If you yearn to see some pretty scenery and you are in the UK,  get your arse down to Dartmoor. There are vast moorlands that are totally bristling with ancient stone rows. standing stones, stone circles and other paleolithic masonry.

Some are right near the road like these ones near Merivale. Others you’ll need to tromp about with an ordinance survey map in one hand and your itchy head in the other.They are not always easy to find (or maybe we just suck at reading maps), but when you do finally find them it’s like an exciting treasure hunt!

We saw Tim Minchen last night at the 100 Club in London. He was hilarious! The 100 Club is a shitty shitty venue. Bad sound, bad positioning of the stage so only about 10 peopple can hear and see properly. They started half an hour earlier than advertised, no coat check, watered down drinks…I could go on, but I’ll just sound old.

But Tim was awesome! And he stood beside me before he went on stage and said he was worried everyone would know his songs already. And I said I was worried I’d already know all his songs and could he make stuff up on stage, please? Ho ho. It’s not every day I have a little chit chat with a superstar before they go on stage. The audience loved him to pieces even though we had all heard at least some of the songs before. He’s a fun guy and seeing him live is a hoot.

He opened with this song. http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-JIjEsLkDA

Here’s a picture I took with my crappy iPhone. I dont know why they even bother having a camera it’s so shitful.

Our aim this year was to have the laziest Christmas EVER! Not sure we topped the time years ago when Brett, Tania and I played computer games all day and ate macaroni.

I did cook a goose for lunch. And we bought a treadmill and I did my first work out in 2 months. So not the laziest, but still pretty indulgent and relaxed.

I have to rant this. It really shits me when professional adult artists have bio statements like:

‘has been making art/drawing since s/he was a child’. Like that proves how gifted s/he is.

My question is…who the frack hasn’t?  Don’t all kids do craft and finger painting and stuff?

*huff huff* I just had to say that out loud.

This is something I’ve been working on for quite a few weeks! It’s finally finished and up on YouTube.

It’s for all those people who’ve ever stopped to wonder who would win in a showdown between the unbearably perky and the fatally political.

http://www.youtube.com/v/6ElYct0Nyd8

Brett took me to Ireland for the weekend for my birthday. We flew into Cork and stayed at Blarney Castle Hotel. It’s a very nice old pub next to the famous Blarney Stone Castle.

The night before we arrived the Police Station next door to the pub we stayed in had been petrol bombed! Blarney seems like a quaint and even slightly boring little place. But when ever I asked anyone what happened to the cop shop they went all tight lipped and looked away. Seriously! It was like everyone knew, but was too scared to say anything. I felt like going all Veronica Mars on their arses until I realised I didn’t care.

They can kiss my arse, cos I didn’t kiss that stone. It was still worth the 10 euros to see the Blarney Castle which is a very impressive fortress ruin despite all the superstitious bullshit about the Blarney Stone.

County Cork isn’t very big. We drove all day Saturday and saw quite a bit of the south coast, with its classic green hills and misty beaches. You’d have to be a fussy bugger not to be impressed.

Kinsale looked like a very pretty and interesting old fishing town, but it was very busy. Glandore is further west and looked very nice, but much quieter. Near Glandore is The Drombeg Stone Circle which was a highlight for me. But then I’m a bit kinky for big rocks.

Hooray! Recession is here and I can now go into to full on cheap scape mode without actually feeling cheap.

I love to scrimp. Its in my blood. Its fun! It uses all that intelligence, imagination and creativity that normally just gets wasted making money.

I read this article about a woman who survived on £1 a day for a year (after she payed her rent and presumably energy bills council tax, tampons, drugs, stylist….)  So I thought WOW! Bugger that for a joke.

But tonight I found myself in Tescos, shopping for the evening meal and I started to feel…the challenge. Could I do it?

Nope! Not in central London. But I did buy mushrooms off the REDUCED cart without feeling dirty. They were 38p instead of 78p. At this rate I can see the mountains of cash piling up before my very eyes.

But all sarcasm aside. I have a large vegetable bake in the oven which will provide dinner tonight and lunch tomorrow for me and my sqeaze. Buttenut pumpkin, Spanish onion, artichoke, garlic, cheap mushrooms, eggs, cheese, bread crumbs on top. Mmmm. Anyway, all up with a bottle of cheap Spanish wine? £9.

So four meals and plonky donk for 9 squid. Alright!

And the recession even nudged me to dry fry the seeds I scooped out of the pumkin (squish them out of the pulp so you have mostly just seeds the pulp that sticks to them will coat them. I put in a few drops of oil toward the end) and we are having them now as an awesome pre dinner snack. Served with a very expensive imported beer that Brett bought yesterday. Hey that doesn’t count!

I’ve met so many people who count Prague as their favourite city that I was worried it would be a huge let down. But nooooo. Prague, like Paris, can soak up accolades like a spongy Diva.

Prague is magical. It is very slightly spooky, with its cobbled alleys, Gothic spires and 14th century bridge. Some reports tell of heavy pollution, but coming from London I was nearly knocked out by the freshness of the air. The pace was calm and peaceful falling blissfully short of quaint. I suspect this is very different in high summer when it heaves with tourists.

We stayed at the Golden Well Hotel, which was flawless.

We saw Doris Salcedo’s crack. Its huge!

It runs the length of the Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall and has everyone enthralled. What struck me was how it fascinated the little kids. Even the babies wanted to walk astraddle it without any prompting. It’s called Shibboleth. That’s deep.

I’ll let the Guardian explain.

http://arts.guardian.co.uk/art/visualart/story/0,,2187568,00.html

Your worst enemy cannot harm you as much as your own unguarded thoughts. Develop the mind of equilibrium. You will always be getting praise and blame, but do not let either affect the poise of the mind: follow the calmness, the absence of pride. - Sutta Nipata