Kids and the IoT

I worked with Scott Smith (AKA Changeist) last year on some TOP SECRET fun stuff which maybe I'll be able to talk about at some point in the future...

But now here's something new and altogether more visible:
A good/important read for parents, children, maybe-one-day-parents and anyone with even the slightest interest in the way that technology is going. 

I got invited to illustrate. Welcome to the future! Maybe.

Cookbook D'arc Manche

In a remarkable feat of last-minute motivation, I managed to put together a 20-page vegan cookbook/zine as a Christmas present for lots of friends who regularly visit our house. We like cooking for people and people often say kind things about our food and ask for recipes, so I figured a cookbook would be a nice (if slightly egotistical) thing to do.

People have been incredibly kind about them, and if you know me and you'd like a hard copy, let me know and I'll get one to you somehow!

Anyway, here are a selection of food illustrations from the book... They probably look a bit rubbish out of context, but I'm going to share them anyway, because I had fun doing them.

We like weird things on toast.

Talk to me about my mexican red cabbage salad. It’s fairly hard to believe raw red cabbage can taste this good.

Justin’s only recipe contribution to the book. It’s a good one though. So good I decided to give it a kale border.

And girls. Everyone. My dumplings. So good. If I do say so myself.

One of my very regular recipes is peanut and lime udon noodles with leeks, broccoli and fried tofu.

Hoi sin sauce is THIS EASY you guys.

Can't go wrong with a good aubergine. (Actually you quite easily can. But let's not talk about that.)

In addition to the illustrations, there are a whole bunch of delicious photos, including...

Whoever thinks vegans don't eat well needs to get over here RIGHT NOW and let me pile some of this onto their plates.

Hourly comic day 2015

So I don't think this year's hourly comic day is as good as last year's hourly comic day...
It's not particularly amusing, but it is in COLOUR!
So here's a typical-ish weekend day in the life of me, in far too much detail. 

In the first hour of February 1st, I was at the Cowley Club for our friend Hannah's leaving party. It was 'teen goth' themed, and the playlist was packed with all the songs people like me listened to in our mid/late teens. I got quite excited by Placebo and then got tired and went home. And then stayed up far too late watching Community because it's some of the most moreish telly out there.

Alex stayed up even later than me, and eventually fell asleep in his own room so as not to disturb me. I, meanwhile, got so cold that I slept in a horribly cramped, uncomfortable foetal position in order to keep warm, and woke up achey.

Eventually I heaved myself out of bed, shovelled a load of houmous into my mouth, and did all the drawings that had happened so far.

Then I walked to church in the sun. I've started going to Quaker church recently, instead of C of E. It feels like the right thing at the moment.

I did a fairly basic drawing of the layout of Quaker church. It’s a really nice space.
After that I started walking home…

...but became distracted by SHOPPING. First weekend after payday, innit. I'm nothing if not predictable.

Treated myself to bibimbap on the way back, then came home to eat it and catch up with drawing.

INTERNET! For a while, then started the walk to climbing. It's about an hour's walk from home, so bonus good exercise! Bumped into our friend Caroline on the way, which was nice.

At climbing I warmed up with some easy climbs...

Matthew was there too, and he egged me on to get over one that's been stumping me since day one. I was thoroughly undignified.

I tired myself out and got the train home. As soon as I got back, I got to work on making spanakopita, starting with the vegan 'feta' mix. SO GOOD. (Recipe here)

Spent the next hour on cooking tasks and cleaning the kitchen...

And then, DONE! The spanakopita was very good and that made me happy. I bathed in that happiness for a while, and then did the washing up.

Alex had a couple of friends over for boardgames, but I antisocially came upstairs to catch up on my drawings.

Spent a happy hour watching Dragon's Den and painting.

Then some more internet time wasting, downstairs for spanakopita leftovers, and shower....

Hug with Alex (who always stays up way later than me), and then to bed.

HELLO FEBRUARY!

Januly

As aforementioned, I've been sportsing like THREE TIMES A WEEK this January, which is pretty crazy for someone who hates sportsing so much. Because this is a chunk of my time which previously was not filled up, I've been feeling a little stretched and squeezed this month. Good for my health it may be, good for my smug sense of time management, it is not. I worry that visual diaryings have suffered a little. I still do 99% of them on the day, but I think the ones on bouldering days are sometimes a little shoddy because I'm tired and it's bed time. Oh well. Onwards!

Cycled to Southwick. Went to get a train back. Cat by the ticket machine. Hi cat. Oh you’re nice cat. [crouches down] [cat climbs onto shoulders] [sits on the floor being snuggled by cat] [misses train] [doesn’t care]

First bouldering adventure! As much as anything else, it’s quite an aesthetically pleasing sport, although I’ve not especially done that justice here.

The quality of this one is pretty terrible, but I want you all to know how super psyched I am by my brand new flat, non-jiggling boobs. SO SUPER PSYCHED YOU GUYS HAVE NO IDEA. I ran down the street the other day while I was wearing it (a rare occurrence) and halfway through the run I broke out in an uncontrollable massive grin because I hadn’t felt that good running since pre-pubescence. Feel pretty ridiculous putting off buying one all these years. I don’t even need to be doing sports to justify wearing it. Downside: feel about as sexy as raw bread dough in a bin bag when I take my top off.

Can you tell I started bouldering and also bought myself four new brightly coloured posca markers this month?

My school friend Gareth came to visit. We walked along cold bleak Shoreham beach and talked about life.

Nearly two and a half years of cycling! I guess I've done well. Obviously it happened in the dark, in the rain, when I was in a rush to get somewhere. OBVIOUSLY.

Vic’s moving to Bristol, which is exciting because Bristol is great and Vic’s great so they’ll go well together, but sad for us.

NEVER READ THE COMMENTS

Some days. You know. It happens to the best of us.

And now Justin is leaving too! Fortunately Justin is coming back, he’s off to India until May for PHD business. Still. We’re a housemate down. Just me and Alex left in the house by ourselves like a proper grown up couple. WEIRD.

NOT YOU TOO NAT! Sadly Nat is gone permanently, on to big exciting things in Manchester. I’m a little jealous, if I’m honest, and sad she’s gone, but you know. Internet. The internet is magic and friends can stay friends despite geography.

Broke myself a bit, in a number of ways. Bodies don't bend in the ways you expect them to sometimes, do they?

We picked this pumpkin like 3 months ago. Alex and Anna finally teamed up and cooked it, and... it was kind of gross, but GARDENING! Still quite proud.

WHY IS EVERYONE I LOVE LEAVING. Ok that’s a slight exaggeration but still. Fortunately Hannah is another super brainy PHDer, and isn’t gone for good, but most likely when she gets back from her adventures in the Pacific Islands, she’ll be relocating to London. Sad face. But exciting adventures for all my friends who are leaving. Sort of makes me crave an adventure too…

Still, we’re going for a long weekend in Torquay next weekend, wahaaaay! (not even being entirely sarcastic)