I was delighted to get this Tunnock's teacake apron from Olly & the we'ans. Its my "unique object" from my wee break in Fife.
Its a hand drawn Tunnock's teacake... printed onto a white cotton apron... and i love it. It reminds me of home.
Thanks to my girls for knowing me so well!
Tx
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
This is cool :: Tunnock's teacake apron
October 09's calendar
I thought this pic would make a nice wee wallpaper... so I worked some Flickr Toys mojo and buddabing:
go here for the Mac version (1280 x 800) ... and ...
go here for the Windows version.
Enjoy...
Tx
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
I'm a photographer...
not a Terrorist!
My thanks to Darrin Reeves for these badges. I love it when someone thinks of someone else and does something rad like this... putting 3 badges in the post with the instruction to only keep one and to pass on the other two.
So I will pass the other two on... if you receive one then please twitpic it and thank Mr Reeves (@darrinreeves).
Just reinforces the thought that when I grow up I want to be as cool as Darrin.
Tx
Trip to Fife :: 25th to 28th September 09
I've kind of gotten out of the way of telling stories of where we've been... thought I'd change that with this.
Last Friday we [ Olly, Dayna, Miriam, Pippin & I ] took a wee trip to the Kingdom of Fife and I really wanted to share it with you. We needed the opportunity to get away from everything and recharge our batteries... to seek inspiration and just rest.
We stayed here - 5 miles outside Cupar in Fife and right bang in the middle of nowhere... it was pitch black at night_ we needed to put the car lights on just so we could walk the dog before we went to bed.
For more pics... go here.
Tx
We stayed here - 5 miles outside Cupar in Fife and right bang in the middle of nowhere... it was pitch black at night_ we needed to put the car lights on just so we could walk the dog before we went to bed.
Location was perfect for townies like us... nothing but the varied quilt that is farmland_ shapes in green... brown... yellow... instead of grey & black. Beautiful.
We stopped off in Cupar (pictured at the top) for a wee while on the Friday before venturing to the cottage. Cupar is a fab wee town with some interesting shops (picked up the Gladiator soundtrack and "Loveless" by My Bloody Valentine in a charity shop there). It is a rural hub... in fact, it is the rural hub for many a mile in all directions.
The cottage itself was lovely... a wee swing and a sandpit for the we'ans... 2 bedrooms... log fire... leather suite and a really bad mobile phone reception. A reception so bad I commented to Olly that it was up and down more often than a whore's knickers to which she replied that I was vulgar... that was an awful thing to say... and she didn't think whores wore knickers for efficiency's sake. I was duly chastised.
On the Friday night... we headed over to Anstruther on the coast. Its a fantastic fishing village with one of the best fish & chip shops in Scotland (if not the world). We grabbed a couple of fish suppers... ate them in the car (cheaper and less time to wait)... then headed out for a donder around the harbour.
I love walking around a working harbour... seeing sights that I wouldn't normally see... unless, that is, I was walking around a working harbour. We had a laugh and took in a great deal of that infamous sea air... which knocked us all out pretty much as soon as the log fire was ablaze and the dog's need to piddle slaked.
The following morning... our room was filled with wonderfully glorious sunlight... the kind you read about and only witness now and again, especially in Motherwell.
We headed out to St Andrews for a donder round the shops. I picked up William Gibson's "all tomorrow's parties" at an outdoor secondhand bookstall and chatted with a Canadian lass who was mightily impressed with my choice of authors. We then had a fab coffee in Beanscene before heading to the beach.
It is the beach where they filmed sequences from "Chariots of Fire"... albeit... this is only important to someone who has seen the film. Playing the Vangelis soundtrack and imitating Eric Liddell only works if you get the cultural reference. Unfortunately, Olly & the we'ans hadn't seen the film.
The cottage itself was lovely... a wee swing and a sandpit for the we'ans... 2 bedrooms... log fire... leather suite and a really bad mobile phone reception. A reception so bad I commented to Olly that it was up and down more often than a whore's knickers to which she replied that I was vulgar... that was an awful thing to say... and she didn't think whores wore knickers for efficiency's sake. I was duly chastised.
On the Friday night... we headed over to Anstruther on the coast. Its a fantastic fishing village with one of the best fish & chip shops in Scotland (if not the world). We grabbed a couple of fish suppers... ate them in the car (cheaper and less time to wait)... then headed out for a donder around the harbour.
I love walking around a working harbour... seeing sights that I wouldn't normally see... unless, that is, I was walking around a working harbour. We had a laugh and took in a great deal of that infamous sea air... which knocked us all out pretty much as soon as the log fire was ablaze and the dog's need to piddle slaked.
