Monday 27 April 2009

Springtime in Knollshire

Dear Bloggy Friends, you are highly favoured! Necky Becky, our oft-times grumpy daughter is in a good mood, and has decided, (nay - demanded!), that I should share with you one of our favourite spring walks.

I'll let her speak:

"This is our best view of Knollshire up here. You can even see our Necky Knoll House with the garden round it. There's my Dad's vegetable garden too. (He doesn't do much work in it though). Me 'n' Hals are on our favourite knoll. Old Gnarly the gardener says there's supposed to be a secret portal to another world called planet Earth, somewhere round here!"

Necky Becky never minds the rain. We had a few late April showers today, but she still insisted we go on our walk with Hals, posting a letter for Maureen en route.

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I love the overcast skies of showery spring days. Each droplet of rain seems luminous and full of promise. The grass gleams in the vernal light.

We all love to wander through The Forest. How beautiful it is there, with the birches clad in spring green. The young leaves shimmer as pinky giraffe-patterned clouds move mysteriously across the sky.

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Everything pulsates with a sense of waiting. The feeling of growing, ('growyness' as Necky B. calls it), pervades the atmosphere.

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Not to be missed out, big sister Nexi asked me to include this little 'decoupage' she has created from Necky Becky's picture.
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(Girth's just hollered across the room that we've not included a view of he and Nektareeni's Gleeful & Greedy Restaurant! There's a special story to tell you about that next time ...)

Happy Spring!

Monday 13 April 2009

Les Choses Ordinaires de Raph

Back in the mists of time, (on Tuesday the 10th of March!) Chris Hale , the wonderful wordsmith of Middenshire, tagged me. I am here at long last doing his bidding: listing six things or habits of no real importance about myself ...

Six Choses Ordinaires de Raph

1 It is so quiet here where we live, that at night I can hear the snails chewing.


2 I love eating bananas.


3 I frequently get wonderful new business ideas ...


4 My hot water bottles all have names. (Do you give yours names too?) This one is called Toastie.



5 I have an alter-ego! The mischievous Prankman Cheng - this is another example of Middenshire influence! (You can read about it here).




6 On average, it takes giraffes two attempts to pass their driving test. It took me four. Most giraffes have 2 or 3 types of car in mind to choose from. When I passed my test, I read every brochure in our local McShyne Motors, and then bought the car I had in mind ten years before! (The most important thing is a good neck-rest).

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So, dear bloggy friends - at last I have fulfilled my tag! Now I must link back to Chris Hale of The Middenshire Chronicles. (I know I did that earlier but the link here will take you to his current post). The tag consists of listing six things or habits of no real importance about yourself. I will leave this open for six people to take up, as I know it went round in March, and I can't remember who did it then! So if you would like to take up this tag, let me know - and have fun!

Giraffe mugs of tea - Raph's Ramblings by Ingrid Sylvestre UK artist & author

Sunday 5 April 2009

A Proud Dad (with Ear Defenders) ...

As many of you will know, our eldest daughter Nexi is studying at Art & Design College. Her most recent assignment has been in film.

For her project, Nexi chose to film her younger sister Necky Becky, (pictured above), singing with her boyfriend Neko's band, The Stiffnex.


I expected extreme sibling storms, squalls and shrieks - but no! (Although you may dispute the latter when you watch the film). Nexi and Necky Becky worked together splendidly as a team, together with Neko on guitar, Sgruff on bass and Nukkle on drums.

So here we have it - Nexi's debut pop video, 'Be Who You Wanna Be!' with Necky Becky and The Stiffnex!



I'm a proud dad! But I'm going to hide in the kitchen until it's over ...