Prize

... And finally they have arrived! Hurrah!

My long awaited Giotto Tripod and Lowepro Bag turned up yesterday and, when I finally managed to work out how to get into the bag and how the tripod fitted together, I was very happy indeed. Not that I wasn't before, I was just a little perplexed at how two simple devices could be so awkward to operate!

Thanks to PP for their most excellent decision, their sponsor for their most generous gifts and my lovely family for their inspiration and being the best prize of all...

Etiquette

Last month I was fortunate enough to win 'Letter of the Month' in Practical Photography magazine. In addition to my letter they also printed my photograph. I was very pleased. However, the freebies which I was promised, a Lowepro bag and Giotto tripod, have still not arrived, and I'm not too sure on the etiquette of chasing up complimentary awards from magazines...

*Update: After sending a very polite email to the magazine I have been told that the sponsors will be sending out my prize this week, apparently they were having problems with their courier... Fingers crossed!

Christening

It's official; Ruby has been welcomed into the family and the family of God.

The 2 o'clock service went very well indeed, with both babies who were being christened (apparently they do two at a time these days) being little stars. Ruby even went upside down into the font for the vicar without protest, but then she likes to go upside down anyway (I didn't tell the vicar!)

The only flaw was the lack of cameras photographing the event; the usual suspects neglected to bring their cameras for obvious and not-so-obvious reasons. Fortunately, Amy came to the rescue (all the way from Peterborough) and was immediately made the official christening photographer.

Thank you to all of you who made it to the event (not bash) and to those of you who sent cards and pressies in your absence, Ruby will be sending out thank you letters in due course.

Lyrics

They're starting to come back to me now...


WAR © F.I.S.T. 1992

"Sent to this cold place with no hope of return
So I can see their faces as they slowly burn
Diseases are used; chemical warfare
...

Why am I fighting in this war?
When I don't know what we're fighting for
Put us through hell just to get to heaven
Bodybags filled by a million men"



STAPLED CHICKEN © F.I.S.T. 1992

"Give up, give up you can't
Give up, give up you can't, can't, can't-can't-can't-can't
Laa-la-la-la-laaa
Laa-la-la-la-la... 2, 3, 4..."

F.I.S.T. - 'Stapled Chicken'

Our punk song, 'Stapled Chicken' featuring one of the catchiest choruses we ever wrote...

F.I.S.T. - 'Four Interviews Similar Themes'

This a collection of short interviews was made from 2+ hours of footage, which I have managed to compile down to a little over 6 minutes. Again, audio effects were added retrospectively.

F.I.S.T. - 'Cry Wolf'

This is our only 'bad sallad' and at some point, when I'm feeling brave enough and if I can remember them, I shall post the lyrics...

F.I.S.T. - 'War'

The sound effects on this video were inserted recently when I was playing with the video footage...

F.I.S.T. - 'The Band Interview'

When I was 19 I was in a band called F.I.S.T.... We were the greatest band in the world ever and our music was going to sell worldwide and make us all rich and famous... However, two years earlier, we weren't quite as good and on the weekend of my 17th birthday we hired a video camera and decided to make our own film of the band using all the latest technology; the Ferguson Videostar! 17 years later I have recorded some of this material from the original VHS onto my pc and tinkered with it... The results are conclusive; bad audio, bad video, bad special effects, bad humour, and bad, BAD haircuts...

Marvinetta

Upon buying 4 litres of engine oil the other evening from the petrol station at the end of our road, I was presented with a free gift... A dancing iPod speaker, which we have named after the paranoid android. Fortunately, this robot is quite a happy thing and dances along to the music in its head as well as the music on the radio and the music on your iPod... Except classical.