The Batblog by Photobat

OK… The update

Where was I, Ah Yes….

EDINBURGH

THE WEDDING

All went well, you know a good wedding by the amount of stories you can tell about it. There are quite a few, I whizzed all about Edinburgh in a black cab, ran up a castle, met a castle nazi (No, you aren t allowed to take photos there, But we were told we could, No, you aren t allowed to take photos there, I think you should move on now).

It was a great group of people, half from Tasmania, and half from Canada. All nice. Had a great bit of Haggis. Chatted to a bag pipe player. Took photos of cute kid and got some good photos. You can look at the photos online… if you have the password!

What happened after that, the next day I went back to the cool café, worked on the wedding photos. Showed the couple the wedding photos online and then just hung about and worked on the photos again.

Next day, now where was I then…

Ah… GLASGOWWWW

I had to catch a train to Glasgow to catch my flight back to London. 3 hours I had in Glasgow, had some lunch looked at a museum or architecture and design. An excellent exhibition of metal tubing furniture. I ll let you decide if I m being if I m being sarcastic. I did find a nice watch in the gift shop, it s now on my wrist. I was looking for something a bit different for V, but to no avail… maybe…

My first Ryanair flight was ok, got back into London. So hot.

I finished the book on Donovan, so now I can crack onto Wuthering Heights.

NEXT DAY

I woke up, spent a little time talking to V online. It s been great staying with Howard, the wireless internet is great, I do find I spend a lot of time talking to V, which I quite like.

I had a shoot, well, 2 shoots that happened at the same time, Mackenzie Crook and Iain Lee (look em up on IMDB if you want), little stiff to start with but warmed up nicely, got some good shots. From there I ended up wandering through Spitlefields market and ended up at Brick Lane, and back at Nog Gallery, where I spent an hour and a half last year. I walked in and Maxim remembered me, I was there for an hour this time. Bought myself a little book of photos by Sofia Coppola, (oh, V, that s in the package you are going to get soon, keep it safe for me! x ) and then took Maxim s photo for my port of the week, go on, have a look! I also introduced a few people to the work of Martin Martini and the Bone Palace Orchestra, he played it loud in that shop and I gave out the website address to interested people. Also put in a good word for my cartoonist friend Leigh, hopefully he will get some stuff in the shop to sell, it would walk out the door.

Then back to the market, bought a nice little thing for V (hence the package!).

And then did my washing. Yeah, bit fun!

I think that brings up to Yesterday, which was a bit of Australia Day, Danny McGinlay, Sarah Benetto (Ice Tea in Soho Square, how chipper!) and Mickey D, with additional performances by Freddie and James D. See the photo… that s us all having a bit of a cheers for Janet back home for her bday! That’s ont of the great things about the comedy industry, I met Fred when i slept on her floor in Adeliade about 5 years ago, bump into her occasionally about the place in unexpected places about the globe!

And now today!

STRESSED

I spent a bit of time trying to figure out how I m getting from Italy into Croatia, it was really hard, no bus times were online and things that looked ok were not. It was a bit of a logistical nightmare, trying to find where I can pick up a rental car, could I drop it at the airport, where can I get a ferry to meet the rental car, where did that ferry start, then where was I going to stay that night and how I was going to get to that place. So. Venice! Yep, I have a day in Venice, and the weather will be overcast! Splurged a little on a nice hotel, why? Cause I ll be in Venice! So it s all good now.

I talked to V a bit today, sms, phone calls, emails, online. Was really good day for that.

I also finished off the wedding from the weekend, backed it up, and finished proofing a heap of other stuff for other clients.

Then… I saw West Wing was on, so I watched, 2 episodes back to back! How cool! And then… it WAS THE LAST 2 EPPOSIDES EVER!!! So I watched, and now have to see what happened before that. It was a good ending.

Ok, time to upload and sleepppp.

That was a longen.

Ohhhh Mickey!

When the alarm goes off at 6 am you press snooze a couple of times and generally you are up and ready to go without any problems. When the alarm is set for 3.50am you dont press snooze cause its an alarm for a reason.

I had to get up that early to make sure I got to the train station to get to the other train station to get to Heathrow Airport to fly up to Edinburgh. You will be happy to know It all went well, and I managed to get there in time and Im now in not as hot Edinburgh! Horrah!

