washing line again

it must be the time of year. I was taking photos of my son and his new room when the sight of the washing in the sunshine caught my eye had to re-visit and improve the image from before so here is another. to see pictures of the new room visit davidgeorge.tumblr

london weekend

we drove to london on saturday morning for a wedding reception in the evening back to cornwall on sunday. had a good time.

napo river >>

if you have read this blog in the last weeks you will know that my wife carol and youngest son ben have been in ecuador, south america in the last month. the reason for the visit was to be at carol's brothers wedding. having had a wonderful trip they are now back home in cornwall,
they managed a jungle trek staying for a few days in the rain forrest within the amazon basin. carol took many pictures this is just one of sunset on the napo river. while away carol took around 1000 photos some of which are fantastic so be sure a few more will find there way here. as will a good look at a genuine montecristi (panama) hat she got me while in manabi province.

this is where I wasn't >> today

I spoke to carol and ben last night they are still in ecuador and seem to be having a good time. they were at the coast at montanita a very famous surfing beach on the pacific. I searched a bit on you tube to find a clip of surf there and found this. the waves weren't this big for them but I think they managed to have some fun. along with alan and the newly-weds.

surf, sun, surf relief and much more >>

it has been a good weekend in cornwall. not just as there was a bit of swell, and a lot of sunshine. it was great to be part of the surf relief uk fundraising surf competition and festival at watergate bay sponsored by 'the white stuff'. we got there really early to ensure a parking space. I got a short surf in before the crowds and managed to snag myself a couple of good waves on the pushing tide as well as being a stand in surf coach for (south cornwall's) gabi rowe who was competing / finishing with a very credible 3rd place. I am proud of you gabi.
I was also able to see my youngest son ben get some excellent one to one surfing tips (and some waves), from pro-instructor andy joyce. so pleased with ben can see a future of many more days at the beach. we even ended up being interviewed for westcountry TV, with ben explaining how cool it was to be surfing, and me just being impressed at how much he learnt in such a sort time.

surf relief UK (SRUK), formed in january 2005 to help co-ordinate the UK surfing communities’ response to the asian tsunami of boxing day 2004. check their web site to see al the stuff that they are doing for children and surfers all over the world.

we stayed late in to the night to see 90's band (still producing new music) stereo mc's and whilst they are not a band on the top of my most listened to on my ipod in fact they are not even on it. for the event, the sunset and the festival goers they were very good indeed. 

had to add this picture emailed to me from dave read of russell winter (ex-wct competitor) winner of the main event. picture: jason feast / UKPSA

noise awareness day >>

strange but a few years ago I would have hardly noticed that it was noise awareness day today. I never really thought about it. my hearing is ok, my tolerance to certain noises is becoming more noticeable. things like ill fitting ipod headphones leaking sound or a nintendo ds too loud or even the TV turned up too loud (for me any-way).

the main reason I even thought about noise awareness day is because of my son (ben) he cannot hear in the same way as me or perhaps you. he is classed as deaf and needs hearing aids. I am amazed that people think that hearing aids return his hearing to normal whatever that is they don't. all things considered he does very well indeed in a hearing world. hearing sound or silience is so important. perhaps the best thing we can do today (if possible) is be able to listen to the silience.

space >> lego >> david bowie?

ben likes this, I like this, lego is so cool. mix it with david bowie well it's very interesting and good fun.

all a bit of a rush >> space

it has all been a bit busy on the 'house of george' in the last few days I am almost looking forward to going back to teaching stuff next week as it will be a bit less stressful, well it probably won't but it feels like that today.
my eldest son luca has moved from brighton to live with us while he goes to college which is really nice so I have spent a lot of the day organising a room partition so that he has his own much needed space. as well as putting up a new bedroom wall light for my youngest son ben, the partition made his space a bit dark. all pretty routine for most people I know but still, I don't really do d.i.y. unless its painting walls which I enjoy.

anyway I have very nearly thought myself to sleep today. so I wanted to put up a picture just to make me remember just why I choose to live in the area I do, and surprisingly it is not a surf picture.

it's one carol took yesterday while she was walking on the moors with ben and her mum (who has been down for a few days from south yorkshire). it shows the space we are luckily enough to live near never mind room partitions.

I haven't disapeared >> Dr Who

I haven't disappeared, as all of you will know sometimes things just get too busy. this time it was a positive, had to drive all over last night (picking up a new car, well new to me) didn't get home til very late and was ben's 9th birthday (on friday).

