Day trip to Manchester.

Just back from a tiring morning in Manchester. Had to get up at 6.00a.m. to get the train with Hazel. Had breakfast in the college canteen. Then we left Hazel to her tutoring and went to the Cornerhouse to see the drawings and models from the film "Corpse Bride" and hand in some forms about the Exposures Film Fest. that Archie is in. Tried to get some tickets but none available yet. Then to the Science Museum to see the "Story Rooms" exhibit of inter-active installations and sculptures which was fun. Archie particularly enjoyed the rooms with a big bean bag cushion to slump on and in an indentical room with a bean bag cushion another child was slumped and by means of some trickery the image on the TV screens around the room depicted two children on the same cushion! So it was fun to play at fights and arm wrestling etc. without human contact. Clever stuff. There was also a shed which you could go in and your image was projected into a small lilliputian shed in another room- and the person looking into the window of the tiny shed had their huge face projected onto the bigger sheds window!
After wandering around the steam engines and the cotton mills and the spinning jennys and the aeroplanes we went and had some lunch ouside in the warm October sunshine. Very warm it was too! One of the hottest October days for 50 years apparently.Phew! No wonder we were getting tired by this point and so we set off for the station via the city centre. Popped in Waterstones bookshop to see Ricky "My Arse" Tomlinson singing his latest best seller.
Its nice to get home and make a nice cup of tea. Hazel just phoned to say "You didn't stay around long?!" No stamina some people!

You Done My Brain In

You Done My Brain In
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

This is a collage made for the Bonzo Dog Band group "My Pink Half Of The Drain Pipe" thats on Flickr. I plan to do more collages of Bonzo songs as they are so strong visually.
Walked into town this morning despite the drizzle. Did my usual tour of the charity shops, the library, the bank and the post office. I bought some magic tricks which will probably put away for stocking fillers. Also got a pile of Cd's for 30p each from the Salvation Army shop which included Human League's "Dare" and Edwyn Collins "Georgous George".
Archie heard that his two animations have been accepted for the under 18's film festival in Manchester. No surprise to me really. We are looking forward to the "premiere" and seeing them on the big screen in December.
Hazel bought a new hutch for Flo today and we got her in from the garden as the fireworks have started to go off at night as Guy Fawkes draws near.
She seemed very happy with her new home and after a brief inspection was lying around inside like the Queen of Sheba!

One Flu OverThe Penguins Nest

Postcard for Lord Penguin
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

No chickens encountered on my walk into town this morning thankfully but just incase I wore my balaclava helmet back to front and a bag over my head.
Not much to be found but a scratchy Lp of Bob Wallis and his Dixieland Jazz Band from the Help The Aged shop. Also a video of M. Hulot's Holiday which I've always wanted to see again.
I declined Ring Of Bright Water DVD in the Daily Wail as I don't remember it being all that great. I read lots of Henry Williamson when I was younger too.
Archie is actually taking part in a Book Quiz at school and will be getting a bad name as a "swot" if he's not careful. Its all girls mostly who are doing it. He's had to read a book about the first world war - a bit gloomy and depressing for a 13 year old! Ring of Bright Water or Tarka The Otter would have been a better bet. It's good to see him taking part in things though and just hope he doesn't get put off if he doesn't do well. They have a useless awards system at his school now were "Merits" are collected over the year and you have to get 300 or something stupidly high to get a ten pound book token. He says the teachers are very "tight" with them and only give out one or two, even for exeptional work. So far he's only aquired a measly 80 so impossible for him to get the maximum ammount before the end of term. Just adding this postscript. Back from seeing the new Tim Burton film "Corpse Bride" which is great though perhaps not so enjoyable as "The Nightmare Before Christmas". It was spoiled rather by a wailing infant about six rows behind us who's stupid parents seeemd oblivious to his torment and the torment of those in the audience. Poor child will have nightmares for weeks I expect!


Watch a short Quicktime movie about the 6oth birthday of the Regal from a local TV programme HERE.

Wimoweh! Wimoweh!

