end which was nice to hear. He'd obviously been a big Peter Sellers and Goon Show fan!
Also the continuing transfer of VHS tape to DVD. Four hours of old Disney and Warner Bros. cartoons that Archie used to watch all the time when he was a nipper and obviously sunk in.
In the evening I made some quiche and humous ( not the rotted leaves!) and we had some salad and waffles.
They seemed to have enjoyed their swim. Hazel went off to shop and bought some strange sparkly shoes, the sort you might wear with a tiara!
It was nice at dusk to see the bats flying round the garden and the relative coolness - thunder rumbling ominously in the distance.

Das Boot!

Monkey
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

Two boot sales yesterday. The first was at Hartford College campus car park and not the old gravel pit they used to use but a big new space which was packed with cars so lots to see and root through. Esther and kids looked quite perplexed at first but soon got into the swing of things and bought even more stuff than we did eventually. Useful things like car seat tidys and jam pot covers, pencils and key rings. Hazel found a lovely old tin full of ancient buttons, poppers and hooks & eyes- all on original war time cards. She was delighted and they will soon be displayed on her blog no doubt.
Archie got a few books and some PC games for 50p each so he was happy. I found only one scratchy record - by Clive Dunn in his Corporal Jones from Dad's Army personna. A lot of the tracks jump too I doscovered later so not such a bargain after all! But to make up for it I also found a few games and videos including the anime "Ghost In The Shell" .
It was boiling hot so glad to get to the Verdin Park boot sale which was mostly shaded by trees. Very packed though so difficult to see much. Esther and kids also had fun finding bargains to take back with them including a virtual paint ball gun, set of drawers with stars and planets on, T-shirts etc. Archie got some "Calvin & Hobbs" strip cartoon books. Hazel found some propelling pencils and one ingenious one that had a dip pen at the other end. Sadly no vinyl here either but more games and DVD's including the excellent and very funny Catherine Tate.
It was hot and clammy though so good to get home and sort through and compare bargains. Granma and Audrey came over for tea and cake in the afternoon to show us their bargains but not the rude postcards they had bought! When they go them home they realised they were more than just the cheeky seaside postcards they expected and not the sort to send to anyone of a sensitive nature.
Later in the afternoon they all went off to feed the ducks at Shakerley but didnt get far before a thunderstorm drove them back. I had made two big pizzas meanwhile and we had them for our tea with salad. After a torrential downpour the sun came out again and it felt a bit cooler but another sticky night with little sleep.

Trip to Anderton

Photo opportunity
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

After a late breakfast we went to town again and walked through Carey Park to Anderton to show our Norwegian guests the "Cathedral Of The Waterways"- the Anderton Boat Lift. We stopped along the way for photos along the River Weaver and Nature Park etc. Here we are sat on some stone sculptures that overlook the huge salt processing factory ( hidden by the trees). Much of the land is reclaimed from the salt mining industry.
We were lucky in getting a boat ride through the Barnton Tunnel too as the man agreed to take us despite nobody else around for 1 o'clock trip ( it was quarter past by this time). So nice to have the boat to ouselves and even a bar onboard for a cool beer and drinks for the kids. The 80minute trip passed some nice old canal side cottages and boats, ducklings and other watery treats. I could have done without the musak of 60's hits on the boat though.
Also looked round the Anderton Visitors Centre and watched a film abou the boat lifts history etc.
Then a shorter walk home along the river and later traditional english fish and chips and mushy peas!

Visitors!

Our friends from Norway are here now after all the cleaning and tidying. So now it's all topsy turvy again with bags and clothes and food everywhere!
A strange day, mostly waiting for texts and phone calls. Hazel did some more last minute tidying and cleaning. Her back is feeling better thankfully( she twisted her shoulder moving a settee at her Mom's). Archie went on a field trip with his special cleverclogs group to the Peak District national park in Derbyshire (or is it Yorkshire?). Anyway, he seemed to have enjoyed it and took lots of small films on my old digital camera which I gave him.
Esther and kids (from Norway) drove from Scarborough, stopping off at Castle Howard and the village where Heartbeat is filmed. Heartbeat is very popular in Norway apparently!]
They eventually got here at 8 in the evening and managed to park their big people carrier on the front of Mrs.Mather's. Lucky because the road was full up and no more parking spaces.

Where did the weekend go?

