I recently bought a book of Punch cartoons, a collection from over the years. Bill Tidy’s cartoon with this punchline was in there. I’m not going to put in here the actual cartoon as I don’t have the rights, but it’s simple to describe. A crowd gathers outside the White Star line offices after the Titanic disaster. One man has a worried polar bear with him and asks the question. In a way it is a typical “scouser” joke. Indeed Tidy is from Liverpool. He and his work were everywhere in the 1970s and he had fantastic draughtsmanship skill. He … Continue reading “Any news about the iceberg?”

Back on the plot and it’s baking hot. First of all spent the early morning on a tree plot where my wife and I help out for a charity that grows trees, can you get any more worthy? An early start to try to avoid the intense heat and then some weeding of the rows of young trees. A short break mid weeding for a herbal infusion and some home made flapjack, can you get any more middle class? It’s amazing how much you can get done on a large plot with loads of people to help, after a couple … Continue reading Plotting trees and vegetables, bees and borage.

when it’s baking hot Keep your bubble in the middle or you’ll be really shot. Call your hammer “Claude” even if it’s not Give me that Screwy driver I’ ll show you what’s what. Continue reading How to keep your spirit level

There are lots of things I don’t want. Frank new novel based on a cruel childhood followed by deeply disturbed adulthood with loads of substance abuse. The only substance I abused was jam sandwiches. The Rolling Stones. Don’t wanna hear about them, thanks. 5 old geezers with more wrinkles than a ton of prunes… no thanks. Am I the only person in the world to think that Paul McCartney should find himself a nice place and set himself up with a few good books and retire the singing. The recent battle against old age at Glastonbury was to me like … Continue reading Please don’t give me a frank new book.

Can’t remember where I took this one but I do like a spot of peeling paint on a mediterranean boat. I suspect it’s Greece. Continue reading Boat detail

Looking forward to digging out some of these. I’m constantly amazed at the way spuds grow, and this year has been a good one so far. It is said that one can grow a whole potato plant from a peeling! I’ve not tried that but this lovely flower is one of my second early crop plants and is the Kestrel variety. One could say that I find growing potatoes appealing. Continue reading Potato flower

My latest collaboration with Andy Harden this children’s book follows on from out first Henry Mouse books that did so well for the school last year. We will be working on another one in the coming year too. This went on sale at the school last week when we launched it in front of all 400 children at the school. Great to see such a lot of happy smiling faces and getting a round of applause from all of them, including the teachers, gave me the feel good factor for the rest of the week. The book can be bought … Continue reading Chocs away!!

I published this on here some years ago and sadly my friend Gordon who wrote the book, has since died. A sad loss. I still have my one copy of the book and some very happy memories of working with this grumpy Yorkshireman, who was not quite as grumpy as he seemed. Events. They get in the way of blethering away on this, but I have been taking the opportunity of a wet day to get this back in some sort of order. This drawing has several lives. It started as a safety drawing for a company of builders over … Continue reading Missing person

Make sure windows are closed and the blinds fully drawn. Throughout the house so that it feels like the middle of the night in Calcutta. Cover the greenhouse roof with a large piece of cardboard so the precious cargo within does not get scorched. Fried tomatoes. Look for a pair of shorts that you think might be in a drawer somewhere or have already been used to clean the car. Don’t worry too much about wearing them as you will spend the majority of the day inside and no one will be subject to your ‘various’ veins. If you do … Continue reading Preparations for the hottest day…

He did not plant these, they just happened. Poppies we believe. Doing really well in the hot sunshine. We approach the height of the tennis season when I try to hide away as much as possible. I used to play tennis years ago, and I’ve even been to Wimbledon to watch it, but now it leaves me unimpressed, especially on the telly. Perhaps it’s the fact that the men in particular make the boring bloke on Derry Girls seem like a particularly scintillating speaker who you’d put yourself out to listen to. It’s probably all those hours of hitting little … Continue reading Plottage and sport

A trip out late on Sunday to Gloucester. I needed to get out and take some pictures and the docks never disappoint. Later in the day on a Sunday seemed like a good opportunity and so it proved. Here are the best of the bunch: This is down in the docks, the ship behind waiting I assume to be refurbished. Rather reminded me of the Ben Nicholson abstracts from the 1950s. You see what I mean about the evening light? This is the dry dock, dry. I expect the ship will end up in here to have it’s bottom scraped. … Continue reading The light was on my side

My love of sheds knows no bounds, but I like gardens and flowers, and yesterday I dug up very first of my spuds. Very fine they are too. This morning the wind has dropped and the garden sits still, previous days felt like a storm was brewing with swirly gusts blowing the trees and everything else about in a bit of a strop. Calm is the keyword for today. Cucumbers are repotted and a frame ready to take them skywards, just hope they like whisky and that they haven’t had too much. A recent acquisition of an old whisky barrel … Continue reading It makes a change from sheds