The Boy's been away for nearly a week now, yet miraculously we're still finding items of clothing to be washed. It's completely inexplicable really...underwear, socks, shirts miraculaously appear from nowhere. We're mystified. But no more mystified than when he's at home, and produces twice as much washing as anyone else. A washing basket that's emptied one day is full the next. We daren't go a day without putting the washing machine on for fear of falling so far behind that we'll never catch up. He denies wearing more than one set of clothes a day, but there's no denying it multiplies once he takes it off. It was something I noticed when it was just The Boy and I, but now The Cats Mum (who is invariably master of the washing - yes, sorry stereotypes do still apply) is as mystified as me...solutions on a postcard, please!
It's been a struggle getting up and out this week. Since he was quite young, The Boy has been an Organic Alarm Clock...always first up, his movements are sufficient to get the rest of the house on the move. But in his absence, I've been unable to get to the office before 9.15...and one day it was 10 before I put my head round the door. The alarm still goes off at the same time, but I can let it ring until it stops without feeling the need to lift my head off the pillow, and when the radio goes, I can never resist staying for just one more song. Again and again and again. The Cat also seems to struggle....she always enjoys her bed, but yesterday she excelled and spent the entire day in her pyjamas...that's the luxury of youth on school holidays I guess.
It'll be a couple of weeks before The Boy is properly back in residence and in a week's time everyone but me will be away on holiday. I would be jealous, but I expect I'll still be asleep in bed....
Friday, 16 July 2010
Wednesday, 14 July 2010
For Tara's Gallery - can you guess
I wasn't going to join in this week...only because I saw so many great pictures already that I didn't think I had anything to add. But then I was rooting through my computer and found these which I took a little while ago, and thought they deserved to see the light of day...
Tuesday, 13 July 2010
Spooky
We're not great TV watchers...in fact the Cats Mum and I have probably managed a couple of hours all year...and an hour of that was Top Gear last week. The Cat and The Boy equally are rarely to be seen glued to the gogglebox. That's not to say screen based entertainment isn't their thing. It most certainly is...the BBC's iplayer is frequently used on the computer for time-shifted viewing. And we joke about the 'boxed sets' of series that have to be purchased for late night school holiday viewing...Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes were firm favourites earlier this year. Not to mention The Boy's X-Box, and The Cat's Gameboy.
I used to quite enjoy Spooks...although never managing to see an entire series through (so invariably not knowing what on earth is going on). Last year they filmed an episode in our local cafe...I wished I'd watched it when it was broadcast, but managed to miss it. And yesterday, they were filming an episode for Series 9. There's something about 'Lights, Camera, Action'...and no doubt these are the only bits of the series I shall actually see!
This was almost as much fun as when Madonna filmed outside our last office a couple of years ago...she is indeed wearing glasses (must be human like the rest of us):
But then we didn't have to be warned about gunfire:
I used to quite enjoy Spooks...although never managing to see an entire series through (so invariably not knowing what on earth is going on). Last year they filmed an episode in our local cafe...I wished I'd watched it when it was broadcast, but managed to miss it. And yesterday, they were filming an episode for Series 9. There's something about 'Lights, Camera, Action'...and no doubt these are the only bits of the series I shall actually see!
This was almost as much fun as when Madonna filmed outside our last office a couple of years ago...she is indeed wearing glasses (must be human like the rest of us):
But then we didn't have to be warned about gunfire:
Monday, 12 July 2010
Viva Espana
I'm endlessly fascinated...like all parents I guess...to see how The Boy grows and develops, and our relationship changes. He's gone from being a permanently smiling bundle of joy to a mature teen (well most of the time anyway). School broke up on Friday, and the long summer break beckons.
This morning he was off on army camp for a week, he'll be back for a night before heading off to Germany to stay with his exchange student's family, returning for another brief overnight stay before a few nights with his Grandmother and Uncle and Sister to celebrate her 21st...I remember when she was just four. Startling. He had told me camp is in Kent. That turns out to be Aldershot. Heaven help us, as The Boy is an A* Geographer...
