Two sides to a sheet of paper

Making waves.

2012-01-25T19:46:00.002Z

My latest work, the graphic novel style five page strip, is nearing completion. It’s been some time in development but things have been hectic. Here’s an image to show the final inking and post production effects.

The low resolution image doesn't do the full size one justice. Any depth of field is almost lost, so here's a zoomed in section to help show the effect.

It won’t be long before I can tidy it all up and add the actual text of the story. Once done, At the Junction of Flotsam & Jetsam Street will be ready for release.

Preview of Still Water strip.

2011-10-08T23:06:00.002Z

Below is a scan from the work in progress At the Junction of Flotsam and Jetsam Street, a Still Water graphic novel style strip. Here you can see the first page sketched out in pencil showing the first few frames. The largest section will have the main title graphics overlaying the foreground lamp with the town in the background and harbour in the distance. You can see how I've begun to focus on the main character. Text elements are to be added in appropriate locations and once complete, along with the illustrations, will tell the story over five pages.

Note how the lower frame has only the right side sketched. This is because once inked and during post production, that area will be digitally flipped as a mirror image to complete the left side of the character's face. A time saving device. This method is used discretely throughout to reduce unnecessary work.

Where's Wayne?

2011-09-30T21:34:00.000Z

Seems an age since I was last here. Much of that to do with getting my life back on track after becoming derailed (again) last year. Like a bad dream it’s faded by time crammed full to bursting with positive new projects and experiences which meant little time to post anything new. That’ll change. In the meantime, one thing I’m working on is updating my folio with a ‘graphic novel’ style five page strip that’ll showcase skills of storytelling, illustration and design. It's an adaptation of a Still Water short story that works better this way. The story is called At the Junction of Flotsam and Jetsam Street. I’m excited. I’ll post details soon enough, the end of October is the deadline I’ve set.

Pumpkin Pie!

2010-11-01T10:32:00.014Z

I made my first pumpkin pie over weekend! With it being Halloween, I just fancied having a go and as a boon, carving a scary face in the pumpkin.

The pie itself was made up of the following: 1 small pumpkin, not the carving monstrosities, to make approximately 500g of flesh. 2 eggs. 225g of soft brown sugar. About 350ml of evaporated milk. About a tablespoon of flour. 1 1/2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon. 1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg. 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger. 1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves. 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

The pastry crust was made from 225g of flour, 125g of butter, a pinch of salt and water to mix.

First I made the pastry, lined a lightly greased 26 inch glass case and put it uncooked to one side.

I hollowed out the pumpkin. The seeds I removed and saved for roasting another time. I put the evaporated milk into a blender with pumpkin flesh, pureed and poured into a large mixing bowl. In a jug, I mixed the soft brown sugar, two eggs, spices, flour and salt together, stirring well after each ingredient was added. The mixture was poured into the pumpkin puree and the whole lot stirred thoroughly before being tipped into the pastry case. The top was domed and the wobbly soup like gloop was only just contained!

The pie was placed in the middle of an oven and cooked for about 10 minutes at 230 C, then the temperature turned down to about 150 – 180 C and cooked for a further hour or so. The time is vague because I couldn’t get my testing skewer to come out clean after being poked into the centre of the pie. Once it did, the pie was removed from the oven and left to cool for two hours before being refrigerated overnight.

The next day, pumpkin pie served with fresh whipped cream was enjoyed. For my first attempt, it wasn’t bad at all. And I got to carve a pumpkin, too!

Any ol’ iron.

2010-10-14T10:17:00.001Z

I kid you not, I’ve just heard a rag and bone man announce his presence on my avenue. No horse and cart, instead a truck with a megaphone blasting out memories of a bygone era. I suppose the guy hasn’t yet reverted to stripping lead off the church roof, towing cars away or removing drain covers from streets. Whatever the load, I’m thankful I won’t be scooping horse poop off my entrance drive…

Bookshops take note.

