2010

Goodness, here we are at the close of 2009 - what has and has not been achieved in the last year?
POSITIVES: Well, I revamped my Brangwyn website at the start of the year using Dreamweaver, Ferens Art Gallery launched their From Victorian to Edwardian book and exhibition in June (all Brangwyn stuff by MOI), the Piper film was VERY successfully launched on the 27th September, Manuel Auad's beautiful publication of Brangwyn's Way of the Cross with a commentary by MOI (replacing G K Chesterton's original - walking in the feet of the gods here) came out in November, the article Gareth and I wrote for the Journal of Stained Glass appeared in Volume XXXIII and I've given countless Gourmet Art lectures which have been rather fun and certainly got the audiences laughing. Meanwhile much time has been spent writing an essay and cataloguing works for the forthcoming Japanese exhibition.
NEGATIVES: Unfortunately FBSG is still awaiting completion! However it WILL be finished next year - PRIORITY! Didn't get back into cycling and swimming but have been jogging regularly (although my hip won't let me get beyond about 2 miles at a time) and started an out of date Canadian Air Force fitness regime which I discovered amongst my papers!
NEXT YEAR: As stated FBSG will be completed (come whatsit or high water), Charles and I will hopefully be making a film about Patrick Reyntiens, hopefully I won't have to take a job shelf stacking at Tesco and hopefully I won't let the oldies drag me down - keep smiling and Carpe Diem!
HAPPY NEW YEAR to you all!

lateral thinking

Arrived at Film Farm late afternoon Monday 14th after another lecture. Tuesday we recorded my sound for the Elveden film and Charles did his Brangwyn voice again, then we buckled down and got yet another section of the film completed - we're positively racing through editing these days - without loss of perfection I hasten to add!
On Thursday it started to snow and by Friday we were surrounded by a veritable winter wonderland (unfortunately I'd left my camera at home, silly girl). Also unfortunately this was the day I had to drive up to Thornton to collect my mother for the Christmas festivities. Lincolnshire was pretty snowed under but once I got to the A1 it was fairly clear. By the time I neared York it started snowing again and the windscreen washer froze. Arrived at my mother's house to discover that not one, but TWO cars had slid off the hill into her not insubstantial stone front wall the previous evening. The wall didn't look too happy - heaven knows what the cars looked like.
It snowed even more overnight. Friday morning I cleared the drive of snow and ice pulling a muscle in my back in the process (not on purpose you understand), loaded up the car and we set off at 10.30 for what is usually a 5 hour journey. The windscreen washer still wasn't working despite my filling it up with de-icer and the roads were throwing up slushy grit mix. A filthy windscreen combined with a bright low sun makes for hazardous driving conditions and necessitated frequent stops to clean said windscreen. The roads weren't too awful but everyone was being cautious and taking it fairly slowly. Finally arrived at Cambridge Waitrose an hour later than anticipated for a re-fuelling (us, not the car) and a quick shop for fodder. We set off again as the sun started to set, making the snow covered fields glow warmly, and dusk wasn't as bad as usual because the white countryside lightened everything. Delays on the M25 due to roadworks, slow moving traffic on the QE2 bridge and then back to Kent where there were huge problems. The radio had alerted me to the fact that parts of the M20 were closed for Operation stack (when they use the motorway as a lorry park when ferries are delayed or not sailing), and as a result the A20 was congested. Minor delays were reported in Dover. So I decided to take the M2 and the A2 down to Dover and back home on the M20 northbound. However as we approached the outskirts of Dover we were gridlocked. Nothing moving, cars and lorries solid on a dual carriageway with no way out - not even a hard shoulder to drive down illegally. Drivers were walking along the road comparing notes, some locals caught in the queue reckoned we could be stuck for at least 4 hours if not overnight. By this time it was back down to freezing and I obviously had to get my 91 year old mother out of this predicament.
So I thought up a cunning plan - I put on the hazard warning lights, told my mother to lie back and look grey, and then approached the drivers of cars ahead of me explaining my anxiety - they all kindly moved over so I could drive past, then I approached the drivers in front of them etc etc and it worked like magic until a white van man was sceptical about my passenger and plan. At this point the traffic moved marginally enabling me to squeeze off the road at the next junction. It transpired almost every road in Dover and Folkestone was blocked, stationary - after many illegalities (U-turns on roundabouts, driving the wrong way along a dual carriageway, weaving in and out of parked lorries) we finally made it home exactly 10 hours after setting off. And half an hour later I'd cooked roast smoked salmon, couscous and broccoli served up with more than a dash of much needed warming red wine!
Now to put up some Christmas decorations and prepare 4 festive meals for 12 people before we set off for the west country on Christmas eve where I'm chief cook (but hopefully not bottle washer)!
Have a good Christmas - and next spring we WILL finally complete and publish FBSG!

