The Art of Humour Postcards

Almost as soon as pictures started appearing on postcards towards the end of the Victorian era, humour has featured extensively. In fact amongst the myriad types of postcards, the comic or humour postcard is perhaps the most widely collected. The range of them is immense. They start with the satirical - almost cynical end and finish up with those offering the richest of belly laughs. Perhaps the master of the saucy seaside postcard is Donald McGill. Born in 1875 McGill was originally a naval draughtsman until in 1904 after drawing a get-well card for a sick nephew, he was persuaded to take his artwork more seriously. Within twelve months he was making his living from producing comic postcards.

McGill was feted by George Orwell who published an essay, 'The Art of Donald McGill' - although the novelist did confess that he wasn't quite sure if McGill was an artist or a trademark! McGill's designs were always eye-catching, with bright, bold colours and his humour was always graded by vulgarity into soft, medium and strong - the more vulgar, the better his cards sold. Of course not everybody was a fan - the MacMillan purge of the 1950's seemed to spell the end for McGill's career. Poor Donald never did have it quite as good again, he died in 1962. It's just a shame that he couldn't have waited for a few more months in order to witness the Profumo Affair unfold.

Read more about humour postcards and many other types of postcard at www.postcardmania.co.uk.

80s Fancy Dress

If the 60's were the most hip and happening decade and the 70's were the decade that style forgot, what does that make the 80's? For me, spending all of my teenage years between 1980 and 1989 they were a special time. I think that a big part of my sepia coloured memories is the fact that I didn't (have to) worry about a thing. I chose my O Levels pretty much on a whim, my A Levels came along just because that's what you did after O Levels and my choice of degree was pretty much, oh well that'll do... I didn't ever have an ambition you see. Apart from going to University that is. But that was very much an end in itself, rather than a means to an end. But that's enough about me, what about 80s fancy dress clobber? Well if you remember the 80's as well as I do, you'll know that there were some great films, some great music and some cutting edge TV. Any of which lend themselves to your getting togged up to go along to an 80's themed party.

So, you could go as Princess Leia, or Han Solo. Or Michael Jackson, or Madonna, or whatabout Mr T, or DangerMouse or even Penfold. What about Loadsamoney the 'orrible Ancestor of Chavs? Failing that, if you could get hold of a pair of bleached jeans (as skinny as possible), throw on a white vest, then get hold of something to use as a silver coloured mic stand, draw on a fake moustache and voila, Bob is very much your mother's brother - Freddie Mercury. Or you could just see what 80s fancy dress ideas there are on I Heart 80s.

80's Madonna - 7 UK Singles

A pop sensation ever since the 1984 release of Holiday, Madonna released 22 singles in the 80’s and failed to make the UK top 10 with just one – her second release Lucky Star. She scored a total of 6 UK number ones, with Into The Groove; Papa Don’t Preach; True Blue; La Isla Bonita; Who’s That Girl and Like A Prayer all reaching the coveted number 1 spot.

I bought seven of these offerings, starting with Like A Virgin, and going through to Live To Tell. During this period of about 18 months there was only Gambler that I didn't buy. I did however buy Like A Virgin, Material Girl, Crazy For You, Into The Groove (Madonna's first UK number 1 single), Angel, Dress You Up and Live To Tell.

But what was it about 80's Madonna? Well, she was fresh, original and really had us boys in a bit of a tizz. She was an important part of my growing up, maybe she was for you too?

My favourite 80's love songs

Hi and sorry for not having written in an absolute age. I've been kinda busy with other things. But, no matter, I'm here now, so here goes with a few words on my favourite 80's love songs...

Now I think that the 80’s were a time when popular music was used perhaps more than ever before or since to make political statements. In the UK there was a reaction to Thatcherism and perhaps to a lesser extent to Reaganism in the US. However, this is not so say that love songs didn’t make a good showing in those 80's pop charts. Here’s three of my favourites:

Say Hello, Wave Goodbye was Soft Cell’s third UK hit single making number 3 in 1982. It's an awesome piece of British Synth Pop and loses nothing from following on from 1981’s two singles the towering Tainted Love and Bed Sitter, a number 4 effort. It's taken from the album Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret and gives a nod to the Beatles Hello Goodbye. The singer tells us of a failed relationship - due so he says, to the inability of his girlfriend to remain faithful, ‘you were a sleep around, a lost and found…’. It’s a delicious, perfect piece.