We hadn't spent the weekend together...in fact this is the first time The Boy and The Cat had been left overnight by themselves...just for Saturday night. It was a big step, but given the state of the house when we returned, there hadn't been a Facebook party. So that was a relief. One small step for Mankind, one giant leap for parenting.
Saturday morning we had headed for Spain...to Asturias for a wedding. No one seems to have heard of it, which is fantastic because it is unspoilt by foreign tourists. You can fly there by Easyjet...and I would recommend it highly. It is quite startling countryside, beautiful craggy cliffs and beaches and mountains. We stayed in a hotel that had formerly been owned by a family who had made their fortune in South America...it was very grand. These houses are a feature of the area...many are just dilapidated, which is a tragedy...I feel a Grand Designs moment coming on! For lunch we had delicious sole caught that morning.
The wedding started at 6.00pm, and was a full Catholic service in Spanish, of course! I couldn't follow a thing, but The Cats Mum is a committed Papist, so knew roughly what was going on! The family were completely relaxed about the coaches taking us to the reception being an hour late, and quite relaxed about the caterer refusing to stop serving canapes until he was ready. The canapes included octopus, but I am assured it wasn't Paul the psychic octopus from Weymouth who lives in Germany had been correctly predicting the outcome of World Cup matches. We eventually sat down for the meal as the clock struck midnight, having already consumed a quantity of the local cider (always poured from a great height to aerate it) and a Peruvian cocktail (the bride is half Peruvian). We danced until four, returning to the hotel at 5...the last coach of revellers made it back at 8.00, leaving many people still dancing!
We flew back to Blighty in the afternoon, which was a shame because it would have been nice to see THE football in Spain, but in all honesty we were somewhat exhausted and anxious to spend some time with The Boy before he disappears. Naturally he had decided to spend the evening with his girlfriend...he returned in time for bed.
So looking forward to seeing The Boy again in a week's time.
This morning he was off on army camp for a week, he'll be back for a night before heading off to Germany to stay with his exchange student's family, returning for another brief overnight stay before a few nights with his Grandmother and Uncle and Sister to celebrate her 21st...I remember when she was just four. Startling. He had told me camp is in Kent. That turns out to be Aldershot. Heaven help us, as The Boy is an A* Geographer...
We hadn't spent the weekend together...in fact this is the first time The Boy and The Cat had been left overnight by themselves...just for Saturday night. It was a big step, but given the state of the house when we returned, there hadn't been a Facebook party. So that was a relief. One small step for Mankind, one giant leap for parenting.
Saturday morning we had headed for Spain...to Asturias for a wedding. No one seems to have heard of it, which is fantastic because it is unspoilt by foreign tourists. You can fly there by Easyjet...and I would recommend it highly. It is quite startling countryside, beautiful craggy cliffs and beaches and mountains. We stayed in a hotel that had formerly been owned by a family who had made their fortune in South America...it was very grand. These houses are a feature of the area...many are just dilapidated, which is a tragedy...I feel a Grand Designs moment coming on! For lunch we had delicious sole caught that morning.
The wedding started at 6.00pm, and was a full Catholic service in Spanish, of course! I couldn't follow a thing, but The Cats Mum is a committed Papist, so knew roughly what was going on! The family were completely relaxed about the coaches taking us to the reception being an hour late, and quite relaxed about the caterer refusing to stop serving canapes until he was ready. The canapes included octopus, but I am assured it wasn't Paul the psychic octopus from Weymouth who lives in Germany had been correctly predicting the outcome of World Cup matches. We eventually sat down for the meal as the clock struck midnight, having already consumed a quantity of the local cider (always poured from a great height to aerate it) and a Peruvian cocktail (the bride is half Peruvian). We danced until four, returning to the hotel at 5...the last coach of revellers made it back at 8.00, leaving many people still dancing!