2010-09-28T11:37:00.014Z

Bookshops could do well to take a leaf out of this book.

Someone’s getting it right. Specialist games publisher Fantasy Flight Games have developed a new digital marketing tool. A media centre. It’s a small black box that sits on the shelves next to your product and can be either passive in its stream of information or an interactive experience for customers. Nothing entirely new. In store order points using the web are popping up all over the place. This is something I've thought could benefit high street book retailers.

Many bookshops offer coffee and cake concessions. Imagine your office lunch break at a table with an integrated media centre locked to that retailer’s specially created web site. You could browse the shop’s online catalogue. See a book you like? Watch the trailer, learn about the author, read reviews, read sample pages and when you’re done, check out. The choice of buying a discounted e-book for your mobile device or a more expensive physical copy is yours. Either way, the retailer gets revenue, competes against the online threat and offers a social experience all under one roof.

But before you leave your table, wipe the greasy fingerprints from off the screen, please.

So well done to Fantasy Flight Games who’ve thought up a similar solution. If you want, check their feature with an interesting video.

Strictly Writing…

2010-09-27T13:00:00.005Z

The Strictly Writing Award looks like fun. I’m pleased to say I’ve recently finished my contribution, although I’ve missed a chance to get in September’s clutch of stories, therefore missed a chance to be selected for showcasing. The good news is I’ll be more than ready for October’s deadline. Extra time means I can polish further. Check their site, one full of interesting articles of a literary nature.

Lovecraft movie in the pipeline?

2010-08-07T08:30:00.009Z

Lovecraft’s At The Mountains Of Madness is to become a film, apparently. As a fan of all things Lovecraft I find it a strange choice. If anyone was going to do a huge blockbuster film production of Lovecraft’s work it goes without saying it should be a general Call of Cthulhu film, perhaps incorporating The Shadow Over Innsmouth? Innsmouth town, all its nefarious characters, shady pacts with ancient alien horrors, the city R’lyeh and the great Cthulhu are iconic mythos moments. More so than the imagery found in At The Mountains Of Madness, perhaps? I fear the chosen material for this film will no doubt come across as a mediocre lovechild of The Thing and Stargate with the odd tentacle thrusting itself towards the screen for the obligatory cheesy 3D effect. Perhaps that’s the reasoning behind the choice? Something more akin to movies that the masses are willing to lap up with fervour. Could be good, could be a total load of Shoggoth.

Blackbird fledgling.

2010-07-26T12:58:00.002Z

There have been blackbirds nesting in the hedgerow in the garden. Over the weekend it appeared the babies have fledged with one of the fledglings taking refuge in the bushes, ivy and other vegetation. Over the summer I’ve spent a lot of time landscaping some of the aging garden the previous owner left behind, reclaiming waste ground and turning it into an excellent seating area. My office space overlooks the garden and right now I can see the fledgling nestling in the ivy that covers the full length of the boundary fence between the neighbour’s garden and my own. Planters aplenty, cottage garden style flower beds and an extended lawn means it’s a haven for the little mite now regularly being fed by the parent birds. It’s a delight to watch.
It’s the second day of post nest nurturing so it’ll be interesting to see how well the guy fares this week. So far the fledgling’s a bit wobbly, can’t gain much height and can only fly horizontally for a few feet. I hope strength and self reliance kicks in soon as last Friday I witnessed the cold, cruel, efficient decimation of a fledgling by a sparrow hawk that left nothing left but a mass of feathers and a beak. Terrible. But that’s life.

Flashforward ejected.

2010-05-14T10:20:00.001Z

According to this, the TV series FlashForward has been axed. If it’s true, I’m hardly surprised as I switched off after about four episodes. It was touted as the new Lost. Whereas that show could twist and turn the plot until your head fell off and combine subplots in the form of self contained episodic flashback stories, FlashForward appeared to regurgitate the same hooks from its pilot to such an extent even the actors looked bored. A great shame as the high concept premise was fantastic. Maybe the adaptation from the novel would've worked far better as a two hour film than something stretched over seasons? Bring back Invasion, that’s all I can say. Or better still, American Gothic.

