Jobling out and about

OK, let's get this out of the way with first - me meeting SANTA!!!! :-D See as I struggle to keep my excitement in check! This was at Farlington School btw...

Thought I'd next show you all a delightful picture of the delightful Alan Gilbey, the delightful script editor and lead writer of Frankenstein's Cat the animated series, holding aloft the delightful BAF Award for Best TV Series. I believe he's pawned it for filthy cash already... Couldn't be there myself but glad Al got to grab the gong on behalf of everyone from the production team.

Below is a picture of Mr Josh Lewis's left kneecap in Australia. Josh's wife, Felise, got in touch with me on Facebook and let me know that the family love the show so much that Josh felt obliged to get a Nine tattoo added to his tats. This is work in progress, and mighty fine it is too - as Josh sends me the finished tattoo I'll put it up on here. But this is tremendously flattering - I've never seen a Bob tattoo but then I think Nine lends himself to the art form more...

Just back from a whirlwind few days in West Sussex, opening the Farlington Christmas Fair as well as a new nursery hall at Burgess Hill School for Girls. Had a lovely time at both events, in no small part thanks to the hospitality of the pupils, parents and staff at the schools. Particularly have to thank Joy, Casie and Lucia at Farlington for enduring me, Emma and the girls, and also Fen, Georgina, Yudi and the gang at Burgess Hill for supplying me with hot cups of tea in the freezing weather. Here are some pictures from the event at Burgess Hill. Note the small army of Bob the Builders who were present. They're mid-shout there yelling out the word "PARSNIP" - I guess you'd need to have been there to understand the ramifications of this exultation...
And lastly, but by no means least, below is a picture of Frankenstein's Cat as done by Maria Chance (aged 6) of Stratford Upon Avon. Clever cookie that Maria is she's used the fridge magnet from the DVD box as a stencil and drawn around the titular moggie that way - great stuff Maria and many many thanks for sending this through to us!

Frankenstein's Cat wins at BAF '08

Just got the news through the televisual grapevine that we won Best TV Series at the Bradford Animation Festival! Great news for everyone who worked on the show - I'd have been there for gong collecting myself if it hadn't coincided with my son's 8th birthday party and I wasn't going to miss that :-) Bradford's a great festival, and Alan Gilbey gave a great acceptance speech by all accounts, saying that as neither myself nor Jackie or Sara, the show's producers, were present he was going to keep it for himself.

Very encouraging to see so many animation festivals in the UK now - as well as Animex and BAF, we have Showcomotion, Exeter which I visited at the beginning of the year, and my most recent new addition was Canterbury Anifest which I attended for the first time a couple of weeks ago. All the festivals are run by a bunch of terrific, enthusiastic and super-passionate people. If you haven't been a long to one yet... what are you waiting for?!?!

Off to Cinemagic in Belfast tomorrow evening to hold some workshops in schools over there, and really looking forward to it. Lots of school appearances lately also, including the rather splendid Barnard's Castle Prep School in Co Durham. I stayed in a reputedly haunted Bed & Breakfast the night before my workshops and although I didn't encounter a ghost my filling fell out of one of my incisors. Paranormal or dodgy dentistry? You decide!

Off to open the Farlington School Christmas Fair in Horsham this weekend and then down to Burgess Hill School a couple of days later to open their new hall. If you're in that neck of the woods, be sure to come along, especially to the Farlington Fair on Saturday 22nd - I'll be holding talks and workshops as well as signings.

Just finished writing a second draft of my (name under wraps) novel manuscript. Clocks out at 105,000 words currently, 33 chapters averaging 10 pages to each. And no, the font isn't 48! I'm really pleased with it and just hope the publishers who I'm presenting it to get it as well. I'll always love working in picture books and animation, but there's been something tremendously exciting about working alone on a book of this size. Ideally it's part of a series of books but I'll just be happy to get this first one off the ground. It's gothic horror fantasy. No. No more. I've already said to much. You have to die, now, you do realise?

Bada Bling!