Did a video instalation for Bradford playhouse this friday. It was an excellent experience. Have been up to all sorts of hijinks in Leeds and Bradford creating, making and breaking. Am feeling the love of many people at the moment and this makes me a very happy person.

This is a video wot I made:

Canyons of your mind

Last night at the Bradford Playhouse involved me Dave, whisky and tequila. I have never in my life been made to feel so welcome in such an artsy establishment before. They mostly turn their noses up but in the Playhouse there is a feeling of inclusivity that produces some really interesting art.

Here is what my good self and Dave Grovsner put together after we got home from the playhouse.

I'm looking forward to group therapy in Manchester tomorrow. I think it will be needed.

Captains Log. Much like treacle.

Stardate 22012010

The day is much like treacle. Plumbing is bust as is the washing machine. Hmmmmmm. On the bright side I got a new contract today which is great! I'm meeting up with Dave today who's a good freind and into arty stuff. I'm thinking of maybe getting down to the playhouse this evening and relaxing over a few pints. I'm gonna leave the bills and the kitchen till monday.

Giles has put some new songs up on his myspace and now has a website:

http://www.myspace.com/gileswinterton

 

where you can listen.

Back at work

Work is good. Got my cheque in which is good. Have spent most of the day paying bills, writing CV, rewriting CV, doing a little on website, making a weird film about shirts, sending my CV to a company who does arts with special needs and lots of other bitty bitty bitty things. The plumbing is blocked again. Grrr.

Tomorrow I'm helping a freind put an instalation up and getting very drunk midweek. Feel like I need to let loose and be anarchistic alchoholic instead of creative workaholic.

I've invited Nick (diamond geezer) to come along to help out with the installation and in getting drunk. It is my hope that he will get some of his lovely artwork up on the walls of the playhouse bar at some point. My mate Steph is going to join us later for the volunteers meeting.

Snow Gone

All the snow has gone. They say it will return next Wednesday. I had my first day back at work today and spent the evening at the playhouse in lovely company. I felt fragile at about 8 so walked up the hill home. I'm zonked.

Bradford Bound

Back to Bradford on the bus, every bloody one of us- on board is stifled. Heard about the man who died (who'd commited suicide) now the bus has gotta drive- a different route. I pray that pavement pizza's soul will get to heaven as we go home. Amen.

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The Smoke

Doin' well daan saaaf! Top of the game and very proud of myself. Met an old mate of mine called Lindsay- had beer, pizza and soul food. Big smiles

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Westminster Cathedral

Is a strange unfinished dark and smokey place. Its undecorated vaulted ceiling is full of shadow. Below the chapels are lavish. From the outside it looks like leggo. From the inside like breezeblocks and broken pottery.

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TED: Ideas worth spreading

via ted.com

Challenging thinkers talk online! Stuff for everyone.

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Melt Water in Ravenscliff woods

via youtube.com

Up at 4. I really should get to bed. Its time for: THE NATIONAL EXPRESS!

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All the way home

Big foots all wrinkly like Bellamy.

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My website

Today I learn who Pina Bausch is. She died recently. Reminds me of Rite of Spring. Much synchronicity tied up in this:

I finished a new version of my business website today and I think it looks darn fine.

Calling all proof readers out there. You know who you are. I shall come groveling cap in hand with a wink and a smile.

Fractal tree

Today is an ice day. All buses in the city were cancelled. Sure hope I get down to london on friday.

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Two sides of the same coin.

Broccoli the fool shows off his favorite place: The Bradford Playhouse. It is a most excellent place steeped in brandy and a little history. The world is a better place because of it. Duke Ellington and his royalty free band agree.

First day back at work in the morning. Thats going to be one hell of a culture shock. What with snow days and all I've only worked 1 day in the last month. Cabin fever be gone!

Frozen Mechanical

Taken at Bradford Industrial Museum.

See and download the full gallery on posterous

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Tundra

Captain Gaffard's the only survivor left of the expedition. 500 hundred miles from anywhere and with polar bears on his tale he makes his fated last entry on his trusty handy cam. After this we assume the batteries died. His body, found frozen, has been kept in a freezer, by his estate, for prosperity.

In the library with the candle stick.

One day I shall look like this for real. Ding dong I'm destined to become Colonel Mustard or Professor plum!

On the other hand and when the shoe is on the other foot.

Feet are funny things.

I sometimes go months without exploring the hidden wonders between my toes. I wonder if feet are things you can lose touch with as you might lose contact with second cousins and so on.

You can never forget about hands like that. Hands are high maintenance fellows but leave a foot alone and they'll not make a fuss, not a peep, and you're only reminded when you've completely forgotten all about them and stub your toe.

I walked barefoot in the snow today. Cold, cold, silky soft then feathery burning. Run back in and slip hop slip then living room. That feeling: warm, red, fresh flesh and throbbing with your heart beat. I wonder what the neighbours think.

I found the offcuts meat tray at the deli counter in Morrisons today. Yay! Oh happy day. All the lovely chunks of boiled ham and such for pennies. Mix it up, add some mustard and what a sandwich.

I leave you with Love Cats:

Tiffany Twisted by Junglemunkey

Tiffany Twisted  by  Junglemunkey

Today I post an old comedy cover I made some years ago with my brother. I feel the urge to make music today. I was in good old Bradford town this avo and saw a horrible machine that I was inexorably drawn to. It was like one of those old time dime press recording booths that get lampooned in the Simpsons and by Jack Black. It had X FACTOR! plastered all over it. People sniggered at me as I perused its list of tracks and was very pleased to find it had Copacabana on its listings. I was displeased to find out that the bloody thing costs fiver a pop.