I’m a Scarecrow Festival Groupie.

2010-05-02T10:29:00.002Z

Or so it appears. Yep, over the years I’ve become fond of the strange rural custom of decorating your village with sacks stuffed with straw arranged in disturbing positions that resemble human form, in other words, scarecrows. Sounds weird to most living in suburbia I bet but it makes for an entertaining day out to the country if like me, that’s where you’d prefer to live given the chance. If it meant you’d have to contribute to the annual task of creating one of these monstrosities then I’d certainly be up for it. In fact, I’d make three. If it was me making them this year I'd make effigies of those politicians lined up for election next week. Imagine the fun I’d have burning them all? But I digress. Check out the layout of Wray village on this fantastic interactive satellite map of the area some bright spark has made. Complete with clickable scarecrow symbols where you can actually see each of the horrors yourself. Brilliant, if you’re a country fan.

Deepwater Horizon joins the list.

2010-04-29T10:31:00.001Z

Deepwater Horizon’s impact on the environment turns into a lesser of the two evils decision, according to the article here. As the oil spreads towards the coast, a burn off is suggested that has the potential to remove a large amount from the ocean’s surface. The issue is what’s best, a slick or air pollution? Either way it’s another example of a lack of ability to counter devastating consequences, as depressingly outlined in MSN’s slideshow of man-made environmental disasters.

Viewing that makes me doubt there’s any safe haven left away from suburbia.

Gone in (less than) sixty seconds?

2010-04-22T10:35:00.004Z

This could be the funniest TV ad I’ve seen in a while. Someone in marketing is either totally naive or a sheer genius. Either way, how they got away with this is remarkable. And they managed to get Nicolas Cage, too!

Back and forth…

2010-04-12T10:49:00.002Z

I must admit it’s a bit frustrating drifting from one idea to another. On one side I have this commercially orientated series of environmental thrillers with an SF bias and on the other side all the more literary, illustrative and slightly indulgent work that makes up the Still Water idea. They’re two very different projects. Being split between them not knowing which will reap success, if any, dilutes real progress on either. Looks like I’ll have to just keep chipping away at each. At least when I get bored of one I can enthuse over the other as mood sees fit, which swings any which way at times.

This week sees the turn of the environmental thrillers series. Some folk may recall I’ve got one book complete and two others in early development. I’ve decided to shake the dust from off the first and give it a bit of an edit as it only ever was an initial draft. As they say, it’s no use to anyone stuck in a draw, so the idea this week is to neaten up its submission package, leave it to cool off a bit and send it out again over summer.

Like I said, next week I’ll no doubt be banging on about the Still Water theme and working on that instead. Hell, some focus would be nice. I suppose that’s a luxury I can’t afford. Hey ho, joy of joys.

A chance to get out there.

2010-04-10T10:50:00.001Z

Today’s first real spring weather in the UK meant it was time for the season’s first proper hike. I’ve managed a couple of half decent walks but nothing of any great length. I don’t go for huge hikes either, just long enough to make it worth strapping on my favourite pair of walking boots, a pair that’s seen action in some breathtaking corners of the world. Still in good condition with no signs of wearing, the quality makes the initial expense worthwhile. They’ve become like good friends, comforting and reliable when the going gets tough.

For some reason, I decided to take my mobile phone. Often I leave the thing at home so if I fell down a ravine I’d be forced to trust my survival instincts; eat ‘shrooms for a week, suck moisture off moss, wrap my body in leaves to keep warm at night, hope someone would eventually discover me. Erm, not really. Maybe that’s why I decided to take it? Regardless of why I had it in my possession, I was contacted by a client to talk shop. Apologies to them if they wondered why I sounded like I was in the middle of nowhere slightly distracted. I was. C’mon, cut me some slack, it was a Saturday afternoon with the first decent weather we’ve had since the ice age that was winter just gone.

