Who’s lost their marbles?

Well it’s the Greeks if you must know and they did n’t lose them, we nicked them. High time we gave them back. That aside and it’s a big aside and much more important than my ” What I did on my holidays” essay that follows, the Greeks were in my experience, the friendliest people I’ve met for a long time. We’d gone to Spetses, and make no mistake about it it’s a long way from here in the UK. At least it is for us British who don’t travel well.(Don’t mention Brexit. Don’t you think that it sounds like … Continue reading Who’s lost their marbles?

Pont: Graham Laidler, and the British Character

A quick aside from my musings on Greece and our trip to Spetses. I’m working towards an Exhibition in August here in Cheltenham of drawings that go under the title of “The British Character”. This project was inspired by the finding of a small book that I found in a charity shop by the same name which had an intro by the late Alan Coren – now there was a funny man.The drawings in this book are by Pont, who’s real name was Graham Laidler. Mr Laidler was one of the country’s leading cartoonists in the late 1930’s and had … Continue reading Pont: Graham Laidler, and the British Character

No such thing as a Greek postcode?

I’ve had a break from blogging as we took a trip to Spetses in Greece to visit a long standing friend and fine printmaker/artist. It’s a long trip that’s worth it. Flight to Athens and a night at Piraeus, the nearby port, before departure the next morning on the ferry. The joy of dropping in on a couple of other islands on the way including Hydra, where Leonard Cohen found himslef in the 60’s. What was he so bloody miserable about? I was in Manchester where one had the rain to be miserable about, and his bloody records did not … Continue reading No such thing as a Greek postcode?

Desmond Pratt

Des to his chums. He does a lot of on-line gaming and delves into on-line dating describing himself as a “buff twenty something” when he’s a good deal older and not buff at all. He rarely meets his intended date, thank goodness. Lives with his Mum, which again is perhaps just as well. Nobody ever goes into his room apart from his cat and whatever the cat had brought in. There is nothing he does not know about computers and could probably hack into the Pentagon if he wanted to. I’ll let you fill in any other details from your … Continue reading Desmond Pratt

Damp Skoolboy

I like to get out for a walk, whatever the weather and the other day, it was whatever the weather. Rain coming down like stair rods and this called for full kit walking gear. Well “dubbined” boots, that is greased up to keep the wet out of my socks, weather proof coat with inner warm lining zipped up to the chin with hat to steer any drips away from the face area, and rain proof over trousers, which I generally refer to as ‘nipple trousers’ as the waist band reaches this area. I can go out in almost any amount … Continue reading Damp Skoolboy

The Best Dressed Man in the Village

This is another of the pages from my collaboration with Gordon Thorburn and our book Some Missing Persons, now very nearly out of print. Gordon’s site If you are a new visitor to my site there are others scattered around here like this one Man who mends cars… A vacancy has arisen in the post of Honorary Village Figurehead, Titlingham St Margaret. Would suit retired major, colonel or wing commander with wife extant. Applicants must be prepared to chair Parish Council, school governors, et cetera. Naval officers tended to retire on the coast, so the villagers of Titlingham, deep in the heart of … Continue reading The Best Dressed Man in the Village

“I shall only buy quality knitwear”

It’s not my New Year’s Resolution, but it came from someone close to me and was delivered as if the words were more like ” I shall seek to achieve the Nobel Prize for Peacemaking”. For myself I’d chosen a resolution of similar insignificance: ” I shall switch my computer off for 2  days per week and do drawing on paper” I’ve so far not managed mine a the knitwear fanatic has not put her resolution to the test just yet. There’s a reason for my switch off resolution and it’s simply do do more practical drawing on paper and not … Continue reading “I shall only buy quality knitwear”

Eat your heart out Andy Warhol.

He was reputed to have made the most tedious films ever, I’ve been fortunate to miss them, but here’s my own contribution to the ‘cannon’. Off we went for a good old country walk into the village at the top of the hill that’s a good deal colder than around here, but is also blessed with some wonderful cotswold stone walls. The village itself is ‘owned’ by one estate so all the cottages there are in the same style and painted in the ‘estate’ colours.The entire village is in the ownership of this estate so you can’t buy anywhere there, … Continue reading Eat your heart out Andy Warhol.

New Year’s honours, why do we do it?

  I’m against them but torn. First of all my dear late Dad got a gong, for service to the police. I hasten to add he was a policeman not a ‘customer’ as he used to call his clients. He was delighted to get it but grumbled in a bemused sort of fashion when every New Year brought a new batch of odd people given knighthoods for being successful and usually very rich as a result of their success. I ways got a frisson of pleasure at the thought of John Lennon sending his MBE back to the Queen in protest … Continue reading New Year’s honours, why do we do it?

“My paintings are like your soup”

A day out to visit one of my very favourite people and an artist who should have more recognition of her work. Sally Williams has been an artist all her life and a friend for quite a while. She lives out of Gloucester in the countryside and we decided to visit armed with soup. I explained that the soup that I’d made was a one off, an original. In other words, she’s be unlikely ever to taste it again. ” Why’s that, what’s in it?”. At this time of year the main ingredients are the bottom of the fridge and … Continue reading “My paintings are like your soup”