summer2?

thought I best post again as the weather has improved almost proper sunshine today.

a bath weekend

just back from a weekend in bath, well friday to sunday. we camped and met up with family as it was about 3 hours drive away from all of us so a central location within the uk.

spend most of the time dodging the rain, and I spent lots of time sitting/lying down reading, at the campsite.

bath is such a inspiring place it didn't matter that the weather wasn't great.

saturday evening view

glastonbury again

I can't believe that its glastonbury weekend again and I still have never been, one of those things I have always meant to do but never done. other festivals yes but probably the best and I have never managed to get it sorted (and its only a couple of hours up the road from me), perhaps next time if the rumours of this being that last one are wrong. I have been to the place more than a few times but at a different time of year from the festival. I have just watched editors on the bbc have to say I really enjoyed them. good coverage as well. I will wave as I drive by on my way up to sussex this weekend and hope that the weather gets better for all the festival goers. pictures courtesy of the bbc.

it's snow >> 2 years ago

two years ago this weekend we had an unusual event for this part of the country (cornwall) in that snow pretty much stopped everything. I was at work but got snowed in as the weather didn't come in until about 8.30am so others were stuck on their way to work.
it was unusual as being the warmest part of mainland uk, the mild air normally stops the snow from staying very long.
this photo is taken from my desk looking towards the sea, and even got some other pictures published by the bbc on their web site.

it was also the day that the only two snow ploughs the area of cornwall I live in skidded into each other, but that is another story.

surf blogs >> I have been looking at

really like this blog sissyfish I have checked it a few times over the last few weeks and I really find it interesting and calming, run by chum from portland, oregon, us. a painter, illustrator and scribe holed up in the pacific northwest. hopelessy addicted to sliding on frigid waters and "talking story." (his words) I can relate to that.

another site I like to check is surfysurfy, especially when they post pictures of boards like the one below.
a flextail quad 'mashup' shaped by Ian Zamora and Dennis Kane.
just a couple of the many really interesting takes on when the world of surfing and the internet collide. I have more for another day.

maybe >> ?

maybe it is because still in the back of my mind somewhere amongst the rubble are the years of study at art school three of which were specialising in textile and fashion (remember I left in 1982 so a lot has changed). but the sight of washing especially light colours in sunshine makes me think of openness to fresh ideas as if I was starting work on a final design, working on cartridge paper with gouache in the days before computers were in charge.

maybe it reminds me of sunny days spent in rural sussex as a child, and the influence of the people and places I grew up with, I don't know.
whatever it is just walking round the corner of where I live now and seeing this made me think, maybe?

good books >> a paper full sunday

I normally (and today was no different) fill my home and my head with newspapers most days but especially on sunday. newspapers are full of so much to see, or look at. I think there is a big difference, we have a choice as to what we look at.

two publications caught my eye today, whilst the howies summer catalogue is not a sunday publication I had put it aside to look at today, well worth it simply because as usual the design and production is in my opinion very good. the website is a joy to navigate as far as I am concerned.













the observer book of the weather (free with the observer today) is not just a good well designed informative book but it even quotes from far from the madding crowd (the joys of spring) thomas hardy, so it will bound to find a place on this blog.

rugby >> owens party >> sky

on a day when the rain came down so hard they had to get all the competitors (10 tors competion) off dartmoor because of the flood danger, after the most unbelievable amount of rain falling in a short time down here in the west country.
it was time to get to the rugby club for owen's birthday, great fun and some great rugby lessons learnt from the big guys it was sunny for all, well almost all of the time.
I could have stuck some pictures of the rugby or the ground or hot faces after playing hard but as the party finished one of the little sisters of the rugby guys let go of her balloon I thought it would be good to have a picture of that, so I took some this is one.

you can't live on a view?

I think I am really lucky the picture below (taken 10 minutes ago) is the view from the window that I have my currently incredibly messy desk next to. I think it is one of the best views in the whole area, the weather in not too good today and the light is very flat. on a clear sunny day I can see the sea, the harbour mouth and the fishing boats in the bay.