Blue Peter (take 2)

Life is becoming somewhat frenetic - Sunday 15th November I drove down to Ramsbury for a lecture in Swindon Monday morning. Tuesday up to stay with my mother in Thornton-le-Dale and then give a lecture for the Scarborough NADFAS group Wednesday, another lecture in Huddersfield Thursday and on to Film Farm Friday to complete the educational 'How to make a stained glass panel' film. Which we succeeded in doing by the time I left on Monday morning (23rd). We also had great fun putting together some 'glass music' to separate the different processes - we mixed sounds of broken glass, chimes and rubbing the top of wine glasses with varying amounts of water inside (unfortunately not wine - that would have made the process FAR more fun but might have got out of hand!)
23rd I left for Leicester Museum and Art Gallery to catalogue the Brangwyn works and then drove back to Thornton. Tuesday a lecture in York, Wednesday another in Leicester, followed by a further couple of days at Film Farm during which we made the Miscellaneous film section - which includes the memorable wet suit incident! (see blog dated 19 November 2007)
Now for an entire week at home followed by 3 lectures in 3 days - Southport, Nottingham and Bisley. A mere couple of days at home and I'm off once again, this time to Norfolk followed by another editing session. No rest for ....

Here's one I made earlier ...

Returned from another week's editing session yesterday. Didn't get quite as much done as hoped, but we were waylaid by a new project.
Monday 12th:
Visited 3 churches in Buckinghamshire which have Piper windows made by Patrick Reyntiens - this for my first ever Reyntiens lecture in Swansea 6th November. Then called in at the Goldmark Gallery to collect 50 Piper DVDs to be distributed to those who helped with our Piper film and the galleries which allowed us to use their works. Arrived at Film Farm late afternoon.
Tuesday 13th:
Made freeze-frames from our filming of Reyntiens, John Burder's film and Shell's Crown of Glass using Charles' new software - DV Kitchen. Excellent except that it doesn't include the facility of finding a particular frame from a time code, so the time I spent last week finding the exact time codes was rather a waste! And I don't have time to waste! Also put the Manaton section of FBSG on the web, again with DV Kitchen using H264 compression, uploaded to Vimeo - you can find it by clicking here: http://vimeo.com/7086441. What fun!
AND we started editing the 'How to make a stained glass panel' section of FBSG. So all in all a productive day.
Wednesday 14th:
Finished editing our session at English Antique Glass (see entry 13 December 2007) and rather wonderful it looks too. Started work on the first stage of filming Gareth actually making the stained glass panel.
Worked out logistics and budget for a possible new commission.
Thursday 15th:
More work on editing Gareth. Great progress, only 2 sections to complete - hopes high that we might finish this sequence before I leave on Saturday.
Friday 16th:
Spent most of the day reviewing the budget we had worked on Wednesday and wondering how we could trim it without making a loss - which we definitely did with the Piper film - where we were on a fixed budget but kept on wanting to make the whole package better'n'better! No-one can claim they don't get value for money with our films!
However, did succeed in filming the intro for the Elveden film (Libby pretending she likes Guinness again - see above) and also the 'Making stained glass' sequence (Libby driving along a country road - see below)
Saturday 17th:
Wonderful news! We are going to Cochem, Germany for the unveiling of Patrick Reyntiens' and Graham Jones' new windows in St Martin's church - which is hugely exciting, so the morning was spent booking flights, working out how much baggage would need to be checked in, if there will be space for 2 toothbrushes; organising car rental; booking a hotel etc etc. Got this all sewn up by 1pm, quick espresso and Libby was on the road south once more, leaving Charles to pack for a film session in outer Manchester tomorrow - people drawing canines at a dog show! For some strange reason all funded by Mandy's department. You know, the chap who hasn't been elected but runs the country.

finito!

