Least We Forget (2017)

Each year, on 11 November, the country falls silent to commemorate our war dead. This ritual, and the ceremonies and symbols that accompany it, have become part of national life.

Remembrance started long before the guns of the Western Front fell silent with people marking the loss or absence of loved ones away at war. 100+ years later, the personal and political resonances of remembrance still stir strong emotions.

WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

remembranceadIn Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

John McCrae (1872 – 1918)

Least We Forget (2016)

Each year, on 11 November, the country falls silent to commemorate our war dead. This ritual, and the ceremonies and symbols that accompany it, have become part of national life.

Remembrance started long before the guns of the Western Front fell silent with people marking the loss or absence of loved ones away at war. 100+ years later, the personal and political resonances of remembrance still stir strong emotions.

WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

remembranceadIn Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

John McCrae (1872 – 1918)

2016 Challenge

Artisan Challenge 2016

Artisan2016The last time I actually made some New Years Resolutions was way back in 2006, which in January when tradition says I should pick some  resolutions for 2016, it will have been a decade since my last ones.

 

“forgive me father, it has been ten years since my last resolution”

The reason I stopped making the traditional New Years Resolutions was a simple one, basically I am really crap at sticking to them. It seems pointless making a bunch of resolutions you know you will never stick too. And when I tried picking one’s like :-

  • I will drink beer
  • I will play lots of Video Games

I got told that they were not acceptable choices. Gorram Resolution Nazis. So instead I have spent the last decade setting myself challenges every year, Originally alone, and the last few years along with MaguirePete. The Challenge for 2016 we are calling “Artisan 2016”

Artisan
noun: artisan; plural noun: artisans
    a worker in a skilled trade, especially one that involves making things by hand.

The reason for this name? Well because all the challenges (and there are three parts) are artistic or creative in nature.

 

Quarterly Non LOLS Papers

Last year one of the challenges was to write an Academic Paper, This simple sounding challenge soon mutated into joining in with the Quarterly LOLS paper, where we received a topic and had to write a paper on it which would then get peer reviewed. So instead of the one paper I ended up writing four. This year’s challenge again has “Write a Paper” as one of the tasks. But from the start I am aiming for four papers over the year, and since I will probably do the Quarterly LOLS papers again this year, the new challenge is for none LOLS papers of topics I pick myself.

 

Art Project

When picking the challenges for 2016 MaguirePete mentioned that when he was in sixth form he always liked the long art projects, where as you passed the Art block you would see the work slowly take form over time. And so we decided to be artistic in 2016 and do some form or Art project that would slowly take the year to do. This seems like a good idea, so I will be working on a piece of art over the year and posting updates as it goes along. How hard can it be?

 

100 Days

And once again I will be taking part in the 100 Days creative Challenge. This will be starting April 1st and can be viewed over at my 100Days Blog.

Least We Forget

Each year, on 11 November, the country falls silent to commemorate our war dead. This ritual, and the ceremonies and symbols that accompany it, have become part of national life.

Remembrance started long before the guns of the Western Front fell silent with people marking the loss or absence of loved ones away at war. 100+ years later, the personal and political resonances of remembrance still stir strong emotions.

WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

remembranceadIn Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

John McCrae (1872 – 1918)

The Rise of the Hammer Gnome

I was minding my own business this morning in work when someone brought in a delivery for me.  I was not expecting anything, nor I had not ordered anything, so you could imagine my confusion.

 

Me: “Why have I got a box? I never have a box!”
Everyone Else: “Why don’t we have a box?”
Me: “But. Why do I have a Box?”

Wait?

What?

“Live Gnome Inside”? WTF? Have I fallen into an episode of the twilight zone or something. Live Gnome Inside? what is gong on?

“LET ME OUT!!”

what was that? anyone else hear that?

“GET ME OUT OF HERE”

What? is anyone one else hearing voices? Ok, why is there a live Gnome in a Box? Why do I have a Box? Why do I have a Live Gnome?

“OI YOU. I SEE YOU. GET ME OUT OF HERE!”

 

2015-10-29 12.18.59

“ABOUT TIME YOU LET ME OUT!”

Who are you? What is going on? Am I finally going Insane?

“I’M THE HAMMER GNOME”

you say that like it means something?

“YOU NEVER HEARD OF THE BATTLE GNOMES?”

No, Never. Who are you? What are you? What is going on? Where did you come from? And why do you talk in shouting? why do you talk?

“I’M A BATTLE GNOME. WE HAVE MANLY VOICES!”

Right, that explains everything. *starts dialing the men in the white coats*

“I HEAR YOU HAVE BEEN HAVING TROUBLE FROM SOME EVILGOTHGNOME. WELL IF YOU CHECK THE CARD IN THE BOX, @MAGUIREPETE AND HIS FAMILY SENT ME TO SORT OUT THAT GNOME WITH MY BIG HAMMER. WHERE BE HE?”

Well that explains everything. The @EvilGothGnome is at home, I will take you to see him later. Remind me to thank @MaguirePete and to check into how much it costs to get psychological testing.

I sense interesting times ahead.

Pluto

_84270464_p_lorri_fullframe_colorNASA’s New Horizons spacecraft returned its first new images of Pluto on Wednesday, as the probe closes in on the dwarf PLANET.

GN: Yes it is a planet people, not a moon, not a Death Star, but a PLANET!!!!

One of the first photographs NASA released had a oddly shaped coloured patch covering a large chunk of pluto. You can see it in the bottom right of the photograph.

Does it look a bit familiar?

 

What if we oupluto_2outline the area a bit?

Now does the pattern remind you of anything?

Anything at all?

or Maybe anyone?

 

 

pluto_3

OK.

What if we add a bit of details to the outline?

Does that now look a bit like a dogs face?

A dog, or The Dog, Pluto

 

Damn you disney and your secret Space exploration and marketing departments!!!

You are the biggest graffitist of all time!!!

But well played… Well played indeed…