Edinburgh

Well, it's not glass but it is rather spectacular, so I thought I'd share it! On my way back from Christmas in the Cairngorms (and yes, even though everyone has been claiming they couldn't get to work because of the snow, we actually drove there from the south coast and back again) - I stopped off in Edinburgh to see the huge Confession of St Peter in St Peter's, Falcon Avenue. Amazing church in itself, designed by Robert Lorimer, paid for in the main by Andre Raffalovich, and the first incumbent was Canon John Gray (think Silverpoints and the inspiration for Dorian Gray no less) - Raffalovich and Gray both being part of the Oscar Wilde set before converting to Catholicism.

FBSG the book!

OK, for those luddites amongst you who aren't sure how to print from PDF files or haven't got good colour printers, I've published the book separately. A4 size, 112 pages, loads of full colour illustrations and details of the windows. £20 including post and packing, OR a special bargain offer - if you buy the book and the DVD you can get the bumper bundle for £30 including p&p. As before payable by cheque or PayPal - just contact Libby.

FINITO!

After a long week editing, compressing, all sorts of techy stuff, the world's first DVD Catalogue Raisonne is finally finished. It's been a long haul, I'll never recoup my money, but I'm proud to have done it! Apart from Charles occasionally tweaking a button or staggering under the weight of his light meter, it's all my work - the research, the writing of the book (12 chapters) and films (11 films with a total running time of 210 minutes!) and the design.

Anyone interested in purchasing a copy, it's £20 including post and packing, payable by cheque or Paypal. Just contact me.

PS I could not have produced this without Charles - so THANK YOU!

Techy Stuff

Charles and Mike at Martini Towers ...

The music written by Mike Westbrook and performed by the Miscellany Choir was recorded using a Soundfield SPS422B surround sound microphone system feeding a B format signal into four tracks of a Sound Device 744T multitrack recorder, with a stereo feed also going into a Tascam DA-PI portable DAT recorder.

During the initial period of the FBSG films, we have been using stereo recordings of Mike Westbrook's 'preferred complete takes' of the seven pieces of music. However, the choir had also recorded numerous pick-ups and patches of several parts of each recording, and it was now time to edit these together to form a B-format surround master.

Mike Westbrook lives in Dawlish and I (Charles) live in Lincolnshire so we agreed to meet up in London at my colleague David Martin's edit suite (David is a feature film editor with titles such as Sid and Nancy, The Chamomile Lawn and School for Seduction under his belt).

Fortunately Mike had made and kept copious notes from his initial listening to the session tapes, so was well prepared for the edit. We played each recording element in the required order, Mike following the music on his score bar by bar and telling me precisely at which point we should cross over to the next recorded element. These joins were then played back, adjusted if necessary, and usually a quick mix was applied so that the reverberation sounded convincing. Some of the music pieces had half a dozen or more cuts, whilst just one was a complete take.

Now that we have a four track B-format master of the seven pieces of music, the next challenge is, using suitable software, to convert the music to 5.1 surround sound and then to edit it back into the completed films, replacing the initial preferred complete takes which we have been using as temporary markers. This may require some small adjustments to the picture if the durations are not exactly the same. Then we will have to do a final sound mix on each of the films.

(Ed) Tell me about it ... !

Done and dusted

Japan trip very successful, wonderful exhibition, very well hung, opened with aplomb (see photos) and had a great (and relaxing) trip to Mashiko afterwards with my friend Teruko (Mashiko being the pottery centre of Japan if not the world!).

Back to reality and to editing at Film Farm (8-10 March) in which time we managed to complete the MUSIC section and do some tweaks. So now all that is needed is my proof readers do come up to scratch, change PDFs accordingly, check the DVD myself, Charles and Mike Westbrook to edit sound recordings, and then Charles has to re-author the entire work. So the end really is in sight!

Libby and Teruko at Slow Time Mashiko, a wonderful minimalist Shaker inspired hotel in the town (recommended)

Manic

Snow drift - see Thursday below - that's supposed to be a hedge in the background!

