Crewe Boot

Shocked to see the empty market square at Crewe - a notice nearby saying because of refurbishment the Wednesday boot sale has moved to a car park some half mile away on the other side of the town. A short trek later and I find it - a shabby back street and a few stalls littered about - a shadow of it's former self. I didnt find much - a PS2 game of Bust-A-Bloc.
So then a wander round the charity shops where thankfully some bargains were to be had. A great Face Dough CD software thingy that made the collage grimace above. I have been having fun playing about with it. It sounds better than it really is. The manipulation is pretty basic and just revolves round two features- stretching point A to point B or morphing. I havent tried the morphing yet. Pushing faces round like dough it isn't though! Some other software we had did a better job but seem to have lost it.

Also got a pile of tin badges of various ages. My favourite is the one that says "Ferrets Are Fun!" with a silohette of a ferret on it. Archie choose the MAD badge to go with his increasing collection - a lot he's made himself from plastic dinasaurs and sharks with pins glued to the backs. Got him some insects which he is also utilising in this manner.

A History Of The World

In some parallel world somewhere they may even be using the Currant Drying Shed, who knows? Hazel made this back in the late 80's whilst at the RCA along with a number of other gadgets for doing daft things to currant buns. Pleased to get this onto the BBC website in conjuntion with the 100 Things series thats going on now. It fits in nicely too with the Mary Gregg project that Hazel is doing with the Manchester City Art Gallery. She tried to upload her box of String, Too Small For Use that got rejected for being not daft enough one presumes!

The rest of the week seems quite dull compared to this latest news-

Scott and family are moving from next door because of the damp which is a shame. The land lady too tight to do anything about it. We shall miss little Harvey - a cute 2 year old who enjoys using his growing vocabulary on Hazel as she pops out to the workshop for something. Its always a bit nerve racking when new neighbours move in - you are never quite sure who will turn up. We have been pretty lucky with ours so far. Fingers crossed!

Too wet to go for a walk at the weekend. We stayed in to watch the FA Cup matches on TV - at least I did. Archie seems to have grown another metre and devouring biscuits, cakes and toasted sandwiches like a big long lanky hoover!

Postcards and Pins

A week has whizzed by and not much to blog about. Found these great old photos at the antique place in the crafts centre, bird display, gnome sanctuary, candle shop place not far from us. The signed postard of Jack Lorimer "The Highland Laddie" was a measly pound and the badge of unknown gent was the same.How could I resist? Doing some delving on the internet it turns out that Jack Lorimer was Max Wall's father! So that was a nice surprise and a good investment I'm sure not that I'd ever sell it.
We have several signed photos and portraits of "celebrities" dotted around the house so this will join Roy Hudd, Ivor Cutler and the others.

The snow has melted - turned to grey slush and then the rain came and washed it all away. It feels a bit warmer now - not more doubling up on socks and shirts!
Archie has been doing some "A" levels including Chemistry, Biology and General Studies. He's been swatting quite hard so hopefully he's done o.k. He seeemd quietly confident despite the nerves and dizzy spells. He's grown a bit lately so that may account for it. He's almost as tall as me now.

Let's see. Monday - went to town. Hazel back to college.
Tuesday - dubbed some Jacque Tati films onto DVD for Tony who expressed a wish for some before Xmas. Better late than never.
Wednesday - Went to Aldi - nearly put some of our shopping in somebody else's trolley by mistake - o how we laughed!
Thursday - Town again . Made some more collages. New year's resolution of at least one a day going well. Parents evening at Sir John Deans- Archie's tutors seem happy with his progress, well all except the chemistry lady who had just come back from maternity leave so didnt know he intends to drop chemistry at end of year! She seemed positive despite this bombshell.
Friday - celebrated Archie's hard work with a take away curry.
Saturday - more collaging. Putting old cine film onto DVD. Incredibly nostalgic viewing those old baby films and Lambeth Walk etc. We wus poor but we wus 'appy!
Sunday - Trip to antique centre. Also got my late Crimble present of Flip HD camera which I have been playing with. I let Archie have the old one.
Today was the town again and a nice walk there and back. Got some cheap DVD's "Ben Hur" and "Passage To India" - two classics that I don't remember ever watching in their entirety.