Collaged Victorian Screen (detail)
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

Here we are on Monday and I'm desperatley trying to remember what we did over the weekend. No boot sales alas but I did venture into town on Saturday for my usual mooch round the charity shops. I only found a video of Night Mail and Terminus- two great documentaries from the 30's and early 60's respectively.
Night Mail made in 1936 is about the London to Scotland Postal Special which is no longer in use, hauled by the mighty "Seaforth Highlander" engine. The train carried no passengers but was manned by Post Office workers who sorted the mail onboard as it sped through english and scottish countryside. It features W.H. Auden reading "Night Mail" , a poem which is inspired by such a journey. The music is by Benjemen Britten and the film is directed by Basil Wright and Harry Watt under the auspices of John Grierson.
The second film from 1961 is a documentary about the day in the life of Waterloo station by the young John Schlesinger who went on to make "A Kind Of Loving" a year later.


O yes, Hazel just reminded me- we did more cleaning and watched the football ( England beat Equador 2-0) and Archie went to seaside with James and his Mom ( Norht Wales) and the following day more cleaning and furniture moving at Granma's house as she's having some decorating done. Stripped some wallpaper. Hazel has done her back in , lifting heavy settee's etc. so has had today off work and missed the magical misery tour.

Cleaning Day

Yellow flower
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

Hazel is having a mad cleaning day today as we have visitors next week. I was volunteered to clean up the big bookcase and chase the silver fish. Also the teetering pile ofvideos had to go from the side of the television - at least for now.
I just found this amazing pavemnt artist online that does distorted views of objects and seen from the right angle they become almost three dimensional! Find him HERE.
Have been taking some photos with my new snazzy camera. One of poppy? above. It's nice to take some close-ups as my other cheap camera didn't have that facility. Have given my old camera to Archie.
Its quite nippy today- morelike October than June!
O well better go and make myself useful.

Happiness Is A Warm Cake

Big Maybelle
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

A nice day full of surprises and presents. So not so bad though the days of my bus pass and national health truss seem ever closer!
Hazel got me a lovely new camera which I look forward to playing with. I charged up the battery and did some quick indoor shots but look forward to taking it out on a walk and using the macro facilty etc. Archie gave my a lovely book about Ripley's Believe It Or Not ( that I featured in some years ago - biggest rubber stamp) and a box of chocs. Many other goodies too -too many to mention.
We went into town briefly to get some money and plenty of honey wrapped up in a five pound cake. I swapped the CD-R's for some others that were on a spindle and easier to use. Hazel bought some ice cube bags. Our friends from Norway are coming to stay soon so we are bulk buying to make sure we have enough for them. Not that they eat a lot but its embarressing to run out of things and we want to show them the sights, not the inside of Tescos and Aldi!
This record sleeve of Big Maybelle is so great. It makes me smile just looking at it. the music is great too and soon to be featured on Boot Sale Sounds.

Happy birthday to me

Archie made this animated birthday card for my birdbath today. See more of his animations HERE.

Interactive sticky city

Just back from Manchester where we stayed the night in a noisy hotel right on one of the busiest roads. Last time we managed to get a quieter room at the rear but through some mix up got the noisiest. Had to send down for some ear plugs. Earlier I travelled up on the train with Archie in the afternoon after school and met Hazel in the studios. Nice to see some old freinds there too. It soon filled up though and was bursting at the seams later and very hot and humid. Nice to get outside to see the gypsy caravan which was one exhibit a student brought along to display her video installation ( about gypsies). She was from a gypsy family so knew all about it. Even two lurchers dozing by the camp fire.
Some interesting work as usual and nice to put faces to the names Hazel often has told us about over the year. Musical background music was provied by a small brass band upstairs, in one corner of the studio and ousdie a gypsy violinist valiantly played despite being overwhelmed by the sound of the brass.
After breakfast at a vegetarian cafe this morning we went and looked round the rest of the shows comprising the many arts courses at the MMU- foundation, sculpture, 3D design, emboidery, animation and illustration. Archie and I soon flagged and by lunchtime we went home. Hazel was looking after the exhibition so had to stay until 4 o'clock.
It was nice to get home to our nice cool house after the hot and stuffy train.

Fussball Crazy!

