Trit-Trot, Smickle-Smockle

I'm waiting for feedback on thumbnails sketches for a children's book at the moment, and it all has to be kept under my hat until the publisher gives me permission to discuss it, so in the meantime here's another of yesterday's finds.

I used to love Enid Blyton stories when I was little and these Chimney Corner Stories were probably read to me many times, it's full of tales of Trit-Trot the Pony, Dame Tiptap, Tell-Tale Tippy, Winkle-Pip the Gnome and the Disagreeable Monkey.

I'd forgotten how often the naughty characters are punished at the end of stories though, poor little Tell-Tale Tippy gets whalloped by a magic walking stick each time he has a bit of a gossip and god knows what happens to the Disagreeable Monkey, haven't reread that one just yet.

There are no illustration credits to be found in this book at all, I wonder who drew these lovely little well behaved children and their helpful toys.

"This picture makes me happy" said Little Bear

Earlier today, on the way back from feeding Bitey, a friend's tubby tabby, I saw two jolly builders sitting in a front garden offering free books to passers by, exclaiming they'd already read them all and couldn't bear to throw them away.

I couldn't resist looking through the boxes, amongst the diaries from 1986 and the large print war stories were some lovely little children's books including this great one illustrated by Maurice Sendak.


I know how you feel Little Bear, the picture makes me happy too.

The Sultan's Elephant

London played host to a wonderful, inspirational, completely free outdoor theatrical spectacle for four days over last weekend and I was delighted to be able to see it on the beautiful sunny Friday and a slightly greyer Sunday.

The Sultan's Elephant, performed by Royal de Luxe and inspired by the stories of Jules Verne, tells of a Sultan "tormented in his dreams by visions of a little girl who was travelling through time" and who been transformed by his nightmares into a 5 metre tall marionette; he commissioned a 19th century engineer to construct a time travelling mechanical elephant the height of a three storey building to track her down. As you do.



Click here to read more of the story.














On Thursday a rocket crashed into Waterloo Place and some time later the 'little girl' stepped out and spent the next few days exploring her surroundings, meeting the elephant, exercising in St James' Park and swinging small children from her arms.


















The elephant carried a cast of characters who were busy all the time, dancing and performing for the Sultan as it trundled up and down the Mall, spraying water over the crowds, chomping on the trees, visiting Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly Circus with enthralled crowds following in its wake.


More information from the BBC and more of my photos on flickr.

tree frogs

Seeing this mural again reminded me of something one of the anaesthetists told me a while ago, apparently they ask nervous patients "can you see the tree frogs?" pause for the patient's reply ... and then "but there's four of them!" Boom boom.









In case of emergency, pull frog.

finished mural

Here are a few photos of the finished mural, taken on Sunday before varnishing and in poor light so they're only snapshots really.


The view from this end.


The view from that end.