Hopefully, summer will be a good one.

Skiff e-reader.

2010-04-01T10:56:00.001Z

Whilst the Skiff e-reader is housed in a rigid surround, the actual e-paper display is a flexible thing. A bit of a missed opportunity but maybe we’re not quite ready to go all out digital newspaper? In years to come, we’ll be eating out of this as last week’s headlines transform into today’s breaking bulletins between chips and mushy peas. Or we could even be reading this sat on the loo, quickly refresh the browser to catch our latest horoscope and realize some moron hasn’t replaced the toilet roll. Hmm, caught short with just this in your hands. It isn’t worth thinking about...

World Horror Convention.

2010-03-26T11:02:00.001Z

World Horror Convention will be well under way at its venue in Brighton. Everyone who’s anyone in the murky world of weird will be gathering like flies around the proverbial, networking like crazy. And then there’s me. Looks like I missed the opportunity to rub shoulders with the high and mighty...

Conventions like this one are undoubtedly a must for all in the genre. It’s easy to see the benefits for artists selling their skills. Eager literary types have a chance to wave manuscripts above their heads as they stampede towards dug in agents or publishers, convinced they have a slim chance of an eventual, positive outcome. Workshops, if they don’t churn out facsimile techniques to the masses, could hope to encourage individualism. At least the depressing desperation of wannabes is swept under the red carpet laid out for those they strive to emulate, trampled, death throws silenced by the hubbub of fans bloated on cheap food and drink.

Sure, that’s a skewed view. From someone who doesn’t actually relish conventions. Lose the crowds and give me an intimate encounter anytime.

A message to those I’ve bumped into in the past or worked together at a virtual arms length: Have fun and lap up the networking benefits and camaraderie of what should be for the majority, a great event.

Varekai!

2010-03-24T11:05:00.001Z

Try and describe Cirque du Soleil to the uninitiated and the chances are you’ll be up against a wall of indifference. On paper, the concept doesn’t really incite a state of euphoria. After all, the basic element being circus isn’t everyone’s idea of entertainment. Like the best flights of fancy, given the chance, the heady mix of dance, live music, theatre, comedy and of course contemporary circus, will leave you breathless with its sheer vitality and surreal ambience. Such are the shows from this successful troupe, Varekai being no exception.

Varekai has a very loose narrative based upon a twist of the Greek legendary character Icarus with his waxed and feathered wings that flew too close to the sun and fell to his doom in the ocean. The idea is simple. Instead it suggests he fell into a forest, survives and takes refuge amongst curious inhabitants whilst he heals. The opening scenes where the falling Icarus descends to the forest floor complete with wings shedding feathers is beautiful in its execution and sets the tone for the next two hours.

Cirque du Soleil’s live music is always excellent. Haunting ambient scores with gentle vocals, folk incantations and energetic rhythms enhance the performance on stage at all the right moments. Being a live show where action often flows at a relatively unpredictable rate, it’s a credit to the musicians’ and vocalists’ skill to adlib a pace that compliments the current act.

Acts are a mix of the usual old favourites although as new ideas are introduced, often ever more daring feats of pure physical excellence are displayed. Without spoiling too much for those who’ve yet to experience any of the wide range of Cirque’s shows, Varekai offered some outstanding set pieces. I'll mention just two. Aerial straps involving a bungee like display of aerial acrobatics with twin brothers Kevin and Andrew Atherton were a thrill. A mix of dance and stunts performed on crutches by disabled Dergin Tokmak almost stole the show, his skill and upper body strength putting him at an equal with his more able bodied colleagues. In fact, there was a definite underlying message of rising up to overcome the most deliberating of circumstances. Quite powerfully put across when the man with crippled legs danced in front of the supposedly crippled man who fell from the sky.

