Tuesday 31st March 2009 16:21

My regular readers will know how much I love graphic design and typography, so when I'm given the opportunity of designing a new logo for a company with an almost blank canvas in front of me, I jump at the chance. I'd been given a brief to work from, although nine times out of ten, the majority of specifications usually become redundant, one way or another.



Anyway, the logo I'd been asked to redesign was in fact for Tanya's boss. I submitted six designs, all of which are shown above. At this stage, my original quote includes using components from any of the designs, changing colourways and chopping and changing fonts. It was an almost unanimous decision that the logo (top right) was the one, it was now a case of seeing it with different fonts and different weights of fonts.
Dave had quickly narrowed it down to two fonts, Q Type Square and FS Lola, deciding that FS Lola had the edge.



Finally, a quirky strapline needed adding. I chose 16 fonts that gave the logo a different feel and they were then whittled down to eight finalists, leaving Dave to have the final say. A font called Houschka won first place and the new Solent Scales logo had been born.
To keep you in the balance, please click on the logo to find out more about his company.

Monday 30th March 2009 14:51

Somehow, at some point during our visit to my parents, one of my wheel trims disappeared. It's the sort of thing you'd usually notice instantly, and the first time I did was when we walked back to the car having been to Norton Canes service station. Whether it happened there is anyone's guess, but the point was, I'd feel a total skanky bastard driving with one missing.



This meant a trip to Halfords, our nearest one being minutes away in Havant. They have a great choice there and, in the end, it was a toss up between three styles, all of which looked realistic enough to be alloys. Whilst there, we also bought a few other bits and bobs for our cars.
So, back home, took the old ones off and fitted the new ones, this time with plastic ties...
To take a look at the Halfords website, click on their company logo above.

Sunday 29th March 2009 12:30

Yesterday, whilst at Norton Canes service station, I decided to draw out some money at an ATM, reluctantly doing so, particularly when there was a £1.99 charge for the privilege. I keyed in my PIN, asked for £50... and waited... and waited... and waited, until finally, a screen appeared saying 'Sorry, this service is temporarily unavailable'. Nothing else happened, so I ejected my card.



This morning, whilst checking my account online, I found that the money, including the £1.99 charge, had been debited! To say I was dismayed and pissed off is an understatement.
I quickly 'phoned my bank, spoke to an advisor, and they informed me that I'd need to fill in an 'ATM Dispute Form', saying when and where it happened, along with other details. This also meant having to 'phone Norton Canes service station, in the hope that I'd be able to provide the information that the bank required. The person there categorically said that they only rent the space out and ultimately, they could not be held responsible and gave me the details of the company who the ATM belonged to.
For more information about Bank Machines Limited, please click on the logo above.

Just in case any legalities arise from this blog, I do want to point out that the money was reimbursed about a week later, without any complications whatsoever, and that this blog just highlights that not everything is infallible, and is not a direct attack at Bank Machine Limited.

Saturday 28th March 2009 11:15

It's not fair... our stay with my parents was over and it was time to head back home and face reality again. We love staying with them and exploring new places, occasionally visiting ones that we'd been to before. I'd always thought I was well-travelled, and I guess I am, yet the whole of East Lancashire escaped me in the 30+ years I lived in the north west. I'm glad though, because it means that Tanya and I are sharing the same new experiences, rather than me having been there before and knowing what to expect. My parents also saw many new sites as well, some that they want to share with their grandchildren, particularly The Singing Ringing Tree!

So, it was time to go; always a sad moment, especially when I'd been so used to seeing my parents every week and never longer than a month, to what's now about four times a year. At least there's a concentrated chunk of time each time we do see them though.
Fond farewells and off we went, making it home in good time, with just one stop to refuel at Norton Canes service station on the M6 Toll.



Later that evening, we relaxed and watched an international football friendly between England v Slovakia, played at Wembley Stadium.
After a promising start of going 1-0 up with a somewhat bundled goal from Emile Heskey in the 7th minute, England seemed to sit back on their lead, playing with little or no conviction.
It was only until late on in the second half that England stepped up their game, scoring a further three goals in twenty minutes, Wayne Rooney with two in the 70th and 90th minute sandwiching a goal from Frank Lampard in the 82nd. A good win, yet it wasn't particularly reflected with their performance throughout the match.

Friday 27th March 2009 11:12

Since we'd had a more than hectic day yesterday, today was going to be far more relaxed and easy-going. My parents had suggested going to Whalley (pronounced Worley) and then on to a little place called Chipping, with the possibility of visiting a brewery - could one ask for any more?



It had been a good number of years since I'd been to Whalley, and I never recalled the Abbey there being as spectacular as it was. Tanya and I were quite taken aback actually and spent quite some time exploring and taking numerous photographs. Originally, it was a Cistercian abbey and after the dissolution of the monasteries, the abbey was largely demolished with a country house being built on the site. In the 20th century the house was modified and is now the Retreat and Conference House of the Diocese of Blackburn. The ruins of the abbey are a Grade I listed building and a Scheduled Ancient Monument.
Please click on the logo above to find out more.



From there, we then went on to Chipping, a picturesque village located within the Forest of Bowland and in the heart of the scenic Ribble Valley. The area is classed as “an area of outstanding natural beauty” and the village itself has won numerous 'best kept village' competitions over the years.
More information about the Forest of Bowland can be found by clicking on the logo above.



Before we had a walk around the village, we stopped off at 'The Cobbled Corner' for a bite to eat. The service was good, the food was very good but, according to my parents, the charm of the place was lacking somewhat. All their food is prepared in-house (you can see it being done) and they use fresh produce from the finest local sources, so you can't grumble at that!
To access The Cobbled Corner website, please click on the logo above.



Our last stop was at Bashall Barn, a place that we'd visited last time we were staying at my parents, however, the visit this time was strikingly different. Why? Well, it's been given a major overhaul, to the point where it's possibly four times the size of when we were last there. The café area has been moved to a huge dining area where you can now watch the resident cows being milked! The area that was the café has now been developed into an extension of the shop and... there's a brewery on site as well!