That is the only way to describe the past 2 weeks - Libby becoming more hyperactive than normal!
Saturday I delivered my Piper lecture (my first on this topic) to the SGFA and it seemed to go down pretty well and I returned with a lovely bunch of flowers which are still doing very well thank you.
Sunday tried to catch up with mail etc, then got down to writing the lecture for Japan because they need it urgently for translation.
Monday finished the lecture, timed myself, exactly an hour if I don't speak too quickly.
Tuesday started the PowerPoint show, carried on with this Wednesday (most of the Brangwyn lectures I've given to date have been slides, so much extra work involved scanning slides and books and working from CDs of FB images Paul has supplied me with in the past).
Thursday woke up to a white out, and it continued snowing throughout the day, also very windy so the snow has once again drifted across our little country lane and I'm marooned! Realised that it would be more sensible to finish the PowerPoint next week and start supplying Charles with the information he needs for the DVD, so re-read all my catalogue, changed some photos and formatting, made some new logos for buttons on the DVD, designed the disc and sleeve.
Friday everything seems to be going wrong, the PDF files are arriving on Charles' desk without images, logos pixelated etc etc. By nightfall I was completely stressed out - the deadline for getting the DVD finished is 2pm Sunday because Charles is then going to a techy conference in London and the DVD needs to be sent away to Crash Test Dummies or similar to be processed. And the more stressed I became the more mistakes I made. A sleepless night.
Saturday I was due to go up to London for Patrick Reyntiens Open Day in the studio. More or less decided I couldn't spare the time, but since I was making so many errors (still) determined to go - despite the snow. Did get stuck and had to be pushed out of a drift, but somehow managed to get through the village and on to the main road which was clear. London did me a power of good (see sister blog) so returned revitalised. In the evening made a break-through - very simple really, if I used Adobe PDFs instead of PDF factory it all arrived on Film Farm's crowded desk looking hunky-dory!
Sunday - wow, what a day! Much sending to and fro of PDF files, discussions on sleeve and disc design, then my email crashed, the laptop crashed twice, I got it restarted but had to use a different mailbox to send everything to Charles. By 3pm he'd got the DVD finished and then let Mr Mac make a copy before he had to dash off to London. First time ever he hasn't had time to check that everything worked properly. Cross fingers.
Monday no connection on the interweb - tends to do this when it snows or the weather is unseemly - one of the joys of living in the sticks. Concentrated on my slide show and more work on the little booklet I'm making to give as gifts in Japan - it's to show details of FB's stained glass, will be titled Quiddity which means the essence of something, its distinctive qualities, will be printed on hand made Nepalese Lokta paper and contain a design abstracted from one of FB's glass panels duly coloured in by hand in bronze and gold paints. And I've decided to make a limited edition of 50, all signed and numbered by myself. I must be barking!
Tuesday finished the slide show thank goodness. Whizzed down to Guildford to a fantastic shop called Fibrecrafts to buy the Lokta paper - actually whizzed is the wrong description, because it poured, cats and dogs by the kennel full, spray coming up from the road almost blinding at times. Frightful conditions.
Wednesday had a look at the sleeve design and found a mistake - when I went to alter it in In-Design discovered that I'd deleted that file! Ugh. So had to re-design. Meanwhile the printer is gobbling up inks like there's no tomorrow and there isn't time to order ink over the interweb so had to drive down to Ashford and buy more inks for Quiddity and sleeve.
Thursday and Friday organised our next 2 Reyntiens outings. Finished Quiddity, wrapped them all in different coloured tissue papers, Japanese style, sealed with one of my Moo stickers. The 20 processed DVDs for Japan arrived, checked them out, wonderful! Congratulations Charles! Put sleeves on boxes. Packed. (Don't order your copy of the DVD yet - because we're going to make some additions before publishing the final version)
Saturday wrote this blog - in 3 hours time I'm off to Japan! Yippee! I think I deserve a break - I'm thoroughly exhausted just reading this!

Are we nearly there yet?

