i love juice

miss spent weekend

2012-01-29T20:24:00.004Z

Had what could have been one of the most enjoyable Saturdays for a while, it was cold working outside digging, planting etc but rewarding to say the least and topped off with a few pints in front of a log burner with pals. great...also a spot of photography.

Justified

2012-01-21T13:08:00.003Z

The new series of Justified started this week, and the first episode hit the spot bang on target. Being English we have the shittest TV known to man, we very rarely make anything worth watching and so looking forward to my US series gives me a reason for having a TV (plus my xbox).

Makes you wanna shoot guns, drink Bourbon, eat fried chicken make moonshine and generally do man stuff all while wearing a cowboy hat............so ill see you at the weekend Thud.

Prometheus

2012-01-08T18:21:00.001Z

This film not only looks good im sure it will be one of the top films of 2012. What makes it even better is that one of me ex students worked on the special effects. most of which is in the trailer.

Zombie Beetroot

2012-01-02T22:46:00.008Z

Over at OTW today for a catch up with the kids and family and to play with my new Semi Auto 12g shotgun that Santa dropped off at thuds for me (thanks Family OTW). While we wait to get the clay flinger up and running we did a little target practice and shot off a few shells. Now myself and thud are both highly regarded as some of the most established beetroot growers and from time to time our red creations step out of line and try to take over the patch. So its lock and load and if your a veggie turn away now (in fact get off my site meat eaters only)

Happy New Year

2012-01-01T23:13:00.003Z

Happy new year one and all, a little late on the post but i spent the past few days in cumbria with family and friends, shut off from my technology i refused to open my laptop and left my mobile in my room. It was great to get away from the very over done new year celebrations and although the weather wasn't the best we got out did some walking and sampled the local country pubs. Of an evening we eat well drank and had great conversation. what more could you ask for? 2011 was a very special year our family got bigger and for tenbellies and i, we got married and will be a major chapter in our lives i cant wait to see what 2012 brings.

Oh and the picture is my Beef Wellington that i cooked and came out better than i could have expected and made for a great new years eve meal.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T11:50:00.002Z

Merry Christmas one and all, nursing a slight hangover is only natural for the festive day but no time for sympathy its a quick bacon buttie and pack all the prezzies in the car and off to Leek to celebrate with family. And more booze no doubt. Merry Christmas.

Strike Day

2011-11-30T17:17:00.003Z

so its been strike day today and across the country thousands of people have down tools and walked out of work in protest of one thing and another. Because i work in education i too have had the the luxury of having a day off, unpaid of course but instead of marching with my fellow brothers and sisters i have gone out and done something that i enjoy completely unrelated. Now whether they are right or not to strike you cant argue that its done some good in areas they didn't expect. As i walked through central station this afternoon it was packed out , the town was busy and the shops full but not with the commies, no. but with families out shopping in the run up to Christmas, everyone i saw had a shopping bag or bags and was ether with their spouses or children and instead of a hostile crowd there was a merry family atmosphere that was almost festive, not seen or felt for some time. If this is the result of the strike, that people pump money back into our economy and spend time with family and friends then bring it on.

Zenit E

2011-11-28T23:44:00.003Z

Its official i have an addiction and not of the drug kind, alcahol i already have but this new addiction is much much worse. Its ebay, and in particular its film cameras. I have have started to mont up quite a collection of 35mm cameras some slr, some point and shoot and even an half frame. Im shure i have enough but the urge is still there and seeing as i very rare spend above a tenner for each one it wont see me out on the streets robbing from my mother just yet.

I have started to buy faulty cameras too, ones that are not working at there best so that i can break them down have ago at fixing them and increase my understanding of how different models work. It rather enjoyable and if i mess it up then its only a small price to pay.

My latest fixer upper is this mighty fine Zenit E SLR, made in the USSR its chunky and heavy but the best thing i like about it is the sound of the shutter, sounds like a Russian slamming the hammer down. This one had a problem with the shutter in that it needed tensioning and the light meter was faulty. so i stripped it down cleaned all the lens and mirrors tensioned the shutter and replaced the lightmeter from another Zenit E that i got for 2 quid. Gave the cosmetics a bit of a spruce and bobs your auntie. I replaced the lens with my Yaschica 50 mm which takes awesome pics. I tested this out on a recent visit to Rome which you can check out on my Flickr. Absolutely love this camera and will use it as much as i can. Its funny now that work has given me a new Cannon 400D you would think id be playing that but it just doesn't have the appeal like these old cameras do.

Lasers at the ready

2011-11-27T13:55:00.004Z

Being a bit of a technology freak loving my toys and anything that is a little bit space age i jump at the chance to make things, although its seems I'm going backwards in the context of photography as yet again i bought another camera off ebay the other week. However I'm a practical person and love to make things whether its using technology or my own two hands. My recent little creative spell has been for my brother in law Thud, using a design he found in one of his many books on old building i designed two Gothic arches for two of his rooms. The process is quite simple and watching the laser cut them out is hypnotising. Just a few little finishing touches tomorrow will have these looking top notch. I wonder if Mrs Monkey will let me have one of these, along side the 3D printer, darkroom and workshop hmmmmm think I'm gonna need a bigger boat...or a shed.

Picking up the Leaves

2011-11-20T11:11:00.001Z

Its very mild for this time of year and I'm desperate for the frost to really start as it always gives that winter feel and a sense that Christmas is approaching. Myself and Thud racked off the first of our cider this weekend with quite a few little surprises. the clarity and the difference in taste between the different batches. Anyone would have thought we knew what we were doing as we discussed the readings from our scientific specific gravity reading. Later i took a little wander around the garden taking the last of the apples from the trees and just taking in the immense rich colour of the garden. with some trees keeping a firm hold of their leaves the change from green to deep red then brown is striking and even though no frost or deep cold this some how makes me feel festive. After this mild sense of contemplation is was time for the long task of scooping them up and burning.

Lomo Film

2011-11-06T00:38:00.004Z

I have recently been dabbling in out of date film both colour and black and white. Iv kind of got to grips with developing my own film but found printing to paper costly and time consuming so i recently got a negative scanner for ones birthday which cuts out both those factors and fits into what i want to do. I had My first attempt at processing colour film, something that most people seem to think complicated and yet its nearly the same at processing B+W with only a little more care time and temperature. I love using this out of date stuff has your never to sure as to what your going to get from it when you process it. the results have been great so far like taking your images back in time, saturating the colour and giving small imperfections which i really like. I love my digital camera but my film cameras have personality and their own style which some presets cant beat. These images were not touched or altered in any way and taken on my Rollie xf35, processed in my kitchen.