I dumped my bag at the hostel (a uni dorm kind of thing, 5 rooms to an apartment communal area for only those 5 rooms, so a bit average really). So then I had to go find a plce to dryclean my suit in one day, I got a bit of a serve from the nice (?) lady (?) when I said Id like to pick it up tomorrow, she asked “how long have you known about this wedding?”. Hmm… the whole just getting off a flight seemed to make her understand a little more. Have to go pick it up tomorrow… an extra 2 pound per item for speedy turn around.

I wandered about a bit, then had some lunch, wandered about, really, I did a lot of walking, found a cemetery that I saw from the castle last year, was very picturesque, and there fore I took a few photos of it.

I ended up at the Guilded Balloon, where I had my exhibition last year, a heap of the staff were there getting ready for the onslaught of Fringe in a couple of weeks. Good to see them all and catch up on what had been happening since I saw them 11 months ago.

Following that I ended up in a bookshop, which can be a very dangerous place for me. After a good 45 minutes looking thought the photography section, I ended up at the biography section, where I spied a biography on Donavan, 60s music maker who I quite like, so I bought it, and spent an hour reading it in a café.

This is where the 3.50 alarm started to really effect me, started being a bit too tired. So I decided to try the youth hostel again, still had an hour to kill before my roomo was ready so I read some more, got talking to an Australian who works on a mine 650km NNE of Perth, ended up checking in, and heading off to the pub for a meal. Good conversation from people who lead very different live.

And I declined the offer of a 3rd pint, thought Id best get some sleep cause I really really need it.

Its the next day and Im in a cool café, free wireless and GREAT COFFEE. And the music is brilliant, infact Ive made an mp3 cd for the guy here and he made one for me! How cool is that! http://all-good.co.uk/ visit the site and drop in if you are in the City! Shins, Rolling Stones, Iron and Wine… and much more, this place is brilliant.

Kim Day!!!

That’s me and Kim Hope, another australian, you must be starting to think that te UK is full of us, i think it is.

Spent a few hours hanging out with Kim this morning just coffee and talking about stuff. then I had a nice lunch with Howard at the pub across the road, following which I went and shot a comedian called Pete Jomas, who started being a comedian over here so isn’t an export like the others i’ve met here.

I then caught up with Rich the photographer again and wandered about for a while.

Tea count 5, Coffee Count 4 1/3 and introducing the Pint count 10.

Off to Edinburgh tomorrow, very early start, about 4, need to be at the airport by 5.40am. Argh, not looking forward to that.

Another day, bit of work this morning, had a shoot in the city so I thought I d go in early and just wander about in the hottest weather in the UK since 1911 or something. I managed to find some cool pants, thin shorts which are needed, don t know if I ll need to wear jeans at all this trip, some sunglasses (got a comment on how good they look too!) and a Black Rebel Motorcycle Club CD (3 pounds… bargin) plus some green shoes (10 pounds bargin too)

Then I had the shoot with a comedian called Mark Thomas, who was great, haven t seen any of his stuff but a nice guy. Got talking about music and it seems like we have common tastes (Iron and Wine). We are doing a cd swap. Check out his site http://www.markthomasinfo.com/

And apart from that, I didn t really do a lot.

This in Mark holding my light meter.

Just what I need KILLER WASPS

No idea what all that’s about…

in other news, slow day yesterday, a lot of the day doing work for clients back home, followed by a meeting/shoot with Aug comedian Julia Wilson, who I’d never really met before, and was great to meet her, conversation flowed, and yes, there was some kind of beer involved.

Quite warm over here at the moment, the roads are melting, train tracks buckling and killer wasps fainting all over the place. Today is supposed to be the hottest day since 1911!

Last night I also finished my travel plans, so I now fly from Croatia to Munich, hang about in Bavaria for a week (lederhosen ahoy!) may get into Switzerland to see Tori, will definantly get to Nuremberg to see Annthea, but Berlin and Boden look like I have to miss (which sucks). Then train over to Eindhoven in the Netherlands to visit Bec and Marc then off to Scotland for the other wedding! A lot of traveling happening, first time I’ve really done that.

ok, off to shoot a political comedian…

Another day…

Well, woke again at 5.30 am, couldnt get back to sleep, so finished reading Clound Atlas, passed it off to Natalie, it’s a great book and stands up next to all the classics i’ve been reading this year.

11am i had a meeting in at Avalon, they liked my stuff, so there may be some work happaning there, they like that i’m in aus, so if they need anything down there i can do it. My style of shooting outdoors appealed to them, everything is so studio over here.

Then off to catch Annthea, a uni friend. Covent Garden… dangerous for shopping. I spent a little, new jeans, new sandals, a present for my brothers birthday, i’m sure he will go nutty over it, and a book by Banksy which Annthea also bought. I nearly bought this book back home but it’s cheaper over here.