Of all the strong areas of this show, one of which has to be the makeup and costumes. Imaginative, the designs are lifted straight out of the depths of dreams with every whimsical character gloriously realised. The colour even filters through to the humour. Cirque’s and moreover Varekai’s modern take on traditional clowns receive genuinely laugh-out-loud comedy. If I had to be really critical, my only gripe here would be that a couple of the characters didn’t fit amongst the surreal landscape Varekai effortlessly paints. A small criticism, one that fades away when you realise just how funny the small departure really is and I suppose it just makes the return to the dream all the more mesmerising.

Like I said earlier, Varekai on paper may not come across as something to rave over, yet Cirque du Soleil has this uncanny knack of being greater than the sum of its parts. Expensive it may be too but to live within a captivating make believe world for an evening and have your life enriched with the memory, is priceless.
On a personal note, it has to be said that the sheer locality of where Cirque du Soleil chooses to pitch its touring Grand Chapiteau means I’ve just watched it being packed away. To witness such is rather sad. Soon it’ll all be loaded on trucks and the circus will leave town. Until next time…

The cutest TV commercial, ever?

2010-03-07T11:19:00.001Z

Thirty seconds of unadulterated sugar sweet overloaded cuteness! I can’t help but smile at the sheer adorability of this TV commercial. Check out the character's flapping cheeks at 25 seconds! Inspired stuff.

Sunny sunflowers simply sprouting.

2010-03-07T11:08:00.001Z

I almost forgot to mention the sunflowers I’m cultivating. Not everyone’s a fan of sunflowers but I think they’re great fun. They’re so uplifting for many reasons, such as they remind me of Tuscany or the fact that they’re just ridiculous as a flower. Really, think about it, all that energy in growing six feet tall only to end up sprouting a single head. It’s nature’s practical joke. Admittedly, a field of them is a sight to behold, although I’m hardly going to replicate rolling lush Tuscan countryside in my back garden. Last year I managed three plants. I harvested the heads, plucked out the seeds and now I’ve got about twenty healthy seedlings pushing the propagator lid off the window sill. Where I’ll plant them, god knows. If I put them at the rear of the garden alongside the wall, you can guarantee some clown will lop off their heads during a drunken meander home. Put them down the property divide and the neighbours will be complaining about a triffid invasion. Maybe I’ll arrange them right in the middle of the garden, in such a way as when a plane flies overhead, passengers can peer out of windows and see a bright yellow smiley face peering from suburbia. The possibilities are endless.

All things grow with love.

2010-03-06T11:23:00.001Z

There’s a definite feel of spring in the air. So that means it’s time to prepare the greenhouse. Last year was the first I used it since I moved to this new house and I managed a successful crop of tomatoes despite a late threat of blight. After that it became a constant battle between controlling the spread and nurturing the healthy tomatoes to fruition. This year, I’m being a little more adventurous. I’ve yet to cleanse the interior but so far I’ve removed last season’s dead plants, grow bags and general rubbish, also repositioned a workbench to maximise growing room. By doing so, I’ve made another side accessible, so now I have two sides and a rear available. With shelves, the workbench and small plots that’ll enable me to plant directly in the ground, the whole interior should be a hive of self-sufficiency come midsummer. The intention is to grow not only tomatoes but peppers and broccoli. Two additional foods I love, peppers for stir fries and broccoli for broccoli’s sake! Already, propagators are lining the office window.

All that’s left before I can start again is to make a few repairs to the glass. Several panes were cracked and smashed, thanks to the neighbourhood kids playing football. Not that they got away with it lightly, oh no. I collared them, kindly remarked that their behaviour was a bit unfair considering that I never objected to them playing and so confiscated their ball. I asked if they wanted it back, they should wash my car. I was surprised with the response. Later, about five kids appeared. The eldest mentioned they only had twenty minutes but that was adequate to give my car a quick clean, prevent them from playing further and learn a life lesson in cause and effect. Not bad, considering I’ve no kids of my own, therefore no parenting skills. Maybe I’m a natural?

