Monday 30th June 2008 16:42

For some time now, I've wanted to video some of my route home from work. I don't always go this way, it all depends on what time I finish. I travel through some of Hampshire's most amazing countryside, almost at the foot of Butser Hill... enjoy...

Sunday 29th June 2008 23:10

As I was catching up with my blog today, I realised that I mention many places and even though you see many photographs of them, I'd imagine that most would find it difficult to determine exactly where they are in relation to a map of the area. I then remembered discovering a fantastic website some time ago where visitors to the site are invited to submit/upload photographs anywhere in Britain.

In effect, each photograph has a specific Ordnance Survey grid reference and The Geograph British Isles project is aiming to collect representative photographs and information for every square kilometre of Great Britain and Ireland. To find out more, please click on their logo below.



I did manage to catch glimpses of the Euro 2008 final between Germany v Spain (the last half an hour to be precise) for it clashed with the second episode of Top Gear. From what I saw, both live and from the highlights, it seemed a very entertaining match, end to end stuff, with the Spaniard Fernando Torres scoring the only goal in the 33rd minute. Spain had not been beyond the quarter-finals of any tournament in 24 years and had only ever won one previous piece of silverware in this competition in 1964.

Saturday 28th June 2008 11:46

Having finished a few items of work (yes, on a Saturday), Tanya suggested that we ventured out to Stoughton again for a further exploration. Whilst there last week, we both noticed a sign for a 12th Century church and thought that it may well be worth a visit. On our way there, we knew we'd be passing Racton Ruin and that it would be a good vantage point to take some shots of it (image to follow).

We parked just off the modest main road that runs through Stoughton and walked up the slight incline to the church and then, just around a corner, the church comes in to view and what a beautiful building it is too (image to follow).

Finding it unbearable to resist temptation, we ended up having lunch in the Hare and Hounds again, only this time Tanya had a Channel Island Brie Ploughman's Lunch and I opted for the home-cooked gammon, double egg and hand-cut chips. Both were scrumptious once again! After visiting the pub last week, I had a quick hunt around to see if it had a website, yet couldn't find anything, however, this week I noticed signs in the pub with the URL on it, so here it is...



Once we'd eaten, we then followed the road further and eventually ended up in a small village called East Marden (previously mentioned in my blog some months ago), where we ended up taking photographs of the church and a well which sits in the centre of the village. From there, we then drove up towards Chilgrove and double-backed on ourselves calling in on St. Peter's Church in Racton on the way back (image to follow). We finished off the afternoon with a trip to Emsworth and treated ourselves to an icecream from Flintstones Tearooms on the edge of Emsworth Harbour.

Later on in the day, we finally managed to watch 'I Am Legend', a film that stars Will Smith as practically the only survivor in New York City that survived an epidemic caused by a cure for cancer that went horribly wrong. Please click on the image below to visit the film's website.

Friday 27th June 2008 16:47

I stumbled upon a quite interesting website tonight, whilst in the hunt for popular sayings or phrases. The site has a section entitled, 'The Nonsense Nine' and has even had a logo designed for it, bizarrely enough! Since finding the logo, I searched to find other relevant websites with it on but to no avail...

Thursday 26th June 2008 19:21

It's always great to see your photographic work in print and today was no exception!

Earlier on in the month (4th June to be precise), I'd been asked to do some photography for a company called Richard Jones Menswear. The two photographs I submitted have been used as part of an editorial feature about the company in this month's 'Attire Bridal' magazine.

To view the page where they're featured, please click on the front cover below or the Attire Bridal logo to visit their website.



I'm off to watch the Euro 2008 semi final between Spain and Russia now... report to follow...

Wednesday 25th June 2008 21:50

I'm a big fan of graphics, particularly quirky ones and the graphics designed for each of the eight cities where the Euro 2008 matches were played are no exception. Rather than try and show all eight and compromise on the size shown, I thought I'd include the two capital cities from both Austria and Switzerland.



Just finished watching the first of the Euro 2008 semi finals between Germany v Turkey.
It was an excellent match with Turkey going 1-0 in the 23rd minute when unmarked Ugur Boral scored from a rebound off the crossbar, followed by a quick German counterattack with Schweinsteiger equalising some three minutes later.

Both teams went into the break at 1-1. It was stalemate from then, right until the 78th minute when German striker Miroslav Klose's header made the scoreline 2-1. It seemed as if Turkey were doomed as they hadn't been as creative in the second half yet Semih Senturk managed to squeeze a perfectly timed flick past German goalkeeper, Lehmman in the 85th minute.
This must mean that extra-time was inevitable... but no!
A minute from full time, Lahm picked the ball up from deep inside his own half, played a one-two with Hitzlsperger, confronts Rustu, the Turkish goalkeeper and thumped the ball into the roof of the net.

