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.