Spotty

"Where do you get your ideas from?" People innocently ask - little knowing that they won't then be able to get away for the next hour as we exhaustively explain the minutiae of our many inspirations and very possibly including unasked-for autobiographical details, only drawing breath as we shed a wistful tear, recalling our finest moments.

Who can forget "Pillows With a Pocket" ? The genius of our tubular waste-bins with no bottom?

I digress

Here is a design inspired by the combination of winter coming on, reading Richard Dawkins' The God Delusion and having swimming lessons....

The ultimate manifestation of which is this lampshade, which features scenes from the evolution of the mermaid in the primordial swamp, (Available in several charming colourways)

complete with SPOTTY TREES;

available from http://www.lushlampshades.co.uk

and from our new shop at 8 College approach, Greenwich SE10 9HY

Lo! What should appear on our crab apple tree but this evil fungus which spells DEaTH

Possibly a case of life imitating art.

Coming to a lampshade near you...

See the fierce hounds, the alert deer, the fearful pheasants!

This design will be circumnavigating a lampshade and dangling from a flex before the week is out. You mark my words.

SOCIETY, big, high; whatever

Hey! Remember that great BIG SOCIETY? Yes, that one.

Did you fail to get to grips with the CONCEPT?

Did you confuse it with the cheerful yet incisive film of a similar name?

Fear not!

Here's a guy who can biff away the bafflement!

He's Jesse Norman, Conservative MP for Herefordshire and South Herefordshire....

(Not to be confused with the exquisite soprano Jessye Norman)

Still bewildered?

Don't worry Jesse explains it all in his book. In fact I heard him the other day on the radio explaining how it was all grand in the 1860s when we was all looked-arfter by kindly old Chuzzlewits and we didn't have any narsty old welfare state spoilin' everyfink.

Arf

In the shop today:

While we're in the shop, if its quiet we take the opportunity to get some drawing done.

Today I drew some trees which will form part of the Pennine landscape in one of our new designs.

Whilst I toiled creatively the phone engineer was putting the phone line in (you have to wait at least three weeks to get this done now BT Openreach have decided that two engineers is probably enough to cover Greater London and the Midlands)

Our engineer seemed like a nice fellow, was very efficient and knew most of the words to Folsom Prison Blues.

He looked over my shoulder and said "Are you doodling?"

Luckily he didn't spot this poorly executed deer (with elk ghost next to it) which I hastily concealed with the order book lest he make a disparaging comment;

"It has the embarrassed look of one who has accidentally trumped"

He might have said.

And rightly so.