If you’re only going to have just one big hit single, best make it a good one. That’s the creed by which Cutting Crew lived their short moment of fame in 1986. (I Just) Died In Your Arms was the group’s first single and made it to number 1 on the US Hot 100 and number 4 in the UK singles chart. The lyrics to the song are supposedly a reference to sexual fulfilment but I reckon that the words themselves seem to tell a tale of regret with two key phrases, ‘I should’ve walked away, I should’ve walked away’, and ‘I followed my hands, not my head, I know I was wrong’ giving me this idea.

And finally, Madness has got to be THE band of the 80’s. Don't argue, what I'm saying is so true! From 1979’s The Prince through to (Waiting For) The Ghost Train in 1986 Madness were seemingly never out of the UK charts. My favourite is their version of the Labi Siffre song It Must Be Love. It was released in 1981 and got to number 4 in the UK and even managed a number 33 placing in the US Hot 100 – one of only 3 Madness singles that did.

Love these 80's love songs? Or do you know better?

Saturday 21 March 2009

Hi there. Sorry that it's been such a long time since I last updated you on my comings and goings. Where / how to start? I can't just reel of a list of 'things that have happened since last time', for a kick off it would be just that - a list.

The weather in good old Blighty has certainly taken a turn for the better. Why, for the last week I've been wearing my shorts, albeit in concert with a vest - it's the thought that counts. I was party to a conversation in the post office the other day. Alright, I was eavesdropping. The customer was sending a birthday card to her son in New Zealand and was whinging how she'd like to be out there with him and her daughter in law. The post office worker asked if there was any chance that they'd come back to Britain. Well you wouldn't Adam and believe it. She got the classic blast of Daily Express / Mail tripe, which basically goes along the lines of 'there's nothing for them to come back here for'.

I wanted to scream, 'Good, off you go then, I'll bet New Zealand is looking for gits like you. All their rampant positivity must be such a downer for them...' But I didn't. Perhaps I should've, but it really does make me angry when I hear people putting their country down like that. If you don't like it here, then sod off! It's a real case of be happy with what you are, not where you're at, because chances are that they'd be no happier in NZ or anywhere else, they'd only be hankering after what they've left behind. Most probably with the Daily Express / Mail coming out very near the top of their list. Gah!

Friday 20 February 2009

Good morning! Here we are back home again from our short trip to the Capital. We took the train down on Tuesday morning, a really good service, the Wrexham and Shropshire. Bit of confusion over the seating, we had reserved seats that were all over the place, however, the train manager sorted things out and we arrived safely in about three and three quarter hours.

Hoisting our backpacks, we set off from London Marylebone towards our pad for the next few days, the YHA Central London. Just how central it is can best be judged by how long it takes to walk to Oxford Street - about 5 minutes tops!

The best way to see the city is to take one of the bus tours. We used the Original Tour Company - and for £68 we had two days use, two adults, two children and a '5' year old (special winter offer, buy one day get another free - ends 28 Feb). You can get off and on at loads of place along the route(s), but on the first afternoon, we took the red tour all round the main sites, Horse Guards, 'Big Ben', The Houses of Parliament, The London Eye, Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, Tower Bridge, The Tower of London, the back of Buckingham Palace, Lambeth Palace etc etc ETC...

The following day we took the bus for s short hop down to Westminster Pier (in the shadow of 'Big Ben' and Parliament) for our complimentary boat trip (included in the bus ticket!) up to the Tower. We hopped off here to take a look inside the Tower of London. First though, lunch was eaten - outside from one of the kiosks - around £20 for the five of us, not bad I guess. Then in to the Tower itself, £46 for a family of 5 - again not that bad, one supposes (we're just spoiled having National Trust and English Heritage memberships - pay once for the year, get in everywhere for free - some of these would probably run to around £50 for the five of us).