I had a good friend, I only met her as an elderly lady. I visited regularly in her later years both in her home and in the old peoples home she eventually had to move to. she was a wonderful font of information I remember her telling me that she saw the council putting up the first set of traffic lights in cornwall and people drove miles just to see them. as well as passing her driving test in 1939 after already been driving for a few years, as she told me the driving test wasn't compulsory then?!


her room over looked a fantastic view not unlike the one on this page, except hers was more dramatic, as the sea was closer, the cliff edges of south cornwall were clearly viable the only disruption to the view were livestock in the fields. I used to gaze out of the window happily always looking for something new, very often finding it. I always enjoyed the visits to listen to her stories whilst watching the place where the land and the sea meet.


something she said has stayed with me for the years since she passed away, however much I enjoyed looking out through her picture window, she always said to me, 'you can't live on a view, it is people that matter'.
I think she was probably right.

today >> just one of those days

I am not going to bore you with my stuff today. only to say the picture above was taken tonight from my front garden. that was a good bit of the day, so how can I possibly complain!

what more surfing >> design has not been forgotten

I feel a bit bad/lazy having two posts in a row with a video from youtube in them.
gabes sent me the link and it made me feel so happy I had to share it.
it has such a great feel about it really makes me remember just how many great days at the beach I have had with hopefully many more to come.
even the song is written by: (b. gallagher/g. lyle), who funnily enough I went to see at the brighton dome in 1976, with due reverence to davidthedesigner's post today with the fabulous stevie wonder youtube clip, giving me an idea.
granted gallagher & lyle live was not the best concert I have ever been to but the surf film is so good and the music fits it.



strange then at the same time I was in deep consideration about some of the interesting thoughts muted by digital nomad & others got side tracked in to looking at fusionview however both blogs are well worthy of a look.

I am the one who introduced the 'innovation equation' you know (insight/ideas/impact) in to the conversation but I do like the idea that information + experience = knowledge taken directly from soho-quest friday the 13th post.

perhaps I should watch the donavon frankenreiter (green board-shorts) & rob machado (multi coloured board-shorts) surf clip again? yes, do you I think I will.

lazy day >> but still posted this

I have been so lazy today all I did was played a bit of very light rugby outside in the sunshine for a while with the my boys. then searched to see if there was any beach to go for a surf. we didn't go any where looked a bit crowded and small.

I know it maybe strange for someone who runs and updates a surf website every day (me) surf98. I live on one side of cornwall and rely on not just computers and forecasts but real people to check that my reports are correct for the other side if I am not going. no-one was around today don't blame them lovely day and beaches to sit on, etc.

I found this link that's really cool not only can you look at the surf on a north coast beach but you can control the web cam as well just when its busy you have to wait your turn is good fun click this

I know Mr Nielsen doesn't like a link to use the 'click this' but still.

saturday people >> we won

me and my family (except luca back in brighton hopefully revising for his exams) went to the rugby in really warm sunny saturday weather. to watch an always well contested local derby and the biggest crowd of the season also, so a few thousand other people had the same idea. our team won, though it was much closer and more exciting than the score of 19-9 suggests. there was no trouble on the terraces, no hassle parking and walking around the ground was fun. I thought I would take some pictures, during half time to document what it was/is like amongst the crowd. all people there were there to support their teams avidly. there was no segregation of fans but cheering, shouting and even heckling, with opposing fans standing next to each other with only friendly light teasing.
as our team won my lot where very happy as of course I was.
I like these pictures as they are just people, people who I don't know, people who tonight having shared the same experience of watching their team win or lose. they could be happy or sad. they could have been dragged there by someone else and couldn't care less.
I am not someone who looks for crowds or likes crowded places. I prefer space but I like rugby and I like watching good rugby and I did today.