First of all though, we sat down for a coffee and cake before I went beer shopping. Coffee and cake finished... time to follow my nose... I plumped for three of the handful of ales that Bowland Brewery produce; those were 'Odd-shaped Balls', 'Headless Peg' and 'Cromwell Stout'. More about those soon. We drove back home from there so that we had the chance to chill out for a while before meeting up with some friends for a meal out. My Dad had kindly offered to be taxi for the night, which was nice.



We dined at Inkaa, a tapas restaurant and wine bar. We'd all enjoyed a meal there last May, after our photographic exhibition at Rivington Galleries. We met up with Ian and Janet (Ian co-owns a photographic forum, PhotoPortal, with Tanya and I've known him since 1993 for he was a fellow-member of Chorley Photographic Society) and Joe and Vicky (Joe is also a member of PhotoPortal and of Bolton Camera Club and we've known him for about six years - his wife works at Joseph Holt Brewery, how lucky is that?!)
Anyway, our table was booked at half past seven and we ordered all sorts of dishes, both starters and main courses, and enjoyed merriment, beer, wine, chats about photography and toilet humour. Had a great night and a bill of £185.60 reflected that!
Click on the logo above to find out more about the restaurant, or if you're interested in eating there.

Thursday 26th March 2009 10:56

We had planned to visit areas dotted around the borders of Lancashire and North Yorkshire today, with our first stop being a beautiful little hamlet (small village to you and me), called Wycoller. It's renown for its seven bridges that cross Wycoller Beck, one of which, 'Clam Bridge', is believed to be of neolithic origin. The other six bridge names are: Clapper, Copy House, Laithe Hills, Lowlands, Packhorse and the Village bridge near Pierson's House.



The village was practically abandoned due to the invention of power looms because of its population seeking work elsewhere. The whole area also managed to escape being turned into a reservoir. You may well think that Wycoller is a strange place name; it originates from the Anglo Saxon Wic-Alr, meaning dairy farm amongst the alder trees.
For more information and some downloadable leaflets of the Wycoller area, please click on the Country Park logo above.

Once we'd arrived, we headed straight for the Wycoller Craft Centre, which has its own tearooms and is part of the Lancashire Teapot Trail. The building was originally a shippon, converted into the craft centre and tearooms in the early 1980s. The privately-owned family business serve a wide range of homemade traditional foods, all very good value for money and the Lancashire Pie and mushy peas served with pickled red cabbage, onions and gravy was a testimony to this. Absolutely delicious.
Please click on the logo below to find out more about the craft centre and tearooms.



Once we'd satisfied our hunger, we then went and explored the area which is idyllic, especially the fact that it has a ford as well. There's something about villages with fords, it makes them that extra bit special. We had a good look around the grounds of the Wycoller Hall ruins and then went inside the visitor's barn where further information can be found about the history of the area and other places of interest. As I was leaving, I noticed a photograph of a sculpture that looked very familiar... it turned out to be 'The Singing Ringing Tree', a sculpture that can be found within the area of East Lancashire.

Anyway, we continued on our walk and I kept catching glimpses of what appeared to be a strange oval-shaped object that reminded me of the retro Airstream caravans, right on the summit of a hill which appeared to be some distance away. What was it? Could you get to it? All these questions needed to be answered and I had suddenly found that I'd become a man possessed.
Luckily, a local just happened to be walking by and not only did he know what the 'egg-shape' was, he knew that it was called 'Atom', where it was and how to drive to it; not only that, he also knew the exact location of 'The Singing Ringing Tree'.
So both places had been well and truly stamped on to our 'must see' list. The only trouble was, by the time we'd all got back to the car, not one of us could remember the exact directions and, inevitably, we found ourselves somewhat lost. We did however, discover Lunds Tower amidst our mystery tour so all was not lost!



In the end, we temporarily gave up trying to find the phantom egg-shaped caravan-like thingumajig and concentrated on going to our second planned destination, Haworth (which appears to have been annoyingly rebranded 'Brontë Village'). For those of you who are unfamiliar with literature (of which I am, and make no excuses), Haworth is where the Brontë family lived, namely Charlotte, Emily and Anne who wrote novels between 1840-50. Charlotte, the eldest, outlived her two younger sisters and her mother but only lived until just before she was 39. The most famous novels from each sister were Charlotte's 'Jane Eyre', Emily's 'Wuthering Heights' and Anne's 'Agnes Grey'.
For more information about Haworth and the Brontës, please click on the logo above.

Haworth is an absolutely beautiful village and is reflected with the extortionate entry fee of £6.00 to visit the famous parsonage, so we chose to peruse several shops that were open.
The first, 'Rose & Co.' is an apothecary and held little interest with me, except that they also sell a huge variety of sweets and candy, particularly Liquorice Fudge... believe me, it's unbelievably delicious! We then walked down the main street of Haworth, which is rather steep, and looked in on a few of the other shops, one of which, 'Sonia's Smile' Tanya bought a very groovy top from.



On our way back up, we stopped at The Cheese Place, an independent cheese retailer (and winner of a Dairy Crest Award). All the cheese they sell is hand-made on British farms, not mass-produced in factories and they also offer a large range of complementary products such as biscuits, chutneys and wines. The majority of chutneys and jams that are on offer are made locally, by hand, using local ingredients where possible. There are many other products available too and it doesn't matter if you're miles away either, there's always the option to order online for a next day delivery!
Click on the exceptionally cool logo above to find out more.



Now that we had administered our dose of retail therapy, we could all stop off for a coffee at The Old White Lion Hotel, a quaint and very characteristic pub that sits on a hill at the top of main street. Although we only had a coffee, the staff were more than helpful, especially with our quest to find the egg-shaped thingumajig. With 14 en-suite bedrooms and a full three-course menu, the hotel has a lot to offer.
Please click on the logo (yes, the old lion happens to be red) if you're interested in staying, eating or drinking there!