Roma

2011-10-31T23:26:00.003Z

Turning the big 30 this week and my lovely wife dropped a great surprise on me last Sunday. She took me away to Rome for a few days, a place that i have always wanted to go and it without doubt held nothing back and lived up to my expectations. The city is not ruined by modern architecture or mindless initiatives. Its kept in time and all the buildings are the same and go together like a finely composed painting. Everywhere you look there is some sort of hidden detail, craftsmanship and pride. Its a beautiful city and I'm really lucky to have seen it with my own eyes. In complete contrast i then went to Glasgow which there are no pictures off as of fear of getting my camera robbed by a smackhead. It was entertaining and to be fair people were polite, a comedy club and a Celtic game (pretty much the same thing really) helped.

she's a Waterfall

2011-10-19T19:08:00.002Z

Yesterday the Stone Roses announced their getting back together, never actually seeing them perform when they were together this has made me very excited and will definitely be looking for tickets to go see them. I just hope they don't fall out in the mean time.

Chocolate Fondant

2011-10-17T19:47:00.003Z

Watching a cooking program at the weekend gave me the urge to have ago at making a chocolate fondant. For no real reason apart from it being kind of tricky. So tonight after tea i threw together the ingredients and voila it only bloody worked. it tasted like chocolate heaven very rich and in desperate need of ice cream.....i forgot that part but still its the thought that counts and for once Mrs Monkey actually liked my desert.

Laser Cutter

2011-10-10T21:13:00.003Z

Today I took delivery of our brand new laser cutter/engraver. Its a beast of a machine, in fact its quite a bit bigger than I thought it was going to be and the original place it was going to go has had to be changed but never mind its bloody awesome. I will be spending the week playing around and getting use to its capabilities and generally lasering anything I can get my hands on. I love getting new toys me.

The Unseen Sea

2011-09-30T21:38:00.002Z

Iv been to San Francisco quite a few times and feel like i know the city reasonable well, and every time i return home and talk to people about the city and the Bay the first thing i mention is the Fog. The Bay has with out doubt some of the most amazing fog that you could ever imagine, and it is literally like a tidal wave hitting the bay stretching out in land as far as the cool air will allow before the Californian sun burns it away. My mother saw the bay recently and she finally understood why i go on so much about the fog.

The Unseen Sea from Simon Christen on Vimeo.

Pizza with an Egg on

2011-09-29T18:00:00.003Z

After a stressful couple of weeks I took Mrs Monkey out to our favourite Scouse Italian. What you can see there is an empty plate where my favourite pizza with an egg on once lay, no in the bottom of my tummy I feel complete. Roll on the weekend.
Sent from my BlackBerry smartphone from Virgin Media

Sunday Roast

2011-09-18T18:36:00.001Z

First Sunday roast since being back from the States but what makes it even more special is that every thing that is on the plate with exception to the chicken has been grown by myself and Thud. The carrots, parsnips, runner beans and King Edwards even the onion in the gravy all from the veggie patch. Although i say veggie patch it was more like a weed patch when we got to it this weekend, but after a couple of hours labour we finally found our crop.
I got my annual dose of fruit while walking round the garden as the apples, plums, damsons and pears all seem to be coming on nicely and i just cant help but sample as i walk. I do love England even though it was windy and rained most of the day i cant help but be outside looking at nature do what it does best.

9/11

2011-09-11T21:21:00.001Z

Spending the day with family celebrating and getting to know each other, some things we take for granted and some things we let pass by easily. I stopped to think of the poor souls lost 10 years ago to the day and thank my blessings. They will never be forgotten and I'm thankful to all those since that have put their lives forward so that i can be free to live mine.

Home we go

2011-09-01T20:37:00.000Z

In a couple of hours we will be on our way back to sunny England, which means our epic summer is over. After a christening, wedding, birthday and anniversaries I'm all partied out but we have both had chance to sit back and relax in between all that. Thank God. So its back to England and back to work, yet again Thud and Family OTW have been great hosts and looked after us well with a little help from vinogirl and vinomaker supplying great BBQ and Excellent Wine. We have great memories of this summer to be told for years to come.

Chevrolet HHR

2011-08-24T20:47:00.004Z

Alot of people back home in the UK have this things about American cars, they are too big, slow, drink too much fuels and generally don't go round corners. However we have been to the US a few times now and every car we have had or been in has been more than if not better than the cars in the British market. We have mostly been driving around in whats probably the largest SUV's on the American market the Ford Exhibition. this has taken a family of 8 around California and further for the past 4 weeks with no problems at all and sitting right in the very back is just as comfy as the front. However my praise has to go to the Chevy HHR, this stylish station wagon has taken me and Mrs Monkey and plenty of long drives up and down and around California with trips to Vegas to boot and although its not as luxurious as the Ford its sure left a craving impression on me. just hope with the growing market of Chevy's in the UK they decide to bring this beauty over.

Yosemite

2011-08-19T07:34:00.001Z

The Picture above is of Bridelveil Fall in theYosemite Valley. Mrs Monkey and i took the long drive back to Walnut Creek from our Honeymoon in Malibu, up the through 178 on to the 395 passing by the sierrras and then acrosss west on the 120 through Yosemite. An epic drive it was and even though we only had a couple of hours in yosemite ( no where near enough time to experience the beauty of yosemite) we got to see sights that will stick in our memories forever. This is such a beautiful country and so very large it kind of upsets me knowing that i will never see all of it in my life time but i will do my very best in seeing the most possible.

Mr and Mrs Monkey

2011-08-18T06:32:00.003Z

Wooo whooo its been fun and very hectic but we finally did it and on the 10th of August 2011 Tenbellies became Mrs Monkey and made me the happiest man on the planet. After getting all the family and a few special friends out to Sin City we tied the knot and celebrated in style. As a new major part of my life begins I'm blessed with great family, awesome friends and a beautiful amazing wife.
cheers "clink clink" people.....

That's the champagne glasses not the links on my ball and chain.

The Detail Above

2011-08-03T03:18:00.001Z

The Detail Above, a photo by monqey on Flickr.

A trip to San Francisco today, the weather was really good for the city as it can sometimes be a little nippy. I got a little camera happy as i just love looking at all the side streets and the hills as there is always something to look at. The girls enjoyed the shopping where i just enjoyed looking up at the parts of the city that most people walk by unnoticed every day. A beautiful city even with its tramps. i will be going back a couple more times before we leave.

