Baguette problems...

In other non- fashion related news, I have a very traumatic cycle home from town today. First of all a butterfly flew straight into my forehead, then half of the baguette I'd just bought broke off and flew across the road. 

I am not happy.

:-(

What's Hot + What's Not...

Click to enlarge ( got that problem sorted now!)

Well it's Wednesday which means, according to the brilliant Loobylu,  it's time for a post about What's Hot and What's Not with me today. 

Here goes:

What's Hot:

* Autumn!

I'll be honest with you, this was almost resigned very firmly into the NOT category. Yesterday was revolting here - wet and rainy from morning until night, thick grey clouds everywhere and our heating decided not to work, then suddenly kicked in and the boiler made a horrendous clanking, shuddering noise. I thought a Borrowers reenactment of the First World war was going on in the airing cupboard. 

Today, however, Autumn has redeemed itself - beautiful sunny skies, a brisk chill in the air and a great big fat orange pumpkin is sitting on my kitchen unit waiting to be whipped up into a spicy soup! YES. PLEASE! 

*Finding the 3 Moleskin Sketchbooks I bought Ages Ago Then Promptly Lost.

Horray! I've found them! 

I'm new to the world of Moleskins and I'm really enjoying working in them. ( see image above) That soft yellow colour of the pages is a beautiful surface to work on and for some reason a lot less scary than a bright white page. Usually when I start a sketchbook I shyly start scribbling on the back pages, but not with my new/newly found Moleskin - I've jumped straight in at the beginning and am loving it!

*Radio Four.

Something else which I'm new too. In the past I've been a bit of a flitterer - diving about here and there to different radio stations during the day whilst getting increasingly irritated either by the presenters or by hearing exactly the same collection of songs  pretty much in the same order, every hour ( I'm looking at you Radio one...). Either that or I gave up and either popped on Spotify or worked like a hermit in silence. 

Now, I've discovered Radio Four. The  Home-Workers Companion. The Deliverer of Knowledge, Culture and Opinion into my Very Own Ears from morning until night (well until Jemma arrives home). It's just brilliant - a variety of different programmes covering a multitude of subjects and no music to either get bored with or distract me in terms of having to chair dance whilst I'm grappling with a difficult picture or a problematic paragraph. JOYFUL!

*Properly Waisted Trousers.

Low Riders - BE GONE! 'Sits low on the Waist' - you no longer seduce me! I am no longer your friend or slave! I will live a life of hoiking up my waistband as I walk or worrying about my botty being exposed when I sit down no more.  I am now (and I pray this isn't a sign of age or an on coming quarter life crisis) a fan of the properly waisted trouser (I hear a ripple of applause from Jemma, my mum and my grandmother who have been nagging me for ages to get some proper slacks and put my botty away) I am now converted to the charms of vintage styled trousers proudly worn on my wait. The comfort is delightful and the slightly rakish look of a 1940's spiv it gives me is an added bonus!

What's NOT:

*Worrying abut the Owl in our Street.

 The other evening whilst strolling down the street whilst walking the dogs we noticed an owl swopping from the rooftops. It's moved in somewhere down the road we think and we are now very concerned that it might mistake our Chihuahua for a mouse when the poor little thing is outside doing - well - you know what. Unfortunately, I don't think Mr. Owl will be swayed by The Chihuahua's winning smile, big googly eyes or  his likeness  to a certain easy listening legend and leave him alone.  I am now forced to stand out side of an evening like a minder for the dogs, glaring at the rooftops  whilst armed with something to throw incase of an Owl attack.

*Cold Mornings.

These are not fun. Anything which makes me leap out of bed and slam the windows shut like Nanny in the Eloise books is absolutely NOT HOT in my book.

* Glade Plug -In CHRISTMAS Air Freshener Adverts Being on TV in OCTOBER

Not hot, Glade... Not. HOT.

Dancing!

Above is the image I've created for niecey's birthday party invitation this year. 

This seems to be becoming a bit of a annual commission having started last year with a High School Musical themed invitation for a sleepover/HSM party.This year there's an outing to the cinema to see FAME in costume I believe. 

I'm planning on adding some glitter to the picture above when it's printed because, to be honest you can never have enough glitter at a party.

Seems to be a bit of a dancing theme this week as Jem and I started our Rock and Roll dance classes - was fun if  a little like stepping into a Victoria Wood sketch. Roll on next week!

My Mum has X-Ray Vision!

My next book is now available to pre-order from Amazon both in Hardback and paperback!

It's an exciting story written by Angela McAllister with illustrations by me. Publishing in January.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GEORGIA!

Today is my niece's 12th birthday!

I'm heading down to my parent's house today to spend the weekend eating cake and soaking in the fun of someone else's birthday.

It's strange to think that Georgia is now half my age. I can remember holding her as a baby and marveling not only at how beautiful and sweet she was ( and still is) but also at the fact that when she was my age I would be twenty-four! Now that moment is here and I'm just surprised by how quickly it's gone!

The day she was born was probably the most exciting day of my life. I had been jittery with excitement from the moment that I knew I was going to be an uncle and when her mum went into hospital I could barely keep still. 

It was a crisp, sunny, orangey autumn day when she was born and I was school. This was before I had a mobile phone so I didn't know she had arrived until the end of the day. I remember running like mad from my classroom down the path in front of the school field, racing out of school gates and hurtling down to the small car park nearby where my parents were picking me up. 

As I neared I squinted towards their car and my mum mimed holding a baby and I felt like jumping for joy! (I didn't btw- I was a twelve year old boy and although I was never particularly cool there were limits...). I dived into the car and zoomed off to buy my new baby niece a present. (And I've been conned into buying presents and 'essential' things ever since...)

I went up to the hospital later that night and it was really dark outside. I can remember holding this tiny little baby who looked like a sleeping doll and the glow from the bed lamp turned everything orange and Georgia squeezed my little finger.

Now Georgia is getting tall and beautiful and is giving me a run for my money in the artistic stakes.and sends me flying when I have a go on her trampoline (you know- when I'm 'forced' to play on there with her and her brothers...)

So, happy birthday Georgie, my quirky, funny, lovely little friend (and ear twin)!

See you soon for some cake, some bouncing about on the trampoline and some lolling about in front of the tv covered in dogs!

Love you lots!

Some of my favourite things Georgia has said:

Aged 8: ( whilst 20,000 ft up in the air in a plane to my mum who is a nervous air traveller) So how DO plane crash then?!

Aged 10: ( About someone in her class) we don't really talk to her because she licks worms...

GOLDFiiINGEEER!!!

Tunisia Blues...

We've just got back from a week away in Tunisia. 

A week of hot sun, sea breezes and swimming until sunset. It was a great break and a real treat for my eyes - lush pink flowers, fiery evening sun, pink ice cream! And blues! Wow! I think I must have seen every sort of blue imaginable!

Now, of course, I'm back in the UK and I'm having to face the other sort of blue - the post holiday blues. Not helped at all by grey and drizzly weather!

Here are some pics from my Tunisian sketchbook:

P.s. What to own your little piece of Alex T Smith handmade niceness? Some small toys and badges 

I've made are on sale now in my agent's shop!