 Bradford playhouse want me to do a Video instalation in their foyer on the 29th and it looks as if there may well be a crowd of people in the place that weekend so I guess its worth a shot. Suddenly I'm a VJ. I often think that VJ is just an acronym to describe a wannabe film maker who can't DJ either.


 Nick is coming over tonight as he is concerned I may have gone feral or have cabin fever or some such. Nick, it must be said, is a diamond geezer.

 

The Dark Side

The clock is about to strike five and I'm off to Bradford Playhouse at seven. Below is a vid wot I carelessly constructed last time me n' Aidan were mucking around in the playhouse wardrobe.

Another snow day today and on this occasion I decided to stay in bed till 3. After four cinamon muffins washed down with a large cup of Darjeeling the jim jams and dressing gown are still on- as is my fuzzy head.

Darjeeling you say? Why yes... Duchy Origional Organics as it happens and I got it in the pound shop. Oh how the mighty have fallen.

I leave you with some Sufjan:

I ventured deep into the muffled woods. Echoe had fled. Dogs barked in the distance. The snow compacted like meringue underfoot. My trainers had no grip of any kind as I set out to see Badger. I could hear weasles in the distance carelessly reving their quad bikes.

Warm coffee, snickers, camera and russian world music carried me deep into the wild woods.

Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow...

 I decided to take a break and make a video:

I met a horse with no name. Well at least none that I knew.

A mare I think chewing bark and waiting for sugar lumps.

I had no sugar lumps.

I met a fawn idling by a lampost but he objected to my taking his picture. He muttered sheepishly about toasted tea cakes. I told him I'd packed my lunch. I offered him a cigarette but he declined. Bloody fawns.

Not wanting to be turned to stone in the snowy wood I made my way home on the number 47.

Fifteen feet of pure white snow

Been snowing all day and still going. School have declared a snow-day today and tomorrow... might have the whole week off if it keeps going. I'm going exploring tommorow for sure. Deep down into the woods I think with a warm flask and a camera. Gonna sort my house out this evening.

The cheek of it.

I found out this morning that my classroom had been broken into. There was glass everywhere and the windows had been boarded up. Nothing was stolen. Quite frankly I find that insulting. Apparently it happened on Christmas eve. Maybe it was Santa pissed off at not getting any sherry or mince pies.

Was put off by the fact that no one had even bothered to clean up the glass before the kids arrived but it was all fixed by lunch time so no harm done. The morning was spent drinking coffee and playing pass the parcel with the autistic spectrum. Kinda got away without doing any real work and it gave me a chance to observe the kids settle down into routine.

In the afternoon I worked with key stage three on an archetypal story based on the hero's journey. In our story the hero is off to search for the dastardly trickster to bring him back to justice. Before he leaves the castle he visits the king to get three magical items to help him on his quest.

1. The faulty magic lantern
2. The golden pear of invisibility
3. The all seeing sword of Metukaki

via dolor frikin' osa

Why do I only give my self four hours sleep before a big day like today? I love sleep soooooo much and this the first time in almost two weeks I’ve had my own behemoth of a bed. I stuck myself in Beeston after the New Years holocaust sleeping on a floor for two days. It must be said that Nick is a diamond geezer.

Now its sunday morning and its up, up, up, up at seven.

Its been snowing in Bradford and I heard it would get thicker in Manchester. There are, of course, no buses from Fagley on an early Sunday morning because no one’s insane enough to get up at this blasted hour. I blame the Catholics. So I walk. Via delor frikin osa.

Two miles downhill and its beautiful. Midnight blue sky, moon all big and hazy with rainbow circles round it, pink champagne sunrise then clear-blue, crisp-blue sky. Moisture all sucked away from me as I observe the fossilised frozen footprints of the drunks slushing home last night. I walk it in 45 minutes and get rid of Bradford at 8.45.

Slow train, cheap train, sleep train... but its all too beautiful passing through Hebdon Bridge with the hills piled up like wedding cake. Sleeping giants with clean sheets wrapped tightly about their bulging bodies. The platform at Mytholmroyd proudly declares it the home of The Iron Man.

I want to take picture but feel to inhibited cause of the couple playing footsy opposite me. I should have. The snow is deep. It is amazing.

Manchester!

Science Museum!

Weeeeeeeee!

Chocs away!

If only I could have flown.

The journey back was slightly better than suspected cancer.

Leeds had beat Manchester United. I'd wondered why there were so many coppers in Manchester on the way in. Bloody Sundays. As we waited in a crowded delayed train a Yorkshireman lit a cigarette in the cabin. Some old Mancunian lady shouted at the top of a wavering voice not to dare to smoke it. He moved further into the carriage and blew smoke in her face. A short well dressed diminutive manc. stepped up all polite like and shoved him off the train... he shoved back to a chorus of approval from the Leeds united girls. I stood up and said in a very loud southern voice that there was certainly no need for this sort of thing and shouldn't we all be getting on. Stupid, stupid, stupid.... but they stopped. Then I saw the police man who'd appeared behind me. You couldn't write it better.

On the way home the train broke down in Rochdale. We had to wait on a snow drifted platform for an hour and a half before the next train came along. I briefly explored Rochdale and promised myself never to return.

The heart of Rochdale

Bored

Balls

Frozen!

I closed the door to my home in Fagley at precisely 9.30 and it’ll be another late night before my first day back at work if I don’t watch out…