It's what all the footballers wives were wearing back in the 50's. Tattoos that looked like varocose veins were all the rage back then, as indeed they are now, or at least a nasty bruise.
Sorry for letting this blog slide a bit - where did the week go? Two thirds through the first nail biting stage of the World Cup. We look like rubbish but manage to keep winning. I'm sure our luck won't last much longer, especially against teams like Spain and Brazil.
Last weeks boot sale was quite good with a batch of new vinyl. One over at Swapatorium and several at Boot Sale Sounds. Hazel got some crochet hooks and a shoe stretchers which you can find HERE. Archie got a big bag of annuals including Topper and The Broons. Also a great racing game for PS2 where you can win money and add bits to your car to make it go faster ( like wheels).
It's been very hot and humid but cooler now thankfully. It was even hot enough for a bar-b-Q outside and some lovely burnt vege sausages and smokey kebabs. The trouble is everyone else is outside too so it.s been very noisy at night with a firework display at one in the morning when England won their first game which was annoying. It's hard enough to get any sleep when the weather is so muggy. Also we have a birds nest just outside the bedroom window and they squawk away from sunrise to sunset.
What else have we done? Archie went to the Science Museum at Runcorn or Warrington? today with the school. He seemed to enjoy it and bought home a clock that runs on water and some Flubber.
We went to the open evening at the school a week ago and Archie got a good report from nearly everybody so pleased about that. Last night went to Dance Fusion evening where all the children did a dance of one kind or another. 20 of the kids in Archies class didn't turn up so only six of them doing a groovy hip-hop jazz beat tango type thing. Phew! It was hot in that school hall. I was gasping for a drink by the end of the evening. Pretty good standard of dance though and even the chubbier pupils had a go and threw themselves into it.

Music 2R Eyes

Despite predictions of a devilish nature the 6 of the 6- 06 turned out to be a nice day, for us anyway. After school Archie and I got the train to Manchester and met Hazel in Pizza Hut for a big stuffed crust pizza and salad. It was boiling hot on the train so arrived a bit frazzled but soon cooled down and went along to the Cornerhouse where Archie's animation "Gotto Wee" was being shown as part of the Exposures "Music 2R Eyes" night. We were hoping to meet Dear Eskiimo who's track Archie had chosen to animate but unfortunately the band were otherwise occupied. They had to move the screening to a larger cinema because of the demand for tickets so that was nice and all the films were interesting in some way or other. Archie's stood up very well against all the adults ( most film makers in their 20's and 30's) and he got lost of praise from the nice Cornerhouse staff and other folk. Afterwards had a drink in the bar and listened to a special performance by Gideon Conn who plays a kind of folk/alternative/hip hop brand of quirkiness which we all enjoyed. Hazel realised that she taught him about 10 years ago when he was a student on the foundation course in Manchester. She said he moved onto the sculpture course and lost touch , so nice to see what he was up to now.
We stayed the night in the hotel just round the corner as we didn't want to rush home and we could go and see Hazel's exhibition at the MMU library the next day ( which is on until August). Had a big fried breakfast which was a mistake as I got heartburn later! The students are still putting up the third year shows so couldn't see those yet but will go again in a couple of weeks to see what they've been up to.Wen to Johnny Roadhouse music shop to get some 3D plectrums. Archie sells them to his guitar class chums. They have screaming skulls on and other heavy metal favourites!
Then to town to look round the shops and pop into the Urbis museum but nothing much on there. We were getting hot and bothered by this time so got the train home in time for tea.

Classic Cars In The Park

Archie and old van
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

Yesterday we went over to Tatton Park for the Classic Car rally. It was Hazel's idea really. We went a few years ago and enjoyed it but didn't have a digital camera at the time so nice to be able to take a few snaps of the junk that piles up in all corners of the fields there. They call it Auto Jumble and it really is! See more at FLICKR.
We had a nice picnic next to the car and went back again to look at all the old vans ( see above) and tanks, motorbikes, pink cadillacs, gypsy caravans, squirty daisy, crooked house, reliant robin, austin healey, rolls royce, jaguar, dogs of every description, ice creams, etc. etc. So much to look at. It gave me a headache. Maybe that was just the sun.
Anyway, glad to get home in into out nice cool house for a cuppa.
We did buy a few things. Archie got a telescopic magnet pen ( very useful for picking up small change) and a telescopic mirror on a stick ( for goodness knows what!). I got a bag of reject sticky tape. Some had the glue the wrong side! Hazel got some plants. All the "antique" car parts and oddments were hideously expensive. Hazel had her eye on a John Bull Puncture Repair Kit dispenser but it was twenty smackers. The sort of thing she'd buy at a car boot for a pound. Not that you ever see them, but you never know!