Yesterday I received a photo from Gareth - the panel is complete - and isn't it just beautiful?! Gosh I can't believe it!

Having signed off on the Piper DVD I'm now concentrating hard on FBSG - this morning I finished transcribing the first of our interviews with Gareth. Charles and I have only got 4 sessions booked before the end of the year which is when I wanted to finish the DVD - but quite honestly I can't see it happening because we've still got Elveden, Dublin and Bruges to edit plus the FB bio and the 'how to make a stained glass panel' section and a brief extra about the music. Ugh, I need more time!

Gareth

Friday we drove down to Llandeilo, Charles trying valiantly to stay awake after his Venetian and Mexican jaunts (don't worry Libby was driving). The websites implied that Llandeilo was a 'happening' place so we expected lots of restaurant choice in the evening - zilch! Charles idly murmured that it would be lovely if there was a little Mexican cantina - and you'll never guess what, abracadabra, round the next corner there was the one and only cafe in town - Caffi Salvador, serving Mexican/Spanish dishes. Completely unpretentious, a lovely jolly owner chef, great food, and exactly what the doctor required. Even Charles perked up - well, a glass of wine and some interesting food usually does the trick.

This morning we set off early for Gareth's studio where the glass panel is coming along famously and we filmed him putting the leading in place, and also making a perfect circle of lead for one of his apples - posh French mustard jars come in useful. This is the last filming sequence with Gareth so he can happily shave off his beard now!

Back to the hotel to deposit the equipment and a relaxing lunch at Nigel Williams Barita and Deli. Couple of hours left in the afternoon - what to do? Charles shyly suggested that he'd been overworking and deserved a treat so what about the Gwili Steam Railway a mere 20 minutes away.

Gwili it was, and as luck would have it a train was about to leave as we drove into the car park. A dash to the ticket office - 'certainly, 2 senior citizens tickets' said the man looking at my youthful companion and I. So stunned was I that it was not until we were safely seated on the train that I exploded! To be taken for an old age pensioner - GRRRRRRR!

Injury to insult - it then transpired the fireman had turned up missing that morning so no steam trains allowed, and then the old diesel engine had broken down, so we were being pulled by some ordinary diesel engine. However at Llwyfan Cerrig stop Charles did get a chance to pretend to be a train postyman and Libby (still managing to smile) posed in front of a very old carriage - predating Libby herself.

Tomorrow it's back to Film Farm for a 2 day Piper session (see http://piperpapers.blogspot.com)

in the meantime, in between time

No, not Venice - but Teotihuacan, Mexico

What's been happening since Venice I hear you ask? Well, perhaps not, but I'm going enlighten you anyway.

It's been frenetic - for both of us. No sooner had Charles returned home than he had to pack for Mexico and process the Venice photos and rushes, which I collected on the 5th June en route to the opening of the Victorian and Edwardian exhibition at the Ferens Art Gallery, Hull. The exhibition was accompanied by a very weighty tome featuring every single work in their collection over this period - a fantastic resource and well worth having (only unfortunately not available outside their own shop at present). Contributors were Christopher Wright, Paul Goldman, the irrepressible Donato Esposito and yours truly who did the Brangwyn section (now there's a surprise!) Book and one of the Brangwyn double spreads below.

I then spent a few days with my mother in North Yorkshire before returning home to sort out all the Venice photos and rushes and put together my new Gourmet Art lecture.

