My sea legs . . .

This is a random post thrown in, firstly because of my new obsession with boats, ships and Captain Heldt . . . Secondly because I met the Captain of this boat and sailed away with him on St. patricks day 1994.
I won't go into the mess that I was running away from or even what became of  Captain Sparrow as we will get to that all in good time. I will say that he is Stropster's Dad and did eventually settle here in this town to be just that.

Really this is just a quick flash of nostalgia brought on by looking for the "All things Silverhip" photos. I'm really gonna have to sort those photographs out . . . I can't wade through all those years every time I need to find two or three.

We had some great times travelling the country on that boat . . . and met some good "boat folk" . . . and some dodgy ones along the canals. I was content at the time with an easy simple outdoor life. I drew started drawing many pictures, cooked good food and let my creativity run free. Happy days.




Sparrow kept his motorbike chained to the front of the boat for occasions when four miles an hour was not fast enough ;-). Red and black boat, red and black bike . . . Anarchic.

As with the above drawing of the pub, rarely a picture was completed as Sparrow liked to keep moving. No mooring fees.
I need to get scanning as this will mainly be a picture post . . will update real life later . . . Happy St. Patrick's Day to all . . .

Another quick unfinished sketch of Sparrow . . . That thing hanging over his shoulder was a hair extension that I made from some horse tail hair . . . obtaining that was a whole story in itself . . . I then threaded it with hand painted glass beads . . . Long lazy days . . . until we would come across a staircase of six or seven locks. Those were the days that kept us fit, strong and healthy.

 . . . And another copied from an album cover. I would get so into some of these drawings that I wouldn't stop to eat or for coffee . . . Maybe just the odd pull on a spliff.  If I did stop to cook, "man" the locks, stoke the fire, chop the wood or do my steering shift I rarely went back to the same drawing hence all the unfinished business . . .

And one more of Sparrow . . . yes, unfinished! Pity really because that bandana that's (not) round his neck was the bit I was looking forward too. Now I have to post real quick. I'm sorry if this is rushed and with mistakes but Stropster is due in from work and he wouldn't be best pleased that I'm putting up pictures of his Dad. Sparrow would be mortified. On the internet!! Shhhhh ;-)

Ok here goes . . . Publish. Hey I must just say the first photo at the top where the boat looks like it's sailing along a "green" carpet, although the colour has faded, was through Tottenham (London) where there was so much algae it really did look like a green, very littered, carpet.