After the Tower a short hop on the bus back down to Westminster for a trip on The Eye. Now, as a confirmed Acrophobic I was a little trepidatious. However, THERE IS NOTHING TO FEAR. It was by any stretch a fantastic experience. The thing is so stable, you get no sense of rocking, just a smooth ride round the outside of a gigantic Ferris wheel and you can see for miles. It really is brilliant. It can't cure acrophobia, but it's not designed to.

And then, back on the bus for a ride back to base. Just a quick note on the Hostel. This was state of the art. Clean, bright, minimal, not too noisy - brilliant. We shared a six berth room, with three bunks. The boys had the tops and we slept on the bottom. Personally, I had two really good nights of sleep, so I have no complaints.

So to Thursday. Booked for the 4.33 train home, we had a few hours to spare. This time we took the blue route on the tour, should have stopped at the corner of Piccadilly and Regent Street but it didn't. We eventually found out that the stop was on a side street just off Piccadilly Circus. This tour took us into Theatre land and then back out towards the Museums, the Science, National History and V&A.

Not keen on the big queues for the Nat Hist (Darwin's 200 birthday) or the Sci, we trundled into the V&A. A calming few hours spent looking at various antiquities we set off for the train at twenty to four, having bought tea on the way...

Tuesday 17 February 2009

We're off today for a couple of days in England's capital. The boys have never been before so they're as excited as excited things! It's a wonder how they managed to go to sleep last night. Our eldest had a bit of a late night as he went to see a production based upon Charles Dickens's classic Great Expectations. It's quite amazing but he hasn't read the book and he knew nothing of the story before hand, but he gave an incredible account of what he'd seen. My only disappointment was the apparent non-appearance of Mr Pumblechook. But then he was tired and maybe that particular character had passed him by.

As a consequence of the London trip, I've been charging round trying to get all of our deliveries done. And here's an observation based upon that activity. Why are old people able to manage to keep hold of the tattiest fivers and tenners, and keep them safe just for me to come round to deliver their goods and collect payment? I mean, they don't seem to be able to manage it with twenties - they're always so crisp and sharp that you are at risk of losing a finger. Not so those smaller denominations...

Friday 13 February 2009

OK all you paraskavedekatriaphobes, listen up. THERE IS NOWT BAD GONNA HAPPEN JUST BECAUSE IT'S FRIDAY 13th. No really it won't. Being born on the 13th of the month (a Saturday by the way) and having a brother and a sister who were both born at home, at number 13, and being the 13th grandchild of my Dad's parents etc I should know. It's not an unlucky number, and therefore, neither is Friday 13th of any month. So get up from under that duvet and go out and face the world.

Is Spring here in Blighty? I mean, it seems to be a little warmer round 'r way than of late. Daffs and other such flowers are slowly pushing their delicate little heads up out of the ground, and whilst there's no wash of yellow just yet, I don't think that it'll be long. Positive thoughts, that's what we need. Go on, I dares ya...

Thursday 5 February 2009

We've had some snow in Blighty. Not a great deal in the grand scheme of things, but enough to send some parts of the country into complete meltdown (sorry about the anti-pun). Over here in Shropshire it's not been that bad - we've had perhaps an inch all told, other parts of the country have had more, but still not enough for all the nonsense panicking that usually accompanies such weather. I mean, today's headline in the Daily Express, 'Now they've run out of grit!' I don't know about the veracity of the statement, but it's the hands in the air, 'Oh my God! What are we going to do?' childishness of it all which so antagonises me. Now they say that you get the newspapers you deserve, and in this country we have the Express, the Mail, the Sun, the Mirror and the Star...