Now then, back to our saga with the egg-shaped thingumajig... with some excellent directions from one of the staff at The Old White Lion, we FINALLY found it, plus we were also given a leaflet all about it and it just so happens that 'The Atom' is part of a unique series of 21st Century landmarks called 'Panopticons', designed specifically to attract visitors into the countryside. Dotted around Pennine Lancashire, there are four in total, each found on a high-point site which spectacular views.
'The Atom' overlooks Wycoller village from Haworth Road Car Park and was officially launched on Friday 22 September 2006. Designed by Peter Meacock, it took three years to complete the bronze-coated structure.
You may be ahead of me here... it turned out that 'The Singing Ringing Tree' was another Panopticon, and now that we were in possession of a map, we knew where to locate it (even though a brown sign did take us into where some new housing was being built).
We arrived at Crown Point, the location of the sculpture and encountered bitterly cold winds, to the point where it was near-on uncomfortable; this wasn't helped by the fact that the sun was disappearing fast, so what little warmth it provided, had all but gone. Having said all that, the unique musical sculpture, designed by award-winning architects Tonkin Liu is an outstanding piece of modern art. Constructed of metal pipes, some with flute-like holes on their undersides, produce a melodic hum that does not disturb nearby wildlife.



Just as we'd decided to head off home due to tiredness and hunger, we somehow decided that we'd visit a third Panopticon, 'The Halo'. With a map, you'd have thought it would have been a simple task - far from it. We hunted around for ages, took many a wrong turn, ended up going in the wrong direction and tempers started to flare! We had almost given up and then decided to ask someone in Haslingden where the damn thing was. What amazed us was that he knew! We thought we'd followed directions, only to find that we had found ourselves lost, so we turned back. Whilst driving back, we spotted it, high on top of a hill, all lit up like something from outer space! At the time, I seem to remember thinking, 'Thank fuck for that'.
Designed by John Kennedy of LandLab, Halo is an 18m-diameter steel lattice structure, supported on a truncated tripod five metres above ground. Located on Top o' Slate in the Rossendale Valley, it is visible for miles around and the iconic gateway piece overlooks the A56, welcoming visitors into East Lancashire. Now that we'd seen it, we could go home happy, very happy.
To visit the Panopticons website, please click on the logo above.

Wednesday 25th March 2009 10:31

A trip up to the north west, namely the region of Bolton, isn't complete without at least having something from Greenhalgh's Bakery... what's even better is the fact that we were there relatively near to Easter, which means their Hot Cross Buns are available. I've tasted Hot Cross Buns from many supermarkets and eateries and nothing compares to the taste of Greenhalgh's (pronounced Greenholshes), an immensely popular bakery, established since 1957.
For more information, please click on the company logo below.



The weather had taken a turn for the worse overnight, which meant we had to reconsider our plans. It just so happened that we were all in favour of catching the train from Blackrod (the village where my parents live) to Manchester and spending the day there.



It's strange because since living in the south of England and visiting the north fairly regularly, I'd say the north/south divide in terms of the cost of things is fairly insignificant but Tanya and I were both stunned about how cheap the train ticket was. A return journey (approximately 40 miles) cost £3:20 each, yet a return journey from our home town of Havant to Petersfield (approximately 28 miles) costs £4:80 each, a massive difference and unjustifiable!
If you're planning a trip to the north, check out the Northern Trains website by clicking on the logo above.



Once we arrived at Manchester Victoria, we headed straight for the Urbis, for none of us had actually been inside, even though we'd all walked past it!
The Urbis is a free city centre museum which focuses on city life through the experiences and many cultures of the people who live within the city and the exhibitions within cover these aspects. The building, designed by Ian Simpson, is located in the Cathedral Gardens and was opened in June 2002. It has four flours of ever-changing exhibitions, exploring areas such as design, architecture, graffiti, photography, music and fashion.
Luckily, there were two excellent exhibitions on whilst we visited, the first was all about the rising of black people's status, particularly within America, covering the slave trade right through to the election of Barack Obama.
The second was a stunning exhibition of 15 specially commissioned photographic works by Andrew Paul Brooks entitled 'Reality Hack - Hidden Manchester'. The images are all glimpses of the hidden parts of the city that hardly any of us have ever seen, or will ever see. Some are taken from the tops of buildings, others from the murky world of underground tunnels.
Please click on the Urbis logo where I have directed you to the exhibition area of the website.



Across the pedestrianised Cathedral Gardens is the cathedral itself, a superb example of architecture right in the middle of a very modern area of the city. The last time I had visited it was when me and a mate travelled to Manchester on the train when we were just 15... over 25 years ago now!
Known locally as 't'owd church', The Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St. Mary, St. Denys and St. George in Manchester is its full official title. The Medieval church is located on Victoria Street and is the seat of the Bishop of Manchester. The main architectural style of it is Perpendicular Gothic, although it was constructed over a period of 600 years and the interior in particular, contains many pieces of period art.
Much more information can be obtained by clicking on the logo above.



By now, it was fast approaching lunchtime and luckily, a stone's throw away from the Cathedral was a Joseph Holt's pub called 'The Crown and Anchor'. They were advertising meal deals at £5.95 each, including a free drink with every meal - it was enough to entice us. My parents opted for Grilled Steak and Onion Ciabattas, whilst Tanya and I chose crispy duck in Hoi Sin Sauce Wraps. Delicious! We all had a pint of 'Nuts and Holts' a very tasty, quite creamy new seasonal beer from the excellent Manchester-based brewery... definitely a great session beer too.
The Joseph Holt website can be accessed by clicking on the logo above.



Now that our hunger had been dealt with, we could continue on our tour of the city, next on the agenda was the John Rylands Library, arguably the most stunning piece of architecture within Manchester. I'd always admired it from afar, yet never been inside, as hadn't Tanya and it had been a good number of years since my parents had visited it.
The John Rylands Library is part of the University Library and was founded by Mrs Enriqueta Augustina Rylands in memory of her late husband, John Rylands. She commissioned a design from architect Basil Champneys in 1889 and although a library, it's appearance is distinctly similar to a Victorian Gothic church. The building was first opened on January 1 1900 and is constructed of a stone from Penrith, Cumbria known as 'shawk' that varies between a buff and pink colour.
On the front of the building, 'The John Rylands Library' is chiseled out in the stone and I decided to redraw it as a clickable link for you to find out more...



We walked a little further down Deansgate so we could take a look at the Beetham Tower, 301 Deansgate Manchester, Manchester's tallest building. It opened in October 2006 and is currently the UK's tallest mixed-use building, standing at 171m (554ft), that's if you include the glass blade at the very top of the building. At 47 storeys high, the building comprises of 219 luxury residences and a 279-bed Hilton Hotel, plus a Cloud 23 Skybar located on the top floor.
For more information about the Liverpool-based company, Beetham, please click on the logo above.