Well, hold your horses, have patience and you'll find out in due course!
Saturday 30th the packers collected a couple of works for the Japan exhibition, then I drove up to Bluewater for a rare shopping expotition - mainly because my sheets and towels are so old they are full of holes. Precious little remuneration in this art business, don'tchaknow! Thence on to mea mater for a couple of nights. Same old, same old, don't get me started.
Monday 1st drove down to Film Farm. Charles appeared to have survived the Bear's visitation, so we got straight on with work - first thing to record Libby outside for the beginning and end of the Overview sequence. Not the warmest of weather, Zooty started off wanting to be the star of the show but then decided to chase Pepper instead, so that involved a number of takes, then the local dog began barking at me. Having decided I wasn't an alien he then also wanted to be filmed but walked off in the middle of a take. We finally got the chat in the bag, Libby warming herself with a glass of red. Cheers! Thence to the edit suite.
In the evening Ray Leigh of the Gordon Russell Museum rang - looks like we've landed ourselves another joblet! Although we don't appear to have sufficient hours in the day as it is - still the money will be useful (think of those sheets).
Tuesday: Some old maps I'd ordered arrived, a 1924 one of the UK and a wonderful yellowed one of Bruges, undated. We're using these as chapter headers for each church in the Overview. More editing but by the close of the day were nowhere near completion and Wednesday was a Reyntiens meeting in Cambridge (see Reyntiens Revels blog) and I was planning to return home Thursday.
Wednesday: Charles woke up with the Bear's cold, which worsened exponentially as the day progressed, so by the time we returned home in the evening (snow on the ground) he was in a dire state and fit only for red wine and Lem-Sip (a delicious combination). So no work that evening.
Thursday: The man felt somewhat better this morning so we decided to plod on with the editing, finally giving up for the day at 9.30, after which we ate and wrote up yesterday's minutes.
Friday: Up to the edit suite first thing. By 1.30 we'd more or less finished the Overview, apart from sound tweaking etc, so, after a quick espresso, I started the drive home (which took 6 hours this time). Then cooked, then checked Saturday's lecture, massive headache and worried I've caught the dreaded cold.
So, in answer to the question - sort of! The Japanese would like me to take some copies of the film to sell in the shop, but we haven't done the Music sequence yet and there are some minor chapters I wanrt to add to the written catalogue. We've decided to crank something out - which means poor Charles has a dreadful job ahead of him this next week, checking all the sound levels, going through each sequence making sure there are no errors, then making the menus, authoring the DVD etc. I feel hugely guilty landing him with this, especially when we'll have to author a final DVD in due course. :-(

pocket rocket

Wowzers - I just cannot believe how much I've accomplished in the last 8 days since I returned to Kent - even for me it's prodigious! I completed and submitted two articles to the Japan Society for their forthcoming Biographical Portraits publication (on FB of course and Urushibara Yoshijiro - I really enjoyed writing the latter because it was a semi-new subject); finished the Overview sequence for FBSG; had a day's research in London at the BM and libraries; wrote a lecture about Piper to be given at the Society of Graphic Fine Art AGM on 6 Feb (of which I'm an Honorary member!); transcribed our interview with Andrea Argent; wrote the Music section for FBSG; started the lecture I'm due to give in Japan at the opening of the exhibition; had a dental appointment and gave blood, plus all the usual housework, cooking, runs, exercises etc. Oh, and I planned a little booklet to give as gifts in Japan and designed some new name cards and sticky labels which I ordered from moo.com (they really are fantastic, thoroughly recommended!)
Poor Charles meanwhile is coping with Jo the Bear trying to complete Charlotte Bach, and has a working weekend ahead - which he dislikes intensely, since one of his New Year resolutions is to take life a little easier. And it's not just the work but the play that's exhausting - 3am they got to bed Wednesday, and 1am yesterday - chatting and downing a glass or 3 of red. I just hope young Charles is still firing on all cylinders next week because I arrive Monday for a 3 day sojourn in the hopes of completing the Overview editing (and one of those days is already forfeit to the Reyntiens saga).

Progress

Well, since the last posting Libby has more or less written two articles for the Japan Society and Charles has done one of his many and variegated VAT accounts and sorted magazines.

I arrived back at Film Farm 17 January, and from then to my departure Thursday 21st we recorded my Bruges words and edited the film section for same - pretty good going since the film lasts some 20 minutes.

In between times we had brief interludes and despite the fact that Caroline Conran famously declared that life is too short to stuff a mushroom, Libby persevered and stuffed numerous calamaris - and very yummy they were too.

Charles lives in a not insubstantial house (a mere 13 rooms plus 2 kitchens, 2 bathrooms, 2 extra toilets, a shower room, a darkroom and a workroom) but he finds himself continually pressed for space, hence the magazine sorting and the arrival on Wednesday of a second load of very useful boxes in which to store same.

Personally - I despair!

PS The shadowy figure in the 1st floor right hand window is me, waving and nearly drowning because my bed is being subsumed by magazines - a la Day of the Triffids!

I've started so I'll continue ...

Well, I said we'd get on with FBSG, and as soon as I had taken my mother back home, I whizzed down to Film Farm, arriving 3 January. We recorded my words for the Dublin section and started editing the following day, actually managing to complete the film before I left on the 7th, so not bad going because it was quite a lengthy script.

Meanwhile on the 6th I helped take down the Christmas decorations - that is after we'd take a photo of same - a very minimalist soul Charles with exquisite taste!

PS If anyone can translate the Chinese comment on my last blog I'd be grateful - looks suspiciously like SPAM to me!

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).