Comedy of cruelty

I’m not sure I want to see the Borat movie. Watching nice well-meaning liberals humiliated because they don’t realise that Borat isn’t a real person is not my idea of fun. On the other hand were they paid a handsome compensation to have their embarrassment shown to millions of cinema-goers? And how much would I need to be an unwitting player in a Borat movie (I’m not deluded enough to think that I can’t be bought).

Lettering on buildings

This lettering is carved into the stone on a house on the Sandridge Road. I do love details like this.

Playing in Illustrator

London day out

Xavier and I went into London to buy Tom’s birthday present. We also visited the National Portrait Gallery. Although I would have dearly liked to have seen it, there was no point in spending money on the Hockney exhibition as a toddler tantrum could have made the visit very short-lived. We did however have fun looking at some of the (free) permanent exhibition. The Tudor gallery is one of my favourites – amazing to look at paintings that are 500 years old and still look wonderful. Xavier enjoyed rushing from gallery to gallery pointing out things to me – one of my favourites ‘Look Mummy, flying babies’. We also took a few minutes to participate in a Big Draw activity – contributing a drawing to

make a large-scale alternative version of the Beatles' 'Sargent Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band' album cover using drawing of historical sitters from the collections.

I cheated here as Xavier wanted me to draw him – not Queen Victoria. Anyway maybe whoever pastes the drawing in will think it’s one of those flying babies.
The simplest things in London can entertain a three year old, so we then looked at the fountains and lions in Trafalgar Square, had lunch at the nearby Spaghetti House and caught a red bus back to the train station. All of which, were enormous fun for Xavier. As I put him to bed I asked him what was the best thing about today – he told me it was the vanilla ice cream he had for pudding.

Last night’s TV

Helen Mirren in her last appearance as Jane Tennison in ‘Prime Suspect’. Nothing like a good murder story to help unwind.

Another young mother

It’s a wierd experience standing outside the nursery waiting for my child, knowing that many of the other mothers were the age of the children we are waiting for when Robin and I married.

Trees in Fairlands Valley Park, Stevenage

Trees painted while two of my boys battled it out in toppers on the lake.

Tom and Hugo racing today

Tom is in the boat in the foreground (number 4), Hugo is behind him (number 9)
and the boy who beat Tom for first place position is on the far left. This all took place in Stevenage – a town where I was reduced to tears when Robin suggested we buy our first house there. Fortunately we didn’t – it’s just as awful as I thought first time, though like many of these artificial ‘planned’ towns, the park is in fact a rather good amenity with lovely trees, lakes and children’s playgrounds.

Not just the picture

I was thrilled to receive my Wally Torta original , ‘Chicken Skewers’, today. Not only that but I received all this bonus material, an extra drawing, a postcard, a (used) concert ticket and a photo of a dog who's very pleased with her new rubber brush. Of course bonus material is posssiby only supplied to special customers like me. I am assuming it is bonus material and not that Wally's desk is something like mine and that he just skimmed off the top layer, shoved it in an envelope and posted it to me.

Anyways to buy an unbelievable bargain piece of art by a master blogger, head on over to Wally-Mart.

Mummies – and a Daddy

Another waiting mother

Patience is such a necessary virtue for being a mother as we wait and wait.

It’s worth queuing

If these people look miserable they probably have reason to. I was frozen after drawing outside so decided to treat myself to coffee and a bite to eat. Both Carluccio’s and Wagamama’s nearby, had long queues so I thought I’d try this place – which will remain nameless. I ordered a warm chicken salad. They must have employed a poet to write the menu, because it sounded tempting. However the salad consisted of very wet, flavourless iceberg salad, tomato and cucumber, some cubes of toast (that I think were supposed to be croutons) and some warm wet vinegary pieces of foam rubber (which by a process of elimination must have been the chicken). The whole thing was splattered with Heinz salad cream – the last time I was given that condiment was in the early seventies by an aunt who thought that garlic was the work of the devil. And it cost me just as much as a far better meal at the other two restaurants.Well I suppose it’s good to know despite the dramatic improvement in culinary standards here in the UK we still have a few traditional bastions of dire English food to entertain the tourists.

Market drawing

This lovely man is at St Albans market every Saturday – his speciality is singing songs for children.

Blind Contour First Friday – Scary

When Niff and Sutter invited us to ‘put on your scary faces and draw something that spooks you’ for Blind Contour First Friday, I did think of drawing my mother, however as none of you know what she looks like, I’ve chosen a more famous but similarly scary lady.

Policewoman taking statement

The stupid things some kids will do. However the process of reporting it is long and complex. You do feel wistful for a time when the local bobby just gave the local ne’er-do-wells a thick ear and hauled them round to their very angry parents.

Doodling

Goodness knows what this is all about.

The view from Jersey Farm woodland park

Playing in Photoshop with a picture from my other blog.