We were all sat round the radio the other day, with the boys hoping against hope that school would be cancelled for the day. Alas, no such luck - we're not exactly out in the sticks, I mean the primary school is only half a mile away, along a very busy main road. So, no chance of the school being closed, unless it suffers something like a boiler break down. As for the secondary school, well there's a better chance of them getting a day off, but that's only because its catchment is so much wider and some of the kids in the outlying areas could genuinely have trouble getting in.

Wednesday 28 January 2009

Wednesday already. Where does the time go? You know, I am not a fan of January, but this year it seems to have gone very quickly. It's light at 5pm and even a little beyond, so at last we're coming out of the gloom of winter. Having said that, I was a little peeved last night when I was out and about delivering product. The air had that damp wintry quality to it, there was a misty orange glow over the town, but Christmas has been over and done with for a full month. Boo and indeed, hoo!

Sunday 25 January 2009

So we creep gently to the close of another weekend. My efforts in working a full week Monday to Friday have been rewarded again with a very relaxing weekend. Yesterday pm we watched the original Indiana Jones trilogy. They are as strong a trio of films that you could hope for - perhaps the other really strong trilogy also stars Harrison Ford - Star Wars (Episodes IV - VI). To be sure, The Temple of Doom isn't the strongest, but even that has its attractions, for example, the mining cart sequence is as good as anything in any other similar film.

It's the third one, The Last Crusade, that seems to have a bit more about it. For a kick off, it seems to follow the template established by Raiders of The Lost Ark. Jones is fleshed out a little more - the flashback at the beginning reveals quite a deal about his character as does his relationship with his father. Connery's role as Henry Jones Sr. is very well played, a sort of James Bond for the over 60's, almost - well certainly his 'conquest' of Dr. Schneider is...

Friday 23 January 2009

Well good evening. It's ten past ten and I'm sat in bed watching a More 4 programme about UFO's and the perfectly rational explanation that that the myriad sightings of UFO's were actually due to the US's Cold War activities. For example, the guy who was tasked with coming up with a new design for a spy plane following the Russians' capture of Gary Powers' U2 spy plane, actually stated that the best design was basically a flying saucer. Mmm...

But, I've had half a bottle of red wine and a large (homemade) pizza, so I might be hallucinating myself as I type! My wife is softly snoring next to me - she's been up since four this morning, and I'm planning on sliding down the bed myself very shortly, so who knows, this may well be the case!

Please look out for my next project, that is the use of SMS messages from my phone as blog posts. Now on the face of, that's quite similar to twitter (you can follow the cosmicjellybaby now), but I'm going to add some value, I hope, to make them a little more readable. Watch this space...

Wednesday 21 January 2009

Hello Again, Hello. A sad day yesterday, my Uncle's funeral. There are so many tales to be told about funerals. The overwhelming sense is of grief and poignancy, but there is also great potential for levity at such an occasion. You only have to remember the beginning of The Crow Road by Iain Banks, with Grandad's exploding pacemaker.

Let me explain about yesterday. My Dad, whose brother it was, is a stickler for being on time, so with a twenty minute / half hour drive to get to the church, we leave at 11 o'clock for a midday service. It's a good job too, as all available parking spaces are full by about 11.30. Fortunately, we 're ok - we found a space.

The service passes, emotions are let out, hymns are sung, and then the vicar informs us that it's time to go out to the burial ground. Oh, and by the way, could the two cars parked by the gates be moved please, as there's a lorry load of concrete due at the sewage works which is at the bottom of the lane that runs alongside the cemetery. It's a) potentially highly amusing, and b) perhaps more poignantly, an homage to Uncle as he spent 30 years in the building trade. (Furthermore, I couldn't get the faint whiff of the sewage works out of my mind - I've been to the odd one or twenty, you see.)

On the way out to the open grave, there are a line of memorial stones and one name stands out a mile. One Fred Bloggs, Loving Son, born xx-a-1970, died yy-b-2008. I swallowed hard as Fred had been a schoolmate of mine. Apparently, Fred had taken the decision at 38 years old that he'd had enough of life and chose to end it. Of course, why he did, we'll never know - he took that with him...

