So. I have completed a commission and now have a slot open for another if anyone is interested. There is a folder in my gallery which contains recent commission-quality artworks (not all were commissions, some of them were gifts).

If you are interested, please drop me a note and we'll talk about the prices of different artworks and the subject matter.

So. I'm considering opening up for commissions. I really enjoy drawing things for other people and I like a challenge, I think it would be really good fun.

Would anybody be interested?

Ok, so on Wednesday evening, after work, I drove me and my gf up to her term-time home in Leicester. It was just a staging post for the mission of driving up to Nottingham. Now you see, I had always thought that Sherwood Forest was part of the New Forest, so I thought Nottingham was down south. But its actually up north! The shame of a geographer to not know these things, and about your tiny home island too!

But anyway. We made it to Nottingham! We met one of my gf's university friends (he lives there) and he showed us the best bars and cafes of Nottingham (priorities people ). The Alley Cafe is a totally vegetarian caff tucked away down a side alley and up a set of stairs, which was pretty cool anyway, but then you get to the menu! I mean, wtf is a 'fellafel' anyway? I had oriental style tofu balls. I say Toe-Fue, my gf says Toff-Ooo. Bless her, she's so common ! I also tried a shot of wheatgrass. Despite the fact that it smells like the inside of a recently used lawnmower, it is actually fairly tasty. We also went to a coffee house/bar in what looked like an old victorian music hall. Glass ceilings and open galleries and comfy ancient leather chairs. I approved

Then my gf's friend tried to give us directions to Sherwood Forest. At least I've seen most of Nottingham now we got there in the end. Bought a kiddie's toy bow & arrow set, but the arrows were too short to let you pull back on the string enough to fire the arrow hard, fast or far. A range of 5m is hardly enough in anyone's books! So I whipped out my trusty penknife, found a straightish twig, notched it and whittled a deadlysharp point on it, fashioning a 2.5ft long arrow! That was more fun

We saw the Major Oak, the one Robin Hood supposedly lived in. If Robin Hood lived in that tree, 1) he was a bit of a hobo, 2) where did he keep his merry men?

It was kind of depressing. In the pictures from the 80's, the tree's gigantic gnarled branches were propped up by weathered wooden beams and it stood in a grassy clearing. Today the poor bugger is fenced off, stands alone in a crappy looking expanse of wee-smothering wood chippings and the boughs are all bound up in a web of steel cable and metal scaffold suppourts. It was like seeing the world's last tiger, half-dead and ventilator dependant.

Not to be one for fences, I hopped over and yoinked myself one of the tiny, sickly, struggling oaklings from last autumn's acorns flailing pathetically in the wood chip mulch. He is a very cute tree on my bedrom windowsill now


I've also bought another snake. Called Pirelli, she's an albino black ratsnake, hopefully Dunlop's future ladyfriend.

Then this morning, on the 07/07/07, I had another little baby african fat tailed gecko hatch out. She's so tiny!

Now I'm back at work, but oh well

Hell yeah. That's just how hardcore I am. 13 hour long shift.

Hard as nails XD

I do feel pretty tired after all that though.

1.Grab the book nearest to you, turns to page 18, and find line 4.
Terry Pratchett, A Discworld Novel: Wyrd Sisters.
‘With a final jerking movement he thrust the bundle into Granny’s arms and toppled forward, the feathers of a crossbow bolt sticking out of his back.’

2. Stretch your left arm out as far as you can.
Yes… what do I do now? I can reach everything on my girlfriend’s side’s bedside table. Half a packet of bisodol antacid tablets. Athletes foot powder. Wyrd Sisters book. Cigarette filter tips. Two zippo lighters, one of which was one of last year’s valentines presents from me. One cheapo lighter. Several spent matches. About £2 in loose change, coppers and silvers. A used tissue. Chiltern Railways pass. Case for Nintendo DS Final Fantasy III game. A pencil. A broken Motorola razor mobile phone. A Palm electronic organizer. A wooden and silver rosary (bless her Catholic cotton socks!).

3. What is the last thing you watched on TV?
A Jonathan Ross interview with Russell Brandt. Brandt is a funny man.

4. Without looking, guess what time it is:
11:30

5. Now look at the clock. What is the actual time?
11:40

6. With the exception of the computer, what can you hear?
My girlfriend playing on Link, Twilight Princess on the Wii. I can hear city traffic and drunk/angry/scary people shouting outside.

7. When did you last step outside? What were you doing?
Around 9:40 I went out to pick my girlfriend up from work, and then we got some shopping at ASDA and then went to put more petrol in the car. 94 pence a flippin liter and you yanks complain about a dollar a gallon!!

8. Before you started this survey, what did you look at?
Looked for updates on Sylvanesti and Deviantart.

9. What are you wearing?
Sandy coloured cargo trousers (I like a lot of pockets), scandalously clingy lilac strappy top under my sandy/greeny/bluey shirt. Lucky black pants with red trim, pink bra (I know, not matching…. One brown sock and one terracotta/orange sock (always wear odd socks). Green belt. Slippers. Cheap plastic watch that I’ve had for years. Funnily enough, I haven’t got my glasses on.

10. Did you dream last night?
Yes, but I can’t remember much about it now.

11. When did you last laugh?
Earlier, at the interview I was watching on tv.

12. What are on the walls you are in?
Tester patches of different shades of brown wall paint. A school clock that me and my girlfriend stole from school on our last day. A poster of British garden birds that came free in the Daily Mail newspaper a few weeks ago. A text-tree handout from the rugby club with everyone’s phone numbers on it. Three postcards, two from me to my girlfriend from two places in Wales, one from my girlfriend’s mum to her from the Isles of Scilly.

13. Seen anything weird lately
Lol, when do I not? Today while in Homebase Leicester I saw a woman in such a full Hijab getup that at first I thought she was the killer off the scream movies, then thought she was facing away from me when she was actually looking towards me. Then I scurried off to look at the barbeques. Hijabs like those, with the black-mesh-covered eyeholes, are really fucking scary!!!

14. What do you think of this quiz?
It's passing the time.

15. What is the last film you saw?
Hot Fuzz.

16. If you became a multi-millionaire overnight, what would you buy?
New vivariums and equipment for all of my reptiles.

17. Tell me something about you that I don't know.
I had my left ear pierced at the top last October but it still hasn’t healed and is icky and gross. I clean it with hydrogen peroxide and everything but it won’t stop weeping and being crusty!

18. If you could change one thing about the world, regardless of guilt or politics, what would you do?
Stop people from being psychotically obsessed with mammals. Theres SHITLOADS of reserves for Tigers and not a single one for the King Cobra. King Cobras are the only snakes in the world to make nests for their eggs, they eat other venomous snakes, are the largest venomous snakes in the world, and are generally fantastic. But everyone loves a big stripey kitty and either hate or couldn’t give a tuppence about a spectacular snake. Pisses me off no end.

19. Do you like to dance?
Very much

20. George Bush:
Is a laughing stock.

21. Imagine your first child is a girl, what will you call her?
I’d call her Alex or Ashley or something else that can be both a boy’s and girl’s name. I worry that a kid being raised by two non-girly lesbians might make them a bit gender disassociative. At least if they were transgender they wouldn’t have to change their name much.

22. Imagine your first child is a boy, what do you call him?
Same as above.

23. Would you ever consider living abroad?
I’d love to!!!

24. What do you want God to say to you when you reach the pearly gates?
Anything so long as it wasn’t ‘they told you so’ or something.

25.Tag six people who must also do this in THEIR journal.

Only three people who weren’t already on ’s list