Space - But Not As We Know It

So this is a picture heavy post, but so worth it! I was going through some old papers the other day, and I discovered this gem from my childhood (mixed in with old swimming certificates and school reports). It's an incredible book for children called 'Speeding Into Space'. It was first published in 1954 (my version's from 1962) by ISOTYPE, with words and awesome illustrations by Marie Neurath. It is visually amazing, but also a moment captured in time - 'Some astronomers believe visitors may also find green plants growing on Mars' - amazing! Check out some pictures of the book below...

Bird Land - The Land Of Birds

We left the house! That's right, we went outside. To Bourton-on-the-Water last Saturday to be precise. It's a lovely village in the Cotswolds with all the charm (and many ice cream shops) that keeps the tourists coming back for more. This was our second visit, after stumbling across it a couple of years ago on a random drive around. The pièce de résistance of the village (in my opinion) is Birdland - a slightly tired looking festival of our feathered friends. Their trump card though is the king penguins, which looked so majestic in the sunshine. Not to be missed though is the minor bird (a new addition that keeps shouting 'morning!!') and the 'big as a man's leg' trout. If that can't hold your attention - visit the model village to see a mini model version of the village (no surprises there then) that also contains the 9th wonder of the world (their claim) - a model village of the model village in the model village.

Eye Candy

What a beauty I hear you say? Best looking confectionery you ever saw? That's right my friends. This is a potato candy (given as an after dinner treat by Fliss), made by See's Candy of America in honour of St Patrick's Day. I know that was about a month ago, but I'm catching up. It looks like a chocolate scotch egg, that's been adorned with some rice crispies to make it look that bit more authentic/potato like. It's possibly the sweetest thing I have ever tasted (and I'm from Blackpool so I've eaten a lot of rock in my time), and the ingredients read like a who's who of chemical discovery. I urge you to fly to America now just to snuffle down one of these...

Out of hibernation!

All the Easter chocolate has gone, the garden is coming back to life and as the days get lighter I'm finding a bit more time to do some fun stuff. I have to be honest... I'm finding that working for yourself doesn't really afford much time for non-work related fun stuff. Not that I'm complaining mind. It's the best thing I've ever done! Anyways... keep your peepers open for new posts coming your way!

Rabbit While You Can

Something shiny with cute animals and bright colours? I'm there! I stumbled across the Bandito Design Co. (a design collective from Columbus Ohio) this afternoon while catching up on Notcot. I'm really loving the work of Ryan Brinkerhoff - super bold images that tend to leave a lasting impression on your retinas. The above 18" x 22" print (entitled Bunny Farts - read the inscription and you will see why) is only a bargainous $10 in the sale - real art for only $10! It gets even better than that though... For a limited time only they are giving away free prints with every purchase! I'm starting to sound like one of those people on TV who sell home gyms. This art really will give you a six pack!

Pacis of Pasta

Let's get things started with a holiday post! We just spent new year in Rome with our friends Rachel and Ben (you should really check out their blog if you haven't already - 3prosecco4). We gambled through the city one day (when the weather was fine) to visit the Ara Pacis (pictured above in a rough Hockney-esque way), which is situated on the edge of the river Tiber in (what I think is) a gorgeous modern building designed by American architect Richard Meier. The right-wing mayor of Rome has threatened to tear it down, which I think would be a real shame as it compliments the surrounding ancient buildings, without detracting from them, or it's important contents.

Anyway, the Ara Pacis (the alter to peace) is incredibly detailed, and very well preserved - well worth a visit (especially if you have a guide with as much knowledge as Ben does)! As an extra visitor bonus there is currently an exhibition running downstairs showing Italian patents for some incredible, and some not so incredible Italian designs and inventions. These include varieties of pasta, shoes, cars and webbed gloves (see the last photo). I'm pretty sure that last one falls into the not so incredible - but I might be wrong!

Happy New Year!

Firstly, happy new year everyone! I've been a bit lax in my posting over the last month - not because I couldn't be bothered, but because I was being worked like a pit pony! Things have been manic, but I'm catching up. The good news is that I've got a plethora of new content to post in the coming weeks including all the exciting and amazing things I got for Christmas, the trials and tribulations of owning a beard, various trip updates (museums, countries etc.) and lots of fun bits and bobs. I will post a lot more - honest. I will not let this blog slip into the abyss. Even if no-one is reading it... ha! Those icicles really are hanging off my house - I have never seen icicles in the UK until today!