Just hanging out with Annthea was great, exploring, we had a great cheap lunch in an underground veg resturant, then found some great little hidden places, had a pint in a bar, icecream, and even a bananna smoothie (how i missed them… DAM YOU CYCLONES). I want more days like that, spending over half an hour is a jeans shop finding the right pair (I got the Brando, Annthea got the Giselle)

Following Annthea, i met up with comedian Sarah Kendall,not only one of my favourite comedians, but a lovely person. we shot our way thgough a park, ended up on the thames and in a pub for a couple of pints. I’m just loving hanging out with people.

And as of 12pm, 7 tea vs 2 1/2 coffee (1 instant so it’s only a half)

Annthea and I having a pint after lunch, to break up the shopping.

The delightful Sarah Kendall and I on the Thames.

I spent all this morning on msn with V. was nice to talk with her.

Last night i did have drinks with a king, King Danny of Lovely http://www.citizensrequired.com/unit/site/index.shtml is his website. Also about was Queen Greta, who I met in Melbourne early this year, at the royal wedding! Lisa, a manager who i know was also there and it turned out to be her birthday drinks! all very good. There was a man named James there too, no idea who he was and i wasn’t along in that, none of the others knew who he was, we just took over his table.
This is King Danny and his subject Bat

This is James, the bloke who was on our table.

This is Queen Greta and her bro, who’s name i’ve misplaced in my mind, we shared a cab.

So it’s 6am here and i’m wide awake, got 3 things on today, meeting at Avalon, who are a management company here, catching up with one of my good friends Annthea who is over here working, i believe we will be shopping in Soho (bit la de da), then tonight i’m catching the delightful Sarah Kendall to update her photos. My photos of her are some of my most recignisable shots over here, will be great to catch up with her!

I seem to keep talking to people about V, and recieve lots of smiles back, it may be because i’m smiling too!

photos to come.

This is Howard and Natalie, Howard is eating meat in a bread roll, Natalie isn’t. these nice folk are putting me up for a few days. howard is very tallented and invents his own animated friends. http://profile.myspace.com/howardread is his myspace waste time place! natalie is carring his child! Which is very exciting, Natalie’s mum is also down at the moment and they have been doing some serious shopping.

This is Rich Hardcastle, another photographer of comedians, we hit it off well, similar experiances, was great chatting to him for a couple of hours, we will chat more sometime this week.

I’m off now to have a drink with a king! more news on that at another time.

I survived!

Well, i lasted up until 10pm, slept till5am, then back to sleep till 11am. i reckon i m going to be fine.

I did doze off a little… how did they find that chest with davey jonses heart in it? Yep, bit of a snooze during pirates of the carribean, I’ll have to see it again to fill in the gaps, but i haven’t done that with Wallace and Gromit, which i saw the day i got back from the UK last year.

Yesterday also involved some tea ( 4 on the cups of tea count so far vs 1 on the coffee count). Arranged to meet with quite a few people, might have to change them about, it’s bloody hot here, and london wasn’t made for 30+ degree days.

What does today hold? Finally catching up with fellow comedian photographer Rich Haardcastle http://www.chortle.co.uk/features/gallery/galleryrh1.php . Adam Hills told up to catch up a few years ago, and this is the first chance we have had. I’m quite looking forward to it.

Any way, i hear the jug on so i’d best go get me tea no 5!

Just got into Howards place in London, thought I d blog a little before i do something londony, double decker bus? go down the pub for a pint? no idea what just yet.

Singapore where i blogged last, was spent wqritng that blog, trying to wrestle wit the free wireless and on msn chatting with V, she is the pretty girl mentioned in one of my previous blog posts, and already sms and email have started to trickle through.

So the second part of my flight from singapore to london involved…

the guy who sat next to me had migranes and food poising, both of which make for a great traveling partner! Luckily the cabin crew found him some seats next to each other so he could have them to himself and lye down for the flight. `i was very thankful they did.

I read a bit more of Cloud Atlas, a great book recommended to my by Benny at Fullers, the best bookshop in Hobart and possibly the world, I’ll finish that in the next day or 2, then onto wuthering heights!

I listened to some music, watched a bit more of the office, but thought if i watched anymore i’d explode… then i slept i had 2 saats to myself and being short has it’s advantades. `so some sleep was had, not sure how much, probably 6 hours? Which is great.

ok, time to wash.