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26 January 24
I got a bit carried away with Valentine’s Day this week, and didn’t get enough time for the list, sorry.
Photos
Thank you to Jez, who sent me this photo and told me he was dying. So I replied to him in the best way I could, and it turns out I’d misread his message and he was djing. He’s a DJ and he’s very much alive. Sorry Jez, and thanks for the photo.
And thank you to Brian and his mates, having a beer for the man himself, Shane. Rest in Peace Shane MacGowan.
See more lovely faces in Skwiggles T-Shirts right here
If you’ve been to a concert, or just have a good photo of you in your Skwiggles T-Shirt, let me know and I’ll put your lovely face above.
Our Diary
Here’s the key points from this week.
Friday
I’m getting a bit fed up of him now, I wish he’d either go up or down.
The little trip hazard.
Saturday
My daughter Jen went to Paris for the weekend. She had a great idea. She invited everyone who was going on the trip to come to our house at 2.00 in the morning to sort the bags out before they drove to the airport for their 7.00am flight. The living room is just below our bedroom.
They were messing about for an hour, which at 2.00am equates to 7 hours. As you can see Diane woke from a restful sleep around 8.00 am wondering if they’d gone yet.
I couldn’t help but say ‘Watch out for bed bugs’ as they left. Was that mean?
Sunday
My other daughter, Hannah, got the last train back to Edinburgh before Storm Isha decided it was too dangerous for travel. In the afternoon, I turned into that old guy who says things like ‘In the olden days we’d have said it was a bit drizzly and put our big coats on etc etc’.
Two hours later, when I was wrestling with garden furniture that was trying to jump over our fence, I retracted those comments.
Monday
Here’s what happened the next day. Norman’s favourite walk ruined.
Tuesday
And the next day I spotted Storm Jocelyn coming in.
And our garden furniture got scared again.
Wednesday
Since me mam broke her arm she’s got assertive (bossy). Before the break, we used to go to Keswick on Wednesday afternoons, have some lunch, wander by the lake, have a coffee and a scone and come home.
Now it’s all hands to the pumps when I go round. Here’s my itinerary for this Wednesday:
- Take tops of jars.
- Delete stupid idiots who appear on her Facebook feed (‘Why do they appear here when I haven’t asked them? Get them off immediately’).
- Phone about car insurance.
- She lost her spare door keys, so I had to go and get some new ones cut.
- Drive her to the sea to watch the waves.
- Weekly Tesco shop, mostly packets of mini Magnums.
- Go to the doctor’s to make an appointment for her.
- Get eco-friendly detergent from Dunelm.
- Phone the doctor’s because she was doing something else on the day I booked first time (and why didn’t I know that?).
- 45 mins in a phone queue for the doctor’s, until I got cut off.
- Drive back to the doctor’s to change the appointment because it’s quicker than phoning
- Get prescriptions from chemist.
- Take bins out
She might’ve had a break, but I’m certainly not.
Thursday
Look at this.
After a million years tumbling through space, it’s finally hit a planet. Incredibly Earth, just round the corner from me, Luke Skywalker’s hand.
Norman thinks he can smell the most important, beautiful, magical, saggy old cloth cat in the whole wide world
That’s it for now, have a great week. Come back soon.
Ian and Diane
19 January 24
I got one done from the list this week, you’ll be glad to know.
Photos
This guy is a superstar in the making. Not only is he stylish (Skwiggles T-Shirt) but his mum says he can play better than Angus. Thank you Mum, Becca, for sending this in, and thank you Sam for looking amazing.
There’s nothing better than a cup of tea in your favourite chair, wearing your favorite Skwiggles T-Shirt, looking at your favourite Skwiggles print. That’s what I think, and so does Tracy’s Ted. Thank you Tracy.
And thank you to Richard at the Moving Pictures gig in Aberdeen. I missed them when they came to Carlisle, but Richard said they were superb, so I need to go next time.
See more lovely faces in Skwiggles T-Shirts right here
If you’ve been to a concert, or just have a good photo of you in your Skwiggles T-Shirt, let me know and I’ll put your lovely face above.
Our Diary
Here’s the key points from this week.
Friday
What can of creature walks like this?
A boingy dog, a two-legged jumping cat? A bird with the legs of a lion?
Saturday
I had a walk with Norman today. It was busy, so I used AI to have a more peaceful walk.
Norman was disappointed when we got to the top. We’d walked for an hour for a lovely view over Derwent Water, then the clouds came down
So I drew the view in for him
Sunday
I was thrilled to see a Smiley Sand Worm this morning. You usually only see the tracks, rare for it to pop its head out. Wow.
Despite what it looks like it’s a vicious killer.
Monday
After I painted the Tardis last week, I got this brilliant picture from a customer, this is her front door:
And apparently, it’s a lot bigger on the inside than it looks.
Tuesday
Me mam lost £50. I took it out of the bank for her, then at the cashpoint I started talking to a woman I vaguely knew, then we left and the £50 was nowhere to be seen. I was the last one to see the £50, and I’m glad me mam isn’t a judge or I’d be banged up right now.
No one knows where the £50 went.
I’m still prime suspect.
Wednesday
I did this scribbly sketch of Lemmy yonks ago
Thursday
I took me mam to the hospital for an X-ray on her arm. It’s like Disney, we started in Zone 3 waiting room, got excited when we got moved to Zone 4 thinking we were getting sorted, then we got moved to Zone 1 for the X-ray before getting moved back to Zone 3 to see the consultant. It was a tonne of fun and three hours. Not sure what happens in Zone 2 but disappointed I didn’t get to see it.