The following morning... our room was filled with wonderfully glorious sunlight... the kind you read about and only witness now and again, especially in Motherwell.
We headed out to St Andrews for a donder round the shops. I picked up William Gibson's "all tomorrow's parties" at an outdoor secondhand bookstall and chatted with a Canadian lass who was mightily impressed with my choice of authors. We then had a fab coffee in Beanscene before heading to the beach.
It is the beach where they filmed sequences from "Chariots of Fire"... albeit... this is only important to someone who has seen the film. Playing the Vangelis soundtrack and imitating Eric Liddell only works if you get the cultural reference. Unfortunately, Olly & the we'ans hadn't seen the film.
After watching adult men zooming about on gokarts with kites... we headed to Dundee.
You could tell there was something magical in the September sunshine because even Dundee looked lovely. That said... the fashionistas were out in force... all looking remarkably like Karen O from the "yeah yeah yeahs". Not a bad thing, I don't suppose, beats Ugg boots and jogging bottoms any day of the week.
Later on... we drove down to Cowdenbeath to spend the evening with our dear friends... Yvonne & David. We went out to their local Indian restaurant for some amazing food. The service & the ambience was second-to-none... they really looked after us which made the night that wee bit more special.
You could tell there was something magical in the September sunshine because even Dundee looked lovely. That said... the fashionistas were out in force... all looking remarkably like Karen O from the "yeah yeah yeahs". Not a bad thing, I don't suppose, beats Ugg boots and jogging bottoms any day of the week.
Later on... we drove down to Cowdenbeath to spend the evening with our dear friends... Yvonne & David. We went out to their local Indian restaurant for some amazing food. The service & the ambience was second-to-none... they really looked after us which made the night that wee bit more special.
Afterwards, we went back to their house and set the world 'aright.
Sunday involved a long walk in the surrounding countryside...
then a wee trip to the coast via some fab backroads that held great visual treats... if you were looking:
We spent our time in Elie wandering around the harbour... the beach and the converted Granary.
We watched a rad kitesurfer catch a lot of air in the blustery wind... and wandered around surfaces that could have been used as the set for Dr Who circa Jon Pertwee.
I then parted company with Olly & we'ans... and went wandering on top of Ruby Bay... where I found the Lady's Tower. I spent so long photographing this fantastic tower that Olly & the we'ans got done what they were doing and joined me.
We then all headed to the nearby lighthouse...
I haven't done that much in Elie before... and was glad to this time. It is a truly beautiful part of the world... even with the high winds.
That night I got a log fire going... we ate pizza & garlic bread... and watched "Annie" on DVD. The girls hadn't seen it before and loved it. Another strong female role model for them. I then succumbed to the sea air again. I intended to finish "Twilight"... coulda/shoulda/woulda, I suppose.
On the Monday morning... we ate up, packed up and headed over to Kirkcaldy for a donder before leaving the Kingdom and heading home. In Kirkcaldy we met my Aunt Anne & her niece Gillian... and thus proved, both categorically and empirically, that it is actually a small world.
We had a wonderful break... were very blessed with the weather... and had a blast. I would recommend the cottage and the Kingdom to anyone seeking an away-from-it-all break. Its done me the world of good.
Sunday involved a long walk in the surrounding countryside...
then a wee trip to the coast via some fab backroads that held great visual treats... if you were looking:
We spent our time in Elie wandering around the harbour... the beach and the converted Granary.
We watched a rad kitesurfer catch a lot of air in the blustery wind... and wandered around surfaces that could have been used as the set for Dr Who circa Jon Pertwee.
I then parted company with Olly & we'ans... and went wandering on top of Ruby Bay... where I found the Lady's Tower. I spent so long photographing this fantastic tower that Olly & the we'ans got done what they were doing and joined me.
We then all headed to the nearby lighthouse...
I haven't done that much in Elie before... and was glad to this time. It is a truly beautiful part of the world... even with the high winds.
That night I got a log fire going... we ate pizza & garlic bread... and watched "Annie" on DVD. The girls hadn't seen it before and loved it. Another strong female role model for them. I then succumbed to the sea air again. I intended to finish "Twilight"... coulda/shoulda/woulda, I suppose.
On the Monday morning... we ate up, packed up and headed over to Kirkcaldy for a donder before leaving the Kingdom and heading home. In Kirkcaldy we met my Aunt Anne & her niece Gillian... and thus proved, both categorically and empirically, that it is actually a small world.