American life

2011-07-31T00:11:00.001Z

Danville, a photo by monqey on Flickr.

Im a little slack on the posts since leaving the UK on Monday but then i have been getting use to a little thing called summer sun. yes unlike the UK, California definitely has a real summer with hot weather and sun shine instead of the usual cold damp dark summer back in the UK. Sitting in starbucks having breakfast watching the world go by and driving down to Danville for lunch is enough to keep thoughts of blighty at bay. This weekend my new nephews christening in St Helena what better way to spend a day with great family.....ah American life.

How hard can it be?

2011-07-23T20:55:00.007Z

this is only part of a post that i will pick up when i get back from my hols but i had to get this posted as im just pleased as punch with my outcome. im really getting into my photography at late and starting to play a little bit more with film rather than digital, this is time consuming and unpredictable but its also very rewarding and being someone who loves processes i get a buzz out figuring out how things work and having a go. So i built a camera, it is in a sense a pinhole camera but after finding the P90 on the net i have adapted it to take medium format film. at this point i have mostly been testing it with photopaper to get the exposure times and work out the fstop on the camera, once i have this down perfect i will start to put in the film.

what you got under ya hat?

2011-07-12T20:31:00.001Z

what you got under ya hat?, a photo by monqey on Flickr.

8 days left at work, 13 days until we fly off on our holidays and boy am i ready. i cant wait to to wake up and not have anything really to do apart from sit in the sun and relax. all the work over the past year will all be soon worth it and we will both be starting a new chapter in our life (cheeeeese). i just have to get through the next 8 day and ill be rocking.

Paul Trevor

2011-07-03T18:22:00.006Z

I’ve had relaxing couple of days and took some time to go and see the Paul Trevor exhibition at the Walker Art Gallery. Those who don’t know who Paul Trevor is, he is a Photographer who in 1975 came to the city to document the deprivation of post war Liverpool instead what he captured was something quite different. There backdrop may be the dereliction of post-war Liverpool. But these images go beyond this bleak cityscape and get close to his real subject: families and children.
His honest street photography shows life as it was lived in a community defiant in the face of poverty, unemployment and the state of their surroundings. He depicts a place where the streets and wastelands became playgrounds, the family was a constant, and where children seem fun-loving and free.
Now we live in a city which has changed dramatically since these times, on the surface it looks rich and affluent but I’m pretty sure underneath its quite different a once safe place for children to play is now a secured monitored playground and high walled back gardens and our streets are silent from the sounds of children playing. If anything these photos are priceless as never again will people let alone a young man take photos of innocent children playing and being. Oh how things have changed, look at how we have evolved.

strike strike strike!!

2011-06-30T15:31:00.006Z

lazy times, a photo by monqey on Flickr.

errrrrr not really, as much as i understand that it’s going to be crap working till I’m 65 having a miserable pension and being paid a not so great wage for the enormous hours we both put in, i am also young enough to make changes in my life to compensate. Too many people look to the past for answers for modern day problems and it’s this that is more often than not the cause of future problems. I opted out of the union a few months ago when i came to my senses; being bullied and scared into joining a union from when I was a student reminds me of films such as goodfellas and protection rackets. Taking money off me each month to keep union bosses in pork pies and flat caps and after attending my very first union meeting and being stuck in room full of people I despise I realized then this was not for me. And it was not something I was brought to believe in especially when our union boss Christine Blower takes a pay rise straight after telling us that our pay will not rise, her pay would pay for 4 new teachers and 4 teaching assistants. Something is not quite right there but hey that’s unions and they come hand in hand with corruption and back hand deals.
Today I will have the day of work and why not, ill put my feet up go out for lunch and enjoy myself with tenbellies but not out of protest more out of my selfish need to take a day off.

slight relief

2011-06-25T17:36:00.001Z

potato, a photo by monqey on Flickr.

After the past three or four weeks I’m more than ready to take a break. The weekends are my relief and coming over the water to spend time in the garden usually on the veggie patch is kind of therapeutic in weeding out the stress of work. The veggies are coming on well and the potatoes as you can see are full and flowering. Thud says we have planted them a little too close together and I’m starting to think he is right, its like one huge potato bush but it promises a fine yield. Getting outside is important to me as I think good English fresh air is good for the soul and mind, although the weather doesn’t bother me as much as others I would like a bit more sun and some of the veggies could do with it too.

home brew

2011-06-20T22:23:00.001Z

home brew, a photo by monqey on Flickr.

After a reasonable attempt at making elderberry wine last year i have decicded to give elderflower champagne a go (not supposed to call it champagne though). The edlderberry came out reasonable well and got slightly more alcoholic as time went on, the plum wine that i did off the cuff turned out to be rocket fuel and undrinkable so im sure to give that one a miss this year. Anyway the elderflower is sure on its way and unlike the the berry the flower smells alot nicer and less intrusive to have in the house. Thud and i will be making an attempt at cider this year once we return from our hols so there will be plenty of the home brew floating about come christmas. the recipe for the the elderflower champagne is below which i got off the internet, i wanted to use the simplest method as this was what i did for the berry.

•35 elderflower heads – pick the ones with the strongest scent
•2.5kg granulated sugar
•2 proper tablespoons of white wine vinegar
•5 litres boiling water & some cold water
•Juice and grated skin (zest) of 5 lemons – unwaxed if possible
•Juice and grated skin (zest) of 1 lime – also unwaxed

Read more: http://www.ashridgetrees.co.uk/blog/elderflower-champagne-recipe/#ixzz1PrEgEV1N

rimino

2011-06-16T21:02:00.003Z

i dont blog about technology very often but because of my job a regularly read several design sites, some daily to keep myself on the ball and my mind fresh with new concepts and ideas. working with students you find that they are very much about whats new and what come out in the future so its important to try and be on the same wave length even if i do listen music older than them and smell of old spice.
reading through one of the sites today i dropped on this little gem, as it seems as smartphones are the way forward these days, all the kids have them, i have one and the internet is even more accessable. mobile devices are becoming even more compatible with everyday life and i can see how they could easily do away with thing we take for granted like cash and keys.
what is a little unrealistic in the video is this device being compatible with such tech like Apple, apple only likes apple.

Rimino - A Human Touch on Mobile Experience from Amid Moradganjeh on Vimeo.

hope theres enough water in that kettle

2011-06-15T22:32:00.001Z

hope theres enough water in that kettle, a photo by monqey on Flickr.

