diary

101 comics.

2014-08-28 Sunflower

Aug30
by on 2014-08-30 at 11:49
Chapter:

In this documentary the part of the sunflower is played by Helianthus annuus.

I am grateful for the assistance of my wife, Karen, and to the legion of plant suppliers whose prolific supply of seed catalogues forms an excellent and nourishing mulch in our flower beds.

Scientific note: John Gerard, master in chirurgerie, says in his 1597 book “The Herball, or, Generall historie of plantes” regarding “the flower of the Sunne”

[…] a plant of such stature and talenesse, that in one sommer being sowen of a seede in Aprill, it hath risen up to the height of fourteene foote in my garden, where one flower was in waight three pounde and two ounces, and crosse overthwart the flower by measure sixteene inches broade.

[…] those that have reported it to turne with the sunne, the which I coulde never observe, although I have endevored to finde out the truth of it

↓ Transcript
Young woman plants a sunflower seed. After many trials the sunflower reaches maturity. Then things start to get out of control.

└ Tags: , , , , ,
3 Comments

2014-04-13 Scariest beast

Apr13
by on 2014-04-13 at 10:21
Chapter:

Yesterday we went to the Oxford University Museum, to see the T. Rex and its friends. The new coffee shop has T. Rex biscuits, but if that’s too scary for you they also come in Stegasaurus shapes.

20140413_rawr

Tyrannosaurus is also famous for being poor at tennis.

 

↓ Transcript
Tyrannosaurus Rex - King of the late Cretaceous.
12 metres long, with the Strongest Bite of any animal.
More scary than any biscuit.

└ Tags: , , ,
1 Comment

2013-08-04 Shower

Aug06
by on 2013-08-06 at 00:00
Chapter:

Our Bed and Breakfast hosts, during our little jaunt to the South coast, were at pains to point out that the shower drain is not blocked, simply slow; and that we could regard the water sloshing around our toes and ankles as a relaxing foot-bath at no additional cost. However, by the time I’d finished washing my hair I was worried to observe that the water level was just above the top of the shower tray.

↓ Transcript
Guests Please Note:
The shower drains a little more slowly than is usual.

└ Tags: , , , ,
4 Comments

2013-05-27 There’s a GIRAFFE in my sketchbook

May29
by on 2013-05-29 at 00:00
Chapter:

This is what happened to me at the Cotswold Wildlife Park at the weekend while standing on the raised giraffe-viewing platform. The sheer magical magnificence of it was spoilt only by the lively argument I was having with another visitor over whether one was permitted to pet the giraffes. Ironically, I was the one maintaining that one shouldn’t, and so I was under strong moral obligation not to. Though I did want to, very much indeed.

I clearly remember a book from my early school-days called “Nobody Listens to Andrew”, with the leitmotif “There’s a BEAR in my bedroom!” (which all the adults ignore, of course.) I strongly empathised with that Andrew. You can still buy that book, I find.

 

↓ Transcript
There's a GIRAFFE in my sketchbook

└ Tags: , , , , ,
3 Comments

2013-05-12 Ice Age Art at the British Museum

May14
by on 2013-05-14 at 00:00
Chapter:

Diary entry: Yesterday we saw the exhibition of Ice Age art at the British Museum (in London). It was, for me, astonishing. The exhibits are drawn from 40,000 years of human history, yet you can clearly see that the artists were as skilled and as insightful as any today. These people thought just the same way that we do, though their technology was less advanced.

If you can possibly get to London to visit the exhibition before it closes on 2nd June, then go! (Booking essential)

In the picture I’ve roughed out part of the Great Court (as seen from just above my much needed cup of coffee!) and overlaid my thumbnail sketches of some of the objects that caught my attention.

└ Tags: , , ,
2 Comments

2013-04-27 Smoothie

May03
by on 2013-05-03 at 00:00
Chapter:

Not a comic, just a doodle, but I felt I ought to post something… I’ve been rather lax lately. Anyway, we went to the farmers’ market in Sandford last weekend. They had a brilliant stall where you could choose smoothie ingredients and then liquidise them with a pedal-powered gadget. Yum!

↓ Transcript
This smoothie is gaining on me!

└ Tags: , ,
 Comment 

2013-04-18 Windy

Apr19
by on 2013-04-19 at 00:00
Chapter:

It was very windy today, and always in the wrong direction.

↓ Transcript
Probably a bit too windy for optimal cycling.

└ Tags: ,
4 Comments

2013-04-14 Faringdon’s Folly

Apr15
by on 2013-04-15 at 00:00
Chapter:

On a hill on the edge of the town of Faringdon in Oxfordshire, England, there is a folly tower erected in 1935 for the somewhat eccentric Lord Berners, famous for, amongst other things, dyeing pigeons in different colours. The folly carries a notice “Do not feed the giraffes” several metres above the ground on one side, but the only giraffe we saw was the one that sneaked into my quick sketch.

Thanks to grj for the house party and the walk to the folly on Sunday.

↓ Transcript
Please do not feed the giraffes.

└ Tags: , , , , ,
2 Comments

2013-03-16 Painful

Mar18
by on 2013-03-18 at 00:00
Chapter:

Well, there you go. I expect regular readers would have guessed the pun before even reaching the end of panel one.

↓ Transcript
1. I can't walk into town with aching legs -- I'll take a pain killer
2. Why don't you take the bus
3. ...
4. I doubt we'd have a glass of water big enough.

└ Tags: , ,
 Comment 

2013-02-23 Rhinoceros & Harp

Feb25
by on 2013-02-25 at 00:00
Chapter:

Here’s a doodle I made to go on a poster for a forthcoming concert. We’ll be raising money for Save the Rhino International (again.) The amount of rhino poaching is still increasing — the rhinos may be doomed simply because of an erroneous belief in the healing properties of their horns.

↓ Transcript
[Rhinoceros playing a harp]

└ Tags: , , , ,
3 Comments