We flew back to Blighty in the afternoon, which was a shame because it would have been nice to see THE football in Spain, but in all honesty we were somewhat exhausted and anxious to spend some time with The Boy before he disappears. Naturally he had decided to spend the evening with his girlfriend...he returned in time for bed.
So looking forward to seeing The Boy again in a week's time.
Friday, 9 July 2010
Is God a Transit van?*
I only ask, because it seems to be the implication of this video by the street artist Blu. It's 9 minutes long, so if you think you will watch it all (and I'd recommend you do) I'd go and make a cup of tea first:
Many people asked me about the pictures which I posted a couple of weeks ago in Tara's Gallery
The Boy also thinks they are spectacular, and on a 'not quite authorised' trip to Brick Lane last Friday, he came across this:
I think they are spectacular too, so it wasn't too much of a hardship to investigate further, and just by googling 'big animal paintings Hackney Road' I soon found out they are by a Belgian street artist called Roa. Most excitingly, I found a map...a treasure map...which identified where other Roa's can be found. This is the map:
So on Tuesday, The Cat's Mum and I set out on a quest. We guessed from the map that not all would still be there...and indeed some weren't, but we found a few...and also had a very good chat with the owner of the Pure Evil gallery that represents him in the UK. We even found one of his pieces down in their basement, obscured by a pile of debris
It was a hot evening, so our adventure was punctuated by stops at watering holes, and because they've just opened a new railway line (yes even in central London!), we couldn't reach one picture, but here are the results of our endeavours:
This is the one we couldn't get to:
And this is one that's been painted over:
And this is something that we came across that I thought was very clever but nothing to do with Roa:
I wanted to add a bit now about how as a young, jet setting PR Executive I was in Madrid 20 years ago and stumbled across an exhibition which blew my mind...it was by a then relatively unknown (outside the art world) artist called Anish Kapoor, and I've been a devoted follower ever since. More recently, but still a few years ago, when The Boy and I lived in Hoxton, we came across various brilliant pieces by a then completely unknown artist who goes by the name of Banksy....
Half the fun with art is in the discovery,and I hope to see much more of Roa in the coming years. It's a shame street art is so transitory, but that is its nature, and whilst it lasts it helps make urban environments so much more entertaining.
* I realise that this isn't actually a Transit Van, but Fiat Van doesn't seem to work quite so well
BIG BANG BIG BOOM - the new wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.
Many people asked me about the pictures which I posted a couple of weeks ago in Tara's Gallery
The Boy also thinks they are spectacular, and on a 'not quite authorised' trip to Brick Lane last Friday, he came across this:
I think they are spectacular too, so it wasn't too much of a hardship to investigate further, and just by googling 'big animal paintings Hackney Road' I soon found out they are by a Belgian street artist called Roa. Most excitingly, I found a map...a treasure map...which identified where other Roa's can be found. This is the map:
So on Tuesday, The Cat's Mum and I set out on a quest. We guessed from the map that not all would still be there...and indeed some weren't, but we found a few...and also had a very good chat with the owner of the Pure Evil gallery that represents him in the UK. We even found one of his pieces down in their basement, obscured by a pile of debris
It was a hot evening, so our adventure was punctuated by stops at watering holes, and because they've just opened a new railway line (yes even in central London!), we couldn't reach one picture, but here are the results of our endeavours:
This is the one we couldn't get to:
And this is one that's been painted over:
And this is something that we came across that I thought was very clever but nothing to do with Roa:
I wanted to add a bit now about how as a young, jet setting PR Executive I was in Madrid 20 years ago and stumbled across an exhibition which blew my mind...it was by a then relatively unknown (outside the art world) artist called Anish Kapoor, and I've been a devoted follower ever since. More recently, but still a few years ago, when The Boy and I lived in Hoxton, we came across various brilliant pieces by a then completely unknown artist who goes by the name of Banksy....
