10 gnomes, Episode 2.....A walk in the park

Find 10 more gnomes in 10 minutes here

Little Nemo

Found on STWALLSKULL, a (very) early animation, "hand animated on rice paper and color tinted by hand on the film by Winsor McCay in 1911"

Not your normal, run-of-the-mill Sunday stroll....

I've been collecting links for gentle, local, scenic walks to post when the weather gets better. Found this (not so local) ramble that has since given me nightmares. Check out the step-by-step route here, with pictures, if you dare! Mount Huashan in China is described as "the most dangerous Tourist Hiking Trail in the world"....OK, so I'm persuaded!

A modern take on a sliding puzzle game

Apparently it takes some time to load....I only tried the opening level.

From Jayisgames

...... A "game set in a mysterious mansion with rooms that move and that contain magical items to help you make your way through. Using both mouse and keyboard, use the items you find and slide the rooms into the correct configuration to make your escape."

...."a clever mix of point-and-click and puzzle elements that together create an engaging game play experience"

"The arrow keys on the keyboard are used to navigate your in-game avatar through each room, up and down ladders, and through doors. Use the mouse to click on items to activate or to pick them up. Once picked up, press and hold the mouse button on the avatar to bring up an inventory select control. To physically move the room you are currently in, press and hold the mouse button anywhere on the room itself to bring up a room navigation control, and then select the desired direction. Along the way you will find newspapers lying about. These contain helpful information about new elements of the game being introduced, so it's a good idea to take a look once you pick them up."

Play it here

London Transport posters online.....

.....lots of them (as in more than 5000) here.

Space Puppets

Scans for instructions to make the toys you always wished you'd had at Black Olives on my Fingertips

Whistler goes wild with peacocks

Drop-dead gorgeous....The Peacock Room by James McNeill Whistler, courtesy The Smithsonian Institute (3 high-res images here) 7 minute podcast (hopefully) with slides below....



....if it doesn't work go here to watch in a bigger window

Cute....OZ banking style

The question.....

And the result looks something like this, with personalised ukelele background music.......

Do it here if you have to

Maze Frenzy....improve your mouse control

Play it here

Some folks take mazes a bit more seriously of course

Give Flour.....costs nothing except a bit of general knowledge

FreeFlour invites you to answer a variety of geographically related questions.By correctly answering a question you are actually contributing to the demise of world hunger! FreeFlour will donate an amount of money that is equivalent to the value of the flour collected on the site to the "Bread for the World Institute". Play it here

Build your own metal detector.....cheap

Turn A Calculator Into A Metal Detector - video powered by Metacafe

Lots of lovely links....

.....to the contenders for this years Webware 100 awards. If you want to vote go here....but if you just want to check out some of the best sites in 10 categories......

Audio: Music, podcasts, audiobooks.
Browsing: Browsers, start pages, RSS readers, widgets, runtime engines.
Commerce and events: Retail, auctions, travel, real estate, concerts, conferences.
Communications: E-mail, chat, voice.
Productivity: App suites, to-do lists, groupware.
Publishing and photography: Blogging, content management, photo sites.
Search and Reference: Search engines, encyclopedias, mapping.
Social: Social networking, family sites, recommendations, online worlds, contests.
Utility and Security: Infrastructure providers, storage, online protection.
Video: Video storage, playback, streaming, editing, and animation.

......I've put a pdf with live links in the Box files on the right

Been doing some heavy-duty scanning....

Mostly personal/family stuff exhumed from the suitcase that passes for our family pictorial archive.....but I found this mixed in with the happy family snaps of picnics, holidays and christenings. Makes you think!

Journey into the dark zone

No picture because no-one has penetrated the inner darkness for years. Tomorrow I venture into "the room above the garage" and "the cupboard over the stairs" round at Ma's in search of family memorabilia. Ma has muttered darkly about "ancient curses" and "locks that have no keys".....now I think she's bluffing but I'm planning on wearing a garlic garland just to be on the safe side. If the blog goes suddenly quiet assume I didn't make it past the vintage hi-fidelity radiogram (reputedly) just inside the door!

Spend a penny.....

It's time to stand up (or sit down, depending on gender) and be counted......support your local neighbourhood public loo!

"Campaigning for better public toilets for all.....
Britain's public toilets were once the envy of the world
In recent years, significant numbers of public toilets have been closed down
We need more and better toilets
Let's stop the rot"

Join the fight here

Tie tips......

....especially for Jonny......apparently he's gone "all smart". So he can check out all the essential knots here to augment his future pulling power.

