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31 May 24
Got Jim Kerr done from the priority to-do list this week.
Photos
Everyone at the Status Quo gig in Belfast this week was wearing Skwiggles T-shirts, well three people at least.
Here’s Michael and Brian just going into the gig. Thanks for the great photo, and they said Quo were on great form, might have to book a ticket for later in the year. Thanks for buying the tees.
And thank you to Meghan for this photo at the same gig, hope you enjoyed the show and the Rockshore.
Meghan has had a great month, because she was also at the Springsteen gig in Belfast earlier in the month with Michael and Janet. Thanks again for the brill photo and for buying all the T-shirts, really appreciate that.
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
Look
You may think it’s just a tuft of grass down by the river, but it’s much more than that. It provides an important messaging service for all dogs in the local area, a sort of Canine Twitter account. Every day, Norman sniffs it thoroughly to see what Hank and Alfie and Mabel have been doing yesterday, what they’ve been eating, when they were here and whether Mabel is feeling a bit sexy. Hank, Alfie and Mabel are dogs, by the way, just to be clear.
Norman then lifts his leg and leaves his own message, usually ‘Love you Mabel.’
I have a sniff just to check his spelling.
Saturday
Spotted a Ninja Turtle swimming with a Minion
A normal afternoon in The Lake District
Sunday
Norman loves a path that’s now a river
Monday
I did this Spiderman painting a long time ago
The recent weather reminded me of it.
Tuesday
I man came up to me and told me what a great-looking dog Norman was, and how he’s very fit-looking and muscular etc etc, and I can’t explain why I felt so proud and chuffed as if he’d complimented me in some way, e.g.
‘Wow, mate, look at you, you must be related to both Brad Pitt and Albert Einstein.’
That’s what it felt like. I’m not sure which way round the compliment was meant, but I’ll take either.
All I do with Norman is walk him and annoy him by stopping him reaching his true goal in life, which is to be fat.
Anyway, complete stranger, thanks for the compliment to Norman, and yes, I’m as thick as Brad Pitt.
Wednesday
I’m not sure Norman’s going to get through this:
Cue the Ennio Morricone music from The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.
Thursday
As I was writing this that Craig David song came on the radio. I hate it, sorry for the negativity, and always assume the original lyrics were:
I met this girl on Monday
Took her for a drink on Tuesday
We were making love by Wednesday
And on Thursday and Friday and Saturday
Dumped her on Sunday
Incredible sighting of a Cloud Phoenix over the Solway
That’s it for now, have a great week. Come back soon.
Ian and Diane
24 May 24
I got The Black Night from Monty Python done from the priority to-do list this week.
Photos
Thank you to Aaron and Natalie who went on a cow painting day, and Natalie kindly bought and wore our Highland Cow t-shirt. Brilliant paintings by the way, sounds like a great way to spend the day. Thanks for the photos and for buying the tees.
And thank you to Kev for this great photo in his Bob Latchford T-shirt. Thanks also for beating us (LFC) the other week and destroying what slim hopes we had of winning the title (sad face emoji). Brilliant photo Kev and thanks again for buying the tee.
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 saw this sign in a window
I’m familiar with splashback, but I’ve never seen urine do that on the right. Do you see the angle of bounce, it’s at least 90 degrees. I’m going to have to get Brian Cox on this because that defies the laws of physics.
Anyway, it stopped me weeing anywhere near it. So, as a sign, it worked.
Saturday
Took Norman to the Keswick Mountain Festival.
I’m not going to give you a clue, but guess which way the burger van is?
Sunday
This may seem depressing but whenever I’m walking in the lakes I always stop and have a look around graveyards and read the gravestones. Look at the sadness and the detail of this one.
Hannah was accidentally killed on the railway line in 1870 while saving her child. That is sad, heroic and a lot of detail all on one gravestone
Rest in Peace Hannah.
Monday
Everybody, please keep your curtains closed at all times
Tuesday
Did this sketch of Robert de Niro for the Skwiggles Art Course
Wednesday
This gave me hope that things are maybe slightly better in the world.
If goalposts had nets on them in the 70s in the town I grew up in, they would’ve been ripped down in two seconds. These goalposts always have the nets on them and no one bothers them.
As a kid I always wanted to score a goal in a net, because I imagined the net bursting backwards would be spectacular. To be honest, as center-half for the school team I just wanted to score a goal, any goal, so forget that.
If
Thursday
Look who I spotted over the weekend
A rare sighting of a Groyne
I had a load of other captions for this but every one of them sounded rude.
That’s it for now, have a great week. Come back soon.
Ian and Diane
17 May 24
I got a nostalgic request done from the priority to-do list this week.
Photos
Gary and his friends have taken over the gallery this week. Thank you to Jayne, live at the Take That concert last week. Hope it was the one where Olly turned up. Thanks for the photos and for buying the tees, bet you enjoyed the gig.
And thank you to Anita for sending in this photo on their way to the concert. I’m told from a reliable source (Diane) it was ‘absolutely fab’ Thanks again for the photo and for buying the tees.
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
We swam here when we were kids.
We used to say ‘Let’s go down the sewage pipe’ and off we went with our trunks and towel, without a care in the world. I hope you’re not eating, because there were some strange brown creatures down there with toilet roll tails. Fun times.
Saturday
Did this sketch of Paul Newman for the Skwiggles Art Course
Sunday
First time out for the kayak this year.
We went to Ullswater. Norman’s in the round storage area you can see the front.
(He isn’t really, we left him at home sulking)
Monday
A Skwiggles customer Justin, sent me this sketch by David McKee, the original Mr Benn artist.
It’s brill, and I can’t stop think about drawing Mr Benn in various up-to-date costumes, is that bad?