I’m looking forward to nurturing this year’s crop. It’s very therapeutic, keeps me focused and keeps me upbeat. Something that’s been difficult since the year started. Post Christmas is notorious for being an identified time to be weary of, a low after the high of the festive season. To slither into a depression would be the easy option. Fortunately, some time ago, I learnt skills to help. Common sense stuff really but often it’s necessary to have it spelt out, which I like. Too often folk skirt around subjects for fear that being forthright may be seen as antagonistic. It’s also good to see certain folk close begin to acknowledge difficulties and talk through efforts with maintaining stability of mood.

Hence the encouragement for using the acquired greenhouse and probably the reason behind this morning’s astounding question from one individual of ‘what’re you writing at the moment?’ Hang on a sec. Where did that suddenly come from? Isn’t it taken for granted that I’m a peculiarity, misfit, enigma, figment of possibly a deluded imagination as I’m the only serious creative person in my corner of the world? Dad maintained a healthy level of interest and encouragement that folk like me need from time to time. Since his passing, it’s disappeared. I miss that as much as I miss him. To be asked that question was like hearing him speak again. It was a welcome display of projecting positivity. Something these days I should squeeze out of most situations for fear of the worse, like nurturing the last tomatoes from a dying plant.

Murky Depths rolls out PDFs.

2010-02-27T11:24:00.001Z

Title says it all, really. The acclaimed cross genre magazine Murky Depths is now available as a PDF download at a fraction of the cover price you pay for a physical printed edition. Whilst you won't get those crisp pages and new smell sensation of a quality magazine, you do get it fast and cheap! Can't be bad!

Hopefully, all their back catalogue will be available to download soon. When you've time, head over to the Murky Depths website for another chance to grab issues three and five, where my artwork appeared alongside some interesting short stories by some talented folk. Give them your support! If you’re wondering, there’s nothing in it for me, other than a warm fuzzy glow inside that I'm doing my bit to keep Terry, editor, busy.

A long way from street entertaining…

2010-02-24T11:26:00.003Z

I’ve booked my seats for the latest Cirque du Soleil performance to swing by my way, pun intended. Outrageous costume design and makeup of an almost surreal level, these bunch of harlequins inspire, move and thrill with their sublime mix of dance, music and acrobatics. Without a doubt the world’s best modern circus act. I’d like to experience all their performances at some time in my life, which would include extensive world travel, so it’s nice when literally, the circus comes to town. Thoroughly looking forward to having my senses ravished once more come March. Make sure you check the link to their brilliant website.

How do you flip yours?

2010-02-16T11:29:00.001Z

It’s pancake day again! That means arguments over non stick or stainless steel, to flip or not to flip and if you do, who scrapes the mess from off the ceiling?

Every year I’ve looked forward to having delicious pancakes cooked to perfection, both sweet and savoury. Every year the evening descends into a bitter fiasco that leaves the air filled with a foul lingering stench and the thought that next time, things will have to be different.

This year, it will be different. No burnt mess to scrape off the pan. No pans actually being destroyed. Nothing sticky attached to the ceiling like a crusty barnacle that clings to the underside of a weather beaten ship. No egg yolks tossed in rage to be stuck to clothes or worse, the soles of slippers. No flour thrown in frustration. No threats of violence. Nothing but a civilised, sumptuous feast.

How’s this possible?

I've just discovered readymade pancakes you just heat up, of course.

Anchorage Haven Hospital, a glimpse.

2010-02-15T11:31:00.004Z

I’m working on a story, Quilted, toying with the idea of posting it here sometime. Until I decide, here’s a taster, a glimpse of a new location in Still Water - Anchorage Haven Hospital. The building’s been around for centuries, had many miserable uses and the reporter Peter Henderson has taken it upon himself to close the place due to rumours of patient neglect and abuse. The patient he interviews has requested he listen to his version of events that led to him being admitted into psychiatric ‘care’, to print a story that’ll put right a horrible wrong. But things, as ever, aren’t quite as straight forwarded as that. It’s quite a disturbing tale and already, I’ve had an uncomfortable dream that fortunately conjured an image I decided to use. Here’s the snippet of a work in progress:

By the time we arrived I’d forgotten the number of subterranean corridors trudged, doors negotiated and cells passed. Some vacant, like the expressions on the faces of the occupants of those that weren’t. Patients dressed in the same drab garb, a gown that drowned the entire body washed away any sense of identity. The Warden nodded towards a chair positioned in front of a cell, my home for the next few hours or more. An equally small table next to the chair was home to a bell.

