Have yourself a merry little Christmas

Let your heart be light

Pieces of Silver

At least a decade ago, I was working as a silversmith and artist-jeweller - I stopped 'making' around 2000 after a major life-event (that sounds very Oprah doesn't it). Anyway, I had stuff in collections, on exhibition and in various galleries. I had mixed experiences - learned a lot of things along the way - lost work to thieves in badly secured galleries, and most spectacularly a couple of neckpieces to a smash-and-grab raid on a Gallery in the West of Scotland, when someone backed a car into the gallery window where my work was on display and nabbed the lot.

In general though, pretty good. One of the last places I sent work to was a newish but well-respected gallery in England. They receipted the work, so all was well. After a while, when I did check back with them - they'd disappeared. I think they went bust (although that's probably the polite version). I tried emailing my contacts, called a few people - seemed like a lost cause. Gave up. Bit annoyed - more than a few quid down - but carried on. Every now and again over the past few years I'd do a random google check to see what I could find - nothing.

Fast forward to earlier tonight, and a neighbour dropped in a little package that had been wrongly left with them. Inside, are all of the pieces of silver I sent down to that gallery over a decade ago, filthy and in need of some TLC, but mine. With them was an anonymous note saying they'd been found in an archive, that some of them might be missing, but that if found, they'd be sent on to me in due course. No signature, no address or name, nothing. I think most of them, if not all, are there - can't find my original receipt now - probably chucked it once I'd given up hope. How wonderful is that! I'm going to think of it as someone doing a truly good deed, whether from guilt or just kindness.

Thank-you whoever you are - it's lovely to see things I made and hallmarked when I was a much-different person all those years ago. You could have kept them, sold them or passed them on to one of those annoying precious metal adverts that gum up the telly, but no, you packaged them up carefully and sent them home. To me. You've made my year.

Here's to the good people.

Inspiration

I was talking to a few friends of mine tonight about the urge to keep creating, and how even when we doubt ourselves, we keep going. Then I got home and read the Kid In The Front Row's newest blog entry - It's A Kind Of Magic - Why We MUST Keep Creating Work Again And Again And AGAIN, and it inspired me.

You should read it. It might inspire you too. really.

May Contain Smoking

I live in Scotland, so I'm used to rain but there's a helluva lot falling at the moment. The River Esk looks like it's just centimetres from spilling over and the coast road is flooded. I need an ark. Anyway whilst I prepare for a life underwater, here's a random list of things what hav' occurred:

Was gutted to miss a talk by James Moran couple of weeks ago, but thrilled to be seeing Mark Millar having a chat tomorrow - he of the Wanted series. If rain allows.

Went to the final part of the BBC Writer's Lab for Radio to hear the radio play that we'd collaboratively written and then had recorded at the BBC studio in Glasgow. Written experimentally and in a short amount of time, hopes were not high, but after an edit, it was really pretty good - some sections worked well, others not so, but all in all we were all chuffed with the result. Learnt a lot on that Lab, and not just about that specific medium, but writing and story-telling in general. Am about to start writing my first proper play for radio. Have a mentor session later this month so hope to discuss ideas then.

That's all my classes finished for the Uni course, so now it's a case of getting all my writing-up done, have a feature and a final essay to write, but those will have to wait until early 2010 after I've done any tweaking to Short 2 which will be in production in January; written the aforementioned radio play, which I'm contracted to do over the next few months; complete a feature outline for a scheme with a Producer; see if I can get an animation project off the ground; hopefully get Short 3 onto the starting blocks; and make a micro-short with some friends guerilla-style... I've also vowed to do something with THE NOVEL (yikes). It's tough fitting everything in though (you all know this though - whether you're a writer or someone who collects Star Wars toys - it takes TIME) alongside making a living, having a life, tracking down a wheel cover that has disappeared (no, I haven't a clue where or how... I worry that it's lying somewhere injured on a the side of a road, hoping I'll save it).

After never having any ideas for shorts for ages, I now feel like I've got far too many - it's a weird (and unexpected) situation to be in, so I'm looking at different ways and techniques of making them a reality - when I've got time.

And finally, talking of shorts - I've been involved in curating a showcase of short films with a Scottish connection, CAUGHT SHORT, which will be at the Edinburgh Filmhouse on 7th December. Our guest panellist who helped shortlist, and will be present for a panel discussion on the night, is BAFTA Scotland winner writer/director Justin Molotnikov from Synchronicity Films. His debut feature, Crying with Laughter, had its world premiere at Edinburgh international Film Festival in June 2009. If you're interested in coming along, more info here.

Psst - The Edinburgh Filmhouse is showing The Red Shoes in the lead-up to Christmas. That is my Christmas treat sorted. I adore it, and am looking forward to seeing it for the first time on the big screen. If you've never seen it, more here... how could you NOT wish to see a film by the glorious Powell & Pressburger which as the blurb warns "Please note: Contains mild threat, injury and smoking"!

How very dare you

Shame on you! Yes you, over there in sunny California, searching on the net for 'brenda blethyn f*cking'.

More to the point - how the heck did it bring you to my blog?

Answers on a 'Secrets & Lies' postcard.

Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus

Go and see The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus, do, because even though it has its uneven bits, and the odd just-visible patch here and there, it's full of glorious imagination, like a big raggedy, faded but still glittering fairy-tale. I didn't like some bits of it - some of it was confusing, but I loved the experience of it. The visuals are pretty stunning - the costumes and sets just glow. You'd never believe that a stage made from old wood and swagged with plastic sheeting and tarps could billow so beautifully like a ship in full sail, and you can forgive a few things for visual beauty like that.

I'd have loved to have seen what Heath Ledger would have done with his part had he finished the film, but as it stands, the 3 replacement actors fit in rather cleverly - though it's testament to his charming talent that Johnny Depp is the one you're left wishing for more of even when he's only been on screen for 2 or 3 minutes. Tom Waites is a rather delicious Devil too.

There was something definitely creepy about the bartering between good and evil over a 16 yr old girl who looks much older, and is played by a much older actress (Lily Cole)... nevermind the child-beating scene (I can't reveal more but you'll know it when you see it) but as a fantasy interpretation of a classic tale, it scoots past the uneasy, just.

Plenty nods to Monty Python too - especially with the cross-dressing Policemen and the giant heads.

Uncertain but delicious, like biting into a Revel and fearing you've chosen the coffee one but then gloriously realising that you have, in fact, got the coconut one.

GPS

I have suspected it for a while but a recent driving trip through to Glasgow has proved it - I have my own particular form of internal GPS - Global Pisstaking System. Geography is not my strong point, especially when it's a) dark, b) underground or c) a month with an 'R' in it. Never has so much nervous energy been used up in so (reasonably) short a journey. Next week I'm taking Kendal mint cake and a flare gun.

Random bit of trivia: Did you know that the most popular names for those of the swinging persuasion are Paul and Catherine?