So I’ve now written 830 posts on this blog!  Well, I never!  Although, well – I did!

Belatedly, hello and welcome – and if you’re new in the door, pull up a pew and if you phistle around enough in this pile of papers disguised as a blog – you may well find something of interest.

The whole point of this writing is to curate and collect creative works by other people, ways to make etc and encourage you if you love and respond to arts – to make some yourself.  Kind of blue sky thinking.  Here, let me give you a whistle stop tour.

On the screen, you’ll see the various rooms:

5 mins –

this is if you have just 5 minutes and want to see something really rather good.  For example, video poems, short article on writing lyrics by Carly Simon, animation, video interviews with artists….

Thing of Beauty –

like it says on the tin: something so well made and designed that it does your heart good to look at it.  I began this category for a friend who had an extremely difficult and stressful job – so I would send her a “thing of beauty” to help her through the day.  Here you’ll find introductions to the work of little known artists/craftmakers in winter photography, ceramics, sculpture…..

See –

there is a wee arrow beside ‘see’ and if you click on it, it reveals 2 subcategories

hear

taste

Basically, you will either be presented with something good to look at, or an audio recording (music or speech) or food reviews.  At this point, we begin to get a little humour as my baking is of the kind which leaves a kitchen looking like an explosion in a flour factory, rather than the elegant effortlessness of TV chefs

Sense –

now this is a little hard to explain, tends to be where I collect experiences which are slightly spiritual or moving

Make –

lots of articles on a wide variety of arts and techniques and ways to enjoy creativity and share it around a bit

Smile –

something amusing, likely to crack a crease of joy across your lips.  A fairly regular feature which I’ve introduced (to mass indifference) is “Friday Night is Health and Safety Film Night”, introduced by a character of my imagination: Professor Mal Archaic.  Professor Mal has no sense of humour which makes it all the more amusing as he introduces clips from the Marx Bros, Jacques Tati, Monty Python, Kenny Everett….  Think of him as having a nasally voice and over-serious glasses and he may yet develop a fan base.  His silent sidekick is the projectionist: Rufus.

 

There is another category which doesn’t yet appear on the top line, it is “read” – and deals with books ad recommended reads.  So I’d better sort that out.

Anyhow, make yourself at home.  Nice to have you with us.  And – welcome!