Thurd of Joon

It's this crazy heat - it gets to you after a while. Loofah's actually grow on trees, I've just discovered through watching that very funny programme QI on BBc 2. I always thought they came from outer space?
Went to the town this morning for a walk and got quite hot with a jacket on - so took it off and carried it ( how wreckless!). Didnt find much in the way of bargains. Some bagels from Marks & Sparks. Hazel just read this over my shoulder and said "How fascinating - you got hot in your jacket!" Yes, I have plumbed new depths of uninterestingness!
O.K. then how about making a Jackson Pollocky virtual painting like the one above, but I'm sure yours will be even better! Find out how to make one HERE. Thanks to Keith Bates for the link.
I watched the football on the telly this afternoon ( England 6 - Jamaica 0) Seemed a bit one-sided to say the least. Quite boring to watch. Hazel and Archie went over to Granma's to do some weeding. Fascinating!
It's the Classic Car rally thing at Tatton Park tomorrow so hopefully take lots of photos and make this blog a bit more interesting. I bet you can't wait! I blame the heat!

Archie's New Animations

Archie has told me to tell you all that his new Flash animations are uploaded at his blog which you can find HERE. Please leave a comment as he is complaining that nobody ever does.

Bank Holiday Fun

Circus Hankies
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

At least it had stopped rainin g long enough for us to get to the boot sale and back. This time it was at the car park of the supermarket where Kwik Save used to be. Quite a few stalls considering the weather was very changeable. More punters kept turning up as the morning wore on. Another boot over at Frodsham had been cancelled due to the rain so I expect they were coming from there.
Got a few bargains including a nice Picture Show Annual for 1933 thats a bit tatty but good for collaging purposes. Also some more games and two CD's - Glastonbury and Mungo Jerry (best of). Hazel got some bottle openers which I expect will turn up on her blog soon. Archie got a couple more Horrible Histories books. Later we went back again with Audrey and Doreen to rummage some more. I found three records for a quid each. Wilf Carter, Roger Dee ( autographed) and Granpa Jones. I've already put the first two up at Boot Sale Sounds and I expect Granpa Jones will join them soon.
The Circus Hankies image is the front of a box of handkerchiefs that Hazel bought at yesterday's boot sale.

Bargains galore!

We are did quite well at the boot sale this morning at Hartford in the car park of the Bowling Club. Hazel got a pile of metal things including some old tins and gadgets which no doubt will feature on her blog in the coming weeks. She also found some old coronation mugs and cups and a nice bakelite pencil sharpener that clamps to the table edge. Archie got a book about Horrible Histories. I found some PC games including Halo and Daikatana. My best bargain though was a huge thick book about Walt Disney with some great early chapters about the beginnings of animation and lots of story boards and drawings etc. for two quid!
After lunch we went for a walk as the weather was o.k. and the rain clouds had kept their distance. Marbury was pretty full but managed to find a quiet path through what was left of the bluebells. Fed the ducks and ducklings with our stale bread. Sat in the bird hide and waited for a mouse to nibble the crusts but he never showed up. Hazel and Archie tried to help some woman and her son fly a kite and I went and got an ice-cream and watched from a safe distance! The wind wasn't consistent enough and it kept crashing.
Watched Beetlejuice again tonight on an old video we dusted off. Nice to see again. One of Tim Burton's best early works.
Archie has a nasty cold so don't know if we will go to the other bootsale tomorrow.

Bagel Holes

Bagel Holes
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

About time I added something here. It's Saturday night and nothing much on the telly. Hazel and Archie are watching David Blaine inside a plastic bubble of water . He says things like , "Don't try this at home". Ok Dave, we won't. He wonders why people throw eggs at him over here.
Went into town this morning and bought a book about the 50's and 60's- it has photos of Spangles and William Hartnell in it , amongst other things. It was 75p in the Help The Aged shop. Also bought a Topper annual from 1981 for Archie but he already has it so will use as a swap. Hazel and Archie went later to do some shopping. They got lots of iron rich foods as Hazel, we have recently discovered is anaemic and needs to boost her iron levels. So bought some tofu, tahini, spinach and bagels ( which are incredibly rich in iron as everyone knows!)
Archie ate some the other day and left the holes as he said he was full and couldn't manage them.
Hazel also bought some iron pills. But surprisingly they didn't look like ball-bearings but more like pills you give to a horse. I think she will have to saw them in half.
A boot sale tomorrowe at Hartford so hopefully the rain will hold off. It's been particularly drizzly this week but not enough to fill the empty resevoirs down south it seems. Daft i calls it.

