Spooky

See the spooky spire in the spooky cemetery.... I didn't realise this was on our doorstep. Shame really as it's an absolutely fascinating cemetery but now frequented by ugly gay old men and tramps all looking for some 'me time'.

I think the Vicorians just buried their dead there and then forgot about the place. Abney Park remains a wonder, I wouldn't like to be caught there after dark.

Entertaining...

It's amazing how a week flew by without a single post. My idea was to write something everyday, but I realise that I just don't have the time or the inclination to just drivel away. A short catch up is of order, let me run you through the hustle and indeed the bustle of living in an urban connurbation.

Friday was a right laugh. I was looking forward to showing off the new pad off to the public and although Ian broke the seal, it was really Helen and Matt who took the prize. We shifted all the clutter from the desk and turned it into an actual proper dinner table, where I served a steak and guinness pie I had been cooking for two days!... Obviously it was amazing and I even jujjed it up with a comedy puff pastry penis on the pie crust. We were all talking about it, laughing, you know. and I was carried shoulder high around Stoke Newington for a good couple of hours afterwards. In reality it went down well and we got pissed on wine. Matt and Helen had brought a couple of bottles as well as profiteroles for afters... Which meant that the bread and butter pudding I had lovingly crafted from M&S needed to be eaten on Saturday morning for breakfast.

After breakfast Matt and Helen shuffled off, only to be replaced by Fal and Rach who May entertained all day whilst I stayed in watching films feeling a little delicate. By all accounts it was a lovely day and May took the girls to Clissold Park, the epicentre of all things smugly Stoke Newington. When they returned I levered myself off the sofa and out to get ingredients for dinner which according to Fal, was a 'lush' spaghetti bolognese. They tucked into the vodka before going out to the late licence Brazilian bar. I stayed in watching a documentary about Keith Moon.

On Sunday, May and myself had a small window of time to get some 'picky nibbles' (I hate those words!) from Whole Foods on Church Street, walk to the park and around the spooky cemetary before Ian came over to put the icing on the cake of a good weekend's entertainment.

A very lifty weekend

No rest for the wicked they say. No rest for the helpful either... Sometimes the guy who can't say no hurts in other ways, this time around it's not a hangover. Johnny Herbert came in his hire van quick smart Saturday morning, I suppose it's my just desserts for roping him in to help lift some of MY boxes three weeks ago.

Stopping off for the mandatory McDonalds en route (on Macdonalds Road!) we were soon over at his place. I'd never been there before, but heard all about it from people who had. It was as tiny as people had commented and didn't let me down. It wasn't quite a bedsit, he couldn't sit on his bed, watching telly and cooking beans. He had a mezzanine bed above the kitchenette, the toilet/wetroom beside that, and down the metal ladder, the living space. I think he'll be happier in his new place, it's bigger, brighter and all together a whole new kettle for his fish.

That evening May and I experimented with buses to take us to Angel and over to the cinema to see Slumdog Millionaire. I thought it was well deserved of  it's oscars and the trickle of tears down my cheeks... I always cry at films. Quite embarrassingly I even shed a few whilst watching Ratatouille a couple of months ago!  Strange though as I'm not a blubber normally.

Anyhow, On Sunday I met up with Herbert again as he needed my help lifting and I needed a lift to Ikea. We were wandering around the showroom together like a couple of gays. More embarrassing than crying at a Disney film! May was getting frazzled so I came home and helped her Photoshop and Illustrator as we chuckled though Come Dine With Me.

A very lifty weekend, I ache today.

(By the way, the photo is of the Ting Tings tickets I was given on Friday. No-one wanted them, so I left them on the table at the Dignity.)

Doctors Orders

I've just finished the new Doctors Orders flyer for Rod the hip-hop sod. It was all quite rushed as these things often are, and this particular design found me finally powering down at 1am. I really should start these things sooner, but as I've said... Who does their homework the day it's set? No-one. I'm doing mine on the bus on the way to school.

Also check out the number. 28!... I've been doing these things for over three years, I should have some sort of retrospective. If I can only find the artwork!

Sushi with friends

After a busy weekend, May and myself were flagging slightly and also relatively fearful of a pre-planned evening out with a Whatley, catching up with Martin and Sandra who are over from Toronto for a few days. As it didn't need to get massively boozy, I did the decent thing and booked Asakusa in Mornington Crescent. It took us out of the pub and into the best sushi restaurant I know of. I'm happy we got a seat as that place is normally packed. You can imagine the look on Whatley's face when his teriyaki beef finally arrived. He'd already had a few pints and was starving hungry. We'd previously met in the pub round the corner, when Whatley presented himself I was killing time with a sukuko or two. It took a second, Whatley looked around noticed I was on my own and did 'The Laugh'. I'd not heard it for a while and it was warmly welcomed. Martin's fragile stomach dictated their late arrival, we said our hellos and all walked the short distance to sushi heaven. We ate and drank well, possibly making more noise than necessary for a Monday night, possibly pissing off the other punters in the process. Hey ho, Martin and Sandra are a lovely couple, as ever it was brilliant to catch up.

The 253 took myself and the by now snoozy May from directly outside the restaurant back to our door to rest easy. Easy.

School fun!

Saturday was brilliant. May and I travelled over to the Little house on Friday in preparation for Mick's birthday and what will be the only family party of the year. As this was the case, Mum went all out and on Saturday morning we found ourselves in the Littlehouse School of Excellence where we were expected to have completed our homework for assembly at 11am!

The day was planned and executed with aplomb. At one point, mum and Kyleigh changed out of their headmistress and geeky schoolkid outfits to assume the guise of Beryl and Ethel, the rather dim-witted and big-busted west-country dinnerladies. They served us up traditional, slightly overcooked school dinners, you can imagine every mouthful.

After dinner and after the graduation ceremony, the volume knob was turned up to 11 and we were invited to the school disco. Just what you need after several glasses of bubbly! The lights of the assembly hall were swapped for disco lights and we danced and sang along to everything from the fifties to the nineties. From Johnny B. Goode to Saturday Night by Whigfield. We collapsed early which is rare for a family party, maybe we'd worn ourselves out with all that homework!

One one the best, and definitely one for the family album! Good work!

Maggage

It's been all quiet on the blog front recently, it's not that there's no news to report, I've just been a lazy bastard. I've realised that if I don't tap in now, the details will be lost in the annuls of time like spaghetti slipping through the holes in a colander, I've just got to pick up that slithery memory before it slips down the plughole for ever.

So, last Thursday I went out with Maggie as I've not seen her for ages and a catch-up was long overdue. She's doing well for herself and as ever she amazed me with a couple of quiet bolts from the blue. It turns out she's recently been directing and rather than get into it through promo-work and short film, she's been producing for ages and now worked her way up to the heady height of director for various Coke commercials, one of which is taking her to New Zealand for a couple of weeks, a brief breather before she moves out there on a more permanent basis in September where she will concentrate on Pavlova - The Movie.

After the quick Vietnamese and some bring-your-own, Maggie had to head off and as I was in the area, met up with Nick of Debilitators fame. We played some pool, chatted band, watched some shit or other and then I came home later than expected.