Dave Walker - Cartoonist Extraordinaire

Something to lighten  a grey, wet January : Dave Walker's cartoons via the Church Times have brightened up my Friday afternoons for years now and his various cartoon blogs for even longer. Gentle, self-deprecating humour with a bite I call it. He has a knack of capturing those little details of life and behaviour, especially life in that marvellously unwieldy and idiosyncratic institution we call the Church and making us look at them (and us)  again...hopefully with wiser eyes - or maybe not....

If for reasons unknown you've been living on another planet for the last ten years (or simply don't read the Church Times!), meet the man behind the pen here in Being a Cartoonist a video by Michal Dzierza. Enjoy.

Epiphany continued...

Here they are! Our Wisepersons with their menagerie. Yes, the postponed House Blessings finally took place a week last Sunday. Don't you think that the glittery pine cone Christmas tree adds that final creative touch?

Though if we're talking creativity, I did get a teensy bit carried away. Of course the travelling magi were far too polite to mention it.  And the generous whaft of incense certainly made the house smell much much nicer than it usually does.  Makes a change from Parfum de Dog Pee...

It must have had an effect, as in a burst of yet more creativity I was inspired to take the scissors to my old school scarf  to make this  natty little jumper for GP dog II.  Just what's needed to take the chill off these frosty mornings we've been having.  Talk about creative upcycling. And there's still enough material left for a couple more outfits.  I don't agree with dressing dogs up like little toys, but like to think that our old Headmistress would have given me top marks for inventiveness.  

I guess that GP dog is relieved that I didn't save the co-ordinating scratchy, itchy powder-blue wool twinset and horrible corduroy beret. One can carry creativity too far.

Unspecified Number of persons

of a royal, sagacious, see-er-like persuasion from faraway oriental  lands who may or may not have been accompanied by camels. (a nod to yesterday's  great all-age epiphany talk which made me smile). Peter Cornelius's beautiful chorale is sung here by Winchester Cathedral Choir. Enjoy.

No visits from our Royal personages chez Greenpatches yet, however; house blessings have had  to be   postponed until next weekend.  Tch! I  don't know...I bet you the original magi weren't put off by a few drops of rain.

Though just as well they didn't take GP Dog II along for the ride.

Happy New Year

A Happy New Year from the GPs and menagerie. We've waved Ms GP off on her journey back across The Pond, Mstr GP is sleeping off last night's junketings and Mr GP is upstairs on his exercise bike. No stats or year reviews from me this year; I'm too busy trying to toilet train GP dog II, now a dead ringer for a Christmas angel after her beauty treatment the other day.  Doesn't she look adorable! Do pop over to Archdruid Eileen's blog though -  to see the weird and wonderful search terms which have brought bemused cyber travellers to the Moot House door.  (Churches could do well to  take note).  I don't have  such complex analytical packages myself; the only stats I'm able to access and which I won't be making public, having to do with tape measures, bathroom scales and post-menopausal pimples caused by overmuch festive chocolate chomping. 

Right...must go....Happy New Year Everybody....." GP doggies...Wee-wees!!" (No, this isn't my Word for The Year in case you wondered...)