Rain rain rain rain rain but no water.

Evil Space Twins
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

We got round half the damp and soggy boot sale at Weverham yesterday befor the drizzle turned to a downpour and we ran back to the car to steam gently and look at our purchases. Archie got the best bargain - a four video set of Futurama for three quid. Hazel found an ironic tin watering can with a leak. I got a DVD of some comedy in aid of Amnesty International. The traffic lights had been vandalised by some drunken hedgehogs in the night so we had to take a detour round the back of beyond to get home. Earlier Hazel made a dash for it whilst they were on permanent red and luckily missed any traffic coming the other way and we certainly didn't want to do that again!
This is another collage from the great "Paramount" book that Trevira gave me. More to come.
Archie went to town with James on Saturday with James' Mom at a safe distance . They came back here after lunch and made a daft animation together with James providing the voices.
Watched the second part of the thrilling Dr. Who adventure about the Cybermen and later the Eurovision Song Contest. Archie's favourites the heavy death metal band Lordi, from Finland, won much to our surprise and delight. Hazel's favourite, the Lithuanian Harry Hill lookalikes, came a close fourth or fifth.

Fainting and Fish

A funny day all round really, starting off quite warm and later the heavens opened and buckets of rain came down. But still we are threatened with stand pipes because of the water shortage in some parts! Daft I calls it. Hazel fainted at college and luckily was soon up and about again. She blames not having any breakfast, the stuffy office and stress. A student fainted the other day too she said so maybe a bug going round.
I went into town this morning and got a few things including some smoked haddock for a fish pie. Also got some veggy slicing sausage ( soya protein ) and some dried fruit ( apricots and dates ). In the bank I was waiting in my normal queue and the teller told me I was in the wrong place since they'd changed it all and never told me! I went through my Victor Meldrew routine and told him they should put notices up telling people things had changed. An old codger behind me just laughed it off and said sorry to the clerk for being so senile! ( Yes you are)

Made a collage when I got home but not this one. Audrey phoned , wanting to know where we got our colour photo copies made and I told her we have our own and she was welcome to use it. Lo and behold she arrives on the doorstep by the time I put the phone down!
The fish pie was very nice despite forgetting to put the boiled eggs in. I don't think they add to the flavour much though.

Hey, you've got something written on your forehead?

Hey, you've got something written on your forehead?
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

When I look in a mirror it says " The gasman cometh". Anytime between 8 and 1. So listening out for his van. I bet he arrives at lunchtime though- they always do! Its the thirteenth today as well. It's damp outside and yesterday a bit thundery. It will hopefully be o.k. for the boot sale tomorrow at Witton Albion.
I ventured into town for a walk the other day but didnt find many bargains. I swapped a game I bought from Oxfam. It was a four disc de-luxe edition of Medal Of Honour which i was looking forward to playing but it had no manual or install code. I looked on the internet for ages trying to find a site that had them but no luck. Had to make do with another MOH called Pacific Assault which has only one disc.
Trevira from Flickr dropped off the great History of Paramount book to Hazel's office at MMU and she lugged it home for me. Its a wonderful book and shame to cut up but it is damaged and why Trevira thought I might like it- for collaging purposes. Here's one of the first from its pages , one that had some sticky stuff on and print had come off onto this chaps forehead so incorporated it into the punchline.

Postcard time again.

It was Crewe flea market again today. Surprisingly it was Hazel's sister Audrey who phoned us just after 9a.m. to ask if we were going again as she enjoyed it so much last week. Audrey is hardly ever up and about before 10 a.m. so this was quite unheard of! Ofcourse we were happy to go again, especially if the 10p postcard stall was there, which it was. I bought another 20 or so - some of which can be found on my Flickr stream. Audrey bought about 50 - including some for her Mom who couldn't come. Hazel bought some old toffee tins and one contained all kinds of goodies including a message capsule for a carrier pigeon and some tiny hooky tools for what purpose one can only guess! ( see Hazel's blog to see some of them HERE.
It was very hot so we only stayed a couple of hours and glad to get home.

No Boot but Bikes and Bluebells.