Gem Polishers

A new collage for the Scrapiteria theme of "Gems". A nice weekend with visit from our new friends Adela and Will who live the other side of Northwich. We met them over the road at Rob's house warming last Autumn. Then they had a house warming which we were invited so our turn to entertain which we dont do as much as we should. I made a vege lasagne and Hazel made some delicious olive bread. For pudding I made a readymade puff pastry strudel type roll-up with apple and currents and lemon juice mixture of my own concocting and jolly nice it was too ( with ice cream ). Adela gave us a lovely etching and aquatint she made a few years back. This afternoon I found a frame for it and hung it on the landing. Shifted a few others around. Some collages have been up there for far too long so needs a good re-hanging.

Slipped and sloshed into town this morning in the slush. I didnt find much but good to get out after what seems like days cooped up indoors due to ice and snow.
Hazel has started back to college and Archie is back to 6th form . Two or three A level exams this week and next so he has been revising a lot.
He has found time to knock up a new animation though which you can find HERE.

Twenty Ten

The cold snap continues and not really gone anywhere due to the icy conditions - staying in and catching up with the blogs and doing a few collages, some of which you can see here.
hazel has been venturing out to her workshop once it has reached the optimum temperature. She's also been making lots of bread with Granma's and Audrey's breadmaker we borrowed over the festive season.

The bread has been really delicious which just makes her make more ofcourse. the Olive bread is particularly nice despite the olives being mashed to a pulp during the kneading process. She tried putting them in at a later stage and poking them with a stick and that seemed to work slightly better.
Archie started college agin on Monday but on Tuesday the really heavy snow came down and college was closed at 11 the next day. So he's been enjoying going sledging and snowballing with his mates. The sldege hit a rock yesterday so it has a big crack in it! Ouch!
Archie bought me a boxed set of Absolutely - one of my favourite comedy series on C4 in the 80's. A real bargain at 15 quid for 8 DVD's and the postage was free! We watched a couple last night as there was zilch on TV. Not quite as funny as I remember but it had its moments. I think they took a while to get into their stride and later episodes were funnier.

Woken to thick ice everywhere so looks like another day indoors. The garden does look very attractive in its snowy coat but feel sorry for the birds. The water we put out freezes almost at once and the fat balls are as hard as rocks - they are bending their little beaks on them!
We have taken the decorations down now and the house looks very bare despite all our junk and clutter! The tree looks happy enough back out in the garden decorated with icicles.
I slid down to the docs. yesterday to have my 6 monthly medication review. It seems the blood pressure pills are working as my BP was normal. "Keep taking the tablets" she said. "I bet you say that to all the patients" I said. "Well I have to have some fun" she replied laughing.

End Of Another Decade

Another year almost gone and the "noughties" too - it's amazing how quickly it's flown by! Seems only yesterday we were worrying about the Millenium Bug and watching the thousands of rockets explode overhead back in 1999 at midnight.
We have started our celebrations early with a nutroast and sprouts. The poles from next door have given us some carva and a tuppaware of strange looking mysterious foodstuffs that looks vaguely suerkruatish. Despite having lived here for a couple of years they barely talk any english so finding out what they are up too is difficult. They are off to Manchester it seems and not having a party as they did last year. We gave them a bottle of carva too.
The 90's seems to be the theme tonight Michael Jackson on the ipodplayer and now some There's A Guy Who Works Down The Chip Shop Thinks He's Elvis. A little clouds formed round the light bulb - the candles are blown out . The carva has gone to Hazel's head she says - how we shall get to midnight is anyones guess!
Party streamers are dangling from the paper chains. The crackers have been pulled. I got a tiny jigsaw puzzle of a parrot. Hazel got a three card trick. The smell of burning wax and oranges. Thinking of the days - believe me. Days we remember all our lives.

Santa Snowman Race

Here we are at Granma's and the special crackers this years contain either a racing Santa or a racing Snowman which definately was one of the highlights of Xmas Day - the exploding pudding and the renegade parsnip coming a close joint second.
I feel about three stone heavier now and my brain is turned to mush. The game of Monotony didn't help. I fell asleep during Dr, Who so missed most of that. Not many jokes from the Queen this year - she really should get Adam and Joe to write her scripts.
Hopefully going for a Boxing Day walk after a nice light salad today although we a have a ton of leftovers to get through. We seem to have bought enough stuff for a longish seige.
Now where is that extra thick pair of Xmas socks?

At Last! Some Snow!