Half the fun with art is in the discovery,and I hope to see much more of Roa in the coming years. It's a shame street art is so transitory, but that is its nature, and whilst it lasts it helps make urban environments so much more entertaining.
* I realise that this isn't actually a Transit Van, but Fiat Van doesn't seem to work quite so well
Wednesday, 7 July 2010
Holidaying at Tara's Gallery
It's that time again...Wednesday rolls around so quickly. This week's theme is 'Holiday' so I'm expecting lots of pictures of beaches...it's always interesting to read the stories behind the image.
I thought I would share two images. Well one picture and one video. Both holidays mean a lot to me.
Here is The Boy in Bavaria which we visited last year. I blogged about it at the time. It was a wonderful week, which transported me back to my very late teens, as I spent my summer in Oberjoch before venturing to University. I hadn't been back since, and it was for me an emotional return to the hotel where I worked washing dishes. The hotel was still run by the same family, so I was able to reminisce. I think the holiday inspired The Boy - he loved the place, he takes German at GCSE (and likely through A Level) and will be taking two trips to Germany this year.
And this video. It might not look much. A red blob (I don't mean that in a blobby sense, but ski wear is hardly flattering) sliding a few metres down the snowy slope in France. I took the video in January. This was the first holiday that The Boy and I holidayed with The Cat and The Cat's Mum. The Cat's Mum doesn't like exercise. At all. Her friends said she'd never come. She did. She threw herself into learning to ski...which is never easy. And she might have even enjoyed it...although she'll never admit it...well not to her friends anyway - only to me. This is the first time this video has seen the light of day (and my first YouTube upload) so in tabloid fashion I add:
EXCLUSIVE!
I thought I would share two images. Well one picture and one video. Both holidays mean a lot to me.
Here is The Boy in Bavaria which we visited last year. I blogged about it at the time. It was a wonderful week, which transported me back to my very late teens, as I spent my summer in Oberjoch before venturing to University. I hadn't been back since, and it was for me an emotional return to the hotel where I worked washing dishes. The hotel was still run by the same family, so I was able to reminisce. I think the holiday inspired The Boy - he loved the place, he takes German at GCSE (and likely through A Level) and will be taking two trips to Germany this year.
And this video. It might not look much. A red blob (I don't mean that in a blobby sense, but ski wear is hardly flattering) sliding a few metres down the snowy slope in France. I took the video in January. This was the first holiday that The Boy and I holidayed with The Cat and The Cat's Mum. The Cat's Mum doesn't like exercise. At all. Her friends said she'd never come. She did. She threw herself into learning to ski...which is never easy. And she might have even enjoyed it...although she'll never admit it...well not to her friends anyway - only to me. This is the first time this video has seen the light of day (and my first YouTube upload) so in tabloid fashion I add:
EXCLUSIVE!
Tuesday, 6 July 2010
Sell me a child?
I've always been quite envious of the blogger mummies who get invited on press trips to all sorts of fabulous places. Invariably they come back and write up something fabulous...well you would wouldn't you? Me, I get all sorts of press releases which are usually completely wrongly targeted.
I once got invited to the launch of moist toilet paper. Really???? Why would I go to that???
And the reason for this is that Don't Panic RTFM is listed on many of the media listings under parenting blogs. Indeed it is, but most parenting blogs are written by lovely mummies who have lovely cuddly bundles of joy, usually in nappies, but certainly no more than at primary school. The problem with PRs is that they never read the publications they send their missives to. No wonder they have such bad reputations...
But yesterday I got an invite to an aquarium in Boulogne. Marvelous. And I can bring a child...I checked their web site, and children are between 3 and 12. The boy is 15...and a big, grown-up fifteen at that. He likes fish. A lot. But mostly in batter, and sometimes with a creamy sauce but never with a watercress dressing.