We had a wonderful break... were very blessed with the weather... and had a blast. I would recommend the cottage and the Kingdom to anyone seeking an away-from-it-all break. Its done me the world of good.
Tx
I'm back...
...after a wonderful break in Fife with Olly, the we'ans, Pippin, 3 cameras & 2 iPhones.
Got a ton to post about... and am feeling nicely refreshed.
Thanks for reading the ol' nanolog.
Tx
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
a couple of camera apps for you...
I downloaded the Best Camera iPhone app today and I am mighty impressed... as the video above says... it allows you to shoot, edit and share within the one app. The filters are sweet - warm, cool, high saturation, light, dark etc... and the ability to add a frame or square the pic are nice touches within a really intuitive UI.
It truly is all about the stories rather than the megapixels... and the ability to share your pic there and then... to twitter... to facebook... via email... or to www.thebestcamera.com is very welcome indeed. That said... you can't add any commentary to your tweet which makes for a random, solitary link being posted in your timeline... such as "http://bestc.am/zbNjR"... but I feel this is something that can be developed in time with user feedback.
I took the above pic with the ordinary iPhone 3g camera... then applied the "Bestcamera" warm filter for some added orange. I like the result and intend to do more with this app.
Next up is the camerabag desktop app... which is the desktop version of the fab iPhone app. It allows you to alter any pic on your Mac (sorry... its Mac only for now) using some great filters such as the "helga" which is remarkably similar to the output from a Lomo Holga or the "magazine" which has a great quality to it. It also has a really sweet UI... one that is easy to use for muppets like me.
The following pics were tweaked using the app:
and
It does seem ironic to spend money on getting a fancy digital camera... then using filters to "cheapen" the image... but I like the aesthetic of film and whilst it may not be the same as shooting with actual film... I think camerabag does a really good job replicating it. It provides options for making your pics more interesting... and I like that.
What I don't like about the camerabag app is that there isn't a demo option... you can't try before you buy. That said, I would recommend it... if you like the output.
Check them out.
This looks way cool :: where the wild things are
Spike Jonze is a genius... and I am really excited to see this film. It looks so good.
Tx
U*P*D*A*T*E*
To be honest... I've never read the book and am jumping on the hype because I'm a huge Spike Jonze fan... but after watching the original animated short (thank goodness for youtube) I am even more excited... the film captures the real essence of the original.
Maurice Sendak is an awesome illustrator as well as storyteller... and I really hope the film ignites interest in his work. I, for one, have appreciated being introduced to his work.
U*P*D*A*T*E*
To be honest... I've never read the book and am jumping on the hype because I'm a huge Spike Jonze fan... but after watching the original animated short (thank goodness for youtube) I am even more excited... the film captures the real essence of the original.
Maurice Sendak is an awesome illustrator as well as storyteller... and I really hope the film ignites interest in his work. I, for one, have appreciated being introduced to his work.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Loving this :: "by any means" by Small Radio
small radio/ by any means from bilderwilderer on Vimeo.
A great video for an equally great tune! Go here for more on the EP.
A better looking me? (265/365)
I don't normally take pics of people in the street but this chap was different...
I'm walking to a meeting... I'm wearing black shoes & farah trousers... I have a herringbone wool M65 jacket on & a Manhattan Portage DJ bag round me... I have midi (ie not short nor long) curly hair & a beard... usual work "me".
at the lights on the corner of queen & st vincent the above chap stands beside me... he is wearing black shoes & dressy trousers... a herringbone wool M65 jacket & a Manhattan Portage DJ bag round him... he has midi curly hair & a beard... albeit he's ginger (not that I'm gingerist) & about 40lbs lighter.
it was a bizarre moment for me. I am not unique... at least in appearance. I felt it reassuring & equally disconcerting.
Tx
New Tunes :: Twilight's score
I know TWILIGHT isn't everyones cup of tea... but for me & mine, it's a fab story & a well executed film.
Like all well executed films... the soundtrack is an essential synergistic element... it helps to create & build the atmosphere of the moment... think PSYCHO & you'll think of the shower scene with the shadowed knife & the screaching strings_ eek eek eek etc. For me CARTER BURWELL's score for TWILIGHT adds to the atmosphere... and I believe it stands on it's own_ as all good scores should_ as an awesome piece of instrumental music. And it's in his choice of instruments that the genius of the score is highlighted_ dark & brooding strings_ guitars_ disembodied vocals_ powerful rhythms_ all come together to create something overpowering in both it's darkness & it's majestic beauty. Whilst you might not "get" TWILIGHT... please do not be dismissive of it's score... it is a work of genius. Tx [Sent from my iPhone]
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