We managed to grab a Café Nero before catching the train back home, all feeling utterly exhausted.

Tuesday 24th March 2009 09:38

Tanya and I were home alone as from 10:15 this morning because my Dad was presenting his weekly two-hour radio show on Bolton FM and my Mum had an appointment at the hospital. This gave us enough time, prior to that, to nip into Horwich and buy my Mum a lovely bouquet of flowers as a belated Mother's Day gift from Bromilow's, an excellent Interflora florist and give them to her before she left.



After that, we took my sister's dog, Hudson, for a walk around Wallsuches and Wilderswood, both of which are on the boundaries of both Horwich and Rivington. With us having decided to have lunch with my parents, we parked outside Curley's, primarily a premier trout fishery. The six acre reservoir has a 200 year old history and is situated amongst the hills of the West Pennine Moors, on the edge of Rivington Country Park. The food in the café is spot on, reasonably-priced and the thing I enjoyed most about it was the service and distinct lack of pretence.
For more information about the family-run business, please click here.



Once we'd finished, we then drove over to Pennington Flash, located on the outskirts of Leigh and part of Wigan Council. The country park is 494 acres with the 'flash' being a 173 acre lake, created by the subsidence of a coal mine which then became flooded around the turn of the 20th century. Since then, the whole area has been developed into an extensive nature reserve including several bird hides, along with a network of tracks and footpaths. The area is now one of the elite birdwatching sites in the north west with over 230 species having been recorded to date. Whilst we were there for a very short space of time, we managed to identify Grey Herons, a Cormorant, Bullfinches (both sexes) and Reed Buntings (both sexes) amongst many other more common species. Unfortunately the weather took a turn for the worse so our trip was cut slightly short.
For more information about Wigan Council or Wigan's Parks, please click on the relevant logos above.

Monday 23rd March 2009 14:43

Woo-hoo! It was our last day at work for the rest of the week, not that we don't enjoy work, more the fact that we've both worked our arses off of late and had earned a well-deserved break.
We had booked time off to stay with my parents, this meant a 270-mile journey up to the north west of England. It seems strange because around three years ago, I was making this round-trip every weekend over a period of six months.



Other than the arduous task of having to navigate through some torrential weather south of Oxford, we had a trouble-free journey, taking us about four and a half hours to complete. We had just the one stop off at Sutton Scotney service station to replenish snacks and drinks, Oasis 'Summer Fruits' being the perfect accompaniment for a long journey.
To find out more about Oasis (drinks that is, not the Manchester band), please click on the image above.

Sunday 22nd March 2009 14:12

Started the morning with a brisk walk around Emsworth Mill Pond where we fed the ducks, swans and various other birds. From there, we quickly nipped into Havant for a few things and headed off home.



I then thought it was high time I cleaned my car. The trouble is, when I decide to clean my car, it becomes a day event. I clean it. I then use window cleaner on all the windows and mirrors. Not satisfied with the 'gleam factor', I then wax it. I look inside and see how clean the windows are and the dashboard and other areas are dusty so I polish those. The carpeting within finally receives a vacuuming.
Four hours later, car, done.
Autoglym products have to be some of the best on the market, please click on the logo above to find out more.

Saturday 21st March 2009 21:18

Quite an uneventful yet relaxing day today.
We finally managed to watch the most recent Guy Ritchie film, RocknRolla. Having seen 'Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels', 'Snatch' and 'Revolver', we were very much looking forward to this film.
As a matter of interest, 'Sherlock Holmes' is in post-production and will be out later in the year, followed by 'The Gamekeeper', due to be released in 2010. Must watch 'The Hard Case' at some point, his first film, released in 1995.



We both thought 'RocknRolla' was a great film, not as violent as previous offerings but the humour and storyline was excellent. Based in London, property estate scam puts millions of pounds on offer, attracting a handful of tough guys, along with seasoned underworld types, all of whom are looking for a way to get rich quick. Whilst all of them are eager to get their hands on the cash, a player who's presumed dead has an almost priceless prize fall into his hands.
The film, whose main stars are Gerard Butler, Tom Wilkinson and Thandie Newton, is quite slapstick but nevertheless, very entertaining - it's website can be accessed by clicking on the movie poster above.

Friday 20th March 2009 17:35

Here's a particular kind of website that I haven't covered before, ones where you can save yourself money. With economy the way it is right now, it's a great way of making the most out of discounts, daily deals and special offers. Voucher Codes collates the best discounts and offers from hundreds of leading online stores.



The website is very informative and easily navigable with easy links to the top 20 codes, codes that are about to expire, along with the most recent codes and deals - you can also print out certain vouchers.
Go on, take a look by clicking on the logo above to make the most of these ongoing deals.

Thursday 19th March 2009 21:00

The good thing about BBC1 is that as soon as one great series finishes, another one starts and tonight was no exception. Last night saw the very last of 'Nature's Great Events' and tonight, a new series entitled 'The Hottest Place on Earth' started. The two-part series takes place in the Danakil desert in northern Ethiopia, officially the hottest place on Earth. Dr Dougal Jerram, an Earth scientist from Durham University joins a BBC team to investigate the geology of the area, particularly the Dabbahu Fissure and Erte Ale which is one of the oldest lava lakes on the planet.
To watch the first of the two parts, please click on the image below.



I was absolutely amazed to see how incredible the area was, particularly an area known as Dallol. It's a volcanic explosion crater found in the Danakil Depression, northeast of the Erte Ale Range. The local Afar people named the area Dallol for it means dissolution or disintegration describing a landscape made of acid ponds, iron oxide, sulfur and salt flats and the whole area was formed in 1926 during a phreatic eruption.
Having conducted a Google image search on Dallol, I came across this exceptional image taken by Carsten Peter on behalf of National Geographic.

Wednesday 18th March 2009 20:03

I've almost caught up with my blog, after falling almost a week behind with it. It may now give me some time to add images I've taken this month, sort out my Photo of the Month and actually talk about photography for a change.



