lino cut news...

i got a parcel last week from my dad containing a load of test prints of the next four images in my lino cut stations of the cross sequence - jesus betrayed with a kiss, tried by the sanhedrin, taken to pilate, and condemned to death.
my dad had had some trouble with his inks, so a lot of the prints hadn't come out so well, but i was kind of disappointed with even the ones that had printed nicely... something about the compositions i think, but they just didn't quite work somehow. i'm hoping that if i just leave them hanging about for a while, i'll be able to come back to them with a more objective eye and sort out exactly what it is that's wrong with them... joe did one at the same time [he did the drawing, i did the cutting] and his came out really well! what was it that picasso said - "it took me five years to learn to draw like the masters and the rest of my life to learn to draw like a child" [or something like that...]

i do really want to get these prints right though - it's something that'll have to go on the back-burner until after greenbelt as i've a ton of stuff to do between now and the end of the summer - but i am determined to make them work. and i love the process of making the blocks, especially the smell of the lino as you cut it away, so it's a shame that i can't get onto it sooner...

[if i get around to scanning some of the test prints i'll post 'em up here and you can see what's wrong with them for yourselves...!]

last nite we met for a monastic meal - nothing deeply spiritual, but more a chance to welcome esther, james & leesun back from their various travels. it was just good to be together sharing baked potatoes and eating sue's chocolate guiness cake again...

extension news - the first fit electrics and plumbing are all pretty much done now, and a lot of plasterboard is up. two velux windows are in and glass for the three small front windows is due to arrive this week. there is even talk of the shower being fitted soon, whilst bits of toilet and a heated towel rail have been spotted. it feels like progress!

top songs on the iTunes today - 'eighties fan' by camera obscura and van morrison's 'bright side of the road'...

"...old age is just around the bend..."

some of life's milestones arrive with a lot of expectation and fanfare. others just kind of creep up on you. yesterday eddie was 10 [ten!].
he's into double figures.
he's been with us a whole decade now and we love him. he's an incredible kid and he makes me enormously proud.
his birthday also makes us feel suddenly quite old - but in a good way [mostly]... so the three songs that are on my iTunes playlist today are elbow's 'newborn', 'when i go deaf' by low, and death cab for cutie's 'the sound of settling' because in their own way they all celebrate the ageing process...

i'm also reflecting on my parenting i guess. being a dad is the hardest thing that i've ever done.
some days i make a hash of it. some days i manage it ok, and i think that ed's turning out alright, in spite of my efforts...!
yesterday i was thinking back to when we lived down in thame and were part of a big anglican church; there were some great people there, including a whole load of older couples with older kids who'd been there and done it all - people who we looked up to and drew a lot of inspiration and encouragement from...
here in leeds we don't really have those older friends - we've got to know some really amazing and energizing folk up here and i love the can-do attitude of the mates we've made here in leeds - but we're probably the oldest familied-up couple in our friendship group... sometimes it feels like we're looking up a road and there's no-one else up ahead of us...
there are times when i really miss having the likes of steve and moira, terry and carole, ian and gail, richard and barbie, the webbs, ken and debbie, and clive and chezzle around... friends who've walked this parenting path and made a good job of it...

anyway, that's enough of the maudlin introspection - here are some pictures to look at...

floodgates opening...

i have sold a t-shirt!



you can go see what else i have on sale and enhance your wardrobe with one by clicking the 'go buy a t-shirt' link on the right there (i only hope that you don't get injured in the rush...)

still busy...

...so, just to keep things ticking over on here, here's a few things that i've been working on of late...

[apologies again for the weird colour thing going on here - anyone know what's going on with that? if you do, let me know!]

been away

as ever, no posts indicates that i've got lots of work on.

and also, in this instance, it's because we were away in dorset for half-term with some very good mates - jim, beth, minty, claire, stumps and sarah and our collection of variously deranged kids... marvellous. much alcohol was consumed, beaches were visited and a good time was had by all.

in the meantime this is something that i completed just before we left - i'm hoping to get around to posting some other stuff next week sometime (don't hold your breath on that one...)