As i have said before its busy busy right now but yesterday we (the cool gang) took time out during the day to go and have lunch up by the ship canal. the weather was good, nice and hot so sitting on the jetti with our sarnies we made a small fire and had tea. im lucky in my job to on rare occassions get times like these (the boss was away on this day) and we make the most of it afer an hour or so it was back to the hectic asylum that is my job. five more weeks to go and away it is for the summer.

Choo Choo

2011-06-09T22:02:00.001Z

20110609-_DSC0229.jpg, a photo by monqey on Flickr.

Its back to the train for me as a regular lift to work is moving from a very convienient next door to chester. As much as i enjoy getting a lift to work and it saves alot of hassle and money i kind of like the train journey too. Im not really a huge morning person and i often just need to sit in my own little bubble until i get to work where i have to be socialble as soon as i walk through the door, i like to sit on the train and feel i dont have to speak to anyone or listen to anyone and that can make a huge difference to my day, its just unfortunate that i have to pay extra for these simple things.

dream

2011-06-08T21:56:00.001Z

20110531-_DSC0090.jpg, a photo by monqey on Flickr.

im dreaming of my holidays, 7 weeks from now flying to the states for a life changing summer. i just have to get through the next few weeks with work and everyone around me getting ill. my only rest bite has been getting out doors when the weather has been good enough as it takes the stress away and lets me think. although having two goes a cutting the grass this afternoon was my idea of stress relief......bloody rain.

Britain's got talent?

2011-06-04T20:44:00.004Z

nope, its all with this guy

Close up shop

2011-05-30T20:42:00.007Z

I have walked past it many times often stopping to look in the dirty window at the items gathering dust and the labels fading with time. It seemed like the chandlers on lark lane had been locked in time, the owner just closed up shop and never came back. Yesterday while passing I noticed the door open and the shop being emptied, I was told the gentleman owner had passed away after being ill for some time. After talking for some time with the daughter I asked if I could take some photos before it was all gone. It will be a shame to see the shop disappear and become something else but I suppose time moves on even in those places where it seems to stand still.

buzy bee

2011-05-26T19:35:00.005Z

It’s been a little grey the past few days with rain and wind making it unpleasant, so a few snaps from Thuds garden should brighten it up. I’ve been so busy the past few weeks and it’s only going to increase as students finish their projects and I plan for 70 plus exhibitions ranging from photography through to fine art installations followed by planning for next year, organizing spending and stock for the department and a major building refit that will go on over the summer. This has made me a little touchy in work and quite sick of hearing my name. I’m lucky that tenbellies is a lot more organized even though her job is way harder than mine she has to put up with looking after me and overseeing our wedding. Definitely got a keeper here.

Obama got the hump

2011-05-23T21:59:00.002Z

I seriously spat tea over the rug when i saw this on the news today, its bloody hilarious. its the noise it makes, and the noise of the griver filling his shorts.

back on target

2011-05-21T23:02:00.002Z

as mentioned in Thuds post we have had a rather busy day, a quick trip out to do a little barge board spotting and then on to the veggie patch to get the slightly over due seedlings in. it was overcast most of the day but quite warm with a drizzle of rain. it was hard graft but rewarding to see the patch starting to take shape, the hard part as thud says is to keep the critters away.........well i assure you they may have a couple of weeks of thuds kind heartedness but I'm not so forgiving watch out little bunnies i have you in my sight!

monqey's photostream

2011-05-19T23:38:00.001Z

monqey's photostream on Flickr.

check out my Flickr

New skills

2011-05-17T07:19:00.002Z

When I said to the guys at the tyre garage to throw the new wheel in the boot and the missus can change it over when I get back, they thought I was joking. However, true to my word tenbellies was out in the rain 10 minutes later learning a new skill and changing a spare. Good effort, though she just need to build those muscles up as lifting the spare out was a slight problem, none of them space saver pieces of crap in my car.

memories of last summer

2011-05-16T22:28:00.004Z

sorting through my pics of late i found some great snaps from the classic car show in Napa last summer. with flights all booked and august racing towards us i cant wait to get out there again with our ever growing family.

Victory in Europe

2011-05-08T13:35:00.004Z

it’s funny how time fly’s, with the year we are having things just keep motoring on with new additions and a wedding in sight it feels that the year is going so fast and the little things get forgotten.
yesterday and today we celebrate Victory in Europe day, the surrender of Nazi Germany and Hitler’s third Reich, with the recent elimination of Osama bin bag it’s a good feeling that our armed forces and allies still strive to keep us safe and free.

osama bin and gone

2011-05-02T20:48:00.002Z

This is a great day, one for the history books. may he rot at the bottom of the ocean (personally id have thrown him to the dogs). i hope this gives closure to those in need.

Urban Exploring

2011-04-25T14:08:00.006Z

a week ago i had my first go at urban exploring, a few friends and i darted out early morning and headed to a disused hospital in denbigh. The north wales Hospital closed in 1995 and has become run down and derelict since, the hospital is huge way bigger than i thought but such beautiful buildings that stands out and dominates the hill side. Amongst locals for many years the old Gothic institution has been referred to simply as 'Denbigh Mental'. A small stripped chapel lies to the back of the site behind the maintenance shops and boiler house which was added to the site in 1862. Various interesting and experimental treatments were tested and developed at Denbigh over the course of its history.
Time hasn’t been kind to the buildings and arson attack has pretty much sealed its fate as its way past repair and in today’s climate way too expensive to do anything with other than tear it down, it will be sad to see it go as its seems they have already started to take some parts down. it was great fun just walking around this huge empty building and taking a few snaps, now i just need to find my next little adventure.

On a lighter note

2011-04-10T21:24:00.003Z

This weekend Thud and i planted the first of the potatoes and turned over our rather large patch, as you can see from the pics it was back breaking stuff but the weather was great and no better way to spend the weekend than outside. Yep the seedlings are coming on strong and the toms and sweetcorn are potted and in the greenhouse. we ended the day with a nice cool beer and a bommie which sort of completed what felt like a long weekend. I love being outside especially when england produces great weather in the awome country side.

kiss my ass

2011-04-08T16:35:00.001Z

i haven’t wrote about politics lately as it always seems to go with me ranting about the left and i end up swearing and going mad. it’s been something that i wanted to move away from but unfortunately it will always be there and there will always be something that will make me swear and go mad. When David Cameron and his rabble got in i hoped that they would start to fix some of the damage that our friends of the left created, i knew it would be tough and i knew that we would all have to pay. after all we had it good but it was all on borrowed money and like we all know when you use your credit card you got to pay it back, some people do it over time some all at once but somewhere you will need to give up your luxuries. so we have cuts and big cuts they seem to be, they will hurt some where other won’t even notice but as much as this is the case i feel ok about it, i love my country and if this fixes it then we should all take one for the team as they say.
this is the part where i get pissed off......now we are all aware that in the news we may have to pay in to helping Portugal get through their hard times something im not happy about but think its blown up a little in the media. No, its the 650 million we are giving to Pakistan for their education bill, 650 million that we don’t have, that we could use on our own education, or community, public services or more importantly our armed services. when we have been spending 12 million a day helping the likes of Libya, a place i couldn’t give a shit about we then go and give 650 million to Pakistan without the slightest raised eyebrow in the media. And for this David Cameron you can kiss my ass, and kiss it good but only if you can pull it down from the chief curry muncher's dirty backside.