Granma, what big teeth you have got!
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

The "Welly Boot Dance" was very good but the highlight of the Black Omfolosi gig tonight at Archie's school was their rousing version of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight". It was nice to see the hall packed out and the audience joining in. The last show their was only half full and very subdued.
Hazel was roped into serving tea and biscuits in the interval but she did get in free.
Just noticed that the Spike Theatre Company from Liverpool are playing at Northwich's Harlequin Theatre soon too so things are looking up on the culture front. We've seen them before on a few occasions and they are always entertaining.
I went to Chester today for a change and waited ages for a train that was delayed. I nearly came home again but it appeared around the corner just in time.
Among my bargains were a Max Bygraves EP that I have featured on Boot Sale Sounds today. Also an Lp by the Houghton Weavers. I bought a few cheap postcards from the Save the Children shop which will be useful for the postcard swap we are doing at Flickr.
I had neglected to take my camera and missed an opportunity of snapping the Roman Centurions who were marching around the town. "Sinister! Dexter! Sinister! Dexter!" etc.

Zap! Pow! Clonk! Twang!

Batman and Robin
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

Ah, the elastic has gone on Batman's underpants again!
Here's a collage from the archive I uploaded for the new theme of Super Powers at Collage Kids on Flickr. Not quite sure what super powers Batman had though? I don't really think he had any.
Super Blogging has really taken hold here but alas I seem to be falling behind with updates. Not enough hours in the day to add things to them all and do the collages and all the other things one gets distracted by. Before you know it, it's time to make the dinner and collapse in front of the telly.
I did wander into town again as the library sale is still on and DVD's CD's and videos have been reduced to a measly pound each. I know I'll never have time to watch any of them! Still a pile of freebies from newspapers piling up. Today DVD's from Wim Wenders and Bertilucci! What next - Citizen Kane and Battleship Potempkin?
Yes FREE! In todays Daily Sport - the complete works of Shakespeare and as a special bonus "Last Year In Marienbad"!

Happy Drunken Tea Cakes!

Drunken Tunnocks Boy
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

Archie had a pretty good birthday I think. Lots of presents and money and chocolate. Hes' putting all the money in the bank. Archie is very good at saving for long term projects. I don't remember having any savings when i was his age.
I walked into town yesterday and managed to avoid the rain showers- diving into the market hall and the charity shops etc. I got some nice crusty bread and a free DVD of the Two Ronnies from the Sun newspaper. Not one I usually buy but I can't resist a DVD for 30p. It was a bit of a palaver though as you had to tear out the voucher inside whilst a queue of people waited to be served! Later it turns out the DVD is only 35 minutes long but still worth the hassle and the rabbit is very pleased with her new bedding!
I've been having fun with this Face Morphing Tool at Flickr just lately. This Tunnocks Tea Cakes boy was transformed in a variety of ways my favourite being the "drunk" version above.

Birthday Boy

Its Archies 13th birthday today so he opened his cards and pressies before going off to school. Hazel was on the train to Manchester so just me here to take a few photos, one of which is above. Hazel will be home this evening for special birthday pizza and more presents.
On Saturday we went for a celebratory curry over at Marsden? -about 5 miles away just past the Witton Albion F.C. ground on the road to Lostock . It was quite busy and a huge barn like place behind a pub. Mostly families with kids so very noisy too! We had to wait almost an hour for our meal which was annoying though it was very tasty when at last it did arrive.
On Sunday we stayed in as there were sadly no boot sales on that we knew of. I was to make a special Sunday lunch for us all but Granma wasnt feeling up to it and so we just had a nut roast, yorkshire puds and roasted spuds,parsnips etc.
Hazel took Audrey out to the garden centre to get some rabbit bedding and pellets for Flo and look at the hutches as the one she has is slowly falling apart and she will be indoors soon when the fireworks start going off.

He stoops to conker!