Meanwhile Charles left for Mexico 6th June returning to Film Farm Sunday 14th, having worked even longer days than we did in Venice and in greater heat and without a Libby bag lady. He then had a mere 3 days to recuperate and repack bags before I arrived June 18th having given what appeared to be a very successful and fun lecture. The only negative comment I received was that I didn't allow the audience sufficient time to laugh! And the Gourmet nibbles went down very well!

So, after that minor preamble - on to the purpose of this trip. We're off at early light to drive down to wild windy west Wales again, this time to film Gareth leading the stained glass panel.

Venice

Above: The old gondola yard in Venice, which Brangwyn painted

Just spent a glorious week in Venice, mainly to film Piper stuff, but also Rigby Graham and Frank Brangwyn - so to follow the FB in Venice trail see our sister blog http://piperpapers,blogspot.com
Happy hunting!

Above: Libby jumping for joy!

Banana skins and Brangwyn

These two items may seem unconnected. However, back in 1911, the vicar of Bucklebury church, Berkshire, complained mightily about the mess in his church, pea shooters, nut shells, orange peel, defaced prayer books etc etc. We felt behoven to re-enact this scene and luckily Pepper agreed to act the part of the church cat (Zutty being far too posh looking for the part).

We had from Wednesday afternoon to Sunday morning to edit the Bucklebury film and work out what we required in the way of equipment for the Venice trip, and despite Mike Goldmark hauling Charles off on Friday to film Brian Aldiss climbing on and off a helicopter and interview same personage (Mike is publishing Brian's latest book Walcot), we actually succeeded in accomplishing our goals. Amazing Grace!

April update

Amazing how much work one can get done when staying in one place for a number of weeks. In the past 5 weeks I've succeeded in writing the film sequences for Dublin, Elveden, Bruges and Miscellaneous little bits and bobs together with putting together the relevant images, and tackled some Piper related work.

Plus I've met Peter Blake ( a hero), done lots of gardening, running and exercises and painted a picture for elder son who's getting married 9 May - sunglasses obligatory for viewing!

Meanwhile Charles has been working on putting his Robert Dawson video on to DVD and enhancing and making a grand master DVD of all his Rigby Graham films. He had also started preparing for the Montezuma/Mexico trip, to be undertaken with Anna B-G and a pile of worthies from the BM, when of course the epidemic/pandemic put a stop to such activities.

So he's got to suffer an editing session with little old me instead!

Post budget Paxo was screened against a word cloud - you too can create one by going to www.wordle.net/create - they are fantastic fun and a great time waster - especially if you start mucking about with the final image in Photoshop (this was just a quickie, made by putting in the blog URL).

A Big Wet Adventure

As if the previous day were not sufficient excitement, a problem was spotted with the fuses which led Charles to investigate the cellar - AWASH! The house is built on top of a stream (not the cleverest plan known to man) and the cellar naturally fills with water, necessitating the aid of a full-time pump. Unfortunately the cord fastening the pump to the beam and maintaining the pump's position had snapped and said pump had tipped into the water and for some reason stopped working, hence the deluge. Obviously all electricity had to be switched off before a wellie clad Charles ventured forth to assess the situation. Much sloshing around in water with the aid of a torch, removal of said pump from scene (of crime), check that wine bottles not affected etc etc.
Sometime or other we managed to complete the Manaton film which is rather glorious and atmospheric with the pianola and the rainy, windy, thundery weather.
Libby returns back home Sunday, meanwhile Charles anticipates the arrival of the Bear on the 30th for another week of Charlotte editing. And then yet another guest (Anna B-G) after that.
No rest for ....
However Libby is keeping out of his hair for about 6 1/2 weeks or probably even longer if Anna secures a Montezuma related trip to Mexico. Ole!

