Polar magnifica

Those who frequent my Flickr site will be familiar with my Polar Coordinate photos. I've stumbled across a talented chap who has raised the bar and taken the concept to a whole new level. Check it out - quite amazing.

New waves riding...

Excitedly awaiting the US election results on Thursday(ish). This could change a lot of things in our wee planet and if the result is as 'we' all hope will be a historic day. It feels like a real time of change in the wider and closer world. I feel like I'm being tested and challenged, and pushed out of my comfort zone in some areas of my life. A good thing I'm told, though scary as well. I'm not really a creature of habit, but like us all have fallen foul of the dreaded rut sometimes. Also, the seasons are on the move - I'm not a fan of the dark mornings and evenings (not to mention the endless drizzle), but every cycle and season has it's blessings when you look for them. I love nothing more than a crisp, clear day in the open air, even if it is cold - it's great seeing your breath in the cold air and walking up a sweat in beautiful countryside, with the promise of a good pint of bitter and pub lunch halfway round (can you tell I'm looking forward to going home next weekend)?! 

A good mucker has told me about this dark time of year around Halloween and how the movement in the seasons and noodle can give people a wobble - yep, that'd be it then. Can't wait to see some of my close friends and family again too - they feel very far away at the moment and I feel the need to chew the fat and share the silences. The jobby job is as busy as ever, but am working on some stimulating things - just wish I had to 48hrs in the day I need to do them justice and experiment a bit. Been getting some global recognition on some work I've done and there's been a few photo-shoots recently (with more to come) which has been fun - even the odd glass of bubbly and canapes thrown in.

Before I round up, a huge congrats to Lewis Hamilton - this country needs a hero at the moment and he fits the cap (crash helmet) well - Good on him.

C's 30th Birthday Party - C and her best buds Darby and Lyd shared their collective 30th at Kisse Bar on Lavender Hill in Clapham. We had the whole bar to ourselves and had a fantastic night. Loads of people from all parts of their lives were there and everyone had a blast. Maria did an indie DJ slot which was cool and we all got very messy. Got to bed at wrong o'clock and spent most of the next day regrouping our marbles and finding comfort in food.

Drawing and flicking - Done a few new portrait type thingys: one of my good chum, the lovely Da Maria and one of my mentalist manager Donald. Very happy with both of them and the recipients even more so. A new set of orders has now come in, so plan to keep on a roll. Kept the steady flow of photos coming in as well - not too shabby, though feeling the need to use my D50 more. Also, haven't taken any film footage recently - Into the Light is fast becoming the most viewed and most favoured thing I have ever posted on Flickr. Taking photos at a press conference at the famed RAC club in Pall Mall early tomorrow morning. They're going to give me a bacon sarnie brekky too - result!

Underworld at Brixton Academy - A much needed night of jumping around to techno/electro/poetro and the like for Maria and I. Karl and Rick didn't disappoint - just like the old days - great show and my legs ached the next day from dancing so much. Haven't done that for a while and I needed the distraction from the usual bobbins. The gig was filmed and will be out on DVD soon too - that explains Karls sequin jacket, 'boxes/shelves/fishes' moves and inflatables! C went to Lucy's 3oth in London Bridge the same night and was still up when we got home which was cool - teas and chats until bed ways was right ways.

Burn after Reading - Excellent new offering from the brilliant Coen brothers. Quirky, dark and laugh-out-loud. Great casting and screenplay. Go see it. Bond was totally sold out (that'll be the rain then) - hopefully seeing it soon. 

Aside from that I bought a scarf, found a new chord, improved on my already superb home-made burger/meatball recipe and descaled the kettle - it's all go (?!)...hmm...

Stormy clouds. New horizons.

