Newtworld

Wayhey here comes the Early Spring Bank Holiday weekend

newt — Fri, 04 May 2012 09:45:11 +0000

I’m finally getting to enjoy Spring, due a number of factors I’ll mope about in separate posts.
Spring Bank Holiday is on the way and I’m going to have a quiet one enjoying the wonders of the house, in its new extended form.
Of course there will be a ton of unpacking to do, we are still beset by boxes in at least two of the rooms, and the cheeky Eve who turned five this Wednesday just gone, will be having her big run about birthday party with 20 odd other overexcited 4-5 year olds at Messy Rascals this Sunday.

Other than I shall be staring into space, doing some writing for D101 games, and otherwise chillin’ out

The End of the Begining pt1

newt — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 19:21:47 +0000

“Things will get much easier very soon, as long as you engage with it now“ says the voice straight from the ever loving pulsating source.

Did you receive that one? I did
loud and proud about a week ago, a couple of days before life got completly crazy , even by the high standards crazy set by my good self in my drug n booze adled twenties. Except this time Im complely sober and apart from a few annoying habbits pretty tight sanity wise.

……its been a rough time but equally a time of magic, wonder and awe.

The world is changing, for the better I believe

Watch the skies. Observe your inner world. Its all important.

(More to follow)

Our new kitchen :)

newt — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 17:07:14 +0000

……the centre piece of the new extended house.

How do there from the mobile t’ internet

newt — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 08:55:02 +0000

So Rach worked out that my ancient pay as you go phone was costing us more than a basic smartphone package, so here I am tapping away on a Samsung Galaxy Ace updating me blog from t’mobile t’ internets.

I’ve an All You Can Eat Data package and a commute of over an hour each way so expect more frequent updates.

Meanwhile here’s an elephant seen yesterday…..

Quote of my week 16th-22nd Jan 2012

newt — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 09:04:22 +0000

“I’m not kissing you, you are like a grumpy hedgehog”

I be 40!

newt — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 18:05:31 +0000

I’ve been a grumpy so and so about my 40th, so celebrating it is cancelled until April 1st 2012. I will contact folk about it.

Its had a huge inpact on my life in that I’ve resolved with even more determination to live my life to its fullest with a child like sense of wonder. To do this however comes the resolution to take full responsiblity for it.

The family took me to Blackpool for the day on my actual birthday. I saw Dinosaurs (at the Zoo) , lit up Daleks hanging over the road (the Illuminations) and had a slap up meal of Veg pie and chips. Enchanting

In exile

newt — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 23:15:00 +0000

Life is begining to settle down after the “Great Move out so men in hard hats can demolish my garage and make me a new vast kitchen (with 2 new bedrooms and ensuite as a side effect)”. We took the wise move of getting the heck out of Castle Newport while this is going on. Dust, Damp, Noise and the shear heart break of seeing big rough men tear your hearth down does not sit well with this Newt. Oh no. So here I sit down the hill from Castle Newport, in a lovely rented house that can only be described as part of Hobbiton crossed with Narnia. The proximity of countryside and verdant gardens and lots of trees make this place the enchanted suburb indeed. On one hand its like living a parallel life, were we are comfortably suburban middle class living in a forest of Freeview Aerials, a short walk away from the bus stop to work. On the other hand I’m acutely aware , and miss the individuality and comfort of our own pad. Its all very perfect, but blemishes spoil the experience and remind me this is only temporary and in a couple of months time it will be time to pack up and move in (hurrah!).

Mirrored from Newtworld.

Henry’s Christening

newt — Mon, 09 May 2011 12:46:00 +0000

Henry’s christening yesterday was probably the most intense day in intense days. Fun but hard work, since Henry was teething.

Still very much recovering, hence this is very much a ‘picture post’

The Newport clan: L-R Me, Evie, Henry, Rachel.

Me and the kids playing in the garden.

Two cheeky Newtlets!

Mirrored from Newtworld.

Boardwalk Empire

newt — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 08:34:00 +0000

In Short: For the Win!

Long review. Its good to see the depth of storytelling and good standards of production that programmes like the Wire have pioneered have now being taken up for other series. On the surface this is just a 12 part gangster Epic detailing the fortunes of 1920s Atlanta gang boss Nucky Thompson (based on real life Enoch L. Johnson). While it has that its much more than that, the main protangoist having more depth and skeletons in his closet. There’s also a fully realised cast of supporting characters, Nucky’s Altana associates as well as gangsters of the day (such as a young Al Capone), who are never two dimensional. Like the Wire its more of a 12 hour film in 12 parts, so you can’t jump in at any point, you have to put in the time investment to see the whole thing through. I must admit I nearly baled halfway through the Martin Scorcese directed first episode (he produces the whole series), but suddenly it gripped me and pulled me in. Its an amazing set up for the whole series, and many of the dilemas shown are only concluded in the masterful resolution in episode 12. Although Steve Buscemi , who plays Nucky, is a strong central actor and perfect for the part, there’s not a dud amoungst the ensemble of actors. Visually its a delight, lavish and atmospheric you feel that you are transported back to 1920s Atlanta, and the seaside Boardwalk of the title is iconic as any Manhattan skyline.

Oh and for all you Omar fans from the Wire, he’s back sort of, in the form of Chalky White a black bootlegger who allied to Nucky

Spring has sprung!

newt — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 12:21:00 +0000

Boing!

So April is here in full force and with soaring temperatures it feels like early spring has whizzed by. The physical aches and pains from my overweight, constantly full of cold, recovering from serious illness body are now subsiding and disappearing. My mood has considerably improved as a result

Gardening is in full flow here at Newt Towers, given a big boost by the rest of the family joining in. Rachel, who despite a phobia of insects which prevents her doing any weeding, is setting up lots of pots of herbs, flowers and vegetables which Evie helps with. Henry even got in on the act by helping me do some weeding this morning. I’m conducting my usual war against the weeds, but I’m greatly encouraged by the fact its not a solo activity anymore. We’ve had some fine weather over the last couple of weeks and I hope it continues. A bit bittersweet that this is the last year that we’ll enjoy the garden in its current incarnation, because…..

The architect got back with the plans for the house extension a couple of weeks ago which are now in for planing permission. This effectively means a doubling in size of the house and complete re: landscaping of the back and front gardens. While I won’t be sorry to see the block-paving at the front go, I’ll miss the jungle at the back. Its going to be a big leap forward for us. Operation ClearOut has already begun. All of Evie’s baby clothes and accessories (baths, bouncy chair etc) went to a couple the other day who are having a girl. To give you a sense of scale it filled the front of our garage to a depth of a metre! Next up is a clear out of my excess Roleplaying stuff, *gulp*!

Mirrored from Newtworld.