Now can someone tell me why?

ere get orf our land !!

2011-03-24T23:19:00.002Z

the picture above (supplied by this blog) is the view from the roundabout in my home town looking up towards the busy market high street. the roundabout marks the centre of leek where all the major roads come in and it is iconic with the locals and regular visitors as a meeting point and as it stands in front of the Nicholson War memorial it pays a major part in the remembrance day parades. this part of the town has a lot of memories for me as it was where we would meet up hang about and buy our under aged booze from the offy across the road. anyway it seems that now that our little market town has gone up market and is in the middle of a large development funded by bloody Sainsbury’s the roundabout has to go for some bloody traffic lights. Not to worry though if this mottle crew has anything to do with it, i just hope it gets to stay as a lot of my little town is starting to disappear.

bend over for jobs

2011-03-03T20:16:00.002Z

this week saw the launch of ipad2. (that word has just made millions of fan boys piss themselves in an instant) anyway, conversations with my students this week seems to show that even this new release doesn’t have our regular young folk excited. what’s the real point of this piece of technology? what is its real need apart from making a skip full of cash for the tragic Steve jobs. i have always believed and taught that good design is something that has real function with the least complication, and this in many eyes fails this criteria. the new one has a camera! wow. it is thinner and lighter! wow. it has a fancy cover that also acts as a stand! wow, actually wow that is pretty good i like the simplicity of the stand. but more to the point where was this a couple of years ago? so as you all run out this weekend to order or collect your ipad make sure you drop by the pharmacy to pick up some ky jelly.

Rotavating Stuff

2011-02-27T12:14:00.003Z

well to say that I spent yesterday morning wasting three hours in a place full of idiots with way to much self importance, bad suits and fake Rolex’s would be an understatement but then that is the world of Liverpool Volkswagen. So to try and cleanse ones soul and put that rather dull experience behind me, thud and I took to a day of hard graft, strenuous manly work, outdoor clean country air and rotavating. Yes it was time to make the fairly modest size veggie patch into a farmers idea of a veggie patch. Thud hired a rotavator identical to the one above which although extremely slow and extremely heavy worked like an oxen. The ground was sodden from the rain the night before which meant the first pass over the grass was tough, breaking through the turf was rather relentless and as we struggled it was paid off later when the second pass became a little easier. It was like a scene from a painting as we struggle with the looming weather on our backs we persevered and the weather stayed fair and the patch was done. If it wasn’t for the sterling work of our trusty oxen then our 4 hours of graft would surely cost us a couple of days of back breaking labour. That evening we sat and ate a workers meal of scouse pie which hit the spot. Now for the planting if the seeds ever show up.

on site banter

2011-02-17T12:10:00.000Z

When I was an engineer, the best jobs were those out on site with the lads, away from the poisonous (dwarf) foreman’s eyes and left to get on with the job as we seemed fit but mostly enjoying a bit of a joke and good conversation that would mostly be found with a pint in hand. The past few days working over the water at thuds brought back that on site camaraderie but mostly were the conversations that made for a breath of fresh air, nowadays such conversation and humour would find me with the no job and on the front page of the papers. Not to say that what we were talking about was anything which would deserve such treatment but more that working in a profession that is constantly safe guarded and politically correction is madness it allows you only to think in a very small quiet place and hold your opinions close. Surely two sides to every argument should be heard and mostly opinions voiced without judgement or character assassination. Then it got me thinking who are the fascists now?

How things have changed

2011-02-12T11:14:00.002Z

check this out nearly 30 years on and yellow pages have run out of ideas and gone back to the classics. Love it. this got me musing about how things have change, in that at one time the yellow pages was a common publication in every home and now I’m pretty sure most people leave them out in the rain on the door step until they are so heavy you put your back out throwing it in the recycle bin. The same could be said for phone books and catalogues also something that i remember trailing through as a youngling. Phone apps and the internet have done away with all of that now and maybe for the better, things are a lot more accessible and easier to find but i think it kind of takes the joy out of it. Are things getting too easy?? are we turning into the humans on wall E?..........musing over.

Kung Hei Fat Choi

2011-02-03T11:11:00.001Z

Kung Hei Fat Choi all you cultural tuned in folk, im starting to enjoy the Chinese new year more so than our english, lets get smashed and smash some ones head style festivity. Now then its year of the rabbit this time which is quite fitting as this year im going to be looking to reduce the population of rabbit as Thud and i start to increase the size of our veggi patch. Fencing worked a little bit last year but more force will be needed this time in the form of a 12 ball.
so Kung Hei Fat Choi carrot chompers!!!

oh really!!

2011-01-29T11:53:00.002Z

I’ve read that there is a new substitute to petrol being developed and should be on our forecourts in the next 3 to 5 years, its hydrogen based and will cost around 60p a litre after the government have taken their share. Now there are a few things that are passing through mind on this subject the first being are these huge oil companies really going to let a bunch of scientist under cut them with this new product especially when they seem to make so much money out of petrol. Two; is the government going to let this happen and be so cheap after they make so much money out of petrol. Three; hydrogen is the waste material of nuclear power stations; would this then pave the way for new nuclear power programs? and my last thought is that it could just be a red herring diverting you from the fact you getting robbed at the petrol station and therefore giving some sort of hope that its going to be short lived.

Am I being cynical?

A rat at number 10

2011-01-26T20:02:00.002Z

Apparently there is a rat at downing street.......hmmm ironic?

dew drops a plenty

2011-01-22T20:59:00.002Z

when working outside in the garden its common practice to have your dew drop in full flow on the tip of your nose. In most English country gardens it is found among the die hard gardeners who go out in all weathers, this phenomenon is not snot or sweat but a peculiar fluid that appears on the end of your nose as if by magic and no amount of wiping or blowing with get rid of it. The past couple of weekends myself and thud have well and truly hit the garden again digging, cutting, planting trees. holly, hawthorn and plenty other fine shrubs. its great to be outdoors i love it and in true monkey form i was found hanging in rather large apple tree giving it a slight hair cut today, its going to get rather busy outside in the next couple of months as thuds castle nears completion.

