WHY did you think it was a good idea to roll on a sheep corpse last week? You have been subjected to three baths in expensive shampoo (don't tell Rachel we used her Australian stuff) which you hate and yet the smell doesn't seem to be dissipating. It is particularly fetid behind your ears (your best feature) and you seem to wear it like a perfume (eau de stink). Have you wondered why nobody has cuddled you all week? Possibly not - do you even think at all? Read Full Story

"on a roof top in Brooklyn one in the morningwatching the lights flash in ManhattenI see five bridgesThe Empire State Buildingand you said something I've never forgotten" P J Harvey Rachel and I went to New York for a week of shopping and site seeing. We stayed in the Deauville Hotel - the same hotel where Sid stayed when out on bail for stabbing Nancy. (Amazing)!So this trip was a bit of a mecca for an old punk - I had to go to The Chelsea Hotel and Bowery. Shame CBGB's no longer exists.We ... Read Full Story

Back soon! Read Full Story

We are having a lot of fun at work because we have finally launched our Shorn Keighley project for 2010. This project has taken a year of planning, several applications for funding and a lot of work. So what's it all about? We have commissioned an artist to make a life sized sheep model which has been manufactured into 10 fibre glass sheep. Each sheep will be decorated by the community in the style of a famous artist and will be sponsored by a local business. We have big plans for the finishe... Read Full Story

It's feeling quite autumnal in the mornings now. The air is definitely crisper and cooler. I have planted a lot of dwarf daffodils, including Jetfire and Quail, and plenty of blue and purple alliums for next spring. I have even ordered some pink narcissi which should get people looking when they pop up.So I got the camera out to take a few pictures of the remaining flowers before the frosts get to them.The garden furniture has been put away in the shed to protect it from frost damage. I will ... Read Full Story

Recently, at work, we had the bright idea of recycling old Ladybird books to make note books. We had a lot of fun making them but we were left with a lot of lovely illustrated pages.Then I remembered that Lynsey of Swirlyarts makes recycled envelopes and gift tags so it made sense to send them to her to make use of. I got a lovely surprise when I received one of her large hand made envelopes packed full of small recycled envelopes and gift tags. The illustrations are from The Lives of The Com... Read Full Story

I got fed up with how expensive gift boxes for jewellery had become so now I always make my own for craft fairs. I use origami paper or stiff gift wrap for the lids, the bases I make from magazine pages. These boxes were made from Beatles album covers gift wrap. The paper makes the ideal boxes for cufflinks and are fun to make too. The great thing about using patterned paper is that each box comes out with a different design. Plain paper boxes are rather tedious to make. Each box has a small ... Read Full Story

2pm on a Friday comes around and I'm free from work! Yippee! I zip straight home, grab the dog lead, jump in the car and we both head for the hills....One of our favourite walks is on Addingham Moorside, although we only do this once a week as it is rather strenuous. The first part of the walk, up to Silsden Nab, is the steepest. It's good to get the worst part out of the way. View of Silsden from the Nab with Cowling Pinnacle in the background. Hurry up! Walking along the path toward Ad... Read Full Story

Thom bought this super-cool bag for college from Top Man and I really love it. It's a reproduction of an original design. You can almost see the tennis rackets sticking out of it! (Squint your eyes and use your imagination). Read Full Story

So, last bank holiday Monday we decided to take a walk up Pen-y-ghent, one of the three peaks. It overlooks the small village of Horton in Ribblesdale in the Yorkshire Dales. The weather wasn't too bad for the last day of August in the UK (it was dull but warm) and, once we had started the walk the cloud over the crag lifted. It's a shallow uphill climb for the first couple of miles.We stopped at a bank of scree for a chocolate break - I insisted - and looked down on Hull Pot (the one filled ... Read Full Story