I am amazed at his obsession with the bbc TV program dr who. and he is not alone at all in his peer group. As a child I did watch it and as an adult I have watched a couple of episodes with him and actually fallen asleep much to his disgust.
the products available are scarey and as he is so captivated by the programme friends and relatives have joined in the buying dr who stuff. he now has a dr who lunchbox, as well as dr who cards, a cyberman that is movement activated, as well as a dalek computer game, never mind four different versions of the tardis.

I have to say the merchandising of the programme is incredible, some-one is making a lot of money, just from the amount of stuff ben has!

>> glastonbury

every year I think this year I will go to glastonbury festival, and yet again I haven't gone. I seem to be the only person I know who hasn't been. even ben and carol went in 2003, that's when ben was only 5 years old. but I was too busy with work as usual.
I found out yesterday that the husband of a work colleague (who is famous in the car industry) has been almost every year and this year he has gone in their big motor-home that sounds a good idea especially with the mud.

I hope to go next time (camping) with the idea that hopefully all the separate parts of my family meeting up through the weekend, any way enough of that pipe dream.
check the links for more information. I hope its a good, if muddy weekend.
I will be watching on TV.

glastonbury festivals
music guardian
guardian, blogs, glastonbury festival

corny >> predictable

yes I know this picture is corny and even predictable.
so to set the scene I was rushing home to get in take the dog out, change and rush out again to go and collect ben from the child minders. I was late, as I had spent time at work sorting out .pdf files that were part of re-structuring a web site using a more naturally creative way of doing things. the basis of the idea was to save time for the user by making the front end intuitive and useable so that everything they need is on one page, only what they choose is downloaded so making the website very readable and text light.
any-way in my rush, cross with the rain and the sun at the same time I just glanced at the grasses and noticed the tiny droplets of water. I had to take a photo without my proper camera handy I only had my blackberry. the camera on it is ok so I took some pictures, this is just one.
I thought a while the colours and the water made me relax a little, I stopped rushing still got to the child minders in plenty of time to get ben, happier for the tiny break to look at something corny and predictable, oh well that's me then.

two things >> one very achey man

I did two things today

1, I played in a game of rugby parents (I was one) versus the team (children, ben was one) I hurt a lot now but I am very glad that I played I even scored a try, and protected my shoulder with my face! after the game the royal navy air sea rescue helicopter visited publicity / recruitment that sort of thing.














2, I went to the 'favourite beach' where I realised that the grasses I love and grow in my garden are the same grasses that grow on that beach. I had never noticed it before and I have been to that particular place / beach probably many hundreds of time since I was a small child.

back to normal >> if there is such as thing

well enough about the complexity of my family and the posts of the last two days.
back to some observations.
I was in of all places tesco today and was very surprised (I started as a fashion/textiles designer in 80's when ms hamnett was a fashion icon) a katharine hamnett display, in tesco.
it made me think I was surprised perhaps I should not have been but as I no longer follow the fashion business from the inside as my work has lead me to a different side of the business.

I really only get my information from looking about me and reading stuff. I don't have to go to trade fairs that tell the designers what the yarn company's and the colour forecasting company's will be telling what colours will be available the following year and then design stuff for between 18 months to 2 years ahead. which is a bonus as far as I am concerned.

I thought a lot over a tesco coffee (the ham salad was for ben) about whether katharine hamnett had sort off sold out to have a collection of her clothes (well clothes that she adds her name to) on a rack in the largest retailer in the country famous for under cutting other mass-market sellers/supermarkets. even allegedly producing the £3 pair of jeans, which you can buy in the same store using cheap (I did not say slave labour) labour at that price it would nave to be cheap,
the selling points of the tesco/hamnett range is that the E in the name is for ethical, all clothes carry the fair-trade mark and are 100% organic.

I have come to the conclusion that I agree with her, even bought a 'choose love' 100% organic cotton hoody (for carol).

family eating out >> pizza express, starbucks

today we were in our city again, first to starbucks then after a good look around the shops and the new mall! rather too long in waterstones looking at books is so unbelievably absorbing. as me, carol, gabes (13) and ben (8) were all totally engrossed in books for ages. all we bought was a dr who book (ben) and a small model of stonehenge (don't ask).
we decided to go to eat, now I have probably as much trouble finding somewhere to eat as the fussiest child. I don't eat any meat or cheese but I have started to eat fish in the last few years, so starbucks is fine for a coffee and a snack.
I have always liked italian food and much as english style pizza especially at pizza express is not really italian in the true sense well it is close, much like starbucks isn't only a little coffee shop I am prepared to buy into the world of a corporate money making image. if it tastes ok, does not harm any one, does at least something positive (fair trade coffee, for example) and is designed well.

