multi-tasking at verk

hey everyone

well, whilst for the most part we are focused, professional individuals at the place i call verk, every now and then you have to do some blue-sky, out of the box multi-tasking.

my colleagues faced a bit of a dilemma today, as they needed to, for no apparent reason, dispose of some of those polystyrene bars that protect printers as they are shipped. they of course do not protect printers from a good kicking after they have been unpacked and insist on jamming 3 of every 4 pages, but at least they ensure that they get to the intended destination relatively boot-mark free.

anyway, i felt obliged, if not honour bound, to assist my colleagues with this important but irrelevant task. as it turns out, the best way to get rid of some polystyrene bars is to give them a right good smack with your forearm whilst Zama and Cooper hold on to it. don't believe me? how fortunate that, as ever, young Trigger is on hand to capture the moment on camera.





now, you have to bear in mind that we are professionals at my place of verk. despite no prior training, we are experts in doing this. please do not try this at home, unless Zama and Cooper pitch up at your house / desk with some polystyrene.


be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yoo-Hoo Sailor!

Hi there

well, as you may recall from a post a while back, nautical expert Uncle Trevor sent on some pictures (well, a picture) of the tall ship that cousin Andrew set sail on the high seas (the North Sea, no less - around the corner, that's the Arctic Ocean). well, Andrew has returned, and as Trevor is always keen to meet and greet sailors, here's a wonderful pic, artistically out of focus, that he has sent on!





nice one Andrew, it must have been great fun! he hasn't mentioned anything about any encounters with Somali pirates off the coast of Belgium, but perhaps he just has a "don't ask, don't tell" policy on the go. i hope he didn't wear that shirt on the boat, there's no way he would have gotten into Europe with it on (boom boom).

otherwise, all change in the world that i once knew. it seems that the Harland's rather fine garden has been replaced with an impressive and massive trampoline! here's Andrew and Christopher showing off how happy they are with the change!!





and finally, back to Great Ayton, and the old School House where i used to live has now become part of the school to which it is attached!





many thanks indeed for the pictures, Trevor!!!!


be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

hello there Lyla!

hey there


Grandma and Grandad recently made the splendid, picturesque trek up north to go and see Richard, Erika and of course Lyla. unusually, you might think, Grandad took along his camera and got some great pictures!

when visitors come to see Lyla, there is always the chance that James is with them. to be safe, then, Lyla decided to grab and keep as many toys as possible, just in case he decided to come along and help himself.





alas, and sadly, James was not along on the trip (and sadly neither were we - and i have noticed that there are not one thousand chocolate chip cookies on the table when we come, thanks for that), but Grandad very much was, and he for some inexplicable reason was rather interested in getting his hands on some pink dough....





you will have no doubt noted that Grandad is growing a beard again - nice one, he has an excellent Ernest Hemmingway, or Popeye's Dad out of Popeye, look when he does!

and finally, here's a pic of Lyla smiling away!





ace pictures, thank you! hopefully we shall see you all soon!!


be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Daniel and (possibly) Katie

hi again

well, i have had quite an influx of pictures of late and just have not gotten around to updating the site. sorry, but the whims and cravings of the mother to be on this side means that myself and the more obscure shelves at the shops are seldom strangers these days. barley, on that note, is rather reasonably price here.

anyway, moving on, i have no idea what barley costs in the fine land of New Zealand, but i do know that Katie is developing a habit of hiding a little bit when the camera is out. this is probably a consequence of Grandad's visit earlier in the year, but could also be down to Gillian and Grant not quite being as wily as they could when taking pictures! here, anyway, see what i mean.


first up here's a pic from a place that i think or suspect is called Lollipops. sorry if it isn't! they all went along as some sort of end of term thing (yes, they have schools there), and it looks like a most excellent place.





see what i mean? either Katie sped up a great deal to beat the camera flash, or Gillian (or possibly Grant) decided against taking a proper picture. which is most likely? neither, yet both.......

Daniel seems rather keen to help Katie out with this whole business of avoiding the gaze of the lens, as you can see in this rather splendid next picture!!





and here's Katie not avoiding the camera as such, but, possibly wisely, inspecting exactly what it is that Mummy has given her to eat now!





you will note that Daniel has absolutely no problem whatsoever with eating everything and anything that Mummy gives him. Grant, clearly, has not been a good enough boy to get a delicious looking cupcake, but i am sure he was happy enough with the cup of (hopefully cold) tea in his hands!!!!


thanks for the pics, NZ family!!!



be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Tale Of Two Dogs.....

hey everyone


well, thanks to the wonders of the modern world, i am able to be kept up to date and abreast of any and all developments with numerous (ok, two) dogs owned by family across the world. it is rather unfair that i have kept such news to myself; therefore here is an update of what all (each) of them has been up to.

first up is Marmite, who is wisely making sure she is all nice and warm with the current winter weather we have.





and next we go all the way to magnificent Great Ayton, where we find Ruby out and about with Uncle Trevor on what should be a barmy summer afternoon, but does in fact look like a typical "overcast" Yorkshire summer day!