We live in interesting, but scary times my friends. A cascading economy caused by the greed of a relatively small number of people, bad advise taken by many more and ignorance of the warnings from those who been here before. Sickening it is indeed that powerful people who are being bailed out by, lets face it, public money will still be paid obscene bonuses for doing a bad job. I am cautiously concerned for myself and my dearest, but not panicking. Also fascinating to watch the imminent rise to power of America's first black president and the end of reign for the country's worst ever. Think back what the world was like in '94. How excited, energised and proud of ourselves we were and what we could achieve as a nation (and as a responsible developed world). The come down was more painful than many of us thought possible and the legacy will resonate for good time to come. As usual - I will watch with interest...

C and I have been busy bees, making the most of that there London and bimbling about before we get old and crusty. Here's a round-up:

Charlie and Phil's wedding in Worthing, Sussex - Lovely, happy, smiley day. Dancing, band, tears, great speeches, top food, terrible weather, crap hotel, too much champagne.

Dinner Club revival - Green and Reds in Bethnal Green with Maria and Rus. Fair to middling Mexican feast, not shabby, not amazing.

Billy Elliot - C's wedding anniversary present to me. Not a big fan of musicals, but this was just superb. The best thing I have seen in a theatre for years. Heartfelt, atmospheric, angst filled and humbling. 9/10.

Elbow at The Roundhouse - Ahh, our good friend Guy Garvey and his merry men from Manc (well, Bury). What a special gig, they are riding high this year and are getting their just rewards. The best we've seen them since Electric Picnic (when they nearly made me sob like a jessie - hard one to beat that)! The Roundhouse has the best sound too - maybe it's something to do with circles. Preceded by a lovely long walk in Richmond Park as we made the most of the last Indian Summer weekend we will be getting on these shores for quite a while.

Noah's birthday - Popped over to Mickleham to share a day in the sun with H, Kent and little (or not so little anymore) Noah - he's Two you know. Loved the Glockenspiel we bought him - not sure H and Kent did! Lovely walk to Leatherhead to ride on the miniature railway with him. Lovely day.

Spiritualized at The Roundhouse - Ladies and Gentleman, Maria and I floated in space (I would have seen more if I had - I hate being a short arse at gigs)?! Brilliant they were anyway, but after seeing MBV there, any attempt at a wall of sound wig-out just sounds like a pussycat snoring.

Chris and Jen's country pile in Littleworth, Oxfordshire - We love seeing these guys and staying in their amazing house. Good times, Chris's superb cooking and cellar, lovely Miley and little Coco, buggered my shoulder playing Wii.

Granny Di's and Papas - my lovely grand-in-laws. A great relaxing day, chats and papers. The best roast pork you will ever have the pleasure to chow down on.

New Toy - Harmon Kadron soundsticks II. Stupidly cheap off eBay and the lovely seller delivered them to the door. They look sound amazing and look fool as cuck.

Work - I've still got a job and in these times am grateful. Done some really good work recently. Designed some cool Flash eCards that the company will be using all over the world...even in Hull!

Quite a list - explains why I'm so skint. We are lucky to be able to get out and about so much and I am fully aware of that. Never been one to sit and scratch my arse anyway. 

In between all this it's been a week of realisations, frustrations and reaffirmations. It's cathartic to ride the rough waves to remind you of how big the ocean is. Enough of the cryptics...there's a party to prepare for and it doesn't get much bigger than this one!

Escape to Veneto

A great few weeks have passed - packed with fun stuff, good times and cool things. I'm not in the mood to waffle on, so here's a bit of a round-up:

First things first - a very happy birthday to my old muckers Matt and Mark (who were born a day apart). Sorry I couldn't be there to share the celebrations, but we'll make up for it soon. 

A long awaited and much needed week away came around for C and I. Having left booking to the very last minute we headed off to Veneto in Italy. Based in Lide di Jesolo, just around the lagoon from Venice, we had a top week of relaxing and doing stuff. Lido is without doubt the largest 'resort' I have ever seen - 17km long with a main strip just as long parallel to the beach. Not really our sort of thing, but a decent enough base to explore the region. One good thing is that Lido is where the Italians tend to go for their hols, so it was relaxed and lacking in drunk Brits. The food was amazing too and we met some cool people plus quickly scoped out the only bars with live bands worth a mention. On our travels we went to Venice (amazing place - love it), Verona and Lake Garda (both equally beautiful) - all brilliant. Felt recharged, a stone heavier and ready to face the world again. Look a load of photos and videos. 