Filmmaker helps police with their enquiries

About 4am Friday distant sounds of planes could be heard. Charles, in a delusional state, decided the Air Force were practising a royal fly-past in secret. However the noise gradually became louder, until at about 5am it was obvious that a helicopter was circling overhead. Police cars with lights blazing drove round the drive countless times - it should be remembered that this is a pretty remote part of Lincolnshire. The cars could be seen negotiating the small roads in the area and the helicopter appeared to be hovering over the neighbouring church. Having ascertained that both of us were still alive and safe and the doors well and truly locked, we hunkered down until morn, when we discovered (via the local radio station) that some gangsters had driven a fork lift truck into the wall of Barclays Bank in Spilsby, thereby removing the ATM machine, and, for some strange reason had made their getaway to East Kirkby church, an isolated spot to be sure but also a dead end. Here the felons had been located by the helicopter (borrowed from Yorkshire since amazingly enough Lincolnshire do not own one) and finally apprehended by the constabulary.
A very attractive young blond officer of the female persuasion came to the house later in the day to ensure everything was safe and no-one was hiding out in the barns. Youthful Charles was only to happy to help with enquiries.
We had to make a fleeting visit to Spilsby that day (since we came from the 'big 'ouse' we were waved magisterially through the crime scene and dozens of police-personages and forensics) and actually saw the 'Hole in the Wall' (literally), excited townspeople describing the 'wild west' character of their sleepy little township!
More progress on Manaton despite the broo-ha-ha! And in the evening Libby devised a rather splendid Bread and Butter Pudding for Soundbites.

Non Stop

I returned home from the FBSG/Piper trip Monday 16th, had a busy week catching up on mail, attending the NADFAS Directory meeting, ensuring I had everything ready for the next editing session and then departed again Sunday 22 for my monthly mother visit prior to another FBSG session at EKH starting Wednesday 25th. Poor Charles was similarly busy - Joe the Bear was resident to help edit Charlotte Bach - Charles also taking on the duties of master chef and plongeur.
We made a great start Wednesday, not only recording all the words for Manaton and Bucklebury but actually making a start on putting together the Manaton sequence.
Thursday more progress on the Manaton film. In the past Libby has sat in the edit suite dumbfounded and full of admiration for all the techy stuff. However over the months she's learnt a thing or two, and being of an impulsive and hasty nature, has begun to interrupt with 'Why don't you do such and such?' or 'Aren't you going to whatever?' just as the eminent filmmaker was about to perform said miracles. She was deservedly threatened with the ceremonial taping of the mouth thereby preventing such intrusions, and spent much of the day hoping to avoid censure and raising her arm whenever she had a question: 'PLEASE SIR ...'
Over the evening meal the pair tackled the thorny problem of the Piper film composition and structure, put together a list of all they had filmed last year and all the interviews and decided that Libby should make a list of the Piper works to be included together with dates, before they proceeded further.
Tip from my mother - I squeeze fresh oranges each morning and she suggested drying out the skins and then using them on the log fire - they burn well and add a citrusy aroma. Environmentally correct and might save the odd penny. She recalls drying oranges as a child 90 years ago!

Orange skins awaiting chilly weather - image added 1 May 2009 after much orange squeezing and drying!

pianolas

Now this may at first sight appear to be an odd entry for a DVD on stained glass, but bear with me. The window at Manaton is a memorial to a young lad who had Down's syndrome, died in 1927, and wasn't educated in the usual way of things - but his parents did buy him a pianola and hundreds of rolls which he played endlessly. In the hopes of enhancing our project further we made an appointment to film at the Cambridge Pianola Company where a delightful young Polish man, Greg, agreed to perform Elgar's Salut D'Amour (see above). We were absolutely entranced by the player pianos and the staff and proprietor, Tom Poole, were all so welcoming. Great start to our current trip which is actually Piper based - so I'm now going over to that blog - toodle pip!

cunning plan

Yippee! I think the cunning plan was successful - herewith Libby's version of Brangwyn's design for Tiffany - Flute Players, complete with opalescent glass effect! Whadyathink?