I did this sketch on my phone in Zone 1 when I started to get bored.
At last, a reliable train on the Cumbria Coast Line
That’s it for now, have a great week. Come back soon.
Ian and Diane
12 January 24
Since I’ve started painting and trying to be a real artist, there’s nothing again from the to-do list this week I’m afraid. Sorry.
Photos
Thank you to Ingrid in Dusseldorf. Reading between the lines in Ingrid’s message to me, I think Ingrid was Phil Lynott’s girlfriend for a while, which makes me even happier that she bought our Phil Lynott T-shirt. Thanks Ingrid.
Thank you to Andy in Tenerife, hope you enjoyed your beer and your holiday. I’m jealous, Cumbria this time of year (or any time of year) isn’t sunny (breaking news) (too many brackets used alert).
And thank you to Scott for the picture of his lovely living room. Brill.
See more lovely faces in Skwiggles T-Shirts right here
If you’ve been to a concert, or just have a good photo of you in your Skwiggles T-Shirt, let me know and I’ll put your lovely face above.
Our Diary
Here’s the key points from this week.
Friday
It’s Twelfth Night, or as Diane likes to call it Auntie Myra’s Birthday, because it’s her Auntie Myra’s birthday. We always have to have the decs down by then, or I presume Auntie Myra will be round on a camel having followed a star to our…. I don’t know what will happen if we don’t take them down. But spare a thought for these homeless Christmas trees abandoned on the street because of Auntie Myra.
Saturday
Spotted the Criffel Dragon again this week, and then someone told me it was the Chinese Year of the Dragon, so that explains it.
Sunday
I decided this January that I’d try to be a real artist and actually paint again, so not sure if you’ve seen them but here’s what I’ve done the last couple of weeks.
Monday
2023 absolutely flew in, in fact the last 5 years of Skwiggles has absolutely flown in. I’m going to have to go back to my old job when the days dragged, so I can live longer.
Tuesday
This wasn’t the same day on the beach as above (honest), it was a totally different day when I encountered a magnetic space storm, and got dragged through a space warp onto a mysterious planet.
Wednesday
Me mam fell over on the ice and broke her arm, unfortunately. So to cheer her up I signed the cast.
So now when she goes down the cafe to fuel her out-of-control scone addiction, we might get a few sales. She’s fine by the way, but can’t drive for 6 weeks which may be a problem.
Thursday
Just a follow up from the newsletter post, Diane’s still hasn’t taken Tom Cruise down and it’s the 11th. That new Gary Barlow calendar I got her obviously isn’t up to scratch
Took this so I could say some Exorcist standing-by-the-lamp related comment.
But Norman doesn’t look mysterious and pensive like the Exorcist poster, he’s gone for sad, lonely and pathetic.
That’s it for now, have a great week. Come back soon.
Ian and Diane
5 January 2024
I’ve had two weeks off and been very lazy, sorry. So nothing from the to-do list I’m afraid.
Photos
Thank you to Richard and his band, who are now all wearing Skwiggles T-Shirts. Go and see them, they are not only brilliant musicians but also incredibly stylish.
Thank you to Alex in his Christmas Bowie and Bing T-Shirt, enjoying a well-deserved beverage, hopefully, as the beer suggests, in Malaga.
And thank you to Dougy, for buying this painting about 5 minutes after I posted it on Facebook. Made my day.
See more lovely faces in Skwiggles T-Shirts right here
If you’ve been to a concert, or just have a good photo of you in your Skwiggles T-Shirt, let me know and I’ll put your lovely face above.
Our Diary
Here’s the key points from over Christmas.
Old Company’s Christmas Party
I still get invited to the Christmas Party at the company I worked for 5 years ago. My old boss has left so this didn’t happen again.
Skwiggles Christmas Party
The whole of Skwiggles (me and Diane) went out for an overnight stay at a fancy pub in the Lake District. We spent our £200 tax-free Christmas Party allowance from the government plus another £100 taxed Skwiggles profits because I got over-enthusiastic with the wine. It’s expensive enjoying yourself. Here’s a selfie:
It’s blurred because I was drunk and not an experienced selfie taker, but I look better blurred, so it’s all good.
Christmas Day
We had a family get-together, played board games, ate too much, drank prosecco until we didn’t care what the Christmas dinner was like, and didn’t miss the fact the red cabbage was still in the microwave until the day after Boxing Day.
Me mam had a sleepover and brought a very small overnight bag containing only slippers and a toothbrush. I pointed this out to my family who take six suitcases for a trip round the block.
I got a Skwiggles T-Shirt for Christmas
School Friends’ Christmas Drinking
There were nine of us, and the main thing I want to report is that me, and one other, were the only ones still with hair. The reason this is important to me is my Grandad was bald at 21, my Dad bald at 30, so my friend Pete, continually, said my hair would be the first to go. Here’s me and Pete now.
New Year’s Eve
We went to our daughter’s flat in Edinburgh for the night and enjoyed a few beers in The Paris of the North. Then we had some whisky and according to this photo we watched some fireworks.
Now
I stood next to this sign yesterday for another selfie and realised I might have overdone it a little this Christmas
As well as the Skwiggles T-shirt, I got these art books:
Diane told me not to take the photo because the carpet hasn’t been hoovered. But I thought what would Banksy do and posted it anyway. That’s the new rebellious me.
That’s it for now, have a great week. Come back soon.
Ian and Diane
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