Back in the year 2000, I promised myself that I would enter every round of APOY (Amateur Photographer of the Year), hosted by the best-selling photography magazine in the UK, 'Amateur Photographer'. All in all, there were ten rounds (as there are now), all of which are set subject. Sometimes the subject categories are an interpretational dream, other times, they're an absolute nightmare. Anyway, I stuck to my promise and managed to have seven different entries published, my highest gaining fourth place, one outside a prize ranking.
In the end, I finished fifth overall, amidst some truly exceptional photographers and even to this day, I still cannot believe I managed to gain such a high accolade.
Click on the Amateur Photographer logo above to find out more about the magazine and to join the online forum, if the mood takes you.



Why am I gassing about all of this? Well, March 6 this year saw the closing date for the first of the ten set subjects for this year's APOY, the subject being 'Leading Lines'. Anyway, rather than go down the predictable route, I chose to head down the wacky one... the various shapes are all in the throes of racing against each other, the lines being in the lead, hence 'Leading Lines'.
I'll get me coat...

Tuesday 17th March 2009 17:44

With it being the world-reknowned St. Patrick's Day today, I decided I'd mildly join in the celebrations by cracking open one of the real ales I bought over the weekend.
When choosing a batch of ales, I like to try a variety, ranging from pale ales right the way through to stout ales. Strength plays an important part too, and again, I like to vary those, as I do with the name of the beer and the way it's branded.
The final 'ingredient' is whether it's a brewery whose ale I have never tasted... today's ale was 'Punk IPA' by Brewdog, a Scottish brewery with attitude, based in Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire.



It's a very light ale and its bite is far worse than its bark. It is very bitter fused with a strong presence of grapefruit, yet very smooth to drink. I'd even imagine that lager drinkers could convert to this pale ale, particularly with spicy food. The copywriting on the beer label is sensational, particularly the sentence that reads, "We don't care if you don't like it".
For more information about Brewdog, please visit their superb website by clicking on the bottle above.

Monday 16th March 2009 07:23

Just in case you're heading off to warmer climes this year, I thought I'd bring your attention to what appears to be the 'world's most popular currency site'. I have to say that it's impressive and easily navigable.



XE is a Canadian online foreign exchange services company, headquartered in Newmarket, Ontario. It appears within the top 300 sites worldwide by its traffic alone, furthermore, it's in the top 100 in Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and the United Kingdom. Founded in 1993 by Steven Dengler, it was originally launched as Xenon Laboratories Incorporated, eventually taking the shorter form of XE, the atomic symbol for Xenon, in December of 1994.
To find out more, please click on the logo above.

Sunday 15th March 2009 10:13

Today we decided it was well and truly time for a GBMLW, yes, that's right, a great big massive long walk. I like the ones where you're able to leave the house without having to use your car, that way, if the mood takes you, you needn't worry about a swift trip to a pub along the way.



So, we set off walking from our humble abode and headed off to the outskirts of Havant, joining the Billy Track along the way, passing Havant Museum on the way down to Langstone. The magnetic pull from the Royal Oak proved too weak and from Langstone we carried on walking along the coastline and then joined the path that leads you up through Warblington Cemetery.
From there we then took the path which eventually leads you back to the coast via Nore Barn Woods and once we were back on the coastal path, we continued to walk to Emsworth, finishing at the railway station, where we bought two single tickets to Warblington; no sooner had we set foot on the platform, the train arrived!
The journey from Emsworth to Warblington is literally minutes, however it was a well-earned rest before we then walked home from Warblington Station. We covered somewhere in the region of 7-8 miles, I can determine this as being accurate because the journey by car, which is much more direct, covers 6 miles. A very enjoyable walk indeed. Using Google Earth technology, I took several screen shots of our route so that I was able to create a perfect route map of where we walked, except the half mile from Warblington Station back home.



Whilst at Tesco yesterday, we bought a packet of gel pens because we never seem to be able to find a pen in the house.
Now then, I don't know about you, but since the advent of computers, I find the art of writing increasingly difficult, to the point where a page of reporter's notebook can leave my hand and wrist suffering all kinds of cramp. It's a shame really because, as with many people my age, we all had at least one pen friend which meant that writing played an important role in life and education. My handwriting used to be impeccably neat (even though I say so myself) and now it looks like a spider has shat on the page and spread it everywhere. What worries me is, how long will it be before the art of handwriting vanishes completely?
Anyway, the Uni-ball Signo RT gel pen is an absolutely superb writer, so much so, it almost feels as if the pen is doing the work and the effort is virtually minimal - please click on the logo above to find out more.

Saturday 14th March 2009 22:18

The theme for today has to be 'Nature's Great Events', but first we had the small, or should I say large, matter of doing the weekly shop - how it ever ended up being done on a Saturday is a mystery to me. For a change, we visited Tesco, just outside of Chichester and it seemed a great idea for I'd not really started to break into the range of real ales they sold. I left the store with six new ones so the trauma of a Saturday shop suddenly seemed the best idea since sliced bread. The visit may well be categorised as a 'Great Event' after all.



We just so happened to arrive home for the second half of the top of table Premiership clash between Manchester United v Liverpool. I was shocked to find that the half time scoreline was 1-2 in the Merseyside team's favour.
When any British team play in Europe, I will always back them, I also recognise just how incredible a team Manchester United are, it's just their fans that I have little time for. Yes, you're exceptional but you're not invincible, get over it. Shit happens, I should know, I support Bolton Wanderers - we're happy with surviving the drop, let alone losing the odd match here and there.
Needless to say, I was thoroughly delighted to see the home side lose to a deficit of 1-4 and the majority of Old Trafford spectators spitting their dummies out everywhere.
A truly great event.



Later on in the evening, we caught up with the latest installment of BBC1's 'Nature's Great Events', narrated by none other than Sir David Attenborough. The trouble is, it's shown at exactly the same time as 'Grand Designs' so it's one or the other on a Wednesday night and Saturday is often a 'catch-up' day with regards to programmes we may have missed.
There are a total of six hour-long episodes that feature some of the natural world's most spectacular, and usually annual, events that unfold, affecting massive numbers of both plants and animals.
To watch the latest episode, click on the image above.

