Look out for forking lifters.

Listening tonight to the radio I heard someone saying that Monet spent ten years working on some of his paintings, well this idea is at least ten years old and was intended for a campaign on safety at work. I’ve resurrected it as it was a good idea then, and a good idea now. If it’s good enough for Monet then it’s good enough for me. There was a time not that long ago when I worked at a factory where a young lady used to drive the fork lift. She was a bit of an expert but as mad … Continue reading Look out for forking lifters.

Building blokes…

It’s expected of men to be able to use a power tool as if they have a degree in advanced woodworking when the only skills you might have are being able to draw a relatively straight line. I’ve put up shelves, and the effort and result nearly gave me a nervous breakdown. I always claimed to my wife, who said they were not straight, that they were ‘visually straight’, which means they were n’t straight. I’ve even been known to try my hand at bricklaying though it was only in the garden. It was something that I found extremely satisfying … Continue reading Building blokes…

The Happy Hiker

I’m working on a load of stuff in my old drawers, no panto sniggers please.A series of drawings that I did some years ago that I always meant to finish up. At last I’m doing it and this one just about summed up the latter part of the year for me.This is not quite finished and is at present just the line work, but is really all there. I’m keen on hiking and walking and this year was a gem for that, with walking in the Orkneys and in the Rockies as the highlights, plus some gems in the Mendips … Continue reading The Happy Hiker

Amberley

Amberley The way an old gardener walks with head facing downwards looking for weeds. An orginal garden gait.   Amberley is in actual fact a small village between Stroud and Nailsworth and is on the side of the hill, the sunny side at that. It’s very ‘sought-after’ these days in estate agent speak, which to you and me is expensive. There may well be gardeners in the area. Continue reading Amberley

Bibury, how the Japanese avoid it.

Bibury The walk of a tourist who does not undertsand what he/she should be doing, or seeing, or indeed why they are where they are at all. Involves walking slowly in one direction and then in another random direction, even the person doing the walking does not understand exactly why or in which direction they might be going. The presence of vehicles makes this a dangerous activity and can result in a split bibury which is where the group is bisected by traffic and can induce panic amongst the assembly.  It’s all a sorry sight. Pity them. Common in the … Continue reading Bibury, how the Japanese avoid it.

Maisemore

Maisemore A daisy chain worn and made by small girls that they make on bright blue summer days for each other. Boys are naturally excluded from this activity. Mothers marvel at their offspring’s dexterity to make them when normally at home they can barely get food into their mouths or tie a shoelace. They forgive them everything as they exclaim: “ Oh look, she’s made a maismore” Maisemore is actually on the edge of the City of Gloucester and is a relatively small village close to the River Severn. It’s prone to flooding, but I’m sure there are a fine … Continue reading Maisemore

More about the true meaning of Gloucestershire names

Hucclecote One of those parkas your dad or granddad used to own in the seventies that you never bothered to throw away. The undefined fur on the collar is somewhat perished and moth eaten. It has no waterproofing qualities at all and never did, and if mistakenly worn in wet conditions will act like blotting paper. May have the slight smell of patchouli oil, the rennants of a visit to a music festival but more likely to give off the odour of cow manure. Here’s another of my recent drawings for my little book of Gloucestershire names and their true … Continue reading More about the true meaning of Gloucestershire names

Rough seas again, eighteen days later.

So here we are eighteen days later and ‘Rough Seas Rough’ got a little more finished, but not completely. Sometimes there’s a temptation to over finish, and when does a cartoon become an illustration. For me they are always cartoons these days. I’ll work on this drawing and it will be interesting to see if it gets better or worse. This drawing reveals my fear of small boats out at sea. I used to go on holiday to North Wales and could never understand the attraction that people had to set out to sea in what seemed to me to be … Continue reading Rough seas again, eighteen days later.