pizza express is somewhere I can remember going to as a child, it has been around since the mid sixties I know that italian interior designer enzo apicella designed a lot if not all of their restaurants and the corporate identity / logo. I was looking at their logo today while enjoying the meal all with the rest of us and I am sure that is has changed over the years, I have no basis for this just I think it looks different than it did in the 70's. does anyone know if I am right?
any way thats all except to say the idea of having a children's menu at last is nice especially bambinoccino a bit corny but ben liked it.

surf-time >> even if there is no surf

strange how having some-one around who is keen to find out about something that you are obsessed with. gabriel my 13 year old son is staying with us for the school easter break and he has started to become interested in surfing not through any major influence form me I have purposely kept away from pushing any of my children in any particular direction. (though obviously if I go on about stuff enough things rub off, gabes also has a rather nice mechanical pencil).
He has spent the last day and a bit asking question after question about when I started surfing and what I did when I was in Spain or France and how big was the biggest wave I have ever surfed, to be honest I love it but I have also got to get the surf article written for the new magazine only got about 700 words I need a minimum of 2000, they are hoping for more.

I relented and did something I prefer not to do with my children (sticking them in front of the TV). I put on some surfing videos from the era of surfing that I grew up with so that I could get on with writing but I ended up watching the films with gabes, and I spent most of the time talking through them he didn't seem to mind.
so I haven't done anything except spent some really good time with him watching 'old school' surfing videos. that isn't a bad way to spend and evening.

I love the way the surfing film became influential as far as lighting, colour and concept, being outdoors, often not telling a story, even creating such quality/inventiveness from pretty much always limited funds.
the surf movie was not often under funded because there wasn't the corporate sponsorship seen so often on the 00's. films were often made by surf obsessed hobbyists, and even some successful surfers would pay for a film to be made with the winnings of a surf contest, including them of course.
the visual impact of the all films we watched tonight was incredible considering they were made more than 35 years ago! it was really nice to see surf films without product placement and sponsors logo stuck all over the place. two stand out as classics crystal voyager and the morning of the earth I fully understand they are not to every ones taste but if you are involved in surfing they are must.

shame really I would have liked to gone surfing tomorrow but the ocean has already decided for us as currently cornwall is not getting any surf and is unlikely to get any before the weekend, but hey that is the way of surfing and part of its attraction. not like football were you all arrange to meet at a certain time and have a game, surfing has its own unique way you surf when the ocean says, I like that, I really like that.

sunshine >> good to see gabes >> a bit like summer

it felt like summer today as we drove across cornwall on a trip to sort out some quite important stuff, we were running late as I had all off a sudden started working on the surfing article this morning (has to be done by the 5th) and carol was waiting for the post.
then over to dhl in north cornwall to pick up a new body glove wetsuit courtesy of surfgirl magazine for carol.
then back down to the city (in devon) for me to sort out my broadband account with orange and pick up a new phone. sorry people but its a blackberry I know probably more than half the people reading this will be waiting for the i-phone (from apple) to reach the uk, but I have to think about the service I use and what I need.
in cornwall if I want to get information from the beach by email I need a phone that I can do that with. I know that blackberry work predominantly with a windows user in mind and the rim technologies are again set to work with microsoft. I got the 8100 so a small phone, and to my eyes at least a nice looking phone, be interesting to see if it is any good?


the indulgence of the day was another visit to mcdonalds for the second time this year, it was my son ben (8) who wanted to go. I was surprised that they accommodated my strange dietary needs, I am vegetarian and don't eat cheese anymore, as you can see from the picture it looks a little odd but it tasted fine, I just can't help fueling the all these american monsters.

then towards evening we went to met gabes another of my sons from his coach journey. he had been on a coach since 9 in the morning and had pretty much seen the whole of the south coast of the uk on route to cornwall. all things considered it was a successful day. that's better much better.

one of those days >> thinking too much?

I have been so unproductive today, I can't think it was just because the clocks moved forward or we had to get to falmouth for ben's rugby match (his team won again). we were a bit late as well as had to relying on the sat-nav to get us there which in its self quite interesting.

all the time I was involved and watching the game but thinking about the ideas I have for the hub again as well as trying to work out why the mp3 recordings I have been gathering for the podcast dgthekneelo.podbean aren't working properly. since I have been not getting round to doing stuff by finding other things to do that don't really need to be done, so as you can imagine I haven't got anywhere. in a way it has been an OK day though, I can't expect every day to be the way I want it to be.

