We had lunch in Cropredy today at The Old Coal Wharf, where we were hugely entertained by an amazing duo, Rimski and Handkerchief. They performed music hall songs, arranged for Bicycle Piano and Double Bassicle. These instruments appear to require not only the usual musical skills but also quite a lot of athleticism and an aptitude for on-the-spot engineering repairs. I now finally understand the phrase “pumping up the bass.”
Yesterday we went in to town for lunch, and met Emma from Natural Learning Oxford in an art festival at Gloucester Green market. She showed us how to make cyanotypes, or “sun prints”. I made a quick cut-out in Matisse style and used it to partially expose the prepared sensitive paper in sunlight for about four minutes (it was a nice, sunny day.) Then washed of the excess and left it to dry. I’m told the colour is permanent. I think I will try more of this!
Apparently there’s time to squeeze in another cartoon in 2022. I wish you a somewhat better 2023!
For those who don’t know what the comic is about, please see this video
This chap is almost an Invisibule (except we can see his hands.)
Inspired by my new job at Oxbotica, writing software for self-driving vehicles. I’m having a lot of fun, learning new things and building stuff. Roll on the day when only computers drive, and road rage will just be something you take a history tablet to learn about in school.
This courageous creature was launched by a discussion of words containing the stem “drome” (from the Greek drómos, meaning running or racetrack.)
There’s no joke here, I just thought that Itchy and Knee deserved to have a bit of enjoyment now and then. And the idea of their round heads in round space helmets was irresistible.
[I did this drawing in black ink for Inktober, and then inverted it during scanning.]
Or, in the original as we heard it in the garden: “twee twee twee t-t-t-t-teee twee twee trrrrrrrrrt”
Just shouldn’t be allowed.