Sunday 18 January 2009

Doctor Marten's Boots, Doctor Marten's Boots... here's a picture of mine. As you can see, they're purple. I first had a pair of Dr. Marten's way back in nineteen eighty.... something when as a secondary school boy, these were THE things to have on your feet. It made getting changed for PE quite an experience, I can tell you. And those long laces offered plenty of scope for the more mischievous amongst us to tie each other, quite literally, up in knots. NB, my picture is a very weak attempt at an arty picture. On no account should you try such a thing at home. I think that the floor tiles look better - I laid them myself. Took ages I can tell ya!

Anyway, what's been going on here since last time? Well yesterday I took the boy to basketball - and was able to leave him there, safe in the knowledge that he'd be getting a lift home with the coach. Why do all of the UK basketball types pronounce defence as DEE-fence, as per the US way when referring to basketball, yet when they stop and start on football, they use to the UK pronunciation, that is, defence with no emphasis? Oh yes, and just what is the attraction of basketball as a spectator sport?

Friday 16 January 2009

Good Morning. We have managed to get through to Friday once more, whoopee! Had a busy day yesterday, but, lo and behold, managed to get everything done that was planned. Recognising that now is the only time that is available to do anything is incredibly liberating, because doing unpleasant tasks first enables them to be done and out of the way without you going round thinking, 'oh no, I've still got to do x & y, and I hate doing x & y.' You're able to spin it, and say, 'I'm right glad that I've done x & y, 'cos now I can do a & b which I love doing...'

Where:

• x = unpleasant task number 1
• y = unpleasant task number 2
• a = thing I love doing number 1
• b = thing I love doing number 1

Please enjoy your Friday, and remember, Monday morning is just a state of mind.

Thursday 15 January 2009

Good morning Thursday! My what funny weather we're having. As I mentioned on Monday, the lovely crisp clear frosty weather we were having gave way to some warm and mild (nondescript) stuff. Tuesday was similar - apart from the beautiful blue sky, a precursor to the sharp frost that we had over night, making Wednesday morning another sparkly one. Today has dawned warmer again. Its seems it not able to make it's mind up.

If I remember, I'll give you an update tomorrow Friday on the latest. This blogging lark is a habit that I am trying to get into, and writing something everyday is the best way to acquire it. That way, once I get my momentum going, you'll have something a little more interesting to read, other than the trials and tribulations of the British weather. Heck, we live on a small island in the north Atlantic, what is that we expect???!

Monday 12 January 2009

Wow, what a refreshing and relaxing weekend. Having resolved to do so, I did absolutely nothing work related this weekend and it was brilliant. This morning, I was much better able to get up and get going. No sitting around waiting for some external stimulus to prod me into life, no sir! I was up an' at 'em straightaway.

The weather has changed. Gone is the frost. Out with the cold weather. We've got warm and windy with the odd shower. Personally I think that winter has lost its sparkle. This warm, wet, windy weather is just... well, nondescript really. Very drab, very plain. Come on Spring, we're all waiting...

PM update: Good news! The boy's Lego set has finally arrived. We ordered it direct from Lego on 30 December. Being only 9 he couldn't quite see how it could take so long for something to arrive in the post. We carefully explained to him that a) it was ordered during the Christmas / New Year break so it was unlikely that anybody would action it before the New Year and that b) it was coming from Germany! Kids eh?!

Saturday 10 January 2009

After resolving to properly employ myself during the working week, I enjoyed a proper day off today. We went into town, still seems very odd without Woolworths, don't think I'll ever get over it being closed. And I know that this is a silly, childish, irrational reaction, but it's been a part of my life for ever, and now it's gone. Talk about a national institution, that was Woolies, with was being the operative word, was not is. Shame.

It's going to get warmer tomorrow, and in this country in the winter, this means an additional thing, that is, it's going to get wetter too! We have enjoyed a nice dry spell so far this winter really, so it'll be a bit of a shock to go out and get wet. There's no avoiding it, and indeed feeling the rain on your face makes you feel alive, so it's not really a bad thing.