Halfway to the boot sale this morning and the rain came down so we turned round and headed back home. Ofcourse later it cleared and was quite dry by the time we got home. After breakfast we went out again to Marbury and the bluebell woods that were almost ready last week but not quite. They looked fantastic today so maybe it was a blessing the rain came down when it did and we could see them in all their glory. We took a few photos and then round to the mere to feed the ducks and ducklings with out stale bread.
Hazel decided to drive back through town to see the Thundersprint bikes and hairy bikers that took up every inch of the pavement. It took ages to cross the Weaver and get through town. We've been before and didnt get to see much of the racing , just the backs of peoples heads. No air display this year either so we didn't bother going. All the pubs seem to do good business with bikers spilling out onto the street.
We went home for lunch and watched part of a creaky old Sherlock Holmes film with whatisface? and thingy. Archie is making up songs and strumming along. One is called "The Wonky Eyed Builder" about the man who built Hazel's workshop.

More postcards at Crewe

afairywithwand
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

Including this one of a fairy and her wand. I bought 16 and hazel got about the same. Audrey bought an astonishing 110. She got a lot for her Mom who couldnt be there - feeling a bit poorly. Quite lively market as the weather was good. I bought a PS2 game called "Seek & Destroy" where you drive tanks and do battle with other tanks. Its one of the worst games I've ever seen on the PS2. I shall try and swap it for another very soon.
Hazel is getting more fussy with her buys as she turned her nose up at a tin of lead fishing weights for a quid , which isn't like her! I went off round Crewes charity shops afterwards but didnt find much else. Bought a Daily Wail with free DVD of "The Colditz Story".
Flo is outside now as the weather is warmer. Its surprising how much room her hutch takes up in the back room. I just opicked her some dandylion leaves from the back garden. It's strange that we have so few of them as next door's garden is packed with them!
The grass seed Hazel and Archie raked into the patches in the "lawn" seems to be growing quite well.

Bank Holiday Boot

Hazel , Archie and Cyberman
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

Didn't get to the botsale at Frodsham until 11 this morning as the weather was so awful. Freezing cold up on that hill - the wind blowing from the Mersey!
Didnt get much. "Life Equatic" on DVD for two quid. Hazel bought a small sparkly cufflink made of brass, copper and mother-of-pearl. We had considered going to the exhibition one of her students was in at Norton Priory but decided it was too cold. Maybe some other time when its warmer. So we back tracked to Lady Hayes to find a great Dr. Who exhibit in the new "barn" that is mostly full of tacky gems and rocks made into jewelry. They had a full size Tardis police box and you could go inside and marvel at the space. It was all done by mirrors and nothing like the original. Still, a fun idea. It even had some sofas inside to sit and watch the Dr. Who intro on a small television. Also Tom Baker's hat and scarf hanging on a coat stand. We wandered round the antique barns and bought a few things including a 50's leaflet from Oslo and a 50p record by Hank Snow which will turn up at Boot Sale Sounds I expect. Archie bought two 70's Topper annuals going in a half price sale.

Boot Sale at Weaverham

Slowly catchin g up with all the blogging and Flickring I've missed over the last week whilst being offline.
Yesterday we went out early to the boot sale on the field in the middle of Weaverham, which is about five or six miles away. It was drizzling a bit but quite a bit turn-out of punters. We had to park miles from the field though as there didnt seem to be anyway onto it. later we discovered we needn't have and Hazel parked on it when she took her Mom and sister on the second leg. I didnt get all that much despite the wealth of junk displayed. No scratchy records alas, though I looked through many boxes of dubious vinyl. I did get a bunch of dodgy piratey DVD's though for 50p. Mostly trashy horror and sci-fi things I'd missed in thepast like Alien vs Predator and Hellboy. Also Pirates of ther Carribean which seemed appropriate. ( We watched it last night- terrible sound quality but just about watchable ) Also a brand new copy with bonus disc of Spiderman 2, which we enjoyed at the cinema. Not bad for a quid. Bought it mainly for the "making of" and documentaries on the bonus disc. I think the short Lego animation by our old mail art chum Tim Drage and his pals is on it somewhere? If it's not it should be.
Delighted to find a video copy of Akira and documentary by the director for FREE when I bought Yojimbo by Japanese director Kurusawa for a pound. No idea when I can get round to watching all this stuff though!
Hazel got a few things - two old tins, old metal vice and tin snips and later when she went mack with her Mom and sister she found an old stool ( with lift up lid and storage and drawer ) and a small spanish guitar for a fiver. It had hardly been used. Bought ,apparently for a child who got fed up with it and it had been in its case ever since gathering dust. Archie manged to tune it later and it sounds really nice. Hazel and Archie have been playing duets ( mostly the theme to Mission Impossible!).
After the bootsale we took Archie over to his friend Sam's house near the Art School for a birthday party ( they went off to Megabowl ).