I have had one of the least creative days for ages. I did manage to achieve something I found a nice place for coffee in truro. I also bought a nice new cup to drink it from when I got home.
oh yes I bought some good coffee as well.

sunday >> thought & consideration is not a weakness

strange really that I should feel guilty about not writing the blog I had planned for first yesterday and then today, I am afraid that one will have to wait for another time probably when have just returned from a heavy teaching day and feel fresh from presenting (good or bad).

I must just thank micky from france for the love of the sponge bob character. micky has been chasing me around the internet today, through my flickr, this blog and my surf web site never quite meeting me. but we will sort it.

any way to todays post, sunday and mothers day so a called to my mother in sussex (luckly the cornish flowers had arrived), after ben had presented his card to carol and some freshly picked flowers from the garden we (ben & me) had made a special vase from a powerade bottle!
then as usual I was off to rugby with ben he (I hope) loves it, I am still terrified that I am one of those pushy parents who because I liked something expect my children to like it as well.

I wanted to document the weather we had in pictures but to be honest I found it difficult to get it the wind was so strong as was the sun and then the hail I hid in the car when that came down.
I just really appreciated today what a fantastic place I live in when I can see all these things in one day never mind four seasons in one day it was more like a weather show with a rugby training match going on a bit of reading the sunday paper nice cd today (love the thom yorke songs) and trying to get my shoulder less painful (another story, seeing hospital consultant tomorrow). so apart from the last bit a really good start to the day.
even at the end when ben got the ball full in the face he was still happy, though a little disappointed that he wasn't going to have a back eye!



ok matey! what is this ramble all about well I was ready to be all academic and try to explain how through two days of concentrated teaching the way of education in this country should and will change. I am still firmly committed to this. but I had forgot that we have to have time to think, go outside feel the hail! the cold of a NW wind and enjoy the big sky, in order to except differing opinion and actually think.

that said it made me realise I am coming from a position of enormous privilege so before putting my thoughts to the blog I should for once make a fundamental change in me and consider much like I should do all the time with ben (not just in rugby), so that he is not in the position of having a ongoing problem with his shoulder also.

sunday rugby >> mods & rockers

I had no idea that when I went over to newquay, (surfcity uk), cornwall to take ben to play rugby today. that I would be writing about mods & rockers when I got home. it was in the car park as we work leaving that I caught site of this scooter (left), the owner was very busy on the phone so I didn't talk to him but the machine was original and had been painstakingly restored I had to get a picture.

I grew up near brighton (actually born in brighton) on the sussex coast of the uk but I am just a bit too young to have been involved in the mods versus rockers battles during the mid 60's. I remember we always had to park the car (my dad had a grey vw beetle 1200) away from the seafront when we went to the beach on holiday weekends, as cars parked on right next to the sea often got sometimes got damaged. I remember very clearly noticing a real difference in the way people dressed, and just how incredibly import it was we used to talk about it at school one thing we did do was wear our caps in different ways to show which we were, I will leave you to decide which I thought were cooler, have to say it has changed over the years.

I also remember my mother speaking of her surprise that those nice, clean, modern dressers (mods) would want to get involved in fights!
I am sure some of you will be too young to remember or for that matter understand the difference between a mod or a rocker, nor will you care whether the scooter in the picture was a vespa or a lambretta. even that the size of the turn-up on your (italian) suit trousers had to be a certain size (mods), or how long you had worn your 'oily jeans' (rockers).
I love the fact that one person on a scooter can bring back such clear visual memories of my childhood days in brighton.
See film clips

a walk to the shop >> then I noticed the signs

it is funny that I genuinely have no idea what i am going to add to this blog for day to day.
today I was at home with my 8 year old son ben it was a lovely sunny day in cornwall. ben decided it would be nice to go out for a walk in the sun, good idea.
we walked along the road, very near where we live the road I drive out of every working day. strange that you notice different things when you walk, as soon as I saw the first sign a real cast metal sign (top left) that is probably older than me I thought of davidthedesigner he would have approved.
we went to the shop and bought some lunch and ice cream I even had a milk shake as it was buy 1 get 1 free (won't be doing that again) at least ben loved his strawberry milky thing.
we left the shop to be met by the second photo (top right). already i was thinking again of david and also ben of noisy decent graphics.
when we turned into the road we live in another sign greeted us (bottom left) I was amazed that I have driven, sometimes walked by these signs nearly every day and not really noticed them before (& I consider my self visually aware!). at least as I walked towards my home I was reassured that my chimney that I really like (bottom right) I know many in the area don't like delabole slate used in this way and regard it as is ugly, but ugly or not the craftsmen that made it as the craftsmen who made the first sign actually cared. the same can't be said of the other signs.