• I’ve been away a lot recently, and very busy doing other stuff too. How pleasant to be able to do a new video for you all. Watch the video and learn how to draw a teddy bear. I’f you’d like to see this at school but Youtube is blocked, my Drawing School site at www.shoorayner.com/DrawingSchool. I’ve seen these videos get past the school blocking filters as they come fro my site and not from Youtube. If they don’t get through, ask your IT dept to unblock the site for you as it is a safe, educational site.

  • I’m really surprised. I zeroed all my videos on Drawing School yesterday, and when I went into the admin to see how they were doing, I’ve served about 200 videos since. That’s pretty amazing since I’ve only mentioned it here and on Facebook. I’ve not set up a link to my site yet as it’s still under construction. Maybe all the effort will be worthwhile.

  • Am I going to spend the day glued to my screen or am I going to walk up the hill to the Car Boot Sale? I walked up the hill. It was sunny but a bitter cold wind was blowing for this time of year.

    I was hoping to find an old-fashioned oil can – my wife is planning for the flower festival – She is doing The Wizard of Oz and we’re looking for props. No oil cans, but lots of old faces in the crowd and so much stuff!

    It must have become a right of passage for young teens. They look round their bedroom and realise that they are drowning in teddies and beanies and other soft toys. “Hey!” they say to mum, “I can sell this at a carboot, make some money and tidy my room at the same time!”

    There is a certain kind of stall that repeats itself. An old pasting table bends and groans under the weight of fluffy stuff and old PC games that no one wants to play anymore. The kids are bored and huddled in the back of the car while embarrassed parents try to hustle up a sale. I’m sure they all stop off at the tip on the way home dump the whole load in the skip.

    Of course there are lots of younger kids there, who buy the odd cd or dvd or even a fluffy ted. As they get to teenhood they will remember, the lights will go on in their heads and they will yell down the stairs, “Mum! I wanna sell all this crap in my room. Can we do a carboot sale?” They will spend all week tidying and sorting and dreaming of riches, only to join the endless line of those that came before.

    Meanwhile, I did get a couple of nice plants.