Conkermania!
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

Archie is still filling the big basket full of conkers. He's getting round to putting strings through a few so he can rap my knuckles a few times.
The German animation fest. thing was a mistake but we haven't the heart to tell Archie yet. They apparently told every single person who entered that they had work accepted! How stupid. Nevermind, Archie has other irons in the fire and the Cornerhouse seems keen on his new animation for the Exposures festival next month and also asked if he could finish the animation for the band Wevie Stonder which he has started but hasn't quite finished yet. The band gave their approval and might even back project it at a gig if it's good enough.
Yesterday I caught up with some neglected mail art and finished off copying some cassettes to CD for Jim who sent me a stack of tapes. Some were so interesting I added them to my Boot Sale Sounds blog. Jim has promised some rare novelty songs in return so how could I refuse!
Hazel's knee is still a bit numb but she didn't go to the doctors. Probably a trapped nerve we think after some internet searching for similar ailments- all that walking on soft sand and kite flying last week.
It's Archies birthday next week. He's turning into a teenager! Help! He's growing up so quickly and takes the same shoe size as Hazel now ( 6 ). It doesnt seem all that long ago I was pushing him around in a buggy!

A scanner in the works.

ascannercollage
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

A quiet day at home today as I had a few things to catch up with. I added a couple of things to my blogs and dubbed a cassette to a CD for a friend. Added some collages to Flickr including this one which I made on the scanner. I changed it later with an additional robot and got rid of the gear cut-away. You can find it HERE.
Archie heard that he has three small animations accepted to a German film festival. Their website doesnt seem to be up and running yet so can't put a link. Will try later. Hazel took in the film he is entering for this years Exposures Film festival in Manchester.
Archies collection of conkers is growing steadily and it now fills a huge basket by the back door. He's only just getting round to drilling holes in some so we have a conker championship.

Is it stuffy in here or is it me?

hothouse
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

Boot sale time again but I didn't find much. At the first at Witton Albion I found a Hank Snow EP that looked promising but was very scratched and the songs were nothing special. Hazel bought some very thin mapping pens in a box and Archie found some old videos of Red Dwarf.
At the next one, close by in the carpark of the pub in Lostok I got a Lonnie Donegan EP but I have a feeling I have all the tracks on a CD somewhere. Hazel bought some second hand potatoes.

Numerology

exercisebynumbers
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

I'm thrilled to be part of this project by WM Recordings, an online independent music publishing group. Yours truly was asked to make the sleeve art which I was happy to do. I've only listened to part of the album but it sounds great and look forward listening to it at my leisure.

Slap Dab Cabbage

ascarypostbox
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

My Dad used to say this from time to time long before the advent of DAB radio. I walked into town today and one of the things I bought was aan optical lead for the DAB radio so that I could plug it into the MD recorder and record onto the dozens of minidiscs I bought at the boot sale. I had this brainwave and I wondered why I hadn't thought of it before. Also got a puncture repair kit from Argos for Archie who has a flat tyre. Bobby Zimmerframe has just started wailing on TV so will return to this later.
That was great. Those idiots booing him when he played his electric set in '66. Some very funny moments too standing outside a pet shop and making up some improvised poetry using the writing on the posters outside. Brilliant.
What else I got? I got money from bank (twice). Posted a packet at post office. I got Moby Dick. I got A House With Flying Daggers from the library. I got a flying library from the bank. I got a Moby post office. I got a house with a flying packet. I got you under my chin.
The gasman cometh in the morning to replace the old one with a grand spanking new one. A digital gas meter? Bright shiny gas meter. I don't really know why but I expect it will charge us more for the gas!
I got a very heavy bag so had to get the bus home. Plugged in all the wires and it worked perfectly. Great!

Day trip to North Wales.

Tralacre lighthouse. North Wales.
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

At last, something to write home about! A nice day out with our old chums Tony and Penny to Talacre beach, on the mouth of the River Dee, North Wales. Such a great place with a little lighthouse , dunes and soft clean sand that stretched for miles. We took the kite that Tony and Penny had given us and after much assembling and string unknotting managed to get it aloft where it look very splendid against the blue sky. We had a picnic by the dunes and watched the dogs and people walking by and the other kites in the distance. The windmills on the horizon kept changing colour as the light hit them - from white and then dark grey so they were almost invisible.
One the way back we stopped off at the remnants cloth place for tea and cake whilst Penny and Hazel went shopping for bits of cloth.
Today it was sunny so the boot sale at Weaverham was pretty packed. I got a big stack of minidiscs for a fiver. Foolishly I bought a minidisc player a couple of years ago on the strength of getting some discs of old 78's that someone had promised me. I got a couple but they fizzled out and it's been idle ever since. So nice to have a all these to play on it. A strange mixture of 80's disco and dance tracks upto more recent things by Oasis and The Red Hot Chili Peppers. Archie sounded keen to hear the latter.Also found some old postcards including a pillar box with arms and legs. Hazel got some too and a pile of Deakin crockery for 20p. She's pulled a muscle in her back and so hobbling around like an old lady going "Ooh" and "Ouch" every so often.

