Posts per Month:
29 Sept 23
This week I coloured in the Flying Scotsman from the to-do list.
Photos
Here’s Sue’s friend, Clarkie, who, I’m told by Sue, is a devoted Showaddywaddy fan, so I’m extra pleased she likes our t-shirt. Thanks Sue and Clarkie. And also thanks to Dave, also, by the looks of it, a devoted Showaddywaddy fan. And finally thanks to Si for buying all those prints and displaying them brilliantly. Love 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 our week
Friday
Coming back from our holiday in Cheshire, it took 5 hours to do 100 miles on the M6. With a lot of time to think about it, I decided on this face for the whole journey
Saturday
This is going to sound bad, but on my way down from Haystacks, a fell in the Lake District, as I was approaching the car park a man wearing sandals with a towel over his shoulder asked me the directions to the infinity pool.
The Infinity Pool.
People on social media are calling small tarns in the Lake District, infinity pools.
The infinity pool this gentleman was wanting was a 90 minute hike up a rock face, and worse still, no prosecco bar when he got there. But wait… let me think…
I think I might be expanding the business.
Sunday
Saw Professor Pat Pending parked up in a lay-by today.
Monday
Monday is bin day. Is there really anything more stressful than feeling confident about which bins should be going out today and then glancing out of the window and people have put Paper and Card when it should be Grass.
Do you stay strong or cave?
Tuesday
We used to live in London, so I did this painting to remember those times.
I think every artist has to do a rainy London scene at some point in their lives, just to get it out of their system, so you can move on. This is mine.
Wednesday
There’s a Cursing Stone in Carlisle. Our name so close to The Cursing Stone, Norman thinks this explains a few things.
I’m not sure why the names are there, I just hope the Youngs in the olden days weren’t baddies and in need of cursing. I’ll try not to let the fact the name is written in very large text and very close to the stone bother me.
Thursday
There are a billion things I don’t understand, one of them is why would someone deliberately cut down this 200-year-old tree at Sycamore Gap on the Hadrian’s Wall walk.
It was one of the most iconic trees in England. Their names need to go next to ours on the Cursing Stone.
As I was writing, this song came on the radio:
Oh, I love to love
But my baby just loves to danceTINA CHARLES
I’m no relationship expert, but I don’t think he’s interested Tina.
Just a quick photo of our holiday last week.
They weren’t smiling quite as much 4 hours later when we were still playing.
That’s it for now. Have a great week. Come back soon.
Ian and Diane
22 Sept 23
On holiday.
15 Sept 23
I got Chris Squire from Yes done this week.
Photos
Thank you to Ellen, Carol and Barry for sending in these brilliant photos. Love them.
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 our week
Friday
Apparently finding a ball in a field is the best thing that can happen to you.
Me and Norman are saving the environment. Almost every day he finds a stinky old ball in a field, chews it, and makes it good and slavery. I pull a face, wrestle it from his jaws, and put it in the nearest bin. Environment saved.
Saturday
Went camping up at Innominate Tarn, here’s a couple of photos my daughter took.
I like the last one, showing The Plough above our tent.
Sunday
Back from camping you’d think I’d have a good night’s sleep, but it was a muggy, humid night. Luckily I had the skills to stay cool.
Monday
It was my daughter’s birthday. Happy Birthday, Hannah. One of her presents was paddleboarding lessons. I have a bit of a storyboard for you.
We’re walking back from a cup of coffee and Norman sees Jake, Hannah’s boyfriend. Norman gets excited and swims out in an attempt to knock him off.
With the job done, he recognises Hannah in the distance.
He jumps on the board and tries to knock her off.
Thinking of Norman’s birthday, I asked the instructor if they do paddleboarding lessons for dogs. No, and don’t be silly, was her expression.
Tuesday
Here’s a painting I did ages ago of a friend’s daughter’s christening.
Wednesday
Did you get excited about dimethyl sulphide today?
I did.
The James Webb telescope has discovered it on a planet far far away, and apparently, it can only be produced by life. Maybe my post on alien life in the universe is wrong. Hope so.
Automatically I drew The Plough, must be my favourite constellation.
Thursday
I made the mistake of going into my daughter’s bedroom and asking what is all this stuff in tubes and jars.
It’s very complicated.
Thanks Russ for suggesting this song by The Heavy. Never heard it before but it’s now on my Spotify play list. Their song ‘How do you like me now?’ has been on various telly programs and is also brill.
This ain’t no place for no hero.
This ain’t no place for no better man.
This ain’t no place for no hero
To call homeSHORT CHANGE HERO – THE HEAVY
If you have some favourite lyrics, let me know
Could be daft, meaningful, inspiring, whatever you likeArtistYour nameSubmit
Norman insisted on this photo because he thought he was looking good. He didn’t realise I wasn’t taking a photo of him.