It finished 3-2 to Germany... this time Turkey were doomed and Germany play in the final on Sunday.

Earlier on in the day, I received an email from a forum I joined some time ago. It has recently won various web awards and became quite an addictive place for me! It's called ColourLovers and many new features have been added to the site. Rather than me trying to describe what the site is all about, please click on the palette below to access it.

Tuesday 24th June 2008 13:18

Whilst on the hunt for images of fonts used on rugby shirts, I happened upon this gem... the fact that I'm a great lover of both fonts and plays on words, made this one of cleverest things I've seen for some time.

Monday 23rd June 2008 22:11

Where has this month gone? Before you know it, the nights start drawing in again! I can't believe that we're past the longest day already. Anyway, enough of the depression!

The Championships at Wimbledon started today and the Swiss Champion, Roger Federer, quickly dispatched his Slovakian oponent, Dominik Hrbaty in straight sets, taking just 1 hour 19 minutes to do so.
No doubt I will be talking much more about Wimbledon since tennis is one of my favourite sports to watch.

Sunday 22nd June 2008 20:00

Had quite a relaxing day today and the weather was beautiful, albeit very windy.

We both had quite a lot of work to do so took the opportunity of getting it all done and then decided to venture out of the house for a quick walk around Emsworth Mill Pond.

Later on, we watched the first of the new series of Top Gear, which just has to be one of our favourite programmes on television. More about the show can be found by clicking the graphic below.

Saturday 21st June 2008 13:30

It's officially the first day of summer... unfortunately the weather wasn't following suit!

Tanya had arranged for six of us (two other couples from Camera Club) to meet up for the afternoon. Mike (one of the guys) had suggested we meet at the Hare and Hounds at Stoughton, which isn't far from us at all. We met, as planned, and began the day by having some lunch and a pint (or a half for those who were driving). Tanya and I both ordered the sausage and caramelised red onion open sandwich and it was absolutely delicious!

After being fed and watered, we all, that's Mike, Kerry, Neil, Karen, Tanya and I, along with Bertie and Bram (both dogs) went on a walk up Kingley Vale. It was a lovely walk and, regardless of the overcast day, the views were fantastic.



As we approached the summit, the heavens opened and from then on, until we started to make our descent, we became absolutely drenched! Having said that though, the rain was most welcome, particularly as it was a very muggy day. We rewarded ourselves with a further drink on our return to the pub.

Later on in the evening, we watched this week's Doctor Who which was excellent (next week's looks even better!) This was followed by one of the Euro 2008 quarter final matches between Holland and Russia. It was an absolutely incredible match which finished 3-1 to the Russian underdogs.

The television viewing continued with Amir Khan's latest challenger, Michael Gomez. The referee had to intervene and stop the fight towards the end of the fifth round. Khan, the 21 year old Bolton boxer produced two knockdowns, despite being floored in the second round. It had certainly been Khan's toughest fight so far.

Amir has partnered with Network Rail to open a new boxing and fitness community centre in Bolton. 'Gloves' community centre will provide many young people with easy and affordable access to professional training, boxing and fitness facilities. It also aims to offer kids much safer and more exciting alternatives instead of risking possible death playing on railways.

Friday 20th June 2008 18:30

Tonight saw the 38th National Open Exhibition hosted by Havant Camera Club. Alternate years sees the exhibition at either Havant Museum or Portsmouth City Museum and Records Office - this year it was at the latter.

Tonight, both Tanya and I had been invited to the Preview and Awards Evening, where the Mayor of Havant was going to officially open it and hand out the various awards for the winners of each category.

I had had three acceptances in all which was a fantastic achievement since I didn't even make the grade last year! Tanya did even better with receiving both a highly commended and a second place.

To find out more about the venue, click on the cover of the exhibition programme below.
The exhibition runs from Saturday 1st June right through until Sunday 7th September. Admission is free any time between 10:00am - 17:00pm.

Thursday 19th June 2008 21:08

Anything with the word 'free' in it usually attracts anyone's attention. Usually, dreaded 'small print' accompanies it but with this particular website, it means what it says. Whilst on the hunt for a free vector graphic of a football, in the hope I'd save time on an urgent job, I stumbled upon this - it's well worth some exploration too, for there are many other sites linked to it that are also offering free things.

I was hoping that their logo would be free clipart, to save me redrawing it... ironically, it wasn't!