back over to Marmite, and whilst keeping warm she seems to be rather impressed that what must be the one millionth picture of her is being taken!





meanwhile, back in Great Ayton, Ruby seems to be making friends the good old fashioned way.....





hope you have enjoyed this update!!!


be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

beware the moon, lads. and beware the remake

hey everyone

well, this sounds like a remake too far. the interwebnet thingie is buzzing with tales of a proposed remake of the brilliant, just under 30 years old classic film An American Werewolf In London. i suppose the only surprise, going on just how many films tend to be either remakes these days, is that it has taken them so long to have a go at this.

the conventional initial reaction to a remake would be "oh no, not again", followed by "i am not going to go and see this". well, in regards of the latter, clearly some people are going to see these remakes; enough at least to make enough money for them to keep churning them out.

in fairness, sometimes the remakes are not all that a bad idea - the recent efforts at "restarting" classics like Firday 13th and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre could at the least be seen as attempts to reclaim the films and their reputation from some rather horrid, cheap and cheerful sequels. even then, though, you get the problem - as respectable as those efforts might very well have been, they simply do not live up to the quality of the original.





there has, in a sense, already been a remake of this particular classic, as the rather rubbish An American Werewolf In Paris had little to do with being a follow-on from the original, and everything to do with simply re-telling the story (poorly) in a different city and replacing the astonishing special effects of the original film with some horrid computer generated (of if you will 'CGI') man to wolf transformations.





the original film was outrageously funny, scary (i didn't sleep properly for weeks after seeing it) and dazzling in regards of the astonishing transformation of David Kessler into a werewolf. no werewolf film before or since has shown the transformation quite like it, certainly not as terrifyingly or, most importantly, in such a believable way. if the sequel failed to capture the humour or the horror, it's difficult to see how a straight remake is going to manage it.





beyond the special effects, the biggest problem any remake faces is trying to cast this. the original was a real, if perhaps accidental, ensemble effort - even the most minor parts were cast and played to exceptional levels - even dear old Rik Mayall sat playing chess in the pub! who on earth they could find to 'replace' or cast in the roles made famous by David Naughton, Griffin Dunne, Jenny Agutter and Brian Glover will be interesting to see.


if this remake goes ahead, and nothing has been confirmed as of yet, i will no doubt see it out of curiosity. that said, it was the same kind of curiosity that led me to watch the remake of The Wicker Man. you kind of knew that they wouldn't quite get it right in recreating that one, and so it was. we can only hope that they either deliver a decent homage to this much loved classic, or at least clock that they can't deliver anything close to the original and thus ditch the project.




stick to the roads, lads, and beware the moon..................

fare thee well

hey there


well, there's really only one subject all are talking about today, and that's the sudden, shocking passing of one of the greatest talents the world has ever seen, Michael Jackson.

for those of us fortunate enough to have been there growing up in the 80s he will be fondly remembered for entertaining us in ways the likes of which we had never seen before and are unlikely to see again. his music was never short of spectacular, delivering classic hit after classic hit.





the fondest memory i have is probably the status symbol some had of actually owning the video Making Michael Jackson's Thriller. in the summer of 1983, you didn't really "own" videotapes - you rented them, or possibly had one or two films recorded off tv. this one was one of the first videos you could walk into a store and buy and keep forever. we never owned it, but those who did were seen as being very lucky to do so, and regularly had visitors to watch it.

close to that would be the sheer buzz surrounding the release of Bad in 1987. i vividly remember hearing the lead single, I Just Can't Stop Loving You, for the first time on the radio system aeroplanes had back then when returning with the family from a holiday (Portugal, i think?). then, of course, the release of the album itself - the night before we were treated to the world premiere of the Bad video, directed by no less than Martin Scorsese. not as immediately stunning as Thriller, but then what could be you have to ask, and then the next day finding the HMV in Middlesbrough stocked with pretty much nothing else but the album.

as for the allegations which dogged the man from the early 90s onwards, well, i always found it rather peculiar that the parents of those children were rather far more interested in money than they were following the course of law and justice.

there are of course a number of people pouring scorn and contempt on this, and indeed spreading what has become obligatory and often poor "jokes". no judgement or crictism from me for those doing this - all i can say is i, and many others, envy you in a sense, as clearly your world isn't that little bit sadder today. i would indeed feel sorry for those who are doing this too, as they are obviously from a time and generation devoid of the magic and thrill of a genuine, true superstar. if you don't have it, you never know what you missed, i guess.