I’ve sent this to New Scientist. If Nessie is a thing from that 1934 blurred photo, then this is definite.
That’s it for now. Have a great week. Come back soon.
Ian and Diane
8 Sept 23
I got one done from the list this week, The Band.
Photos
Thank you Donna for sending in these brilliant photos and links. In the first one, she’s singing an amazing version of True Faith – New Order.
And for all the Neil Young fans – enjoy Old Man. It’s brill
Thanks Donna, and thanks for buying from us.
Give her a like on Facebook or YouTube.
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.
See more lovely faces in Skwiggles T-Shirts right here
Our Diary
Here’s the key points from our week
Friday
I discovered today, after 30 years of marriage, that Diane has auroraphobia.
No, she isn’t scared of Sleeping Beauty, because that would be silly, she’s scared of the Northern Lights
Which isn’t silly, it’s a very serious affliction if she turns right instead of left out of the house and walks for 1000 miles.
She says it makes her feel weird.
She also has ichthyophobia, another serious one, which you can read about here
Saturday
I need to sell a quadzillion more t-shirts so I can afford one of these and park wherever I want.
Sunday
Went in here, but there was no one there
Monday
I’m not sure my daughter knows what I do for a living, she said to me today ‘Hey Dad, have you got any pencils?’
Tuesday
Did this for a friend yonks ago.
Wednesday
I was living the dream today, drinking cider in a local park on a Wednesday afternoon. And it was me mam’s fault. We had a picnic in the park, she generously supplied the food and drink. She thought she’d got a can of lemonade, but it was cider. I didn’t want it to go to waste.
Thursday
This isn’t me in the park after that cider, this is how a typical Cumbrian tree feels in 28 degrees in September.
I’m not sure which I prefer to complain about the most, the rain or the sun, so it’s safest to go with both.
I drew Tracy Chapman this week and listened to a load of her songs in the process, maybe it was that Cobra earlier, but Fast Car is still one of my favourites
You got a fast car
Is it fast enough so you can fly away?
You still gotta make a decision
Leave tonight, or live and die this wayFAST CAR – TRACY CHAPMAN
If you have some favourite lyrics, let me know
Could be daft, meaningful, inspiring, whatever you likeArtistYour nameSubmit
After kayaking last week, I saw what could’ve potentially been the early stages of an elephant forming at the other end of the lake. I drove 5 miles out of my way for this photo. This is becoming an obsession.
That’s it for now. Have a great week. Come back soon.
Ian and Diane
1 Sept 23
Hope everyone is doing well.
I got one done from the list this week, Bobby Moore
Photos
Thank you to Mandy and Jan at Springsteen and Paul and Kim at The Who. Thanks for buying from us and sending these in, and hope you enjoyed the concerts, which I’m sure you did.
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.
See more lovely faces in Skwiggles T-Shirts right here
Our Diary
Here’s the key points from our week
Friday
I went kayaking on Ullswater, haven’t been out for ages and it was fab.
Saturday
You may need carabiners and a harness to get to the living room but it’s cheap for a bank holiday.
Sunday
I saw this on a village notice board
I’m not sure about you, but I can’t sing anyway never mind with a mouthful of red hot soup.
Monday
Here’s a painting of my daughter Hannah. She’s 24 next month (how did that happen) so that’s how old this painting is.
To me, she still looks like that, and always will.
Tuesday
Happy Birthday to me Mam.
The 39 Steps was brilliant and hilarious.
I thought it was so bonkers that surely it couldn’t in any way follow the original story which was a spy thriller. But I watched bits of the original on YouTube when I got back and it follows it almost exactly.
Even the joke about the hymn book that saves the hero’s life by stopping the bullet – ‘Well, I’m not surprised Mr. Hannay. Some of those hymns are terrible hard to get through.’
Wednesday
Norman’s got a new friend. I’m calling him The Speed Bump. When he sees us coming along the path, he lies down right across the path until we squeeze passed and then he’s up and on his way. Must be a 2mph speed limit on there. Good work.
Thursday
Posted this on Facebook with the caption: This chicken’s cutting out the middleman
But, as usual, you customers are funnier:
Lisa: How very henterprising ….
Karen: I have high egg-pectations for this venture.
Dave: Brilliant hentrepreneur.
You see, didn’t that just crack you up.
The quote of the week is from Have I Got News for You which I can’t stop watching.
Ian Hislop: Britain was 22nd in literacy and 21st in numeracy.
Paul Merton :And that was out of 20 was it?
Ian HIslop: I don’t know I couldn’t read it.HAVE I GOT NEWS FOR YOU
If you have some favourite lyrics, let me know
Could be daft, meaningful, inspiring, whatever you likeArtistYour nameSubmit
Managed to get a good photo of the blue moon last night
That’s it for now. Have a great week. Come back soon.
Ian and Diane