Friday 13th March 2009 19:00

Today saw the launch of Red Nose Day 2009, you may recall me covering Sport Relief at around this time last year. The two fundraising events alternate every two years and although I know they're ultimately for the same cause, I can't help but think that Red Nose Day is far better (and funnier).

Comic Relief is a British charity organisation that was founded in the United Kingdom in 1985 by the comedy scriptwriter Richard Curtis in response to famine in Ethiopia. The live launch of the project came on the 1985 Christmas Day edition of Noel Edmonds' Late, Late Breakfast Show, from a refugee camp in Sudan. Its two principal supporters are the BBC and Sainsbury's, with the BBC being responsible for televising the extravaganza live and Sainsbury's selling all sorts of merchandise on behalf of the charity.



The whole night was great entertainment and by the time we couldn't stay awake any longer, the total had already reached over £41m, the highest ever total announced live on the night.
For more information about the event, please click on the red nose.

Before I sign off, I had realised that it was the second Friday 13th in successive months.
Many people are very superstitious about the day and have been from as early as the 19th Century - some even have a fear of the actual day, known as paraskevidekatriaphobia or friggatriskaidekaphobia. The fear of the actual number 13 is known as triskaidekaphobia. There is also a superstition that possibly derived from the Last Supper, whereby having thirteen people seated at a table will result in the death of one of the diners.
Three strange but true facts for you. Every calendar year, Friday 13th occurs at least once but no more than three times a year. Any month that begins on a Sunday will contain a Friday the 13th and the longest period that can occur without a Friday the 13th is fourteen months, those are either from July to September the following year or from August to October in a leap year.

Thursday 12th March 2009 19:21

Whilst watching BBC1's 'The One Show' tonight, Adrian Chiles visited Spurgeons Young Carers Project in Wolverhampton, where he documented a true story about Zach, an eleven-year-old boy. He juggles school with caring for his eight-year-old brother Kristian, who has been diagnosed with a number of conditions, including dyspraxia, Perthes Disease and autism.



The organisation has just received a £2000 grant from Comic Relief and with Red Nose Day being so imminent, it seemed a perfect time to raise the awareness with One Show viewers.
Spurgeon’s is one of the UK’s largest charities working with children, young people and families and have over 100 projects in the UK and overseas. Due to the extraordinary generosity of one woman, Anne Hillyard, they were founded in 1867 by Charles Haddon Spurgeon, to care for fatherless boys, with the first girls being accepted in 1879.
For more information, please click on the logo above.

Wednesday 11th March 2009 19:44

Time for another BBB (Big Beer Blog). I have many to catch up on and have decided to include the ones that I think are either exceptional, different, or both. I've opted to go with six again, for it's an easy number to contend with and for those of you who aren't real ale fans, my tasting notes shouldn't bore you too much.

Please click on any of the images to access the relevant brewery's site.



Fuller's 'ESB'
This champion ale has twice been voted world champion bitter and has been voted champion beer of Britain on three occasions. The beer is slightly sweet-smelling and has a unique blend of Northdown, Target, Challenger and Goldings hops. It is distinctly bitter-tasting and is smooth and full-bodied. It has a lingering marmalade fruitiness throughout with a combination of rich treacley malt character. A superb real ale and despite it being 5.9% ABV, ESB works dangerously well as a session beer.

Theakston 'XB'
Theakston's Brewery is based in Masham, North Yorkshire and ownership of the brewery has changed hands several times throughout recent history and has finally returned to family ownership after being a subsidiary of Scottish & Newcastle for the past 20 years. Bottling 'XB' is part of their major overhaul of brands and promotion and they've done it justice. This ruby coloured, richly flavoured, full-bodied ale has a blast of hop and sultana aromas. It seems that many prefer Old Peculier whereas I thought this 4.5% ABV ale brewed with pale and crystal malt and brewing sugar was a much more drinkable beer.



Harviestoun 'Bitter & Twisted'
I have recently been fortunate enough to stumble upon two ales from this Scottish-based brewery.
Based in Alva, Clackmannanshire, the brewery has been established since 1985 and started life in a 200 year old stone barn. 'Bitter & Twisted' was voted world's best ale at the World Beer Awards in 2007. This 4.2% ABV blond beer has a refreshing twist of lemon finish, hence its name. The cask version of this beer was CAMRA's 2003 Champion Beer of Britain and is a very enjoyable ale indeed, most certainly to be enjoyed on a hot summer's day.

Harviestoun 'Schiehallion'
Now then, here's a very different ale indeed. As you know, I love real ale, yet grapefruits are about the only fruit that I really abide. This 4.8% ABV pale ale tastes of grapefruit yet I thought it was absolutely excellent. The citrusy hops, namely Hersbrücker and Challenger, leave a taste of lemon, lime as well as grapefruit and makes this a very refreshing and drinkable ale. Before I forget, I want to thank both Chris Miller and Amanda Sumner at the brewery for providing me with high resolution images for me to include on my blog.



Thwaites 'Double Century'
Having been born and bred in Lancashire, it's great to be able to purchase a real ale from my part of the world, 'Double Century' being an excellent 5.2% ABV premium ale. Hopped three times with Fuggles, then Challenger and finally with Bramling Cross, this predominently malty beer has a bitter orange finish. Double Century was originally created to mark Daniel Thwaites’ high profile bi-centenary celebrations but was so well received by beer lovers that it became a permanent fixture in their range.

Wychwood 'Circlemaster'
Originally named 'Corn Circle', this is a 4.7% ABV organic golden pale ale from the Oxfordshire-based brewery Wychwood. It is brewed using a unique blend of ingredients including organic barley-malt (Spratt-Archer & Optic) from the Prince of Wales Estate and Organic target Hops, from UK's only regular grower, Peter Hall of Kent. The Circle Master conducts a melody of refreshing citrus and delightful malt flavours, rounded off with a spicy bittersweet finish.

Tuesday 10th March 2009 15:03

It was the day of reckoning for me... my first dental treatment in about five years. I don't particularly have a fear of them, for I grew up with my Mum being a receptionist at one for a good number of years, which meant that we always had six-monthly check-ups. Needles don't phase me either, it's the numb feeling in your jaw after having the injection of anesthetic that I detest. I detest it that much that in the end, I chose to have the filling without it.