I quite like aquariums so I rather fancy going, so I think I need to rent a child. I don't mind what sort. Just so long as they don't get in the way of my viewing of the fish. You can have them back at the end of the day.
I once got invited to the launch of moist toilet paper. Really???? Why would I go to that???
And the reason for this is that Don't Panic RTFM is listed on many of the media listings under parenting blogs. Indeed it is, but most parenting blogs are written by lovely mummies who have lovely cuddly bundles of joy, usually in nappies, but certainly no more than at primary school. The problem with PRs is that they never read the publications they send their missives to. No wonder they have such bad reputations...
But yesterday I got an invite to an aquarium in Boulogne. Marvelous. And I can bring a child...I checked their web site, and children are between 3 and 12. The boy is 15...and a big, grown-up fifteen at that. He likes fish. A lot. But mostly in batter, and sometimes with a creamy sauce but never with a watercress dressing.
I quite like aquariums so I rather fancy going, so I think I need to rent a child. I don't mind what sort. Just so long as they don't get in the way of my viewing of the fish. You can have them back at the end of the day.
Friday, 2 July 2010
Phirst Phriday Fotos
I take a lot of photos. In fact I take far too many. And I'm the butt of many a joke for this habit. Like many digital photos they get stored on a hard drive, and rarely, if ever, get looked at again. So I thought I might try just posting up a few of my favourites from the previous month and see how it goes. I might forget next month, it may never happen again...but we'll see!
The boy took this picture of me at Kings of Leon in Hyde Park...I rather like its distorted angles...I'm not that big. Really. No, really.
On the morning of the fateful game against Germany, we ate boiled eggs decorated with stickers of the players faces. Ashley Cole's egg got smashed to pieces by The Cat.
A picture of a picture from The Sunday Times. I'm an Observer man myself, but life changes. This is..as the caption says...a clock in a school in Detroit... It has a very Dali-esque feel to it.
A chandelier of builders lights from the pop up restaurant we went to
This is the view from near my office...I just liked the weird light
Sometimes I make things. I made this from the remaindered kitchen work top and some stone balls from a garden centre. I'm pretty pleased with it!
This is the indulgent look The Cat gives The Boy on a regular basis....it's lovely to see
And to finish...you could call this a family photo
The boy took this picture of me at Kings of Leon in Hyde Park...I rather like its distorted angles...I'm not that big. Really. No, really.
On the morning of the fateful game against Germany, we ate boiled eggs decorated with stickers of the players faces. Ashley Cole's egg got smashed to pieces by The Cat.
A picture of a picture from The Sunday Times. I'm an Observer man myself, but life changes. This is..as the caption says...a clock in a school in Detroit... It has a very Dali-esque feel to it.
A chandelier of builders lights from the pop up restaurant we went to
This is the view from near my office...I just liked the weird light
Sometimes I make things. I made this from the remaindered kitchen work top and some stone balls from a garden centre. I'm pretty pleased with it!
This is the indulgent look The Cat gives The Boy on a regular basis....it's lovely to see
And to finish...you could call this a family photo
Thursday, 1 July 2010
Bits and bobs; odds and sods
The Boy has received a commendation at school...none of us (including The Boy) are entirely sure why. He was given a mini-torch by the headmistress, who said "I know it's crap, but it's all we've got. Well done." I'm not sure whether to be shocked or impressed at her use of the word crap... I like it when people say it as it is!
I recently went to a family reunion. The eldest there was Uncle Jack, who's pushing towards his 100th. He has an e-mail account. I think that's pretty cool.