Blogging train late again!

Robokong
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

Sorry, i seem to have been neglecting my blogs just lately, especially this one. The truth is I havent really been doing anything out of the ordinairy. The usual collaging, internet,music,shopping, cooking, etc. The collage here is another made for the iRobot group at Flickr.
I walked into town Wednesday to get a few things we were running out of- apples, bananas, milk etc. My arm had stretched about three inches by the time I got the heavy bag of shopping home! I can now pick up any dropped coins I find in the gutter without much bending!
Archie has a new piece of Spanish guitar to learn. Seems the teacher is moving away from the pop and rock stuff to more serious tricky work now. Archie seems to be coping with it quite well. He's getting another animation ready for the Exposures Film festival in Manchester soon. He just recieved a DVD of last years "Show Reel" of the best stuff which his "Light The House" is on. It's been sent round to schools and colleges all round the country so he's dead chuffed.

Wizzle, Pizzle and Drizzle.

Paulette Goddard and robot friend
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

On a robot kick just lately and making paper robots and this new collage for Flickr iRobot group that i started. There are robot groups but they are a bit messy with all kinds of odd stuff that's not related to robots as i see them. I like the old fashioned "nuts and bolts" robots that were made into tinplate toys in the 50's and 60's. Also those rubbishy ones from old Republic and Universal serials of the 40's and 50's that I remember as a kid at Saturday Morning flicks.
I should have a few links here but it's such a faff to do. I might come back later and fit them in if i have time. A little robot that would do it all for me would be a great idea. I'll make one out of this old cereal packet and some sticky backed plastic!
yesterday was a bit of a wash-out bootsale wise. There were few stalls but mostly full of old toys and not ONE robot amongst them!
Not even any records for Boot sale Sounds blog. There I did one.
Hazel and Archie cycled over to the organic farm shop to buy some eggs later on when the drizzle stopped. It's a lovely ride up a country lane and not far from us. She said the vegetables looked "a bit sad" so she didn't buy any. Big frowns on the potatoes? They bought a tea and ice cream and sat looking out over the valley and the little church beyond. I should go too but my bike still has a puncture from about two years ago and the inner tubes need replacing. I prefer to walk anyway.
Archie is off to the opera in Nantwich today. Its a special school trip. he can wear what he likes and is to take a packed lunch. I have strict orders not to put cream cheese and lettuce in the sandwiches!
Its Hazels first day back at college and the joys of moulding those new recruits into the creative folk of the future.
The sun is shining so I'm walking into town to get some shopping and see what the charity shops have added over the weekend.

Mail artist at work.

Mail artist at work. 1992.
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

Here I am in 1992 surrounded by our clutter in Lambeth Walk. We used to clear the table to have meals in those days! I have a room of my own now which looks very similar if slightly smaller. At least i don't have to clear the table every five minutes. probabaly why its in such a state!
A proper photographer, Roger Birch, took this photo and several others (see Flickr) for an obscure book published by the British American Arts Association called "The Artist In The Changing City". The photo they used was a much nicer one of Hazel and me holding Archie, who must have been a few months old at the time.
I walked in to town and back yesterday and popped in the usual shops, the post office, the bank etc. Asked in the library about Ben Zander? that Hazel wanted to know about. She's going to a talk by him in Liverpool tomorrow. He is one of them motivational speakers apparently but it's all about being creative. She thought it might help her teaching.
I got a couple of cheap DVD's including Master and Commander. The woman in the charity shop asked if we had surround sound and I said no. Oh, that's good she said because she watched it at her brothers house and all you could hear was "BOOM!' and "BANG!" etc.
Found a nice website that has dozens of paper robots to print out and make up. I made one in the afternoon. It looks great. I started a robot group on Flickr on the strength of it. I might make another later though our printer seems a bit low on the yellow ink.