Read a brilliant book whilst away - 'Once while travelling' by Tony Wheeler. In a nutshell it's the Lonely Planet story about how Tony and his missus Maureen travelled across Europe and Asia to Oz in the early 70s on very little before there was any sort of travel infrastructure, wrote a guide on how to do it...then went from there. A fascinating read and made me inspired, but green with envy and wanting to go travelling again...one day. On the subject - Bon Voyage to John and Rhainnon who are about to embark on a year long trip of a life time - be safe guys, take every opportunity, enjoy every moment and be good ambassadors for Yorkshire!

On our return we celebrated C's 30th in boozy style down at The Holy Drinker on Northcote Road - very long, happy, boozy night and cool to catch up with so many people. C was a happy bunny (though slightly and temporarily stunned by leaving her 20s behind)! A fairly hellish week back at work followed for both of us, punctuated by seeing Bloc Party - my anniversary present to C. Good gig - they played well, though not sure about the new songs. I wasn't on form at all and didn't really get into it - sorry C! 

So that's up to date. A great weekend beckons which I will no doubt blog when the mood takes me - apologies for laziness in advance. I want to write things more meaningful, than just a round up of my daily bobbins, but at the very least this will be a diary I look back on to remember such bobbins. Feeling a bit out of sorts again at the moment and disillusioned by things - the bigger picture keeps flashing in front of my eyes when I get side tracked and fretted by daily blips. Need to keep focused. Sure it will pass. Oh look, there it goes...

Top tunes recommendations: The new GlasVegas, Mogwai and Kings of Leon albums. The first two are great, the third is effortless genius - I love that band.

For now...

Happy Birthday C!

C, my lovely wife, turned 30 today - Yay! She opened her pressies, then I cooked her smoked salmon benedict (without the hollandaise) for breakfast. A fun day to come. Many congratulations baby!

Counting down...

Once again, a few weeks between blogs so here is a bit of a catch-up. Things have been hectic, but good - the weeks are flying by and summer appears to have passed us by with little more than a semi-burn (I blinked and I missed it), but the world keeps turning and I have lots to be thankful for:

A fantastic day two weekends ago was Eddie and Lucy's wedding - What a brilliant, happy day! Lucy used to be a chorister in Bristol Cathedral when she was younger, and as such is permitted to also be married there! It is a very impressive building and it made the day all the more special. The reception was held on the top floor of Bristol's Science Museum - another amazing venue. Met some lovely people; was lucky enough to eat and drink like a king and danced like a tit in a West Country Ceilidh. As with all weddings the day sped by through having much fun, but we all had a great time sharing Lucy and Eddie's special day (they looked so happy) and it brought back fond memories of out wedding nearly a year ago to the day. After a wander around Bristol (and what a lovely city it is) with sore heads we headed back to London, did our chores then set about celebrating our first wedding anniversary:

The first Wedding Anniversary being Paper, C and I read each other's minds and bought tickets as presents - Bloc Party from myself, Billy Elliot from C. We had also put some pennies back and treated ourselves to an amazing slap up feast at our fav. local restaurant Chez Bruce - yum, hic, burp. Sunday was pretty much a write-off, but in the evening we went to see Rock'n'Rolla at the flicks. A return to form for Guy Ritchie, but basically it was more of the same - easy enjoyable viewing.

The week of work that followed was pretty full-on. I feel a 36hr day might just be enough to get on top of all the projects I am involved in, let alone the ad-hoc stuff that takes up most of my day anyway. I am keeping my head about water without much trouble, but some stuff I am barely denting. I can multi-task so well I put some women to shame these days though! My beloved Wacom tablet gave up the ghost after 3.5 years of punishment - I am lost without it these days. Currently writing a business case for a souped-up replacement in a work environment where non-fee earning staff have trouble fighting for investment. Anyway, some good stuff done this week - my Flash work is progressing and I really enjoy the projects. It's been fun to chug out a load of print work for a change, plus my involvement in some Global projects is getting welcome recognition.

