• Sunday 22 January 2006

d.i.y. update
Sanded down the ceiling plaster repairs. Sanded the picture rail and both window frames, breaking off only to watch Charlton steal a draw at the Bridge (the visitors defended well, but also had more than a little help from the East Stand touchline linesman). Is sanding window frames the dullest thing you could possibly do?
And I ache, I ache.

• Friday 20 January 2006

a belated but nonetheless sincere happpy new year to all my readers...
Jeez… how time flies. There's no doubt about it, time accelerates as you get older. And everything seemed to be moving pretty bloody fast when I first sucked air into my tiny frail lungs somewhere in Hackney in July 1961.
Anyway. I'm back from my excessive, bloated Christmas and New Year celebrations, notwithstanding various urgent tasks and a multi-mega migraine which enveloped me for the best part of four days last week. Or was it the week before? I dunno.

all tyred out
In an attempt to rid myself of a curious fat-like substance (possibly fat) that has congealed around my middle during the over-indulgent, under-active holiday period, I have finally got back to playing squash on a regular basis with my regular partner Steve. We've been unable to play at all for several weeks due to a string of situations preventing us from doing so, including comic festivals, holidays, several illnesses and a flat tyre (curious that I needed a spare tyre in order to start getting rid of mine).
Still, we're back playing. But I'm not doing too well. Not yet anyway.

if you want something done, d.i.y.
Meanwhile, too long off work has initiated a campaign by my partner Mandy to motivate me to get on with all those decorating chores that I've been avoiding these past few weeks… er… months… well, okay, years.
The back bedroom, vacated by my home studio about eighteen months ago is still bearing the scars from that particular experience. Glenn the decorator helped me out shortly before Christmas and plastered over some big holes that were created in the process of removing various shelving units from the walls. But there were still plenty of cracks to fill, and a chimney breast corner to rebuild (which has turned out surprisingly well, I thought). Last Sunday I started the particularly unpleasant task of sanding the repairs to the walls and ceilings. Progress reports will follow.

just what the world needs
I must mention that my pal, Brett Warnock, better half of the dynamic duo that is Top Shelf Productions has started his own blog, Hey Bartender. We'll see how often he gets to update it. One week in and he's already resorted to writing about baseball or basketball or some other American sport that no one else plays. This blogging lark isn't quite as straightforward as you'd imagine.
http://www.topshelfcomix.com/blog/

whale in distress
In other news, a bottle-nose whale swam up the Thames today, perhaps to make a representation to Tony Blair about Japan 's excessive and cruel whaling policies, perhaps because he got lost. Another whale (popularly assumed to be its mother) was spotted off the Southend coast, by some accounts emitting a high-pitched sound. Hopefully they won't crash into the pier.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4633376.stm

whither strangehaven?
What's that you say? When's the new Strangehaven out? Truth is, with everything else going on, I haven't even attempted to get it scheduled. Rest assured, it'll be worth the wait when it finally appears.

france bound encore
Well, I'm off to Angouleme next week, courtesy of Emmanuel and Richard of Editions Akileos, to launch the new French language edition of Strangehaven to an unsuspecting Gallic public. http://www.akileos.com/
I got my Eurostar tickets in the post this morning. And I still have to post my reports on the Amadora festival and the Brighton Expo. But they're coming, I promise.

• December's Ditherings

squash results
23/01 Gary 4 Steve 1
19/01 Gary 2 Steve 3
16/01 Gary 2 Steve 4

footie
Chelsea 1 Charlton 1

blog archive
December 2005
November 2005
October 2005
18 September 2005
04 September 2005
21 August 2005
14 August 2005
07 August 2005
31 July 2005
24 July 2005
17 July 2005
10 July 2005