Gareth, Slaughter, Tiffany and the AGA saga

Having done my dutiful daughter act, it was on to Film Farm on the 25th March. We put the final images into the Northampton film and generally charged batteries (animal, vegetable and mineral). The following morning it was the long 6 hour slog to Mumbles, calling in on some friends near Cardiff for a restorative cuppa and a look at their super new Brangwyn painting. Friday morning I had a run along the front (unfortunately not the beach itself because the tide was up) and then met Charles for a leisurely breakfast before setting off for Carmarthen and Gareth. The stained glass panel is coming along superbly - see detail of delicious apple and foliage and Gareth with his kiln. Four hours solid filming, most of it hand held so poor Charles was suffering by the end, and, having eschewed lunch was in a pretty dismal state by the time we returned to Mumbles. However a Dick Barton special (see entry 23 September 2008) did much to restore the parts others etc (I didn't think the fish and chips were up to much this time actually, but then I'm not an F&C connoisseur). See below one happy bunny - almost in focus!
Saturday back to Film Farm. As we drove up the drive we noted scattered white feathers. Fearing the worst we leapt out and followed the trail - and a long trail it was too, round the copse, across the drive, past the terrace, over to the long pond, another pile of plucked and bloodied feathers by the vegetable garden - and a dead hen neatly deposited in the small pond. The second hen was not discovered - probably carried away by the marauding animal - we reckon a dog because the hunter was obviously playing with his prey.

A restorative drink was required to recover from the shock.

The following few days were spent putting together the Tiffany film and I managed to squirrel away some time for letterpressing. At the end of each film we have a grand finale - Miscellany performing their Ella meets the nuns choral activity accompanying a visual extravaganza of the particular window. However the stringent contractual obligations of the American galleries who own the 2 completed Tiffany panels preclude their use in such a format and the only images available are black and white sketches from ancient tomes - not hugely exciting. BUT, on my return journey yesterday I hatched a cunning plan. Let's just hope it's successful.

Staggering downstairs to make himself a cup of tea on Wednesday morning Charles discovered the black hole of Calcutta re-enacted in a smoke filled kitchen - the Aga was spouting noxious stuff like there was no tomorrow and no shortage of oil. The cats weren't too happy either. Every surface was covered with a greasy black grime and the cobwebs looked decidedly the worse for wear (not that there are any in such a pristine kitchen of course).

It seemed best to escape to Kent and leave him to it!

And then today another sadness - the little black hen, Dot, who was terrorised by Gin and Tonic (better known as the Hooligans) died this morning, a few days after her tormentors from whose battering she never really recovered.

We've both got a week of catching up with mail and jobs before a Piper foray starting next Wednesday - it's all go!

Meracious Machicolations at Manaton

Crikey, wowzers and goodness gracious me - I've finished yet another film sequence - this time for St Winifred's church in Manaton, Devon. At this rate I'll be finishing projects before I've even started them! However there will be a brief hiatus now because am about to depart on my monthly mother trip to Yorkshire and then we're off to film Gareth in Welsh Wales and then hopefully get some editing done when we return home to Film Farm.
The worst thing about the Manaton film was the incessant rain - I felt frozen just watching the rushes!

Bucklebury Beastly Beatitudes

Wowzers, what a week. After finishing Tiffany I then read Ingrams book about Piper prior to our interviewing him in March, finished off a drawing of Galerie L'Art Nouveau (because permission to use the photograph would be exorbitant), and today have completed the film sequence for Bucklebury. Am I chuffed or am I chuffed. Oh, and I've also started a painting for my son's wedding in May!

Meanwhile poor Charles has been having hellish problems with some new software and reinstalling Final Cut Pro so he's been walking backwards the last couple of weeks.

Tiffs of Tiffin at Tiffanys

Following on from my comparative success of 17 January, I decided to rejig the Tiffany film which I had originally written last April, so fingers crossed that this will pass muster when we do some editing after the Gareth trip end of Feb. Just hope I've got the correct roll numbers, timecodes, chapter headers, image sizes (they HAVE to be TIFFS) etc etc.