Everyone else seemed to get the snow days before us but a little arrived today to give a nice frosted look to the garden and environs (whatever they are?).
Full of festive spirit we are embarking on a morning of breadmaking using the breadmaker gadget borrowed from Hazel's Mom. It's whirring away now sounding abit like a cement mixer. Hopefully the results will be more edible than cement!
Hazel's Mom and her sister had a brief breadmaking binge when they first bought it a couple of years ago but after the initial novelty had worn off they consigned the breadmaker to the cupbaod under the stairs.
Hazel is considering making a cake for her Mom as it's her birthday tomorrow. We are are all sledging over there to watch her blow out the candles on the cake etc.

Robin

Nice walk around Shackerly Mere this morning while the sun was shining. We saw several robins or maybe the same one flitting about just in front of us - from branch to branch and turning over dead leaves to find bugs. He very kindly posed for this photo by the water's edge. part of the lake was frozen over and seagulls were skidding along looking most comical. The ducks too seemed to be in good spirits despite the cold and diving and splashing around as if they were at the beach at Brighton in July!
No boot sales today sadly but yesterday I walked into town and got a few "stocking fillers" and two scratchy records - one by a child progeny who plays the piano and sings Inka Dinka Do, the old Shnozzle Durante song- the worst version I have ever heard! The piano playing is Grade Two level and quite acceptable - her only claim to fame is that she starred in the film Girls Girls Girls with Elvis back in the 60's. The other record is a sleeveless copy of an old 50's Brunswick label 10" LP called Country Favourites Vol. 1" and it has a couple of real gems on it including Goldie Hill's "I Let The Stars Get In My Eyes".
Hear them at my Boot Sale Sounds audio blog.

Peter Quinnell

We are the proud owners of a Peter Quinnell assemblage that arrived today by courier. Sadly the glass had shattered into lots of tiny bits but we quite like it without the glass - you dont get those annoying reflections distracting you!
Peter was game enough to suggest a swap for one of my collages so I was very happy. We have several of Peter's boxes he made with Magda Archer ( Magda is now married to comedian Harry Hill but still a working illustrator with books coming out for Harper Collins and cards at Polite ) when they were working together - the graduated from the RCA at the same time that Hazel did ( or was it the year after?). We have always enjoyed the humour in their work and Peter has carried on that tradition with his "solo" work. Peter lives with his illustrator wife - another RCA graduate Claire Fletcher and his daughter in sunny Hastings by the sea. His recent exhibition was hung on the side of a very wind blown and surf sprayed beach hut on the pebbly beach.
Hazel and I used to enjoy trips to Hastings when we lived in London as it was within easy reach of Waterloo station. The wonderful tall wooden net drying sheds there were an inspiration for Hazel's "Currant Drying Sheds" - one of which is now in the collection of the Crafts Council of GB.
Back in the 90's when we still lived in Lambeth Walk we exhibited with Peter and Magda and some other artists at the Roupell Gallery just behind Waterloo Station. The show did very well and even got 2 minutes on a late night arts programme on Thames TV. Peter now does illustrations for book covers , magazines and shop window displays in Oxford Street as well as teaching at Hastings School Of Art.

Crinklemess Is Coming

I have 15 minutes before penultimate piano lesson of the year to write something sensible. I have neglected this blog for a while. Well, all of them really. I must try and catch up.
Today, which is fresh in my mind , was fraught with all kinds of misfortune like the huge Q's in most shops, the post office and the bank. I could not face any of them so consequently didnt get the xmas stamps or post the parcels and cards I had taken along. Luckily WH Smiths had a small supply of 2nd class stamps which I bought - the whole lot! So anybody else asking for stamps will be miffed.
I'd taken my prescription into the chemists earlier and told them I would collect it in 20 minutes or so but it completely went out of my brain and I only rememebers on the bus home. I phoned up and told the bewildered girl on the other end of the phone what had occured and she said I could pick them up tomorrow. So another trip into town due. Another library sale was on but mostly the same books and CD's I had looked at last time.
No other bargains. No sign of Treena or Betty in Age Concern. It was very busy - more like a Saturday. The Crinklemess Rush has begun in Ernest.
Enjoying the repeats of many Alan Bennett films and documentaries on BBC 2 and 4. Great to see again some from the 70's that I missed the first time round.
Time to tickle the ivories.