Shamelessly filtched (including the picture) from Lifehacker

Arcadia is just around the corner

"The Arcade of shops on the right of Whitley Road was built in 1893 by Alfred Styan, know as Arcadia its glass canopies and iron work were removed at a later date. Behind Arcadia is the Wesleyan Methodist Chapel at the top of Victoria Avenue it was completed in 1889 and destroyed by a bomb in August 1940 a health centre now occupies the site."
Can't remember where I found the above.....apologies to the original writer!

So, what I found interesting about the above picture?......What on earth IS that cherry-topped cupcake feature in the distance? (I suspect a bit of victorian photoshopping, turning trees into something a bit more substantial!)


LATER.....very blurry phone pic of approximately the same view.....

All quiet on the Tyne at 13:03:44 on Saturday Feb 23

......except for seagulls battling the winds. But you can check out the current situation, maybe catch a bit of live shipping action.....if you're lucky....at the Mouth of the Tyne live webcam

Full of (middle) eastern promise

This post is prompted by a conversation I had with Ma last night about a book she read in her formative years, "The Sheik" by E. M. Hull (and later the film starring Rodolf Valentino of course)....and I thought she might like some background music to go with the book she'll be getting for her birthday! (I downloaded the text from Project Gutenburg, some moody pictures of Valentino sporting a tea towel, and with a bit of formatting she'll never notice it's not the original)

There's six albums worth of belly dance music available at this wonderful site....also good for getting in the right mood for cooking couscous.

Making your own entertainment

Somebody used to do this when I was a kid, can't remember whether it was Dad or Granda......complete with lit cigarette!

Found at Modern Mechanix via BoingBoing

Waiting for the boats

A picture taken at North Shields by Liddell Sawyer circa 1890. Found at the British Library Collect Britain website

The Cliche Family

Found at Archive.org (where you can download a high res version) They say.....

"This outrageous parody of the prototype 'commercial' family was apparently made as an in-house joke by one of the largest producers of television commercials. Their clients would have never seen this gem, which parodies products as well as the people that buy them."

Next time the Tyne freezes.....

.....all we need is an air tight stove, lots of sand and a seven foot long bob-sled.....oh, and some skates!

Caught in the web of love

Found on PCL Linkdump......
"This clip is from "The Great Gabbo", a musical drama from 1929 featuring Erich von Stroheim and Betty Compson. And drama it is!"

Suggested menu for Lent...circa 1660

No, not just one choice from each course, you're supposed to do the lot at one sitting! (Fasting??)From "The Accomplisht Cook, The Art and Mystery of Cookery" by Robert May, published 1660. I'm probably dancing on dodgy ground posting the image above without clearing it first, it's part of a complete scan I downloaded from....no, best not to say! Once I've worked out what skirrets, joles and oyster chewets are....I promise you'll be the first to know!

LATER....I've been going through some of the other (500 or so) pages of recipes, and it's all good stuff......no quantities, but lots of inspiration. "Sippets" appear frequently....apparently they're "a small piece of toast or bread soaked in gravy or other liquid or used as a garnish".....but sadly, no update on skirrets so far. Oh, and most recipes (meat, veg etc) seem to call for a liberal coating of shaved sugar, roasted currants and cinnamon at the serving stage......there's no evidence of a historical sweet course, so maybe it's understandable!

The opening of Grainger Market, October 1835

Local records; or, Historical register of remarkable events, which have occurred in Northumberland & Durham, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Berwick-upon-tweed, 1832-1857, a continuation of the work by [J.] Sykes By John Latimer, John Sykes

Local records; or, Historical register of remarkable events, which have occurred in Northumberland & Durham, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Berwick-upon-tweed, 1832-1857, a continuation of the work by [J.] Sykes By John Latimer, John Sykes

Detective fiction......Inspector French

powered by ODEO

powered by ODEO

powered by ODEO

Prepare to be amazed

A whole rooms worth of furniture in a small box.....and no tools required for erection! Original post here at Treehugger

Historical directories

I'm posting this here so I can find it later, but you who have older houses might find it of interest too. Lots of historical directories online here at this University of Leicester project. I've already found out that a Reverend Payne lived in my house in 1910.....so useful if you fancy doing a 'house history' sort of thing.

The beach in February

Daizy on Cullercoats Beach yesterday.....hard to believe, but true!

Dancing piggy

Birthplace

It's not often you can find the plans of the place where you were born, but Ma will no doubt be able to point to the exact window on the facade where Chris and I entered this world! Other plans, maps, documents and pictures found here


In fact, if you turned around and looked over the road you might have seen this (OK, so a few years back down the line!)

Beneficial to health....but possibly bad for street cred!