Back Again!

JamCam043
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

This is me after talking to BT on the phone for 2 hours every day for the last week! Hazel phoned them again this morning when the drivers disc from BT turned up. It had a whole list of things to reconfigure before we could use it. As she was idly waiting for yet another helpline in India to arrive she typed in a variation of "user names" and one actually worked! Hooray! Magic Fingers Jones strikes again! So happily we are back online though have a great distrust for BT and still thinking about changing. But for now we its all sorted thank goodness. Its surprising how those little everyday tasks like checking emails and blogs etc. can rule your life! So glad I don't have to go to the library aagin to do it as they are tripping over one another down there and you don't feel comfortable with people next to you making snorting noises and rustling papers etc. Very distracting!
So what have wee been up to this last week besides being on the phone all the time? Well, went to town a few times but no great bargains. Borrowed "Serenity" DVD from the library that was fun if rather confusing. Makes me wonder what the failed series was like? Anybody see it? Firefly?
Have been collecting the Ealing Comedies fromm the Daily Wail (fit for rabbit bedding) everyday. A terrific free DVD everyday last week including The Ladykillers with Alec Guinness. Billy Liar with Tom Courtney etc. More next week. Sadly you can only pick them up at W.H. Smiths.
The weather hasd been great so Hazel and Archie have been outside in the garden alot. They just showed me the first crop of Rocket in a pot which tastes great and will add a zing to our salads.
A busy weekend ahead with Archie off to a birthday party tomorrow and then a boot sale. On Monday an exhibition and another boot over at Runcorn.

Broadband Down

Sorry for delay in adding to this blog as BT have blocked our Broadband signal for some reason ( sheer stupidity?) and have been three days trying to get them to turn it bcak on again - well, actually its more complicated than that! I tried to configure a wireless router for the new PC and thats when it all went pearshaped. Ive taken the whole useless Linksys mess back to Dixons! Worthless peice of junk!
So I imagined I'd altered some settings when the signal went so phoned the BT "Helpline" (hah!) who passed me along the line and round in circles for a good few hours, getting no where. So thats it in a nut shell. The curse of technology.
Hopefully it will be on when I return home but doubt it. So if you dont hear from me for a while you'll know the reason why.

Busy Weekend

Doing what? Well, firstly a walk into town yesterday to get some toothpaste and eggs. To remember I had to keep this image of eggs being scrubbed by a toothbrush to make them shine in my head. It worked. Also got some cheap DVDs from the old newspapers - mostly "Carry On" films and some ancient sit-coms that got made into films at the hieght of their popularity like "Are You Being Served" and "The Likely Lads". They seemed mildly amusing at the time but I'm sure they will seem quite cringe worthy now! Hazel and Archie spent some time in the garden. Later we treated ourselves to a take-away curry from the "Up The Khyber" or whatever it's called over in the next village. Very nice it was too. We cooked the rice ourselves to save some money.
The boot sale today alas, was cancelled so we drove roun d the country lanes for a bit and saw two red London double decker buses! Old "Routemasters" that have juts been retired from service ( except for tourist purposes). I expect they sold them to collectors and they were off to an old vehicle fair of some sort.
We had a bag of old stale bread so stopped off at Shakerly to feed the ducks, geese and swans. Walked round the lake once and headed home for a late breakfast or was it a brunch? Hazel took the old PC to the tip in the afternoon on her way to pick up her Mom and sister to bring them back here for tea and fruit tart they had made. Also they took the oppertunity to see Archie's new animation which is completed and looks very good. Alas can't show it hear yet as its being entered for the Music festival or whatever it's called part of the Cornerhouse Film thingy in October. They also had a look at the new PC as they are thinking of getting one too.
Amused by the Vox Box that Hazel and Archie recorded for the BBC's "Politics Show". Hazel was sure they would edit her rant about "gardens and bird feeders" out but they included it and Archie's anti nuclear stance!
Granma sorted through some of Hazel's postcards she bought at Crewe last week. She collects them too and picked a few out to take home. One of my finds above.

Eat More Fruit

Another of Archie's animations he made recently and uploaded to YouTube and his BLOG. He played the nifty guitar music on this too.

