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La Crepe Qui Rit

Sunday, March 31st, 2013

Probably the most expensive Crepe Suzette ever. It’s clearly a very posh part of the Albert Dock,  presumably frequented by media stars and Premiership footballers though I didn’t see any there during our visit but there again it was Easter Saturday so they would have either been getting ready for a football match or away at their villa in San Tropez/Antigua/Isle of Wight (delete as appropriate – do people still go to St Tropez – it’s so yesterday dahling). Out of my league.

Either that or the most expensive typo. If so they must surely have wondered why nobody ever orders the Crepe Suzette.

La Crepe Rit, Albert Dock, Liverpool.

Voila.

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Sleigh

Sunday, March 31st, 2013

Sleigh’s interest in reworking art historical movements, from the renaissance to the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, is reflected in her explicit paintings of male nudes, which subvert the art historical tradition of a male gaze directed at a naked female body. In addition to her focus on gender, she painted individuals affectionately and honestly, often including normalising details such as body hair. In this way she implicitly critiqued the idealisation of the human body in art, aiming to combat its objectification. Sleigh’s female gaze still has a powerful impact and the formal qualities of her painting seem poignantly contemporary.

Reproduced without permission from the Tate Liverpool. You have to ask yourself whether Sleigh would have written this herself. I may be wrong but she probably “just painted”.

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Pommes de terre a la provencal

Sunday, March 31st, 2013

I like a spud: baked spud, chips, pommes Lyonaise, mash, shepherd’s pie, pommes Boulangere, gratin, fried, sauteed, steamed, plain boiled, Jersey Royal, King Edward, Maris Piper, Desiree, Charlotte, Pink Fir Apple, Dauphinoise, roast, crisps, salt and vineegar, plain, ready salted, cheese and onion, beef, roast chicken, jacket, skins, Fondant, Gallette,crushed, Rosti, Parisienne, french fries

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The drill hall

Saturday, March 30th, 2013

There is something dark about the mask on the wall outside the Drill Hall – especially as dusk is approaching and you can see the light through the eye sockets

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A fleeting moment in history

Friday, March 29th, 2013

A collection of videos, once treasured, now consigned to history. Unwatchable though once unmissable, I found little difficulty in discarding. No wistful last looks back, metaphoric glance over the shoulder. Just cold emotion.

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floral arrangement in the snow

Thursday, March 28th, 2013

There’s something WI flower show about this image or maybe even the Chelsea Flower Show. It would be a hugely expensive display to put on at Chelsea because of the cost of creating the artificial snow and stopping it from melting in June, or whenever they hold it. I’m not so bothered about the WI. They could arrange a flower show to suit. Not that I’m a member, obv. It would be quite easy for them to say “lets have another cake competition ladies” and to sling on a frozen flower exhibit/competition at the same time. They must have lots of baking competitions. That and knitting. It’s what they do, how they roll. That and calendars but we won’t go there…

There particular flower pots are better presented frozen and covered in snow because that way you can’t see that they have had the proverbial stuffing knocked out of them by footballing kids (also rugby and cricket – whatever the weather and time of year).

I will leave you with a message of hope. I hope it starts to get a bit warmer, melts this now and lets the flowers start growing again.

Ciao

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Ropes

Thursday, March 28th, 2013

I like a bit of rope. Not the synthetic plasticky stuff you get these days. You know the good old fashioned rope they used to use in the days of sail. Good old fashioned rope is the sort of rope you want to own just to have, just to say you’ve got some in the garage or somewhere. Somewhere safe anyway. I don’t think I’d want to leave it in the shed. If she’d let me I’d probably have it coiled up in the corner of the living room, tidy. It can look very tidy coiled up in a circle on the deck of a ship. The rope in this photo isn’t coiled up nicely I know but there’s a time and place for coiling and obviously this wasn’t one of em. Anyway, like I said, I like rope.

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Baker’s Dozen?

Wednesday, March 27th, 2013

Work this one out. It’s at Tesco.