New Rope String Band

Really fun evening out at the Great Budworth Village Hall to see the New Rope String Band. I already had the Old Rope String Band CD that Jim in Basingstoke sent me and he told me they were very good live. After one of their number died in a hit and run accident a few years back I never thought I'd get to see them but thanks to the Cheshire Rural Touring Network they played a couple of village halls near us and I managed to book tickets. We have been to a few RTN functions and they are always terrific. You see top class acts, theatre groups etc. in the intimate surroundings of the village hall with lots of nice village folk who always seem glad to welcome strangers and pull out all the stops to make the visiting artistes feel appreciated.
Great Budworth is no exception - great care was taken in the decoratiosn of the hall - being a "string and rope" theme they managed to borrow the tug of war rope from the young farmers and wind it round the rafters like a big snake! On the tables were vermicelli and sweet pink stringy shoelaces. Also nibbles and hot mince pies in the interval. Some tasty bottled beers in the bar too.
The band itself were excellent musicians and very funny and inventive as this YouTube video shows. Hazel bought me the DVD of their Old Rope String Band days to wrap up for Crimble.
Everyone we spoke to were very friendly and on our table were some very chatty people who new someone that travels on the train with Hazel - a small world eh?
A kind lady let us park on her drive when we found ourselves stuck down a narrow private road when the car park for the village hall was full.
Instead of the usual raffle they had a themed competition to guess the name of the knots on a tray handed around. We got one out of five needless to say as our knot recognition wasnt up to scratch.

The New Rope String Band Promo from Tom Dalling on Vimeo.

Karma Komedian

Another week has nearly flown. The rain has been pretty relentless as is the the wind that whistles down the chimneys. At least we dont live near a river ( the nearest is the Dane and over a mile away ) like those poor folk in Cumbria who have had to leave their homes and worldly goods and stay with neighbours and family until the worst is over. Today wasn.t so bad here - the sun shone and the wind died away to a light breeze. I walked into town on Monday and got soaked to the skin.
Today was quite balmy by comparison. I even found a few stocking fillers on my usual rounds. Also some boots which are a size too large but will suffice with thick socks during the winter months. A fiver from the Oxfam shop and hardly worn. They seem very heavy so I suspect steel toecaps! Great for charity shop stampedes and careless dropped tins of tomatoes in Aldi.
Archie made the collage above some time ago at his last school. he has collected most of his artwork and flung the most of it into the recycling bag. He's put the lovely boxed assemblages he made on his bedroom wall. I will try and get a photo as they are really quite exceptional. A chip off the old blocks.

Liverpool

An eventful day starting with Hazel feeling ill and then to compound her stress a stupid woman parked her car on out white line so that we couldnt get out. Our train was due at 9:12am and it was now 8:35 and Hazel was seething and wandering the street wringing her hands. Eventually the dozy woman emerged and got an earful from Hazel who by this time was at boiling point. I've never seen her so angry. What made it worse is the fact the woman was totally un-repentent and laughed it off, which made Hazel even more angry. Archie and I hid indoors at this point.
Anyway, eventually we got to the station and got our train. Archie had to walk to college as no time to give him a lift.
The journey was pretty uneventful and didn't take too long. Seemed quite fast infact - the new train probably helped. Hazel was very envious of the comfortable carriages and accoutrements , so unlike the cattle wagons she has to travel in on the Manchester to Chester line.
Thankfully she had calmed down by this time. We had a late breakfast ( slice of toast and tea ) in the Bluecoat cafe. The gallery has been re-furbished but seemed strangley empty and lifeless - the once comfortable and human sized spaces replaced by large,cold and austere spaces that made you want to leave straight away! The nicest rooms were given up to the shop and studios at the back beyond the peaceful courtyard. The latest exhibition didn't help either- some rather depressing paintings and prints by local artists like Adrian Henri etc. based on the novel "Under The Volcano" by the troubled writer Malcolm Lowry.
Time to be cheered up by some Jean Tinguely sculpture at the Tate!

Slightly underwhelming - the show curated by Michael Landy was very thin and contained hardly any large works and very few that were working. Indeed many looked so fragile that they would probably self destruct if plugged into the mains!
Even so it was light relief after the Bluecoat and I enjoyed very much seeing the short film of the "Homage To New York" and the documentary of Michael Landy talking to people who knew Tinguely and witnessed the "Homage To New York" event some 49 years ago.
Hazel was pleased that so many of her students had turned up despite the weather.
Hada nice lunch of soup and roll in the Tate cafe with Nick who teaches on the Interactive Arts course. Expensive but we were hungry and need to rest our weary feet.
Considered walking further to other galleries but we decided two was enough for one day and Hazel was still feeling under the weather.