Michael was a man denied the private, "normal" life that i would presume the majority of the readers of this take for granted. in return, he was a superstar that shone as bright as any star could, and entertained not millions but billions. any and every lover of music owes him a thank you, and this brief teardrop of a tribute in the ocean of praise for the man today is mine.


be excellent to each other.

meet (possibly) Elvis Inzitatus Amadeus......

hey everyone


well, we've been sitting with a little secret on our side! we were going to get around to mentioning this when the time felt right. apparently, the time felt right for our beloved sister-in-law, Erika, as she decided to make something of an announcement for us in a rather public forum!

ladies and gents, behold! the imminent new edition to our family!





we are at 16 weeks, and all very excited!! baby & Mummy are doing fine, the doctor is very happy with progress thus far.

names are being a bit of a problem - my idea of Elvis Inzitatus Amadeus has not been as well received as i had hoped, and James has rather helpfully suggested calling the baby Batman, Superman or Green Lantern. or Batman Girl, Superman Girl or Green Lantern Girl if it was a baby sister.

we are due in December, which is a nice Christmas present for James. and to think i was just going to get him a train set or something!!

more updates as and when we have them!!!!!!!



be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

exciting.......but simply not true.

hey everyone


well, i didn't quite think this would be the one story i would post today, but i couldn't help but pass it on! as exciting and brilliant as this would be, it is simply not true, and a good way of showing off how you really shouldn't accept as fact what you see in the newspapers!


Frankie Goes To Hollywood 'planning comeback after Virgin ad'

Frankie Goes To Hollywood, the Eighties band, are reportedly planning a comeback tour thanks to a surge in popularity after their song Relax was used to advertise Virgin Atlantic.





The Liverpudlian band fronted by Holly Johnson are said to also be planning a re-release some of their hits, which include Two Tribes and The Power of Love, to tap into a new generation of fans.

Their "best of" album will be a joint venture by record company Universal and Indie label ZTT, the Daily Mirror reported, and the comeback tour is tipped to be a sell-out.

A Virgin Atlantic spokesman told the Mirror that the company was "thrilled" its adverts had helped to persuade the band to re-emerge into the limelight.

"It's a great coup for us and 80s pop fans will be equally delighted," the spokesman said.

When Relax was first released in 1984 – the same year Virgin Atlantic was launched, it was banned by the BBC for its suggestive lyrics, with Radio 1 DJ Mike Read branding it "obscene" live on air.

The ban made front page news and the song's notoriety helped it to top the singles chart for five consecutive weeks. It became the seventh best-selling UK single ever.

The chart-topping songs Two Tribes and The Power of Love then helped the band attain the accolade of being only the second act, after Gerry and the Pacemakers, to reach No1 with their first three singles.

right. Relax was released in 1983, but that would get in the way of their tie-in story, wouldn't it? their label, ZTT, and the current owners of the rights to the Frankie music, Universal, are making some releases this year, but word has it that it's possibly the comprehensive box set that fans like me have been crying out for rather than just another "best of". well, fingers crossed on the comprehensive side, those lucky Japanese appear to be getting a rather lavish set with some uber-rare tracks on it.





as for the band getting back together, a dream for all Frankie fans, but not one that is likely. Holly, the man who holds the key to any reunion, has said nothing at all about this and he, as ever, holds open communication with the fans via the internetwebthingie. as for the rest of the band, they too roam the web, and comments from them suggest the band seldom agrees on things like releases and compilations - they've said nothing at all about a reunion, commenting only as far as "many disagreements".

alas, this story is made of the same lack of substance and truth as the great "The Stone Roses to reform" story from a couple of months back.

the fact that newspapers, desperate for a story, have to keep going back to the great bands of the past and try to conjure up memories of how great they were does really underline how sad, depressing, hollow and boring the world of music has become, doesn't it?



and when i call you on the phone, show me that you're really home.............

last image from Zanzibar

hey everyone

what can i say? 1500 pics later and my Dad decides maybe it's a good idea to get one of him and Mum together.





looks like a most excellent holiday!!!!!



be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Literature Of The King

hey everyone


well, James was rather excited when i told him that a present had arrived in the post (!) from Auntie Gillian today. he was considerably less excited when i told him that it was a present for me, as he assumed that it would be something or other to do with The King, Elvis Presley.

James was not wrong with his assumption, it has to be said! behold the 4 (four!) excellent new editions of the official magazine & DVD collection of The King.





for some reason this fine collection only appears to be available in New Zealand. oh well, just as well that i have an ace sister, brother-in-law, niece and nephew over there to send it to me! nice one guys, thank you very much indeed.

i was particularly pleased to see one edition comes with the magnificent That's The Way It Is film on DVD - easily my favourite, showing off The King at his very best.

further to that, i was rather enamoured with the straightforward, somewhat nonchalant way in which Gillian had filled in the customs form!





obviously i have to wait until James is fast asleep in bed before i sit and read these magazines, as well as play the excellent looking discs!

thank you once again, and what else can i say but......





be as excellent to each other as my sister is to me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Andrew on the high seas

hi there


well, our cousin Andrew is off on what seems like an awfully excellent adventure at the moment. he's head out onto the high seas on the ship pictured below! in fact, Uncle Trevor claims that he is in this very pic!





i am not sure, but Trevor knows a good deal more about sailors than i do. apparently he's in something called the crow's nest?

hope you have fun, Andrew!!!

be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!