Wednesday 18th June 2008 23:57

According to several reports, male chefs are struggling with male fertility due to the constant heat from kitchens and stoves, making their sperm counts considerably lower than the UK average.
Several devices are now on the market whereby a shiny protector slips into the front of an apron and reflects radiated heat away, which should alleviate the problem significantly.

At work, we have a client who has expressed an interest in buying some of these particular aprons under the brand of CoolNutz™... tonight, I have spent a couple of hours designing a logo for it, this being my favourite of the five I designed.

Tuesday 17th June 2008 19:00

We often manage to sit down and watch the BBC's 'The One Show', usually presented by Adrian Chiles and Christine Bleakley, however, Adrian is on 'Euro 2008' duties and presenting.

I always find this show very interesting and it's amazing how they manage to cram in so much into just a half an hour slot. You'd normally expect to feel exhausted with information overload yet it's a very relaxed with relatively seamless continuity.

Tonight's show featured a fairly lengthy article about recycling clothes. There are several ways of doing this, one of which is popping down to your local charity shop. Some of them are sold on, although most end up going to Third World countries, until around 10 years ago...

Whilst in their late teens, Annika Sanders and Kerry Seager used to create new twisted tailored garments from second-hand clothes bought from charity shops and jumble sales. Having received acclaim on an international level, they began a clothing business, Junky Styling, giving their unique style a brand. They now have a well-established shop in Brick Lane, London along with a production site and multi-talented team just down the road. New clothing ranges in all sorts of directions means that nothing is going to hold the company back.

Monday 16th June 2008 14:43

Had an absolutely shattering end to the day... more about that in a bit.

Now then, this next tale may have something to do with our age, possibly selective hearing or just plain deafness, nevertheless, it tickles me immensely and even as I type it now, it still brings a smile to my face, along with the odd chortle.

Whilst doing our weekly shop, Tanya said, "We don't need toothpaste, do we?"
To which I replied, "Suitcase?!"
She then replied with, "I can't believe you thought I said souffle!"

Later on in the day, I'd promised to 'clean up' an image I'd taken of a Montague 'Brushed Silver' bike, the thing is, I just hadn't accounted for just how long it would actually take... I finally managed to go to sleep at 5:30am, taking two hours sleep before getting ready for work! I have to say though, the hard work and time really paid off...

Sunday 15th June 2008 11:49

Mid-way through the morning, I suggested to Tanya that we finally take up the very kind agreement that I made with the owner of Warblington Castle's grounds - that was to photograph it. Some time ago (I may have mentioned it on my blog), I approached the owner of the grounds to see if it was possible for Tanya and I to photograph it - needless to say, he agreed and asked that we knock on his door just to let them know what we were doing. The castle is within private grounds and can be seen from distances away, yet it doesn't beat seeing it in the flesh, so to speak.



After that, we went for brunch at a regular haunt of ours in Emsworth, The Greenhouse Café. Unfortunately there isn't a website to visit but if you click on their logo below, you can access more information.



Once we'd been there, we went to Broadmarsh Coastal Park for an hour or so. The image below represents the bronze signage found at the entrance of the Park that I took a photograph of and then recreated a vector-based artwork of it. Please feel free to contact me if you require it for any sort of publication.

Saturday 14th June 2008 20:58

Apart from watching most of the spectacular win of Spain over Sweden (Spain grabbed the winner in the dying seconds of injury time to seal a 2-1 win over the Scandinavian side), I didn't think I'd have much else to talk about today... until...

I received an email from my mate in America, entitled 'This is awesome'.
I opened it and it read as follows: Install it and then scan barcodes using your iSight camera and it stores
information about the item on your computer. It will even find CD sleeves, box shots etc. and display your items on virtual bookshelves.



I downloaded the particular free software (you can access it by clicking on their rather groovy logo that I've done some work on). The other downside (which accounts for the majority of the computer-using population) is that I don't think that people using the Windows platform will be able to use this, for it appears that it's only been created for Mac users. The software is incredible, absolutely incredible, regardless of the fact that I was thoroughly disappointed when it wasn't able to identify Weetabix. The built-in iSight camera on my Mac acts as a bar code scanner and identifies what the product is!

Later on, Tanya and I watched a fantastic fun film called Mr and Mrs Smith (2005), starring Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. A very brief synopsis would be that a bored married couple are surprised to learn that they are both assassins hired by competing agencies to kill each other. To find out more about the movie and buy it on DVD via Amazon, please click on the sleeve artwork below.

Friday 13th June 2008 13:14

Over six months have passed by since I logged my first entry into my blog. I'm surprised, no, astonished, that I have continued to keep it updated (albeit with a few day's worth of blogs piling up until I do!) Nevertheless, I do feel that blogs in general are a good thing. What can be surprising is the way that some people end up here, reading the garbage I write. The great thing is though, is that this blog does seem to have an increasing audience!