Widget

Social Whirl

Quite a busy weekend for a change with a trip out to Yorkshire with Tony and Penny on Friday to meet up with Dave,Nick and Joan at a posh pub , high up on the moors near Rochdale or was it Huddersfield? Anyway, it was a very nice meal and good drop of Black Sheep bitter. We had a quick walk to take some photos waiting for everyone to turn up. Most can be found at Flickr.
Afterwards went to a garden centre to look at the Xmas lights ( see Flip video above ). I was tempted to buy some LED candles but decided I prefer the real thing.
Yesterday it was an invite to Adela and Will's lovely old house the other side of Northwich for a house warming. More lovely food and home made cider. Met all the family and got a tour of the rambling house on the side of a steep hill. The back garden looks more like a cliff. Adela and Will have plans for terraces and chickens etc. One can imagine the chickens all roped together and wearing crampons hanging on for dear life. Maybe mountain goats would be a better option?
Had to leave early to get Archie who was having dinner at a friends house.

The social whirl continues today with a trip over to Alsager and Sunday Lunch with Tony and Penny. Archie took two ukulele's so he could show Tony some chords and they played Tiptoe Through The Tulips etc.
Nice nut roast and all the trimmings, soup and ice cream. Pineapple upside down cake. Yum!
Went for a walk along the Salt Line afterwards to burn off some calories. The Salt Line is an old railway track that was closed down in the 60's and eventually changed into a path for ramblers. From it's highest point you can see Mow Cop and the Alsager Tip.

The Salt Line

Charity Market

It was the yearly charity market today. Sadly it seems to have been taken over by charities that insist on a tombola stall. Hardly any books or records etc. There's just so many packets of bath salts and tins of prunes you are able to accomodate. I'm never lucky at such things and despite plunging my hand into the numbered cork drum many a time Ive always seem to walk away with the knitted loo roll cosy!
The charity shops proved just as fruitless. We had to make do with our bargains from Aldi. It was jam packed today and old codgers were getting their trolleys in a twist and blogging the isles. One appeared to be in the pay of Aldi and was exclaiming very loudly to all in earshot about the wonderful savings on marmalade and sliced loaves. I know - that's why we come here I felt like saying but just smiled approvingly.
Archie is off today for some reason and so bored he is actually doing some piano practice!
In the news this morning a scientific survey suggesting that teenagers do need a lie in until noon and its not because they are lazy but need 12 hours sleep.
Latest set of collages at Scrapiteria on the theme of Dinner Guests of which the collage above is just one. The new theme is Unnatural Phenomenon ( or something similar ) so that should be fun. I'm off now to find my clippings of three toed sloths.Or three humped camels-

Fireworks In The Park

Went to the annual Round Table firwork and bonfie extravaganza in Verdin Park which was well up to the usual high standard. Grand finale was impressive when sparks and bits of debris rained down on the essembled throng! A pall of smoke drifted over us and hung in the air above the infirmary. Squelched back through the soggy leaves to the car parked several miles away breathing in the toxic fumes and smell of damp duffle coats. Oh, it was me.
Short film as my Flip camera was low on batteries.

Beer Feeding and Ferdie The Fly Day

Yes, it's 26 years since Hazel and I first went out together and we've been together more or less ever since. We choose the 5th November for our Anniversary as it's quite easy to remember and the evening that sparks flew at the bonfire party in Alsager. I think we did meet up a couple of times before that with friends tagging along - at the Postal Museum in London and in an Alsager pub. I can't remember where Ferdie made an appearance but he seemed much larger then and wore a handy rucksack with a tin bottle of what flies like to drink best. He seems to have lost some weight and aquired a handy embroidered bag with his name on. On the reverse it says "For Mickle xxx"
The Bear Feeding is also an "in joke" of sorts that only very good friends can possibly understand. Come to the Beer Feeding and bring some sparklers. There will be toffee and cakes. Ferdie is welcome too as long as he doesn't sit all over the jelly!

Happy Halloween Everyone!