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.

short but sweet >> calm >> beach time

I have been chasing my tail for the last few weeks sort of achieving. I have so many different design projects in the air and combined with the hectic workload of a teacher to think about I don't seem to be as productive even as successful as I would like...
I am really missing an important part of my life.
I hardly have had time (or when I have had time) I haven't bothered to even go to the beach.
I am so lucky in that I can walk to a really beautiful cove (takes about 8 minutes!) but I haven't got near to even visiting it. yes the weather has been cold and wet, and its dark and I could go on listing any other number of excuses.
I am in no way complaining or moaning even if it sounds like it I fully realise just how lucky I am. however I need to motivate myself to get out to the beach, even though I can't surf at the moment because of the shoulder problem I can and should still be able to enjoy the feel and smell and look of the ocean.
I will add to this post in the morning until then I am going to rest from the hypnotic power of this amazing media and turn my computer off.

don't look into the sun >> two busy days ahead

only a short post tonight, seems like a few people today have 'bloggers block'. it is not that I have nothing to say more that I have a whole heap of other stuff to do, I even updated all my other bits and pieces on the web early tonight in order to post a good thoughtful one. sorry but that just didn't happen I just don't have the time well that is my excuse.

I have got two days of teaching enterprise education ahead and am trying to organise some video content for them in an effort to make them even more thoughtful and creative. I enjoy doing them but it is very mind demanding, so is off to read some more of 'sticking widsom', (yes I know its old news but I like the security it builds in my creative thought process and enables me to be silly) and build on my well worn creative skills to try and meet the challenge of 40 students wanting to suck me & mike minds dry of ideas.

the pictures are incidental (or not) I was waiting in the bright spring light this afternoon, and wondered what it would look like if I took a picture of the sun, (I wasn't looking directly at the sun I just pointed the camera to the sky) I think the result is quite nice. remember don't look into the sun!

sky >> I like big sky >> art?

I have always been interested in the weather especilly the effect it has on the sky and the sea. tonight we had a really excellent sky I watched too long and actually forgot to take pictures, well until it was a bit late but still you get the idea from the images posted. the one on the right is taken standing on my front door step.
it is such a shame I am often so disappointed when I search for good landscape/skyscape pictures across world of digital land to use in project with my students. so many the web sites you come across tend to be too text happy and if not just want to sell you an art print!

art print I am really unhappy with that term it is almost suggesting that the photo prints they art selling are art just because they are pretty. tell you what a simple look through any number of flickr accounts (of supposed amateurs) will show you more 'art' and a some (most) of them you can download and use for free, obviously following creative commons rules.
I like creative commons I know on this blog I withold the use of my work for others to make money from I think that is fair enough, however on my flickr I will happily allow (use as long as it is credited) to make as much money as they can.

I had to post this last image (sunday afternoon on the A30 near bodmin) just because I love the neat arrangement of safety cones, but it is an image it isn't art is it?

special note: I do realise that art is a definition I am not really feel qualified to make. having never considered my self an artist I do feel qualified to make judgment on what I see, and think about what I am looking at.

going a bit botanical >> sunlight

it was nice to come home to find amongst the bank statements and my orange mobile bill a brown envelope containing a copy of 'digital diversity' a catalogue published for the exhibition of 'digital botanical illustrations' by niki simpson in collaboration with peter barnes at the botanishches museum berlin-dahlem, berlin.

it was sent to me by davidthedesigner, of celsuis (thanks david) as I was one of 5 winners of his great friday givaway competition last week. david mentioned when I contacted him earlier in the week that my interest in flowers was blossoming! (I think he must be correct) a coincidence perhaps? but before I went into my house to collect the post this afternoon, I spent a good 40 minutes taking the photos that accompany this blog.

I was scrambling around in the front garden because the sun was shining across the plants. I spent most of the time lying on the wet muddy grass desperately trying to get the right amount of sunlight to shine through to show the greenness of the different plants (it was good fun!).
as I mentioned before I have never really been that interested in flowers and never referenced them in any design work previously but I can't seem to get enough of them at the moment, well as far as images and photos anyway.
I must be getting in touch with my flowery / green / botanical side!

photography >> surfing

I am going to make this a short post returning to a passion that I have. I must have taken hundreds and hundreds of pictures of the ocean and surfing and the beach. I never can quite capture the
way it was.

rob machado

joe curren

as with most things there are people who provide inspiration perhaps aspiration but whatever the reason I just like their work for no other than because I do.

paul kennedy

it is not the just technical quality of the photos/imagery but the feeling they project. some day I will be able to capture it but until then I will (as is so often said) 'just keep looking'.