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Milk milk glorious milk

Wednesday, March 27th, 2013

Five milk bottles in the fridge door,
Five milk bottles in the fridge door,
And if one milk bottle was consumed with cereal for breakfast
There’d be four milk bottles in the fridge door.

Four milk bottles in the fridge door,
Four milk bottles in the fridge door,
And if one milk bottle was drunk at lunchtime with some cheese sandwiches
There’d be three milk bottles in the fridge door.

Three milk bottles in the fridge door,
Three milk bottles in the fridge door,
And if one milk bottle was used to make milkshakes for the kids (banana)
There’d be two milk bottles in the fridge door.

Two milk bottles in the fridge door,
Two milk bottles in the fridge door,
And if one milk bottle was used for culinary purposes (misc, unspecified)
There’d be one milk bottle in the fridge door.

One milk bottle in the fridge door,
One milk bottle in the fridge door,
And if one milk bottle was used by anyone for any purposes other than to add to my cup of tea then someone had better look out cos
There’d be no milk bottles in the fridge door.

The end – you can pick your own tune if you like but I have set it to the obvious one.

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Man holds down polycarbonate sheeting on roof rack using hand whilst driving

Wednesday, March 27th, 2013

I’ve seen people hold  onto their hats when it was windy. The other day I was driving behind a car that had a big length of polycarbonate sheeting on the roof rack. The sheeting was only held down on the roof rack by a could of thin elastic straps so he had his hand out of the window and was holding it down so that it didn’t flap as he drove along. I thought about whipping out the camera to take a picture. Not because  I wanted to nab him – just because the vision was so surreal. I decided not to because had I done so I would have been as guilty as him in driving unsafely! Just shut your eyes and picture the scene!

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nibbles at the intercontinental hotel park lane

Wednesday, March 27th, 2013

This was a slightly surreal weekend. We went down 1st Class on the train to London and were staying at the Intercontinental Park Lane. That day the standard class carriages on the train were packed with members of the Unite Union going to a huge rally in Park Lane – protesting at government job cuts.

We were all going to the same destination except they were in the park and were were in a luxury 5 star hotel gazing down at them in the park.

Let them eat cake (olives) I shouted before ducking so that they couldn’t see who said it. I didn’t really:) I’m not that kind of guy.

We went out for an Indian meal with our friends Graham and Carol and then on to see Paul Merton at the Strand Theatre (I think it was the Strand – it was certainly on the Strand).

A good time was had by all. The photo is of the posh nibbles in the cocktail bar of the Intercontinental. V nice though at that price you would expect them to be.

Ciao

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Backchat satnav style

Tuesday, March 26th, 2013

I often find myself talking to the satnav. If it tells me to turn right I say “OK then” etc. If I go the wrong way it doesn’t bat an eyelid. It just calmly tells me how to get back on the right track.

This doesn’t seem like human nature to me. Lots of people are more likely to say “Oh for goodness sake you’ve gone the wrong way. You’re going to have to go back to that junction” raising their eyebrows contemptuously.

You could have this reaction with varying degrees of contempt, or contempt that grows with each wrong turn – “bloody hell you’ve gone and done it again, you absolute moron”.

You should also be able to have conversations with your satnav. The technology is nearly there. It would be someone to chat to when on a long journey. “How far is it ‘til the next junction? Do you think we have time for a pitstop at the next services” etc etc

Remember I’m the ideas man – now sort it.

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snow no snow

Tuesday, March 26th, 2013

What would Sherlock Holmes have made of this photo? Did they have cameras in his day? They certainly wouldn’t have had cars as he always used to take the third Hansome Cab along. Who said cars had anything to do with this photo anyway?

How did I manage to take this photo anyway? How could I have been there but not my car? I’ll leave it to you, dear reader, and for Sherlock to sort out.

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Office lights at HMS Belfast

Monday, March 25th, 2013

Took this one whilst walking along the gantry at HMS Belfast. Seriously interesting ship to visit btw. All boys own stuff. You can sense adventure.

Periscope on the port bow!!!

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