Broke the week up on Wednesday by meeting Mark lad after work for our usual noodle dinner, then wandering London chewing the cud, flicking the shutters and larking about. Heather stayed over on Thursday for more of the same - all good fun and cool to spend some quality time with her.

Friday I powered though work then bobbed on the train up home to Harrogate. Popped straight in to DragonDropHQ where Tinanana's birthday was being celebrated. A chilled time sat round the firebin in the backyard chatting, a few beers and having laughs. Nice surprise to see my mucker PaintMonkey there too - lots of lovely catch ups. Saturday heralded a slight return for summer so my folks and I went for a walk in the countryside near Pannal - we picked enough blackberries for mum to make 7 jars of scrummy jam. Dinner with La Familia at Brio's in the evening, then went round to see my old friend Rhiannon who is about to embark on an epic year long round-the-world trip with her hubby Jonn - lucky so-and-so's - have an amazing time guys! Sunday I went to see my dear old Nan, then went to pick up my Godson Felix from cub camp, followed by a GeoCache hunt near Glassehouses with Matt and the kids. Note to self - don't where sandals in the Yorkshire countryside after the wettest summer on record - footwear malfunction! Cool to spend some quality time with my bestest bud and his lovely offspring (Sophie not pictured). A big sorry to Sophie Pie for knocking her head when I lifted her out of the car! :( Matt dropped me off at Leeds Station (I barely recognise the city where I went to Uni anymore). I shared a very enjoyable journey home chatting and sharing a bottle of wine with two seasoned and wise old travellers from Ohio - Pat and Mauren. 

I've been whiling this week away ahead of a much needed break with C (who was at her show at the NEC most of the week). Saw Swervedriver at Scala with Maria and Rus on Wednesday - they've improved with age and were great. Reminded me why I liked them back in the early 90s. All loose ends are now tied up, voicemail and out-of-office activated. Artwork pre-flighted, packaged and deployed. Sites synced. Temp files trashed. Shutdown...wind down...depart...ciao...

The flaming altar of the modern temple of power

Last Saturday I fulfilled a dream I have had for a long time - I got up close and personal with Battersea Power Station. This iconic building has always fascinated me, long before I moved to London and even as far back as childhood. For me it has always been a beautiful beast - a true design classic that loomed almost protective between north and south London. I used to almost fantasise about being let loose inside and finding all the old workings, control rooms and marveling at the superstructure. Sir Giles Gilbert Scott was a clever chap indeed - he also designed to Red Telephone Box and Bankside which now houses Tate Modern.

The power station has had several attempts at regeneration since the 80s, all of which were rejected or failed to raise the capital necessary. The creator of Alton Towers had a crack in 1993 with the idea of creating a theme park - it didn't get off the ground (good job - it looked awful), but much of the art decor interiors were ripped out during the preliminary work - this made me very angry when I found out! The current and successful idea is ambitious to say the least - it is a controversial project that will dwarf the power station when complete, but is very aesthetic, environmentally friendly and will put Battersea even more firmly on the map (they even diverting the northern line to create a new tube station)!

So then, I got down to the site first thing Saturday morning, which was the last day the power station was open the public before works begin...ever! Not surprisingly there were loads of photographers and a real sense of excitement in the air. We were led to a brilliant visitors centre then basically had the freedom to roam around the perimeter. The interior was unfortunately out of bounds due to health and safety, but this didn't spoil the whole experience. Brilliant morning - loved it. I will watch the regeneration with interest.

Spent the rest of the weekend doing odd jobs and giving out little flat a good old clean. Last night we went over to Thames Ditton to see Andy and Kath who have just moved down from Harrogate (Andy is going to study product design at Kingston Uni). Cool to have some new (old) friends down here to play with.

All for now - more soon.