I received an email the other day from a representative of Frixo, an online company that specialise in giving traffic reports for UK Motorways, asking if I'd provide a link here.
Since I'm a driver, a site such as this is very useful indeed, particularly as these reports can be viewed on mobile phones or pda units. I must stress that there is a disclaimer stating that it is illegal and dangerous using a mobile phone whilst driving.

The majority of collected data is collated via automatic sensors placed at various points along the motorway network that monitor traffic speed. The service is continually updated at approximately three minute intervals and therefore provides up-to-date reports that are normally faster than the likes of traffic and travel reports on the radio, for example.
The service also provides other data, such as speed limits, traffic incidents, information given on electronic displays, road work information and any hazardous weather conditions.

For more information, please click on the logo below.

Thursday 12th June 2008 20:00

Channel 5 televised episode 2 from The Property List tonight. This week's programme listed the ten most perfect villages to live in within the mainland of the UK. These villages, in their eyes, were the most desirable to live in, taking into account the amenities, schooling, crime rate and property affordability.

The Channel Five website doesn't list the order of the top ten, yet it does list useful estate agent links for each particular village, which can be accessed by clicking the Channel Five logo below.



For more information about what each village has to offer, please click on any of the following list to access their particular community website.

01. Chalfont St. Giles, Buckinghamshire
02. Coxwold, North Yorkshire
03. Tarporley, Cheshire
04. Llyswen, Powys
05. Lapworth, Warwickshire
06. Gullane, East Lothian
07. Bourton-on-the-water, Gloucestershire
08. Cotherstone, Northumbria
09. East Bergholt, Suffolk
10. Cerne Abbas, Dorset

Wednesday 11th June 2008 22:10

It's a while since I mentioned 'The Apprentice' and I'm pleased to say that Lee McQueen won, even though it appeared as if Clare Young was the runaway winner. As to whether Sir Alan has made the right choice, remains to be seen.
It was the first time that the series had gone to the final with four remaining candidates and we were almost certain that either Clare or Alex would end up being the winner but what do we know?


© BBC 2008

Had a nice surprise in the post today... my parents have recently had a holiday in Denmark to celebrate milestone birthdays respectively and whilst they were there, they bought Tanya and I a nifty handmade Viking boat mobile from a family-ran company based on the Danish island of Funen. For more information, please click the graphic below.

Tuesday 10th June 2008 14:36

Whilst driving home today (the very scenic route) I encountered a problem... not only was a tractor trying to negotiate a single-track road but a combine harvester as well... something that very much resembled a combine harvester anyhow.

The driver of the car in front of me didn't seem to think that it might prove a whole lot easier if he were to mount the curb to allow more room for both vehicles. This meant an incredibly tight squeeze for the car as well as the tractor. When the car in front met with the combine harvester, this proved even more difficult, to the point where the combine harvester driver deemed it necessary to reverse...

This is the rear of the said vehicle...



Literally seconds after it had reversed (and had set off again), there was the sound of frantic honkings of the horn, followed by a silver-haired gentleman sprinting up the road from his Mercedes where he had been patiently waiting behind the harvester. He caught up with the combine harvester driver, shouting, "you f**king idiot, you f**king blind idiot, don't you check your f**king wing mirrors, you f**king prick?"

I stopped and got out of my car, to find this in the middle of the road...



And as I looked behind me, I saw this...



I did feel for the gentleman whose car was ruined but I couldn't help but find it very slapstick indeed...

Monday 9th June 2008 22:14

Had a busy day work-wise and decided that I'd relax with a couple of great tunes from my favourite Disney classic, 'Jungle Book'.

It just so happens that the film is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year (someone else I know is too). Sadly, it was the last film to be produced by Walt Disney, for he died during its production. The animated feature film was inspired by the stories about a feral child called Mowgli, the main character in the book, 'The Jungle Book' written by Rudyard Kipling who died thirty years prior to Disney making the film.

Please click on the original poster design to visit the Disney website and find out more about the classic animation.

Sunday 8th June 2008 15:40

Today was a 'sort out unfinished business' day. There were a few things (logos and photographs mainly) that I really needed to sort out.
Here's a specific logo that I've been working on, although it hasn't been finalised yet but looks as if it may be the chosen one.



In between all this, I managed to fit in a couple of glasses of wine and a bottle of Shepherd Neame's 'Bishops Finger' bitter (you can't help but have the occasional tipple when the weather is as nice as it has been today!)
As usual, please click on the image below to access the Bishops Finger website.