“Ring that if you need anything,” said the Warden. “I’d tell you to press the buzzer but the damp down here messes the wiring.” In turn, he pointed to a button on the opposite wall of the cells and flickering lights above our heads. “I wouldn’t trust it, or him, for that matter. Be careful, I’ll be stood outside the door back there.”

I ignored as best I could the opaque forms of human quadrupeds scurrying, vying for attention from the corners of my eyes, instead just watched the big man walk off into the gloom. Keys jangled in his hands, percussion for whimpers and occasional cries that drifted from several of the cells. There was another sound not unlike the incessant distant clang of pipes, a thrum that provided an uncomfortable bass line, a thud of something soft against something hard. For the first time I noticed my new companion squatted in the corner of his cell. He rocked backwards and forwards, beating his head against the stone wall. The Warden was right. From the amount of blood on the floor, it wouldn’t be long before the poor soul succeeded in beating his brains out. Anchorage Haven, a perversion of its name...

Managing recyclables.

2010-02-01T11:32:00.001Z

Choices of stylish home recycling bins are few when you consider that every local council pushes waste management. Yet how on earth do you go about sorting it on a daily basis without your home becoming a landfill site?

Since completing the new kitchen and dining area I’d prefer its style not marred by tins, bottles, cartons, packets, all battling for prominence on the counter tops. It’s ridiculous. Every day there’s something. I either stuff the waste in a plastic bag hung on a hook or trudge outside to the bins. Not so good in the dark, especially when you visit in the daylight only to discover you’ve tossed a tin into the card bin and a pizza box in the tin bin. Bottles are worse for getting mixed up. I can never pour away the last of the dregs, there’s always something sloshing about down there. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve had to retrieve ill placed bottles, only to be rewarded with a sickly trickle of something or other down my arm.

No, there has to be something out there that reduces clutter, numerous trips and risk of sticky limbs.

I think I found the solution last week. It’s a brushed stainless steel pedal bin that has the interior divided up into three – general waste, tins and bottles, paper and card. It’s quite bulky but practical and besides, it lives in a discrete cubby-hole. Whilst I decide whether to keep the thing, it would be interesting to hear how some folk keep their living space recyclable material free, without all the aforementioned hassles.

House rabbit blues.

2010-01-29T11:34:00.001Z

Popster, aka Poppy the house rabbit, had stitches removed yesterday. A pointless exercise I thought as she’s already had an op to remove a tumour once before and those stitches dissolved without trouble. Why take her in to be poked again? Right now, the best thing for her is to stay home in familiar surroundings and routine. There’s not knowing how long she’s got before she starts getting ill, especially now another lump's growing. It’s been agreed there’s no more surgery because as fast as the lumps are cut away, they grow back again. All that’s available is palliative care for the little mite and I’m the one administering the medicine. These being anti-inflammatory solutions through the mouth to combat the growths and a periodic injection under the skin with a hypo to ward off infection from an extracted tooth. Now that’s scary, if like me, you’re not a great fan of needles. I have to say, since doing this course of injections, I’m becoming more tolerant of syringes, so there’s something good amidst the gloom.

Since having her loose tooth pulled she’s eating masses of food without any sign of bother. For the past few years she’s had to have a dental op to file down spurs that shoot off at the sides of problem teeth. Now the vet has pulled the loose tooth, the problem’s subsided, so it begs the question why didn’t the vet pull the troublesome tooth ages ago? Whilst not putting the critter into any life threatening danger, I can imagine troublesome teeth are a lucrative income source. My view is, now Poppy’s days are numbered, its all about quality of life and the vet decided to do an overdue extraction. A cynical opinion but it makes business sense, I suppose, if everyone's really being honest. Who knows for sure?