I've included a tooth chart above, indicating the names and sequence of a full set of adult teeth. The tooth that had been giving me all the problems was my lower left-hand first molar, to the point where virtually half of it had crumbled away and my dentist wanted to remove it. To me, I thought that removing it was the easy option and having a gap, particularly on the lower set of teeth would irritate the hell out of me. So, I chose to ask for a filling, without an injection. It was uncomfortable but I've suffered far worse pain than that and was delighted that it was all over.

Monday 9th March 2009 18:46

Having failed my first two attempts at passing my driving test in 1985 and 1986, by 1989 I was in desperate need of some form of transport, so decided to buy a motorbike. At the time, the test was split into two sections, the first part was a test of set manoeuvres, the second was more of a standard test, where the examiner fitted radio equipment and followed you around a route.
The whole thing was nerve-racking and I managed to pass the first part with flying colours, taking the least amount of 'dabs' recorded that morning; dabs are when you use either foot (or both) to gain balance whilst tackling tricky manoeuvres. I passed the second part on the second attempt and became an official 'biker'.



The reason I shared that information with you is because there's a great Department of Transport advert called 'Perfect Day', making bikers aware of the many hazards that everyday journeys throw at them. It's cleverly done and some rather groovy music accompanies it, although I have absolutely no idea what it's called and who it's by.
Click on the Think! logo to watch the advert.

Sunday 8th March 2009 11:11

We had planned to have a quiet day in today, although it didn't quite turn out like that. Our resident rabbit, Timmy, now had what is classed as 'walking dandruff', or to give it its correct terminology, Cheyletiella parasitovorax. The Cheyletiella mite family attack various domestic pets, Cheyletiella blakei infests cats, Cheyletiella yasguri infests dogs, and Cheyletiella parasitovorax infests rabbits; cross-infestations are possible. Large numbers of small white Cheyletiella mites moving about on the surface of the skin have led to the common term of "walking dandruff". The disease is very contagious, especially in animal communities, even Human infestation is frequent. They have four pairs of legs and prominent hook-like mouthparts and live on the surface of the epidermis, their entire three-week life-cycle is spent on the host. Needless to say, a trip to the vets was necessary.





On a brighter and less itchier note, 30 years ago, to the day, Philips demonstrated the Compact Disc publicly for the first time. A CD is an optical disc used to store digital data and has been available on the market since October 1982. It remains the standard physical medium for sale of commercial audio recordings to the present day. They have a diameter of 120 mm and can hold up to 80 minutes of audio (or the equivalent 700 MB of data).
It's hard to think that there are many 'milestones' within my life alone (not thinking of what my parents have witnessed; England's World Cup win of '66 springs to mind) and I'd say that the CD was revolutionary, as has its predecessors, the DVD and Blu-Ray Discs.
Please click on the Philips logo to find out more about the company.

Saturday 7th March 2009 07:13

It was another one of those great weekend days where a change in the weather altered the plans for the day. It was a foggy morning, and Tanya and I love fog, for it can alter the most mundane of things into something quite spectacular. All we needed to decide upon, was where to take advantage of it... Old Portsmouth it was.

By the time we arrived there, the fog had all but gone, nevertheless though, it was a beautiful wintry morning and the early morning sun meant that there were some great shadows about and some superb reflections in the relatively still sea water.
Portsmouth is reputedly the most haunted city on the south coast and has a dark history of murder, mayhem, plotting and politics. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the old quarter of the city - a place known as Spice Island - this is where we spent considerable time, particularly The Square Tower and The Round Tower, both of which lie on the island. From here there are great views of the Spinnaker Tower and the old dockyards.



I'd never realised, until today, that Portsmouth Cathedral is literally around the corner from Spice Island, so suggested that we walked round there to investigate. Luckily, the Cathedral was open, and once we'd taken a few photographs of the exterior, we took a look at the interior. What an absolutely beautiful piece of architecture (I shall be adding some shots to my website).
The medieval building, in the shape of a cross with a square tower over the crossing, was built in around the year 1180, of assorted stone including Caen and Binstead. Jean de Gisors, a well off Norman merchant and Lord of the Manor of Titchfield, donated land in his new town of Portsmouth and the newly-built chapel provided the religious needs of the sea-faring community based on the Camber and also for Gisor's family.
Please click on the logo above to find out more about the Cathedral.

Friday 6th March 2009 13:06

Ever since having to organise some airport parking whilst we holidayed on the Isle of Man, I receive regular email updates from P4< (Parking 4 Less), informing me about their latest deals. Whilst we have no major holiday plans in the imminent future, it's always as well to know what offers are on, particularly if a Lottery win is on the horizon.



The company understands that most people are looking for both value and convenience, saving them from spending a huge amount of time and money trawling around the web. Parking 4 Less have produced a simple way of booking Airport Parking online, and can provide you with a range of car parks, offering discounted prices and short distances from the airport. All airports have 24 hour security, provide regular transfers to airport terminals and most have the AA Gold award.

Thursday 5th March 2009 11:07

As a designer, it means I become involved in all sorts of media, publications and corporate identity. These categories have many sub-categories and although you might think of corporate as being logo design, stationery and other forms of literature, more often than not, they also involve promotional products right the way through to staff uniforms.
A whole host of information about clothing can be found via the comprehensive Apparel Search website by clicking on the logo below.



This is almost like a 'Did you know?' section about clothing...
So, in clothing terms, what are the following? Blade, Epaulette, Placket and Tabard?
The blade is the widest point of a necktie.
Epaulettes are a type of ornamental shoulder piece or decoration used as insignia or rank by the military and other organisations.
A placket is an opening in a garment or the overlapping layers of fabric that cover or disguise such an opening.
Tabards are short coats, either sleeveless, or with short sleeves or shoulder pieces, and were a common item of men's clothing in the Middle Ages, usually for outdoors.

You can now rest easy when you're at the next pub quiz!

Wednesday 4th March 2009 18:03

For a while now, I've tried to catch up with some tasting notes of real ales I've had recently. I still need to cover two excellent ones from the Harviestoun Brewery as well as other individual ales from several different breweries, however, tonight's blog shall focus on one of my favourite breweries, Marston's.
Marston's definitely excel with superb real ale, each one having a distinctive smell, flavour, colour or consistency. Luckily for me, I have a palate for pale and dark ale, along with the shades in between!