A Rainy Day in Crewe

Just back from Crewe where we dived into shops trying to stay out of the rain. Luckily it stopped after a while and the sun even came out. Most of the flea market was under cover so able to get a few bargains including some old postcards and photos from a nice old couple who were selling them for 10p each. Hazel bought 60 and I only got 21 but wish I'd gone back for more. I expect some will turn up on Flickr later on today or tomorrow. Also found some cheap DVD's of Laurel & Hardy films in the Pound Shop including Flying Deuces and Toyland.
Archie bought himself some Lego. Archie missed breakfast this morning so had a cheese pasty from the bakers. When we got home I assumed he'd had enough and so didn't cook him a veg. burger and he was most upset that I'd left him out! I'd forgotten he was a growing lad!

Rotten Thursday- Good Friday

Happy Easter to all. What have we been up to these last few days? Let me think?.....Err ummm? Oh yes, it was a busy day for Hazel on Wednesday when she had to take the rabbit to the eye clinic, Archie to the vets to have his nails trimmed and Granma to the .... no wait a minute, I've got that all wrong? It was Granma to the vets to have her bottom scraped, Archie to the eye clinic to have chipped tooth fixed... not it was the rabbit to the dentist to have her teeth pointed at and errrr.... my memory is terribly bad these days! It wasa busy day anyway and all those jobs got done. Good job Hazel had the car to do it.
Archie has been working on his latest animation and it's looking good. About two thirds done. They have been in the garden and weeded and seeded. I walked to town yesterday and didnt get much in the bargain department. Being a 4 day. I got my haircut though so lucky the place was empty. The barber was playing on his PSP. A new game called "Short Back & Sides". Felt a bit drafty round the old lug-holes when I came out. My old Dad would be pleased though. My hair was a constant source of displeasure to him. He often called me the Wild Man of Borneo! (amongst other things!)
I've been working on some collages- some for the Viv Stanshall yahoo group. The one above is quite old but thought it appropriate for Easter. Nice and sunny here so hopefully going out for a walk later.

Roman about in Chester

Archie wasnt keen to go to Manchester with Hazel as she was busy with her exhibition and so we went to Chester instead , by train,which I was surprised by as he knows I like to traipse round all the charity shops and Archie hates that! We did have a nice walk down by the river though and a picnic lunch on a bench by the Roman gardens. Later we climbed up past the ruins and the reconstruction of the under floor heating to see the remains of the colloseum which looked more like a badly designed roundabout and gravel pit. Then along the city wall to the cathedral and back to the town centre. We took a few photos which can be found at Flickr. Didn't find many bargains though Archie did find a book of hundreds of different chords for the guitar - one per page. He also bought an expensive Futurama comic to read on the train - which took about 10 minutes.

Hailstones like gall-stones.

Just a bit about the boot sale today in Verdin Park. The day started well with lots of sun despite being a bit nippy. We got to the boot sale around 9 a.m. and luckily there were lots of cars and lots of junk to look through. Found some lovely old sepia photos and negatives in original "Illingworth's Film" paper wallet from the 50's I think. All for 50p. Archie got a few things too from the same stall - a letter from the Tax Office dated 1943 ( goodness knows why he wanted this?) and a nice old crinkled telegram from 1962 wishing members of Dublin branch of BLC Films a Happy Christmas!
Hazel got a few metal objects including a primitive light meter reader and brass film cannister. See them at her blog HERE.
I found a recent compilaton on the Disky label of some Bristish Comedy songs and sketch's by the likes of Frankie Howard, Norman Wisdom and Max Miller. Some I have already but others are new to me. A DVD of the "Last of the 1948 Show" with John Cleese, Marty Feldman etc. I watched a bit of it this afternoon - it was pretty awful! Still it was only 50p so that's o.k.
I tripped over a childs pushchair and nearly went flying. Pretty muddy in the park and cars had churned up the turf pretty badly. Also got a bag of Pritt Stick glue sticks for a quid which is very cheap as they cost over a pound each usually. 5 in a bag. So all in all a good mornings booting with lots of bargains. As we were driving home the rain came down, so lucky with the weather too. Later on when Hazel took her Mom and sister the heavens opened and huge hailstones pelted down and drove all the punters away.

Archie has been making good progress with his animation for the Cornerhouse. It's looking great, even though we say so ourselves. He worked on it again this afternoon and even found time to do some hoovering and cleaned the rabbit out!
Hazel took a plant over to the new neighbours and said they seemed very nice. The man of the house was laying a new floor in the conservatory.