Happy new year

2011-01-03T23:14:00.001Z

A belated happy new year one and all, we have had a pretty good time in 2010 despite what people say 2010 was good for me and most people I know. Too many people are glad to see that back of a year when reality is it will always be with you. This new year I get married and family gets bigger in more ways than one, bring it on is what I say and good will to all.
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Merry Christmas

2010-12-25T18:09:00.001Z

Merry christmas one and all eat loads drink plenty and be full of good cheer.
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christmas cheer

2010-12-12T19:05:00.004Z

Christmas is definitely a time for the children to get what they want but when your only a year old and you cant write or get all you words out it takes a certain touch to get your point across. hmmmm..

Up goes the tree

2010-12-01T19:03:00.001Z

Is this just the saddest looking tree in liverpool? Iv tried to get tenbellies to let me buy a real one but as she is the one that does the cleaning she won't let me because of the needles. Tut nevermind let's see if she can work her magic......more snow today yeah let it snow.
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Here comes the snow

2010-11-30T22:56:00.001Z

I prayed and wished for snow at the weekend, now either god was listening or stirring thuds pudding did the trick (sounds a bit odd that) anyway it may only be a light dusting but it certainly put a smile on my face. Let the chaos begin...although I hope its not too early as I'd still like some for Christmas day.
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The way of the jedi

2010-11-02T19:00:00.002Z

Another year closer to the big 30 and even though i have more hair in places i cant see, achy knees and a small desire to smoke a pipe (crack pipe excluded) im still very much a boy. with that i think its time to become a fully fledged Jedi, so im off to swot up. Cheers Thud and family OTW.

Spooky doo

2010-10-31T19:58:00.001Z

Its halloween tonight and although we don't do it like our american brothers and sister I kind of think we give it good go. Although the brits tend to dress up like tarts and get pissed we decided to take a more family approach by dressing up the kids cutting out some pumpkins (not our home grown ones unfortunately) eating cake and drinking pumpkin beer. Halloween is surely there for the kids and as our nieces and nephews get older I'm sure I will be trying to scare the bjesus out of um more and more. Next come bommie night and you should see the size of my rocket! Oo err.
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All day ranger

2010-10-25T21:28:00.001Z

The food is always good in casa and the wine not too bad if a little watered down so after a few peroni's its time for home at what I think a reasonable hour. Tenbellies will be impressed and ill not be feeling too bad for thud in the morning.
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All day ranger

2010-10-25T19:10:00.001Z

Back from waterloo with a bottle of cask we hit casa italia which to most true scousers is the only italian restaurant in the city. Big bottle of house wine to go ...
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All day ranger

2010-10-25T17:51:00.001Z

We left the canteen and walked back up towards waterloo station after a few games of rummy. We walked past the boozer pictured but can't remember the name and talked all about all that's wrong with education and then walked on, I had a manns bitter. We visited the raven just down from the station we had done full circle and started on wine... Half 5 start in mind..
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All day ranger

2010-10-25T16:10:00.001Z

So on to the train to crosby for a fine ale at the volunteer canteen which is supposed to pour a fine pint. When reaching crosby and after a 20 minute back we find the pub next to waterloo station...planning is everything
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All day ranger

2010-10-25T14:36:00.001Z

After a trip to home bargain we went in here and then walked straight back out .... Shit hole next pub the old bank.
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All day ranger

2010-10-25T13:50:00.001Z

Ok I'm out today with friends after lovely weekend with family which ill chat about later. But instead of a pub crawl around the pool we took to buying a save away ticket touring merseyside. So first stop after a glass of wine on the train is stamps in waterloo, an apricot haze real ale that's rather cloudy mmmm...it begins ohh and acdc paying in the background can't be bad
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Arty farty

2010-10-22T17:33:00.001Z

I had a rather ropey start to the week with man flu and other ailments best kept to the toilet but when I finally got well enough I went into liverpool to see the biennial which I found to be rather good. Having not seen it before I could not rate it to last year but as there are some fine arty bits knocking around the pool like the richard wilson that I love it seems to have me converted to a point. Pics here are of two installation pieces which I liked a lot and tend to favour rather than your painting bollox, it still sort of get me a bit to understand that people do this for a job. Ah well not for much long as I can't see the cuts sparing much of these soap dodgers.
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Dawn of a new day?

2010-10-21T07:17:00.001Z

Well the big cut was released yesterday and as the build up made out it came quite dramatically so much so I slept through the hype last night and read about it on the train to work this morning. Though there are some major cuts and yes people will loose their jobs, benefits will be cut for those who can but we all must sit and think for one minute. When our last shower shit was in charge of the house they threw our money about gave it to every tom with a heartbeat ran our poor country into the ground and put us in the running with greece as major fuck ups so... How else do we get out of this mess? Lovely sun rise this morning.
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Digital age

2010-10-11T12:48:00.000Z

At the weekend I took one of works slr's home to take a few pictures and so that I could have a go at developing my very own prints. I thought it would be kind of cool and while the boss is still away sick myself and a few others thought we would take this opportunity to learn a few more skills. So I returned today with camera full of what I thought would be some cracking pictures only to find that I hadn't loaded the film correctly. Bugger!
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The last pick

2010-10-09T20:52:00.001Z

We stood looking at the veggie patch this afternoon and as I dug up the last of the potatoes thud and I planned the next step in growing our own. More potatoes, more onions, not so many beetroot and maybe a better go at the carrots but for our first go it certainly went down well and for a lot less work than we thought.
Now with the elderberry wine safely tucked away I'm gonna try making plum woo woo watch this space.
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Thudmonkey

2010-10-06T19:50:00.011Z

i know iv been away and very lazy with the posts lately and the stick i have received from folk has been plenty but i have been a little busy. this past week i have been watching in excitement the first part of the fermentation stage of ThudMonkey elderberry wine. picked from the castle over the water, we got quite a harvest and I'm pretty sure that the gallon that i have made could have easily been 2 or 3. If you remember we brewed sloe gin last year and after a gathering of friends at thuds recently it proved a very nice tipple. so now its the elderberry wine and i wonder if its a contender for napa next year? hmmmm we will have to see.

stripping the berries

after soaking a little squeeze

the yeast is working away

not a bad colour

Test pic

2010-10-04T20:13:00.001Z

Another brew and spooks, yeah
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Test blog from blackberry

2010-10-04T20:07:00.001Z

I have not blogged for a while and lots have gone on too much to go back over but all very very good. I'm hoping to get back into blogging a bit more with short and sweet posts, as you can see iv joined twitter just to see what all the fuss is about but mostly to post on the go. Anywhoo watch this space if your still out there.
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away we go

2010-07-28T22:09:00.003Z

my last post in the uk for a month and as tenbellies is packing yet more shoes before we head off on our hols my last post will be dedicated to family OTW. as it is them that we will be spending the most of our summer with. we are truly excited to get to California again but most of all to see our gorgeous little princesses that we have dearly missed since they left just over a month ago. to spend summer with family and friends is surely bliss and i really can not wait to sit and relax in the Californian sun, although I'm not sure there will be much relaxing with these two running around going mad but hey its the job of an uncle and auntie. so terrah all and here we come.