Brangwyn Website

The Brangwyn website has been dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st century with a brand new sleek, sophisticated format and oodles more images and oodles more info. So much for those detractors who, observing me reading Dreamweaver for Dummies at Christmas (good gobble book dontchaknow) looked at me askance. Anyway I did it, all by myself! Check it out on http://www.frankbrangwyn.org/ and let me know what you think! Here's the opening SPLASH page to whet your appetite:

And since everyone has their SNOW picture, here's the lane outside my house a few days ago - reminds me a bit of FB's etchings, Trees in Snow or The Storm:

Animal Farm

Just returned from a week at Film Farm where the population has doubled within the last month, the new arrivals being Zutty, a very laid back purr-box named after Zutty Singleton (1898-1971), jazz drummer who worked with Fats Waller et al - and two Lincolnshire/Sussex cross hens named Gin and Tonic (Gin, who is a tad larger than Tonic was too busy laying to be photographed). Pepper (the existing feline) has not taken kindly to her new companion and they regularly eat each other's food, and poor Dot (the existing hen - keep up!) seems to have been unceremoniously shoved into bottom place in the pecking order, with the result that her feet have been severely pecked by her raucous new companions. Hopefully things will have calmed down by the time I make my next visit. Anyway, I didn't really go to inspect the new menagerie - but to WORK! Those of you who recall (and who wouldn't) the blog dated 29 April 2008 will understand my apprehension about a second attempt to put together the Northampton film. However, I've learnt a lot in the last year and it transpired that my preparations were sufficient unto the day and (apart from a tiddly section where I need some of Peter Cormack's valuable input) that particular film section is bagged - and not only that, the wondrous filmmaker pronounced it 'jolly good' (considering!) So I feel vastly heartened and ready to tackle the next episode.

So we celebrated by making a batch of marmalade on Friday - named Prohibition Marmalade in honour of the date - and possibly ironically since we always seal the amber with a slurp of whisky! See label below:

I DO NOT BELIEVE IT!

All the positive thoughts about leaping back into FBSG have already been scuttled, and we're only 6 days into the year! Gareth rang last night, his water supply has been broken since New Year and he can't get any work done until the broken pipe is mended and the Council appear to be saying it's nothing to do with me mate. So we've had to cancel the projected trip the end of January and are hoping to re-schedule for the end of February. Since this whole project is self-funded I just hope the hotel doesn't charge a penalty or it'll be bread and dripping for my esteemed filmmaker colleague and a lettuce leaf for me.
Watch this space.
A heartfelt AAAAARGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009

Looking back at my 2008 entry - what has changed? Much the same story, achieved a lot but not necessarily what I'd intended.

I did complete Christ's Hospital Murals and rather good it looks too (though I say so as shouldn't) with it's hand made and hand bound Lokta paper cover, a limited edition of 250, specially designed illuminated letters one of which is hand tinted, and a letterpress sheet. A bibliophile's dream. And I published the history of the William Morris Gallery (see below), wrote the article about Stations of the Cross, did quite a lot of work for the Brangwyn exhibition to be held in Tokyo 2010, started the libbyhorner.com website, tried my hand at podcasting (great fun), learnt the rudiments of letterpress printing (I'm hooked), delivered my first Gourmet Art lecture and taught myself how to use Power Point.

The main thrust of the year though was the commission to make a film about John Piper with Charles Mapleston. We decided to concentrate on his architectural and topographical work and to this end realised that to 'bag' all the sites we wanted we'd have to be out and about filming virtually every other week during the so-called summer months when the light was good. Exhausting stuff which didn't leave much time for other projects.

And FBSG - well that got sidelined by Piper and other issues beyond my control. BUT this year I am even MORE determined to get the DVD finished and we look to be off to a good start with an editing session mid January and a 2nd visit to Gareth to film the glass making at the end of January.

So 2009 - complete FBSG, complete Piper, write a couple of chapters for the Japanese book, teach myself Dreamweaver and bring my Brangwyn website into the 21st century, get more variety to my exercise by adding cycles and swims, carry on cooking, try to get the most out of life, be positive despite the gloomy outlook. Cheers all and Happy New Year!