Too Hot Too Cold

Doodle Weather

I wouldn't be British if I didn't moan about the weather, so here it goes! By Cripes it is bloody hot! It has been in the 20's (Celsius) for the past week or so. That is in the 70's for those that use Fahrenheit as the measure of your weather. While some people may piss themselves laughing at the idea of this temperature being scorchio, for me it is!The UK normally operates around the strict temperature of 'Meh' Degrees , neither freezing nor sweltering, just Meh. Any deviation from this and the country grinds to a halt, there is mass hysteria and the Mr Whippy van gets looted.
Okay a slight exaggeration on my part, I know, I know, shocking that moi exaggerates at times. I have actually been making the most of this nice weather and been gardening with the mumborg. By gardening I mean that I have been doing the grunt work, while she decides what plants go where and what seeds are getting propagated. I have not took any photographs yet, as I am still in a period of mourning over losing the DSLR. If things start to grow, look pretty and all that shit, I may take some. If we are lucky, we should have courgettes, radishes, carrots, potatoes, basil and some other crap that I can't remember. I actually thought I was getting a tan, but it turns out it was just soil, so it went after I had a bath.

Doodle Stuff: Those that follow me on twitter may have seen my tweets about doodling in the garden? I took all my drawing stuff outside and had a great time, but I can't share those doodles with you, as they were for a secret project. Maybe one day I can, but at the moment, tough! Not sure why I decided to share or not share that with you all, just excited I guess.
What was good about doing this project, was the time I got to spend using different pens and paper, taking my time and really enjoying the process. My doodle mentor TJ, gave me another great tip about inking the doodles before I apply the colour. This turned out to be great for me, as the lines ending up being a lot cleaner than usual. It was also a revelation that the ink is in fact waterproof, which I found rather cool. So I have started doing that for all my doodles, including the daft one above. So if you have any doodle tips, feel free to pass them along! Or if you want to know anything, please ask!


Music of the moment: Not sure if people even listen to these videos that I post, or give a shit about what music I love, but for the one or two that do, here is my next recommended artist.....Damien Jurado. He is an artist that has been around for a long time, but for some reason is not mega famous, which he should be. I like to think he is my own secret find, but of course he is not. This track is from the 'Caught in the Trees' album, which is brilliant. You should also check out the latest album 'Saint Bartlett' and the project with his brother 'Hoquiam'.


Damien Jurado - sheets from bluelinestyle.com on Vimeo.

Freezing Blue Tits!

 Click image to see Blue Tit large

It so cold over here in the UK, that our tits are in danger, well by 'our' tits, I actually mean the various tits that you find in your garden. No no, not a loved one building an inappropriate snowman, tits of the feathered kind.

Following advice taken from the RSPB website

The RSPB is asking people to follow a wild bird winter survival plan that will help wildlife during the harshest weather.

1. Put out feed regularly, especially in severe weather. Set up a bird table and use high calorie seed mixes. This can also be used to put out kitchen scraps such as animal fats, grated cheese and porridge oats
2. Put out hanging feeders for black sunflower seeds, sunflower hearts, sunflower-rich mixes or unsalted peanuts
3. Ensure a supply of fresh water every day. If it is very cold use tepid water but DO NOT use any antifreeze products
4. Put out fruit, such as apples and pears, for blackbirds, song thrushes and other members of the thrush family
5. Food bars or fat hung up or rubbed into the bark of trees is a great help for treecreepers, goldcrests and many other species
6. Put up nest boxes to provide roost sites for the smaller birds. They will then be used for breeding later in the year

 For the rest of the RSPB article, with more valuable info, please click here - Feed the birds

All this effin cold weather has allowed me to play with my new foster camera out in the snowy weather. What is a foster camera I hear you ask? Well as I am taking the photographs for my sisters wedding, she has allowed me to play with her camera till after the wedding. So till June, I have her Canon EOS 1000D to play with, woohoo. You can see my photographic progress over on my daily photography blog or on my flickr.

Oh,Well....

Waiting for the bus and walking the dog

are rather damp occupations lately.

This morning.

But yesterday afternoon the sky was blue

and there was a little hole in the cloud.

LilyHydrangea thinks it looks like an eye.

So then I thought of Keats:

When I behold, upon the night's starr'd face,
    Huge cloudy symbols of a high romance.......

And Hamlet to Polonious:

 Do you see yonder cloud that's almost in shape of a camel?

ps. maybe I should get a day job......

pss Lala's beautiful plate post from Spain is here.

Such Nice Stormy Skies

This blog has been sort of peaceful and pastoral lately,

so I thought I'd go urban and wild.

(Yesterday afternoon on 23rd Street.) 

I hope everyone enjoyed the Haiku Festival as much as Tracy and I did

and I hope I didn't make too many errors in the list.

It didn't rain yesterday for a wonder,

but the clouds were billowing and lowering

and there were some of those 'hand of God' shafts

of light which look so dramatic.

Where's Waldo says: Spot the Empire State Building.

A view from my bedroom ....

Okay the weather has gone seriously pants over here in the UK, from freakish hail stones as seen in the video below, to howling winds that keep me awake!
Shit I am blogging about the weather, can you tell I am a bit blogger blocked?

I have no curtains in my bedroom as I like to be awakened by the sunshine, whatever that is. Luckily there is a lovely row of cacti to stop anyone getting in (I have a view stalkers). Unless people like getting pricked? hmmmmm....

In the meantime:
Britain Braced for Storm Battering!.

Don't the weather gods know what that will do to my bloody hair! I may have to resort to wearing a plastic hood like this babe:
If you think I wouldn't wear something like that to protect my hair, then you're wrong!