4 days to go

2010-07-25T21:45:00.005Z

this post is dedicated to my first visit to the mecca of new world wine, Napa Valley. being a wine lover this was one place that i looked forward to seeing the most. i love San Francisco and the Vegas and I'm sure i will see more amazing places in the future but napa valley was absolutely breath taking. i thought id seen the valley at its finest time of year, during the summer. but photos from thud in the autumn proved to be just as beautiful. during my short time in napa two years ago i was able to take part in bottling courtesy of vinogirl and vinomaker(click here to see pics and post on that) truth be known they made our visit sublime and we really couldn't of asked for anything more in that we are truly very lucky to know fine friends. the atmosphere in napa is very light and happy with a diverse mix of people from all manner of life and in this i think is the secret to why they produce the finest wines in the world. oh and they got great dirt. we visited vineyards and drank plenty of wine but the finest would no doubt have to be chateau liles 2005 cab franc. i truly can not wait to get back to napa and see vinogirl, vinomaker and of course the vinodogs to sit on the deck amongst fine friends amazing views fabulous wine and dancing babies.

6 days to go

2010-07-23T10:42:00.003Z

well its 6 days to go and today marks the finish for summer, as i wait in work for some delivery with not much else really to do hoping that i may get home early. I'm searching the net for things that i would like to see in San Francisco, we visited the city the last time we were in America and loved it, with its steep hills and massive china town. thud, as usual filled us in on all the historical buildings and gave us a cracking tour, such a fountain of knowledge that one. last time we were unable to to see Alcatraz so I'm hoping to do that this time as it always fascinated me since watching the bird man of Alcatraz. we may also go and see one of its many exhibitions that the city is famed for, a little bit of homework maybe. any way i think its time for tenbellies to get the suitcases out from under the bed, less than a week to go.

10 days to go

2010-07-19T17:39:00.003Z

its ten days to go yeah baby, and i feel due to the current state of the weather i will dedicate this post to Californian sun. thud informs me that its hitting 90 while back here we have a hose pipe ban and floods of rain. last time in America the weather was wonderful but it has to be said that the most extraordinary thing about the west coast would be the fantastic fog the rolls in over the bay in the morning like a huge tidal wave and can come as far in land as Napa only to be burned off by the rising sun not before refreshing those lovely grapes. at times it would look almost dull but if you think that you would be safe from sunburn in such circumstances you would be very much mistaken and this coming from a monkey that burns in the thick fog, in fact so did mrs OTW and vinogirl. anyway i love the sun and the hot weather and summer holidays would not be right without it, it seems we may have had all ours now so here's to California sun.

english country garden

2010-07-13T18:57:00.011Z

everything is growing in the garden right now, i spent an hour or so separating my carrots and beetroot as they had started to bind so before it got too far i split them and re planted filling almost the entire patch. i tried some of the larger beetrrot and they are not quite ready, but it seems we have alot so im thinking beetroot ale/wine, what do you think thud?
the Green house is doing well too, i have had to cane up the toms again as they have grown bigger than ever and now they have fruit. the vines are loving the temperature in the glass house and last years vine has had a new lease of life. out of the 6 pumpkins that Thud and i planted only two have survived but they too have started to fruit, ill do a little playing around with these before i leave for the California as i they need more space.

Tasty

check out the patch

mmmm toms

Chateau Brimstage

the first pumpkin

18 days to go!!

2010-07-12T21:44:00.003Z

its 18 days to go and we are both starting to plan our little drive that we will be taking after a week or so of being in California. we did this the last time and found driving in America an excellent experience and we both cant wait to do it again. This time we plan to take the coast road from San Fransisco down towards LA where we plan to stay for an evening ether in Santa Monica, Venice Beach or Los Angeles itself. then we will drive through to Las Vegas for 3 or 4 nights. This trip is quite important as even though it will be a holiday it will also be the start of the planning for our wedding next year which Will be in Vegas.

HDRI

2010-07-09T09:04:00.008Z

i have recently been playing with my works camera which is alot better than our farty point and shoot. i have had some cracking photies off it and will be taking it on our hols too. i have been experimenting with aperture and hope to do some HDRI (high dynamic range imaging) work using photoshop. Im really lucky to have an excellent location to shoot (thanks Thud) and im sure even though a little arty farty there is the making of some great pics here.

21 days to go!!

2010-07-08T16:56:00.002Z

Firstly lets pretend they say 21 days to go instead of 21 seconds to go and we will be groovin. so its 21 days to go and America has made it possible for these angry young men to get off the street, off the dole, off the corner selling crack and popping caps in ass and instead made them into respectable musicians. you see its the land of opportunity and even though we are across the pond it rubs off on to our people and makes things possible. optimism is strong in the US where here in blighty we seem to lack it with our dull grey clouds. ahh sun shine awaits.
romeo done!

23 days to go

2010-07-06T00:17:00.002Z

its now 23 days to go, and another small thing that I'm looking forward to is the morning coffee. we brits have tried to copy the Americans who copied the Italians in their love for coffee however we got the shitty end of the stick with our not so great coffee that is way over priced and once more you can never sit outside and enjoy the morning with a pastry. Our last visit to the US saw us sitting outside most morning enjoying coffee and a pastry listening to the locals go about their business, the sun would shine and for a mere $20 or so it would feed family OTW tenbellies and i and it would set us right for the day ahead. we have tried to recreate this time and time again but nothing is like the Starbucks in wallnut creek.

sorry about the pic but it was the only one i could find.