Thursday 8 January 2009

I've just re-read my two most recent posts. I started them both off with the phrase (or some variant of it), 'not as cold as it's been...' I do apologise, such imagination lacking and ultimately needless repetition is inexcusable. I do apologise, such imagination lacking and ultimately needless repetition is inexcusable.

What to talk about today then? Well I could start with my incredulity wrt the type of books that my 6 year old son is being asked to read at school. He's six, for goodness sake, and they've got him reading Birdsong. Well that's what I thought when I read his homelink book. But then I checked in his book bag and there it was, Bird Song, by Avelyn Davidson, illustrated by Jan Van Der Voo. So you can imagine my relief then, no Sebastian Faulks for us to read, just a counting story, making use of the supposed sounds of various birds. I really should get out more...

Wednesday 7 January 2009

Still cold today, but not as cold as the past few days. And, for anyone reading this in lands where it's below zero (or 32 if you still use F) for a lot longer than a few days, I do apologise. I've come to help my mother out - why are you typing this then?! - as she is little indisposed, having shattered her elbow in October. She's got much more movement in her arm now, but still needs to build it up and suffers greatly from the nerve damage - seemingly soft things such as fleeces seem to prickle like a Brillo pad. The task for today was supposed to be changing the beds, but in his time honoured tradition, me Dad had done it already before I arrived!

Sunday 4 January 2009

Still cold today, although perhaps not quite as cold as yesterday. I have had a lie in this morning, rising from my pit at about 8.30. I have been to the recylcing centre with cardboard and plastic bottles and a car battery. I then bought some insulating foam in order to stop the overflow from our boiler from freezing. This has happened on a couple of occasions just recently, and the flood in the kitchen, although minor is nevertheless frustrating and annoying!

Saturday 3 January 2009

Wow! What a day. I travelled to Birmingham's NIA for our company's New Year Showcase. Leaving Oswestry at 9.00 in the icy cold, initially visibility was good. However, it wasn't long until I was envoloped in the fog. It was nevertheless a beautiful day, the sun was up there, a watery orange globe off to the south-east, at road level it was as if driving into a white tunnel.

Suffice to say, I arrived in good time to take my seat for the 11 o'clock start. Talk from all the speakers was bullish, to the tune of recession, what recession. The most important message that I got from the day was that instant results are not possible. For this reason, you need to have a very real goal, quantified in terms of what it is and how long it's going to take you to get to it. Then you need a system to plug into, to give you the steps to follow in order to achieve your goal. It is then the case that you almost forget your end goal, focussing instead on several progressive goals as you move along. The only way that you are going to get to where you want to be is to take the necessary action - merely wishing to be somewhere wil not get you there. In three bullet points:

• Define your end goal
• Work out route map by plugging into system
• Follow route map by carrying out the necessary action

Friday 2 January 2009

Back to it then. As I noted yesterday,this holiday is the one whose passing I regret more than any other. Don't get me wrong, I love the time off at Easter and summer holidays and the like, but this one really pains me when it's over. I don't know if it's having a December birthday or what, but it's been a fact for all of my life.

I'm off out for the day tomorrow, but on Sunday I've got plans for a day in bed. Whether this comes off or not, is another thing.

Thursday 1 January 2009

So it's here. HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Having gone to bed at 1 o'clock last night, I managed to sleep in until 9 thirty this morning. After a brief chat, my wife and I decided that a walk was in order before we could settle down to slobbing out for the rest of the day (well apart from my writing this!). We went to Ellesmere for one of our favourite walks. On the way there, we admired (for that is the only word for it) Jack Frost's handiwork. He operates a frozen earth policy does that chap, and the world is all the more beautiful for it when he does.

Back to work tomorrow (truth be told that I haven't really stopped - just doing the odd task here and there). Kids back to school on Monday, it's almost as if we haven't been off! I'm going to write a little on the nature of the Christmas Holidays over the next few days, but suffice to say (for now), I feel a real aching regret when this holiday is over that I just don't get after say, the summer holidays.