Marston's 'Firestoker'
Firestoker is an absolutely superb ale, amber in colour and 5%ABV. It has a distinct yet delicate vanilla aroma and flavour and is brewed with English Maris Otter barley, Fuggle and Goldings hops. As to whether hardened drinkers can accept the smoky oak flavour competing against the tang of vanilla is another matter. All I know is that I thoroughly enjoyed a real ale that stood out taste-wise.

Marston's 'Pedigree'
This is another incredibly tasty ale, some have labelled it as being the finest beer in the world. It's easy to drink, smooth, mellow and a perfect summer pint. This 4.5% ABV ale is brewed with Maris Otter malt along with Fuggles and Goldings hops, both of which are powerful in smell and flavour yet a hint of syrupy sweetness adds a welcome richness to the brew.



Marston's 'Old Empire'
This golden coloured real ale is malty and bitter with slight aftertaste of caramel yet it retains that unique tanginess that is associated with Marston's. This is definitely one of those ales where 4-5 could easily vanish on a hot summer's day, and at 5.7% ABV, why not?!

Marston's 'Oyster Stout'
A very dark, opaque stout with a heavy malt flavour and undertones of marzipan, plums and coffee flavours. This ABV 4.5% real ale would be a perfect accompaniment with beef dishes for it's rich and smooth, in fact I've just read that someone used it to make some gravy!



Marston's 'Single Malt'
The name 'Single Malt' derives from the fact that this is brewed using only Golden Promise malt, once used by the Scottish distilling industry. This 4.2% ABV has a smooth taste with a hint of honey with a delicate fragrant aftertaste that separates it from the mass of beers, probably making it palatable for lager drinkers.

Marston's 'Strong Pale Ale'
Strong Pale Ale has a palete of caramelised sugar together with a hoppy bitterness and some residual sweetness, lingering into a syrupy aftertaste. It possesses a maltiness, mixed with undertones of fruitiness, before the stronger flavour kicks in. At 6.2% ABV, it's obviously powerful, yet it does not taste strong which therefore makes it dangerously drinkable.

I must thank Tom Daplyn at Vital Marketing who supplied me with very high quality images of all the ales listed above.

Tuesday 3rd March 2009 17:22

Around two weeks ago, I talked about Ambrosia Devon Custard and how delicious it is. After numerous internet searches, I found that a lot of today's top brands of foods are encapsulated by one very large company, Premier Foods. In fact, they're not just a large company, they're the UK's largest food producer, to the point where 43 million people eat at least one of their branded products every two weeks. Their range covers Hovis, Mr Kipling, Batchelors, Quorn, Bisto, Sharwood's, Cadbury, Loyd Grossman, Branston, Ambrosia and many many more well-known brands.
To find out much more about them, please click on the logo below.



Whilst trying to locate a vector-based artwork of the Ambrosia logo, I contacted Premier Foods in the hope that they would supply one to me. One of the marketing staff there asked if I'd also include a press release for both Walkers Sensations and a new natural crisp brand called Red Sky. Naturally, I obliged, so please click on the bags to find out more about each product.



Walkers Sensations have recently added a touch of sophistication to their packaging as well as adding two new flavours to their existing line-up of six delicious ones. The packaging is incredibly striking and very contemporary indeed - just wish I'd designed it! The whole range are made from real ingredients and now have no artificial sweeteners, MSG, preservatives or artificial colours.
The two new flavours are Southern Style Barbecue and Buffalo Mozzarella & Herbs in addition to Thai Sweet Chilli, Oriental Red Curry, Roasted Chicken & Thyme, Vintage Cheddar & Onion Chutney and finally Balsamic Vinegar & Caramelised Onion. I have to say that the latter flavour is incredibly tasty and comes with a recommendation from me.

Red Sky potato chips are aimed at true foodies, for they're made with totally natural ingredients and are available in four flavours. It's the first snack to come packaged in paper which means it's perfect for the environment too. Not only that, for every bag you buy, it will help to protect endangered Rainforest via their link up with Cool Earth, a charity that aims to help combat global warming, protect ecosystems and provide sustainable jobs for local people.
To access the Cool Earth website, please click on the logo below.

Monday 2nd March 2009 06:56

Today's blog is most certainly a blast from the past. What prompted me to write about this particular person was the logo on Google's homepage this morning. I immediately recognised that the logo obviously referred to Dr. Seuss, of which I could remember from my primary school days (so we're talking 30 years or more here).



Born on March 2nd, 1904, Theodor Seuss Geisel became widely known for his children's books, that he both wrote and drew the off-the-wall cartoons for. He was an incredibly talented man and the majority of his books featured almost surreal characters where the storylines included rhyme, the most famous of which were Green Eggs and Ham, The Cat in the Hat and One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish. Sadly, the American genius died on September 24th 1991, at the age of 87.
Click on the logo above to access the excellent Seussville website.

Sunday 1st March 2009 13:00

It was a weekend of football, this time the match would be from the comfort of my own home, courtesy of Setanta Sports 1. It was a premiership clash at the Reebok between Bolton Wanderers and Newcastle United. Strangely enough, Kevin Nolan, who had recently switched from Bolton to Newcastle during the transfer market, was sitting out on this match due to an inexcusable two-footed challenge on Victor Anichebe during last week's match against Everton.



Having beaten West Ham United 2-1 last week, I was hoping that Bolton could maintain their recent form and go on to win this, particularly as Bolton suffered a 1-3 defeat last time the two teams met at the Reebok.
The game turned out to be an ugly one, with 23 fouls and five yellow cards. Bolton started both halves the more spirited of the two sides and Kevin Davies had a justifiable shout for a penalty quashed. During half time, Gary Megson replaced Fabrice Muamba with Ricardo Gardner and sure enough, after two minutes of play, Matt Taylor, who had been switched to the right flank, cut a superb ball back to Gardner who swept in a precise shot which curled over the top of Steve Harper, Newcastle's 'keeper. It finished 1-0 to The Trotters, and apart from the goal, the match was frustrating and lacked any form of entertainment.