28 days to go

2010-06-30T20:40:00.001Z

before i dropped family OTW at the airport yesterday thud and i went for a little drive to collect some wine for Vinogirl and Vinomaker. while driving down the pleasant country lanes we got to thinking about the oncoming trip to the US. Tenbellies and i will be joing them in 4 weeks and count down has begun, its been two years since we last visited California and we both loved every minute of it and we are very excited to get our long awaited break. so until then here are just a few things that we are looking forward too.
firstly it has to be In and Out Burger ahhhhhhhh mmmmmmmmm, this is without doubt the most amazing fast food joint you could ever come upon. when they say fresh they mean it, the meat still has a pulse when they pop it on the grill and the the fries are cut right in front of you as you order them from something that our Burger bars don't really use its called a potato. The Americans have a little bit of a bad rep concerning food and burgers but everything and i mean everything is wiped the moment you eat one of these fine gourmet burgers. Tenbellies is seriously considering have these for our wedding meal and i may let her. so it is now 28 days until we can order.

bikes for sheep??!

2010-06-17T18:01:00.005Z

this is not what i had in mind when i bought this bike off the back of a scrap van but i kind of like the end result in some creative way. my original intention was to restore this but after a week of taking it apart and blasting the rust off the components i found that it would need too much money thrown at it to make it usable. Never mind, it was adopted by a student for the final art project and after a few balls of wool this was the outcome. hmmmm yep.

tenbellies says its terrifying

Photos from the weekend

2010-06-14T21:00:00.005Z

i love the country, the cows make me smile and i like old wooden farm gates.

england 1 usa 1

2010-06-13T19:46:00.001Z

just a typical england game im afraid lets hope they wake up and quick.

scary tree

2010-06-07T17:44:00.003Z

after spending a very productive weekend over the water thud and i sat in the courtyard watching goldfinch, blue tit and eventually greenfinch drop down a feed off two of the feeders the lad had placed on the buildings. getting use to my works camera i took a few snaps but after some minor adjustments the quality will get better in time. the only photo to really make an impression was the pic above, i took this a few weeks back on my way to work on a random country lane. Princess OTW loves to look at this pic and asks me about the tree all the time, and even though she calls it the scary tree she cant help but look at him. funny the little ones.

springwatch

2010-06-04T19:40:00.004Z

there are not many occasions that i will approve the bbc, but springwatch this year is awesome. they have live webcams on a Kestrel Box with four chicks. i have just spent the last 25 minutes watching the mother bring a small mammal maybe a rat into the nest and strip it for the young. the beautiful colour of the mother is so clear its just absolutely breath taking. and to think the bbc can make such great tv with what is natural and yet make utter shite like the newly styled eastenders.

helping hand

2010-06-03T23:08:00.004Z

Nature can be so cruel sometimes but then that’s the way god intended it some would say, and I kind of believe that. For the past month or so I and many others have been watching the life around us unfold and begin. Watching goldfinches feed, wag tails nest in peculiar places and blue tits lays eggs. We have waited in anticipation for a family of ducks to appear only to see they disappear within the blink of an eye. It’s hard but its nature and even though upsetting at times it’s a beautiful thing.
today I experienced a prime example, a nest of blue tits seem to have fledged too early and dropped out of the tree, running around the pavement in disbelief and anxious to get back up to the nest I almost squashed them. As some tried to climb and I must say they looked like they would make it, it would only be a matter of time before the local cat would find them. with mum and dad flying around up top in a fluster I gave the little fellas a chance and lifted them as high as I possible could but not before taking a couple of snaps. Hopefully they made it; it would be nice to think so.

24

2010-05-26T22:19:00.003Z

8 days ago jack was just a ctu agent with a shady background of black ops now he surly is a mere fraction of the man he once was. is 24 one of the greatest series i have ever watched or ever been on TV? does it rank up there with the wire and the sopranos? i think so and a teary eyed ten bellies thinks so too as we just watched jack leave our screens forever (well untill the movie). pure action and the occastional rag head getting a slapping is good tv in my eyes and jack bauer gives better than most. check out the vid its worth the watch. so long jack.

Goodbye Gordon Brown

2010-05-11T18:54:00.002Z

Today is a great day for England and the United Kingdom.

Bye Bye Bummer Brown.

the country that hung itself

2010-05-07T16:13:00.001Z

now it gets interesting.

times up

2010-05-05T21:49:00.003Z

Election day tomorrow and quite frankly thank god it couldn’t have come any sooner. for various reasons but the main two being that i cant wait to see the back of that twisted hateful Scotsman who’s party has destroyed our country and two, to see the end of what has been the most dullest election one has ever seen.
neither party has given me hope for the future, truth is far from any of their lips and i fear that who ever takes the seat may only do little before screwing it up just as bad. So what do i do?....well i don’t want brown in again so I’m certain on that, clegg is just a complete knob that wants us to pull down our pants and bend over for the likes of Iran and china and with Cameron i worry for my job.

Little bit distracted

2010-05-04T18:28:00.002Z

It’s a busy time of year for me right now in work, we have final major projects and exhibitions looming. the current election has done very little to get me excited and as Thursday is almost upon us I’m still struggling to vote for any of the wannabe saviours, i suppose ill have to pick the best of a bad bunch. What has kept me entertained these past few weeks is the construction of a nest by a couple of Blue Tits, and this weekend they graced us with 7 lovely little eggs which are snug under the female. Our clever IT guys set up a live camera in a bird box and ever since iv made regular visits to the page to have a nose. It's great watching these little love birds build a home and start a family, its seems so simple and care free un aware of the coming grey political cloud that seems to be heading this way.

True Colours

2010-04-29T18:01:00.002Z

two words.....shit house!!

They speak of trust

2010-04-27T17:06:00.004Z

When i saw the images of Clara Stokes it brought back some not so nice memories of a couple of years back. It’s not so unusual to see that the elderly are neglected and stripped of dignity when they have to go to hospital. My experiences of nurses and the NHS in the past have been nothing to boast about; they stripped both my grandparents of their dignity, repeatedly left them in their own mess and on occasion spoke to them like the dirt they forgot to clean up. The caring and respectful manner was a rarity and it left me quite bitter towards the staff. It was only when my gran left hospital and went to a private nursing home that she regained her dignity a month later she died. But i know that the real people to blame in this is the two faced lying cretin Gordon Brown and his labour party it was them that failed my gran and Clara and thousands of elderly out there that showed more love for this country than they ever will. My heart goes out the Clara’s family and I’m glad they published those picture as i feel its gone on for to long and maybe when they talk about putting trust back into the government they should start thinking about putting something back into the NHS....preferably English speaking well qualified respectful staff.