Monday, May 30, 2005


Here's my little weed in our garden Posted by Hello

Saturday, May 28, 2005

Last call ....

... for A POCKET FULL OF POESY. Submit your words now - no guarantee but we'd love to hear from you.

Friday, May 27, 2005

Happy Friday - Friday Picture


Happy Friday, tout le monde avec theses plus tranquils. John Morris aka The Painter. Posted by Hello

Dodge City

Posted by Hello
Just flicking through our local fascist rag (part of the Mail Group) to see if we had any marauding buffalo or anything else remotely like the wild west when I found this was our top story. The NT story which inspired me had a kind of raw integrity: nature red in tooth and claw; all the Herald's story goes to show is that I am not imagining the fact that I live in an urban cesspit of crime and, I hesitate to use the word, lack of respect for the rule of law.

Sorry to sound like Irate of Tonbridge Wells. There is not a Conservative bone in my body infact if I had to lay blame anywhere (and I believe I do) it would fall at the feet of "Make me a channel of your peace" Thatcher and her vandalism. We have become the society-free nation she promised us - it's a legacy of sorts but not one I'd want to be remembered for.

Thursday, May 26, 2005

Cats: to infinity and beyond ...

In memory of Ferdie and in light of the fact my tribute post to him was eaten by blogger (not fair was deleted inadvertently by me) I found this while schmoozing over on Britblog. There I found a blog fairly local to me: Big Magpie. I don't like magpies and it is my only superstition really but I didn't find anything sinister there, instead I found this. Cat-haters are probably well advised not to visit said link and at least it's not a picture of my cat dead.

Wednesday, May 25, 2005

Orkney galore


This week I would mostly prefer being here. It's a property for sale on the fantastic island of Westray and for some reason instead of delighting in downtown Honicknowle I would rather be there, feeding chickens and chasing windblown dogs across a field Check out the fantastic view below. Posted by Hello

Just look at the view Posted by Hello

Bugger Blogger

It ate the bottom of my movie meme post that I worked so hard on - have had to take off all the formatting to make it show up.

Tuesday, May 24, 2005

Finally (Build it. Build it, baby) the long awaited MOVIE MEME

Well don't really know where to start with this but as it's turning into a huge and hidden bag of knitting wool (some of which became useful at the weekend but if darning's the sum of it's usefulness it's a shitload of darning) of a thing.

Total Number of Videos/DVDs owned:

Well it depends if you mean of the prerecorded variety or of the ever-so-slightly-illegal-recorded-off-the-telly variety. I'll have to assume that you mean a stramge fusion of the two. I own about two videos of the prerecorded type and several (I'll get no closer than that) of the other. The two are, for what it's worth, Bull Durham and Muriel's Wedding but I haven't watched them for a long time. They were bought for a time when I needed them; I also had Moonstruck and Much Ado about Nothing too. Surrealo Son would regale people by singing Sigh No More Lady, aged 5. But that was all in the life before The Painter.

We have three DVDs in the house - we got a player for Christmas from Mrs Simnel (thank-you) and the disc things were pressies too. So if you want a grand night out drop round for Postman Pat - the ABC years, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Prisoner and some fantastic wailing by Travis.

Hang on a mo, forgotten the questions - need to refer back - (just cut and paste you stupid cow).

Last film I bought:

A boxed set of early (proper) James Bond. Dougray Scott for Bond. Yay!!!!

The last film I watched:

The Dam Busters

Five films that I watch a lot or that mean a lot to me:

Well, one film I have to mention I haven't even seen and it's all your fault Mrs Simnel. Poor Huffy and me never got to go and see the Aristocats at the cinema because you had the audacity to be born. I can never forget this - being
made to drink bath water is just not a good enough punishment. We had to go to the swimming pool instead and it was a school one made of plastic and it had spiders in it and I COULDN'T SWIM. It's A Wonderful Life, Much Ado about Nothing, Grease and Persuasion with the wonderful Ciaran thingy.

Right
Annie, Mary and Ally will that do you?? I'm going to tag Huffy although her blog is not really a blog yet (I'd like to tag Mrs Simnel but she doesn't have one at all), Last Year's Man, Rantz, PhD Monkey and Erin.

Monday, May 23, 2005

Call for contributors

A Pocket Full of Poesy is launching on June 1 and is looking for contributions. Poems written in English or reviews or articles about any aspect of poetry are welcome.

Submissions should be emailed here or by visiting the site, here.

Still Life with Peasant Girl


Still life with peasant girl - John Morris Posted by Hello

Sunday, May 22, 2005


Rosa 'William Morris' Posted by Hello

Saturday Night, Sunday Morning

Well after watching the worst Eurovison Song Contest I've ever seen and generally recovering from the trauma that has been the loss of my blog, I'm feeling a bit more like writing something.

We went to the allotment yesterday and planted some of the plants from the old house: Rosa 'Jaqueline Du Pre' and Rosa 'William Morris' plus the iris mentioned a couple of weeks ago on the dandelion entry. The iris seems dormant which is unusual for this time of year but it has been the coldest spring I can remember, not in terms of frost or snow but just in the constant northerly airstream. It is not unusual for us to be on the beach in mid-April to mark Arty Daughter's birthday; not this year. Never has the adage "Cast not a clout 'til May is out" been more apt. It's a bit chilly on the willy as they say in some parts.

Aside from that, things are actually growing and I am amazed. I've been quite successful with plants before but growing things from seed is a whole different ball game and even though it's been really chilly things are growing. I'll be getting some photos and posting them here this week. This year it is just a kind of utilitarian veg patch but next year I am going to go for the whole potager effect.

In addition to this I have been linked to by a local news provider. I'm not sure how this makes me feel. I'm pleased in some ways but maybe it'll make me a little more circumspect about what I post - I don't want to become chavscum's most wanted.

It's raining again, not the normal "here, have some water" raindrops but the big fat bastard "Soaked you!!" kind; the kind of loud, in your face, gobbing chavscum of a raindrop. The weeding will have to wait. I've got a windowsill full of things to be planted out soon but they are safe and warm where they are for the moment and there aren't many slugs willing to brave the piss-stained entrance lobby or the broken alcopop bottles kindly deposited by some chavettes on Friday. It used to be that everyone stopped for tea - now it seems that you can't go anywhere without you mango and passionfruit bacardi breezer. It makes drinking woodpecker through a straw seem a bit, well, amateurish.

I am not ignoring the movie meme but I think I have been tagged by three of you now and am fast running out of people to tag back. Will get my laughing gear round it a bit later on.

Friday, May 20, 2005

More finger trouble


Well, finger trouble seems to be reigning supreme. Hello has just refused the picture I want to send so I'll try another, once again courtesy of the talented Mr. Morris. Happy Friday. If anyone has any record of the old sheweevil site can you contact me. Trying to put things back togerther is not that easy. Posted by Hello

Thursday, May 19, 2005

Finger trouble

It seems that I have inadvertently deleted the whole thing in a moment of distraction.

Normal service will be resumed shortly - I hope.