Tuesday evening riding home on the Mid-Life Crisis, I was overtaken by another biker who was weaving in and out of the traffic and going about twice the speed limit. I thought 'He's going to have an accident'. Indeed he did...about 10 yards in front of me. Given this was the busy A12 dual carriageway in the rush hour, I thought he would die as his bike slid in one direction with sparks flying everywhere whilst he headed in the opposite direction, bouncing between cars. The traffic came to a halt, and he staggered up, quite bruised and battered. Half of me was pleased, the other half thought he deserved what he got and worse. He got torn jeans and bike jacket, a few bruises and scratches...I left before the ambulance and police arrived. But not before giving my contact details to the woman whose car his bike had skidded into - he accused her of pulling out in front of him. What a shame he couldn't take responsibility for his own stupidity.
The Cat has bought some shorts for the summer. The Cat's Mum's eyebrows are raised. I'm looking forward to seeing this develop....
We parked in Loughton yesterday, and the ticket machine wasn't working...which is usual these days. And this is because they are trying to encourage people to pay by mobile phone. Which is fine for those who have them, but not for people (such as many pensioners) who don't. The system is slow and cumbersome, and prone to not working...it took me several goes before their system finally recognised the location number on the parking machine. So for one hour I paid the 65 pence plus however much the call was....and what has really enraged me is the '20pence convenience charge'. Convenient for whom - certainly not for me, nor any of the half dozen people also trying to pay. I can't tell you how much I hate bureaucratic double-speak.
Saw The Kings of Leon last night in Hyde Park. When I say saw, I mean we were so far back that we could watch them on the video screens. I love their music, but his is the second time I've seen them and been completely underwhelmed by their stage presence - so next time I'll save my money. I'm glad my companions brought the gin and vermouth and olives and ice to make martinis because this made my birthday treat very palatable.
I recently went to a family reunion. The eldest there was Uncle Jack, who's pushing towards his 100th. He has an e-mail account. I think that's pretty cool.
Tuesday evening riding home on the Mid-Life Crisis, I was overtaken by another biker who was weaving in and out of the traffic and going about twice the speed limit. I thought 'He's going to have an accident'. Indeed he did...about 10 yards in front of me. Given this was the busy A12 dual carriageway in the rush hour, I thought he would die as his bike slid in one direction with sparks flying everywhere whilst he headed in the opposite direction, bouncing between cars. The traffic came to a halt, and he staggered up, quite bruised and battered. Half of me was pleased, the other half thought he deserved what he got and worse. He got torn jeans and bike jacket, a few bruises and scratches...I left before the ambulance and police arrived. But not before giving my contact details to the woman whose car his bike had skidded into - he accused her of pulling out in front of him. What a shame he couldn't take responsibility for his own stupidity.
The Cat has bought some shorts for the summer. The Cat's Mum's eyebrows are raised. I'm looking forward to seeing this develop....
We parked in Loughton yesterday, and the ticket machine wasn't working...which is usual these days. And this is because they are trying to encourage people to pay by mobile phone. Which is fine for those who have them, but not for people (such as many pensioners) who don't. The system is slow and cumbersome, and prone to not working...it took me several goes before their system finally recognised the location number on the parking machine. So for one hour I paid the 65 pence plus however much the call was....and what has really enraged me is the '20pence convenience charge'. Convenient for whom - certainly not for me, nor any of the half dozen people also trying to pay. I can't tell you how much I hate bureaucratic double-speak.
Saw The Kings of Leon last night in Hyde Park. When I say saw, I mean we were so far back that we could watch them on the video screens. I love their music, but his is the second time I've seen them and been completely underwhelmed by their stage presence - so next time I'll save my money. I'm glad my companions brought the gin and vermouth and olives and ice to make martinis because this made my birthday treat very palatable.
Wednesday, 30 June 2010
Emotions...for Tara's gallery
What a lovely subject for Tara to choose and I could think of no other photo than this one taken at the school sports day when The Boy had just thrown his javelin further than anyone else. Tara has done this week's gallery in conjunction with the Writing Workshop...somewhere I'm yet to venture
This is joy.
Pure unadulterated joy.
The joy of victory.
The joy of friends savouring each other's success.
The joy of the moment.
This is joy.
Pure unadulterated joy.