Saturday 7th June 2008 18:49

What a fantastic day we've had. Bit of a slow start to the day until we then decided to have a trip out somewhere. This somewhere happened to be Nutbourne Vineyards having sampled a particularly splendid white wine called 'Sussex Reserve' at Tanya's brother's wedding last week.

Confusingly, there are two places in West Sussex called Nutbourne - it was the one around 30 miles from us, just outside of Pulborough and not the one just minutes down the road from us. Rather than opt for the quickest route, we decided to head through the countryside.
Take a look at the Nutbourne Vineyard website and what it offers by clicking on the logo below.



On the way home, we stopped at East Dean and had our evening meal at The Star and Garter, a quaint little pub with original open brick and flint walls which dates back to the 18th Century. It was the third time that I had eaten there and the quality is exceptional (as are the portions!)

We really didn't want the evening to end, so before heading home, we stopped off at Emsworth for a quick walk around the Mill Pond to burn off our excess fat!

Once home, I crashed out on the settee only to find that the second game of Euro 2008 had just kicked off between Portugal and Turkey. The game ended 2-0 to Portugal with second-half strikes from Pepe and substitute Raul Meireles. Please click on the logo below to keep up-to-date with all the results and goings-on in the competition.

Friday 6th June 2008 21:28

It's music time again... some weeks ago, I mentioned the latest Visa advert which included a great song called 'Non Stop' by Whitey. I've since discovered just how incredibly amazing and talented this guy is. He's pure genius.

His real name is Nathan Joseph Wannacot and he appeared from nowhere in 2005 to create some of the finest electroclash into London’s East End. Rather than use high-tech methods, he opted to use the old-school four-track, playing virtually every instrument himself as a kind of modern, one-man band.

His debut album, 'A Light at the End of a Tunnel is a Train' was critically acclaimed yet he remains a very mysterious bloke and refuses to reveal his identity which has kept him out of the limelight and more so the press. He remains a big hit on the underground and released his second album, 'Great Shakes' last year.

Click on his name to visit his MySpace site or purchase his CDs by clicking on the cover artworks below.

Thursday 5th June 2008 21:00

Tonight saw the launch of Big Brother 9 with a very slim-line Davina presenting it. Sixteen contestants, with a mixed of almost normal people and some complete freaks.

The new logo was designed by 30 something Boltonian, Daniel Eatock. I wouldn't normally plug another designer on my blog but he's from Bolton so he's welcome to any sort of plug.

Click on the new Big Brother 9 logo to access the Channel 4 website.

Wednesday 4th June 2008 16:42

Spent the majority of the afternoon doing a photoshoot of some Silk Accessories Boxes for a company called Richard Jones Menswear. They sell a whole range of goods, mostly upmarket quality shirts, and have been doing so for over 30 years.
Please click on the photograph I took to take you to their site and view their range of clothing.

Tuesday 3rd June 2008 23:07

I've been a member of a great font forum for some years now, in fact it might even date back to around the year 2000 when I first became a member on there.

For any regular readers of my blog, you'll be more than aware of my love of fonts. MyFonts.com is an amazing site, not only are you able to buy virtually any font on the planet (and believe me, there are thousands upon thousands of them) but it also has an area called 'What The Font', WTF for short. It's a specifically designed package which identifies fonts by scanning uploaded images, whether they be direct from a website or from your very own desktop.
It WTF fails to recognise what you have uploaded, you then have to option of putting it to the cloak-draped font enthusiasts to see if they're then beaten, and it's very rare that they are!

By clicking on the logo below, it will take you directly to the WTF area, just follow the simple instructions from there and be amazed as to just how brilliant the site and font recognition is!

Monday 2nd June 2008 08:30

Today was an anniversary for me. It was exactly 22 years since I first started my working life as a graphic artist. There are many tales to tell in those years, I can tell you! With this in mind, I should really give my design site a plug...

Sunday 1st June 2008 20:46

After all the speculation of flood warnings, the bad weather held off apart from a downpour during the night. Tanya and I did very little really, having said that though, yesterday was on the hectic side!

During the day we did manage to catch up on last night's 'Britain's Got Talent' final, which, I've got to say, was very entertaining indeed and the winner(s) could have been any of five acts.



As it happened, a 14 year old called George Sampson from Birchwood in Warrington won with a superb breakdance routine to Mint Royale's (feat. Gene Kelly) version of 'Singin' In The Rain'. The song reached No.20 for the Manchester act back in 2005.

We then played catch-up with the latest episode of Doctor Who which has a very intriguing storyline, which will be continued next Saturday 7th June, 7pm, BBC1...