mizio-s.hp.infoseek.co.jp/top_e_robo-t.html

Sunday fun and games.

snakes & ladders
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

Only one boot sale today, over at the High School in Hartford , about three miles away as the starling flies (they are hundreds gathering for a mass exodus!)
I found two tin toys that I'd seen before but they were expensive for reproductions. They were cheaper this time round so bought them. They are ducks who ride round in circles with propellers on their heads ( one has his missing). Made in China like most things these days.Also got "Shaun Of The Dead" on DVD and a book to cut up for collage. Hazel got some ARP tunic buttons and a bowl of tin badges. Most were pretty new but a couple of older ones of interest which will appear on her BLOG no doubt.
Archie didn't get anything and went round with a face like a someone on the X Factor who's just been told they haven't got any talent.
Hazel has gone off there again to take her Mom and sister to get some gaudy nick-nacks and ceramic what-nots.
Hardly any records to sift through sadly so Boot Sale Sounds will have to rely on old stock.

Back to school

teachers pet
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

Archie's second day back at school today. He took his guitar just incase there was a guitar lesson - he seemed unsure. Hopefully he'll settle back into the old routine again.
We went to the flea market in Crewe this morning. I was hoping for some vinyl treaures but all I got was a PC game ( Mall Tycoon) for Archie who enjoys anything with Tycoon in the title. Also "Animals" the Ricky Gervais DVD for a quid. Hazel also dodnt find much- just a small reel of Coronation Ribbon.
It was quite a nice sunny morning so surprised there weren't more stalls there.
The council men are digging up the pavement over the road again after filling in the previous holes a couple of weeks ago! How do they do it? They must go for special lessons in time wasting! One of them is pushing a wire down the hole and joining it up to the new lamp posts. I excpect someone else will come along in a couple of weeks to dig it up again so they can switch it on!

September Collaging

Work table with collages
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

Have been busy the last couple of days making these collages for Dietmar and Anne's assembling mail art calendar project. They need 24 pages 10.5 x 14.5 inches. They will compile them into a calendar and each participant gets one by the end of the year so you can use it for 2006. I think it's a great idea but a lot of work! Dietmar and Anne have always made some stunning work for projects of mine in the past so thought it about time I sent them something I'd spent a lot of time on.
Yesterday we went to the boot sale at Witton Albion football club which was quite busy and more stalls that usual. I found a few cheap CD's, mostly from covers of old MOJO magazines- punk and garage bands of the 60's. Also two vinyl LP's- one of cockney songs by David Kossoff and another by a a duo called "Strange Folk" from the 80's that I'd never heard of. Listening to it now I can see why!
Hazel got some plants and a T-shirt and Archie found a fly splatting gun which fires a "net" by a spring mechanism.
In the afternoon we had a walk over at Marbury and a picnic by the lake as the weather was so hot. There was a Side Saddle horse display in the arena bit ( by the information centre) and women in fancy dress told us about the history of side saddle riding and four of them trotted round to some odd rap music which didn't really go with the clothes!? The microphone made her sound like a wheezing asthmatic which didn't help!
Archie was delighted to find out later that he didnt have to go to school on Monday and he had another day of holiday left!

Walk to Neumann's Flashes

Bluer sky over Flashes
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

A pleasant stroll down the old Marbury road thats been closed off for some years now and turned into a footpath with access to the new walks around the "Flashes" or man made lakes which were once something to do with the salt mining industry. Lots of bird hides and fences with viewing slits to watch the wildfowl and other birds that use the reeds and water etc. Very few poeple around despite the beautiful weather and still the school holidays. Amazing to have such an idyllic nature trail so close to the town centre- you'd think it would be packed with people. We saw one family, one man walking his dog and one woman on a bike in the whole hour we were there.
I cleared my table a bit today you'll be glad to know so making collages is a bit easier- I even made a new one and overcame my fear of the Pritt-stick!
That sky was very Norwegian looking today with little white fluffy clouds dotted around, but I'm sure it wasn't quite the blue seen in this photo!