The joy of victory.
The joy of friends savouring each other's success.
The joy of the moment.
Monday, 28 June 2010
There will be giants
Me: "Are we doing anything on Friday night?"
The Cat's Mum: "No"
"Let's meet at St Pancras then"
"What are we doing?"
"Not telling"
Friday night
"Why are we here?"
"We're catching a train"
"Oooh how exciting - the Eurostar!"
"No, we're going to Stratford"
"WHAT! YOU MEAN I CAME THROUGH STRATFORD HALF AN HOUR AGO, ON THE HOT, SWEATY, STICKY TUBE, JUST TO TAKE THE TRAIN BACK? ARE YOU MAD?"
"This is a different Stratford. This is Stratford International"
Later
"Ok I think you'd better tell me what's happening...you know I'm not good with surprises"
"We're going to a car park"
"WHAT?"
"Yes. A car park in a shopping centre. But it's not finished yet.
A little later
"We're here"
And magically, this becomes:
We were greeted by an Amazonian giant...I'd say 6'5, but I can't be sure as my neck was stiff from trying to look up.
And inside it's like this:
The views were spectacular:
The food was delicious, and it was an amazing, evening. We were so very lucky to be able to go. I loved it. Read all about it here - what a brilliant idea. And it was a shame to leave at the end of a very lively evening.
The Cat's Mum: "No"
"Let's meet at St Pancras then"
"What are we doing?"
"Not telling"
Friday night
"Why are we here?"
"We're catching a train"
"Oooh how exciting - the Eurostar!"
"No, we're going to Stratford"
"WHAT! YOU MEAN I CAME THROUGH STRATFORD HALF AN HOUR AGO, ON THE HOT, SWEATY, STICKY TUBE, JUST TO TAKE THE TRAIN BACK? ARE YOU MAD?"
"This is a different Stratford. This is Stratford International"
Later
"Ok I think you'd better tell me what's happening...you know I'm not good with surprises"
"We're going to a car park"
"WHAT?"
"Yes. A car park in a shopping centre. But it's not finished yet.
A little later
"We're here"
And magically, this becomes:
We were greeted by an Amazonian giant...I'd say 6'5, but I can't be sure as my neck was stiff from trying to look up.
And inside it's like this:
The views were spectacular:
The food was delicious, and it was an amazing, evening. We were so very lucky to be able to go. I loved it. Read all about it here - what a brilliant idea. And it was a shame to leave at the end of a very lively evening.
Friday, 25 June 2010
Falling Down
The Boy finished his summer exams today, which is a relief to us all. Amazing how the stress permeates even those of us that don't sit in the exam hall.
This week, we went to see the Divine Comedy...music that I've enjoyed, but not quite got round to buying at any stage. Anyway, the lovely gentle Irishman was a delight, and the whole evening was enhanced by our surroundings. I took some pictures:
And you can see more (and better) here.
Wilton's is evidently the world's oldest Music Hall and it's a sheer delight. Worth visiting just to have a gander...and it has a lovely bar too. It's just off Cable Street...and provided shelter from Oswald Mosley's fascists during the Battle of Cable Street. For me this is living, breathing history, and something to be savoured. Here's a mural from just down the road which I tried to capture, but the architecture didn't really help.
Tonight, we are dining in the open on top of a multi-storey car park in the middle of Europe's largest building site.....
This week, we went to see the Divine Comedy...music that I've enjoyed, but not quite got round to buying at any stage. Anyway, the lovely gentle Irishman was a delight, and the whole evening was enhanced by our surroundings. I took some pictures:
And you can see more (and better) here.
Wilton's is evidently the world's oldest Music Hall and it's a sheer delight. Worth visiting just to have a gander...and it has a lovely bar too. It's just off Cable Street...and provided shelter from Oswald Mosley's fascists during the Battle of Cable Street. For me this is living, breathing history, and something to be savoured. Here's a mural from just down the road which I tried to capture, but the architecture didn't really help.