Tuesday
Instagram was full of photos of the Northern Lights, so here’s mine from just outside our house:
Not sure I’ve told you this, but Diane is scared of the Northern Lights. Luckily it’s the deep green ones that freak her out the most, these ones are just eerie and not freakishly creepy, so we all slept okay.
Auroraphobia, just looked it up. I thought that was the fear of Disney’s Sleeping Beauty.
Wednesday
Me and me mam did an impromptu accidental Two Ronnies sketch today
Me Mam: Audrey just came back from Spain?
Me: Whereabouts in Spain?
Me Mam: Alaska.
Me: That’s not in Spain.
Only works in a northern accent, I think. Anyway, it’s good night from me.
Thursday
We went for a walk at Allonby and discovered someone had been beachcombing.
Unfortunately, came across this terrible scene today.
I’m no forensic expert, but I think Norman’s found a dead body, and also a sandwich in that bush.
That’s it for now, have a great week. Come back soon.
Ian and Diane
10 May 24
I coloured in Liam from the priority to-do list this week.
Photos
Thank you to Norman’s friend, Coco, for sending in these photos of Tom on his journey to Jethro Tull in Glasgow. The train station, the pub, outside the venue and about to go in. Brilliant. Thanks Coco, and say thanks to Tom for me, hope he enjoyed the gig.
If you were in Glasgow last Saturday, you may have encountered these two drunks, shouting ‘Gary, Gary, (uncontrollable sobbing) we love you’ or something like that. Diane (my wife) and friend Paula went to Take That. And guess what, they loved it,
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
Does this actually seem impressive to you?
Slow cooked for hours?? We slow cook things for hours in our £30 slow cooker and don’t go bragging about it. In fact, we do regular cooking that lasts for hours sometimes.
I’d buy if it was slow cooked for days, weeks, decades – but hours?
Saturday
Diane and Paula at Take That
They said the Glasgow crowd were ‘enthusiastic.’ I’ve been to many ‘enthusiastic’ rock gigs in Glasgow, so I know what that means.
The woman next to Diane (not Paula, the other side, although it might have been Paula as well) was hugging her, singing in her face, flailing her arms about like that inflatable guy outside B&Q, then she puked and left.
After that Diane had loads of room to hug, sing and flail, then puke and leave.
Brill night.
‘Gary’s the greatest’
Quote from Diane
Sunday
Norman thinks the clouds smell funny
Monday
Now it’s got a little bit sunny again, I have become extremely popular on my morning walk. People are continually waving at me from cars, and I’m enthusiastically waving back, especially on the long road into town.
I didn’t think I was such a big deal.
Then I realised they had the sun in their eyes and they were putting their car visors down.
Tuesday
We started the Skwiggles Art course today, I did an introductory video, that my daughter said didn’t sound or look like me and I looked tense. Talking to yourself in your shed is a bit weird, I suppose…
…and not looking at the camera is even worse.
Wednesday
We started watching Modern Family again, it’s still very funny. This is a sketch I did of Phil Dunphy, years ago, and one of my favourite Phil quotes
Thursday
Me mam reminded me it was The Ascension today.
Why isn’t this the biggest day in the Christian calendar? Coming back to life and rolling back a stone is one thing, but rising from the earth in front of a crowd and disappearing into the clouds, now that is spectacular.
Give me some evidence of that and I’m back in.
Rare sighting of a baby triceratops
That’s it for now, have a great week. Come back soon.
Ian and Diane
3 May 24
I got Rodri done from the priority to-do list this week.
Photos
Thank you to Georgina for this great photo and for buying our Dave Grohl T-shirt. She’s going to see him in June, so hope you have a great day Georgina, and thanks for buying the T-shirt.
And thanks also to Geoff, who’s took his Wacky Races tee up into the Welsh hills. Thanks Geoff, brill photo and again thanks for buying the T-shirt.
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
If anyone has ordered our Take That T-shirt recently
I hope you’ve been impressed with the speed of delivery. Diane has been saying ‘Whooo, there’s another Take That T-shirt ordered, better get that out quickly.’ She’s going to see Take That on Saturday, and if you love Gary Barlow you’ve been upgraded to a much speedier service.
Saturday
Took our daughter, Hannah to the Swimathon. I was going to do it but then I made loads of excuses and ate Maltesers in the gallery instead. She’ll kill me for this photo, but I find people in swimming caps amusing.
Since she’s going to kill me, I’m going all in. Here’s our other daughter, Jenna, from about 12 years ago
I’m in trouble if they read this.
Sunday
I have some breaking news here – sheep are thick.
They walked for about a mile in front of us, despite me saying ‘Just go right’ several times. Norman wanted to be off the lead, but despite the fact he’s never chased sheep, he’s still got that look in his eye that tells me one day he might give it a go.
Monday
I did this cartoon a few years ago, when I remembered going to the pub straight from school.
Them were the days of wholesome underage drinking.
Tuesday
Norman’s Birthday
We bought him a toy, which he chewed up in 20 seconds, got him a card and ordered him a massive cake from Amazon. The cake hadn’t arrived in the morning, sorry Norman, but it came in the afternoon.
Sorry Norman.
It looked a lot bigger on the website.
Wednesday
This pillow is incredibly dangerous.
It sounds good with its endless comfort and support, but if you sleep more deeply every single night, with the ever-increasing depth of sleep, you’ll be in a coma before the end of the week. Very dangerous product, avoid at all costs.
Thursday
Here’s my inspiration for that Highland Cow sketch I did this week.
The only Highland Cow in existence that doesn’t want to pose for an artist.
I’m no dog behavioural expert, but I think this dog wants an ice cream.
When we left it was still sitting there.
That’s it for now, have a great week. Come back soon.
Ian and Diane
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