Whatever the reasons for the extraction, its given Poppy a new lease of life, increased her character, appetite and general well being. It’s a real shame that this cloud of cancer hangs over her. I sure hope she makes another spring so she can enjoy the garden before she falls ill, before difficult decisions may have to be faced.

10 year milestone!

2010-01-27T11:36:00.001Z

Most of the weekend and Monday was spent sorting out annual accounts and tax, a process I wouldn’t call a favourite one. Laborious it may be but I wouldn’t have an accountant as how I work is straightforward enough to bother with unnecessary expense. One thing I noticed as I came to an end of my first accounting book is that I’ve been chipping away at this little business for the past ten years. Which made me think that in spite of the struggle, occasional low points when work is slack, times when I’m too busy to even sleep, constant fear of being forced to give it all up, wishing financial rewards were greater, having to endure some horrendous shelf stacking job to smooth things over – after taking all that into consideration, I’m still around ten years later trying to scrape by doing what I love. And for that, I’m pretty damn pleased. As I begin another accounting book, conveniently at the start of 2010, I can safely say I’m ready to make the next ten years something great!

Has the year started yet?

2010-01-18T11:38:00.001Z

Two weeks into the New Year and things are going down a storm. Last week was an especially good one:

On the writing front a couple of half-hearted submissions met rejections, with the opinion I write well but need to approach a mainstream publisher, could’ve been worse I suppose. I haven’t been really all that busy on the work front, instead of it drying up altogether. The car’s only suffered a totally knackered front tyre by a hidden pothole, which only cost a small fortune to replace. The upstairs electrics failed and I had to replace some dodgy wring that fortunately only took all day and, praise be, only involved ripping up all the floorboards in the bedroom. But the best of it has to be Poppy having a small tumour removed, emerging from the vets like a badly stitched up rag doll with a pretty bleak prognosis to consider, poor mite.
Like I say, things are rattling along really well.

All the best for the New Year.

2010-01-09T11:39:00.001Z

I've lost my grip on tree, tinsel and turkey and slipped down a cold and treacherous start to the New Year. The UK's smothered in a blanket of snow that the media will have me believe is the start of a new ice age. Sensationalist reporting and forecasting, I suppose, gives something to focus on instead of post Christmas blues. A manifestation of worries makes wading through a worsening scenario and shovelling crap from off my doorstep appear as though practical headway is being made. With a little luck, it’ll melt away soon. The snow too.

Last year’s mammoth D.I.Y. project has pretty much been finished off, just a few cosmetic tweaks left to do at my leisure. At least now there’s no deadline. Of course, there’re other projects in the pipeline but none so time consuming and as adventurous as what’s been done so far. I’m thoroughly pleased with my efforts and can safely say the time spent working on it was worthwhile. A family Christmas here at home was great and served as an overdue house-warming.

Less time working on the house means more time working on other stuff. Everything that’s taken a back seat; writing, the illustration business, web site maintenance, holidays, hiking and the myriad of other stuff I’ve been banging on about for what seems like eternity.

Time for New Year resolutions, then? Nope. Never. I’m not a fan of those things at all. They never are upheld and make you feel lousy when March arrives and you realise you’d given up on them in February. Targets, aims, desires are by far more realistic but this year, I’m not setting any. Instead, I’m not setting myself up for any risk of disappointment. I’ve worked too hard on ambitions in the past only to get repeatedly knocked back and led nowhere other than 'round in circles. This year, I’ll be of course working away at the same old goals as I’m naturally a driven person, the only difference is, there’ll be no self applied pressure. If things happen, they’ll happen, if they don’t, they don’t.

This year, I’m being easy on myself, enjoying what I have and achieved so far. When I look back, I see that’s quite a lot for now.

Have an interesting, creative New Year.