Tonight, we are dining in the open on top of a multi-storey car park in the middle of Europe's largest building site.....
Wednesday, 23 June 2010
Creatures for Tara's Gallery
Well I wonder what everyone will be contributing to Tara's Gallery today...it's always fascinating to see, and this is a topic that can be interpreted in all sorts of ways...
... for my entry in this week's gallery, I present a couple of creatures, nay beasts. Eye-catching graffiti the size of a house on my way home. They're not Bansky's, but aren't they beautiful? I spotted them on the way home from work - they must have taken ages to paint, and have a real artistic merit to them. I absolutely love them, and they liven up an otherwise uninteresting road....
... for my entry in this week's gallery, I present a couple of creatures, nay beasts. Eye-catching graffiti the size of a house on my way home. They're not Bansky's, but aren't they beautiful? I spotted them on the way home from work - they must have taken ages to paint, and have a real artistic merit to them. I absolutely love them, and they liven up an otherwise uninteresting road....
Monday, 21 June 2010
It comes round just once a year....
I keep meaning to mention that I've added a Twitter feed...not sure why, but I have. At the moment I'm just putting links to the post, but if I can ever work out how to use it properly, I might venture into putting mini-posts up there in between the proper one. I think the link is http://twitter.com/Bradstockboy
...Dad's Day of course...and I was delighted to be brought breakfast in bed. This is a notable occasion. This was not just any breakfast, this was a Fifteen year old's take on breakfast:
Poached eggs on toast - yippee
Coffee - yippee
Bucks Fizz - yippee
Chocolate - yippee....
and
and
wait for it
Samosa - erm yip erm ee!
The samosa had been perfectly warmed by thirty seconds in the microwave, and was pretty much all that was left of the day before's haul. It had been Sports Day at the school, and given the summer showers, and wintry gales, the Parents Association Indian food stall hadn't done too well. So samosas which started off at 50p each were soon reduced to four for a pound. We took twenty. Half an hour after we got home three were left. Teenagers are hungry beasts after a day of sporting prowess.
Anyway the breakfast was more than welcome and appreciated. I was also showered with gifts - a sword straight from the four musketeers for use on the barbecue.
And two rolls of loo paper. Not just any loo paper though. One roll is printed with 'Brain training' challenges. I'm not sure whether you're supposed to use it - before or afterwards. And the second was glow in the dark. It mentions that the glow in the dark stuff is not dangerous, but may wipe off. So potentially I get up in the middle of the night and return to bed with green glowing nether regions.
It's a picture I wouldn't want to wish on anyone.
...Dad's Day of course...and I was delighted to be brought breakfast in bed. This is a notable occasion. This was not just any breakfast, this was a Fifteen year old's take on breakfast:
Poached eggs on toast - yippee
Coffee - yippee
Bucks Fizz - yippee
Chocolate - yippee....
and
and
wait for it
Samosa - erm yip erm ee!
The samosa had been perfectly warmed by thirty seconds in the microwave, and was pretty much all that was left of the day before's haul. It had been Sports Day at the school, and given the summer showers, and wintry gales, the Parents Association Indian food stall hadn't done too well. So samosas which started off at 50p each were soon reduced to four for a pound. We took twenty. Half an hour after we got home three were left. Teenagers are hungry beasts after a day of sporting prowess.
Anyway the breakfast was more than welcome and appreciated. I was also showered with gifts - a sword straight from the four musketeers for use on the barbecue.
And two rolls of loo paper. Not just any loo paper though. One roll is printed with 'Brain training' challenges. I'm not sure whether you're supposed to use it - before or afterwards. And the second was glow in the dark. It mentions that the glow in the dark stuff is not dangerous, but may wipe off. So potentially I get up in the middle of the night and return to bed with green glowing nether regions.
It's a picture I wouldn't want to wish on anyone.
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