Captain Peacock - Lice Hunter

Found at the Tyne and Wear Archive Service when looking for something completely different.
Play it here (scritch, scratch, scratch)

LATER....Found what I was originally looking for. They have the records for the local church (Methodist), now demolished, that originally owned my house and used it until maybe the late 60's/early 70's as a manse. Which explains why, in the house deeds, I'm not allowed to run a "bawdy house" or sell intoxicating licquor (dammit!). But it's not clear why I can't keep pigs and chickens or hang washing out in the garden.....sounds like I need to make a trip to the Archives!

Friday cute

Bow Street Runners....City of Vice

If you've been watching "City of Vice" on Channel 4 over the last few weeks you might be interested in playing the game that goes with the series. The first episode is online with another 4 episodes planned.

The impending demise of a local landmark

About to be demolished....Trinity Carpark which shot to fame in the (original and best) film "Get Carter" starring Michael Caine. I remember seeing the "world premiere" (at least it was locally billed as that, can't remember a red carpet and a parade of the stars though!) at a cinema, long since gone and name forgotten, in the Haymarket, Newcastle. Interesting article at Nothing to see here
I know what I'll be watching tonight......
Sylvester Stallone, eat your heart out! this is the original, uncut, trailer for the film.

But now, I've just found this......and yes, they showed it before the start of that "premiere". Oh, the wonder of YouTube!!!

Anyone for a cocktail?

Another raffle win of a bottle of booze (Jack Daniels this time) had me searching for ideas for something palatable to do with it (I'm not keen on raw spirits).....along with the Cointreau, the Southern Comfort, the Cassis, the Vodka etc left over from Christmas. I came across this site that looks as if it might just 'help'. You can search for recipes using combinations of ingredients, very handy....pass the ice, maraschino cherries and paper umbrellas!

Alex's Cocktail Recipes

Vintage recipe

A Collection of Above Three Hundred Receipts in Cookery, Physick, and Surgery For the Use of All Good Wives, Tender Mothers, and Careful Nurses By Mary Kettilby

Vintage feline madness

Just to prove that dressing up cats is nothing new, "Kittens and Cats, a First Reader" published 1911 and available as a 7.7mb pdf download from Archive.org

Shape your nose

"New automatic spring action...." Ouch!!

Amazing spray can art

See more of Brandon McConnell's art at his website

Magnetic ink

Magnetic Ink, Process video from flight404 on Vimeo.

Just in case you wondered....

.....scans of the whole (1971) book here

So, Jonny doesn't think he looks smart enough huh?

.....well, maybe this could be the answer......

From the 365 day project, 2003

"Take a trip back to Swinging London, to a time when Saturday night was indeed "the zippiest night of the week"; when spending just over ten English pounds in your local branch of John Collier Menswear would immediately "up" your smoothness factor; when "fabulous fabrics" were thought to include various types of plastic fibre; to a time when high-street stores gave out groovy promos on 7" vinyl..... With a typically cut-glass "get hip, dad" intro by top BBC voice Brian Matthew, and a Johnny Johnson Orchestra jingle which verges on the ridiculous (those timpani!), can any aspiring sophisticate resist the allure of the Saturday Night Suit?"

French kitsch

Postcards from the 50's, 60's and 70's here....you never know when you might need one!

Fold a towel cat....

....in pictures at WikiHow

The History Channel....Life after People

You can view a larger (in screen size) version at Google Video
Link found at Ursi's Blog

Soldier, soldier...

This is from the parents day yesterday. Jonny doesn't think he looks very smart, but in 2 weeks will be wearing a beret which apparently is much better!

Lists, lists and more lists

Checkser is a wiki of checklists, all sorts (I liked the "what to take on a camping trip" one!)It's new, so not a lot of content so far, but you can always add your own! Personally, I prefer pen, paper and a large mug of coffee to aid the listing process.

And I'm not alone....check out GroceryLists.org for other peoples discarded shopping lists

How To Make Bag That Puts Chopsticks

And if a 10 year old can do it so can you! From Howcast

Drag the dot

Simple but addictive....just tell people it's an "improve your mouse control" exercise!
Play it here

Paper Box Designer

Design and print a cuboid box to make here

It's womens work.....

From....

About this book Read this bookThe Employments of Women: A Cyclopaedia of Woman's Work. By Virginia Penny By Virginia Penny
to....

About this book Read this bookThe Employments of Women: A Cyclopaedia of Woman's Work. By Virginia Penny By Virginia Penny

By the way, you'll find "Brace and Truss Makers" listed under the heading of "Contributors to the comfort or amusement of others"

Free books

Free eBooks in a multitude of formats, also audiobooks read by volunteers at MANYBOOKS.NET.

They say.....

"Browse through the most popular titles, recommendations, or recent reviews from our visitors. Perhaps you'll find something interesting in the special collections. There are 19,733 eBooks available here and they're all free!"

Worth a click!