TRADITIONAL DUTCH TILE DESIGN FREE IMAGES
September 12, 2010
Today I wandered into the National Gallery of Ireland which I do on a regular basis and while rooting around their bookshop I came across this wonderful catalogue of Dutch Tile Design.
There are over 400 images in the catalogue and there is also a cdrom of all these images.
The book is called Traditional Dutch Tile Design and is published by Pepin Press.
The images on the cdrom can be copied quite legally on to your blog or web page.
By the way , the pictures look far better in the book which is beautifully illustrated.
CAMBRIDGE COURT DIARY RINGSEND
August 17, 2010
I have been sitting here wondering what I should blog about today but cannot think of a thing. Things are quiet in Cambridge Court. Things are always quite in Cambridge Court. I would go for a cycle but I too damned tired. So here is I am…….
I have nothing in particular to read and am listened to Trapattoni talking about Robbie Keane on my little valve radio in the kitchen. It’s one of those days…….I feel I should be doing something but just can’t think what. Perhaps I’ll go on Twitter and listen in to Steve Brookstein. I usually go for a cycle up by Sandymount Strand but like I’ve said I’m just too tired today. I think I’ll have a cup of coffee and a slice of cake – then I’ll look at the four walls. But never mind , tomorrow is another day…..
STEVE BROOKSTEIN STAR MAN X FACTOR TWITTER
August 16, 2010
Steve Brookstein has given yet another interview this time to the Star. I mentioned Steve’s habit of giving the wrong kind of interviews in my blog a while back but he obviously does not read it…….It ( the Star article) is a short and badly edited thing which serves no purpose other than to remind everyone yet again that Steve is an X Factor has-been. Personally I don’t think he is a has-been or anything like it but interviews like this just make Brookstein come across as some kind of celebrity freak. It’s bad enough that he keeps giving these interviews but the only reason I heard about it in the first place is that he’s tweeting about it on his Twitter page.
And just in case you didn’t know it…..Rowetta has been sending him nasty messages..!!!!! Of course the only reason I know this is that he also mentions this on his Twitter page. I don’t understand all this….Brookstein seems intent on perpetuating this image of himself as some kind of odd ball or malcontent…..or something. The man is incorrigible ….I think his fans may have to take a contract out on him to save him from himself. Just a few weeks ago he was in trouble for something he said about the Jedward twins on his Twitter page. Now that a new season of the X Factor is due to hit our screens there will be no stopping the man….
Mind you , he seems happy enough – and none of us are perfect……But happiness is a transitory thing. A man might smile today and cry tomorrow. He’s married to the jazz singer Eileen Hunter and has a son ……but one of these days he’ll mention the name Simon Cowell once too often and she’ll stand up , give him a venomous glare and say , ” Right ! , Right I have enough……” . She’ll kick the dog , grab the child , slam the door and go to her sisters …… Steve will be left , on his own looking at the walls wondering where it all went wrong – asking himself over and over , ” Was it something I said “? He’ll sit there all alone wondering what to do. He’ll wear the carpet out and give himself a headache going over and over those last few fateful moments — …….he may even shed a tear or two. He’s not made of stone after all. He might take to the drink ! But whatever happens he will cope after a fashion as we all do. Life will go on as it does……He will , in the fullness of time , pull himself together ……
………..and taking the bull by the horns he will do what he does best . He’ll go out and give another interview. Oh yes I can see it all. But God help us it might even be worse than that. She may not leave him at all , instead she might be driven to murder…….She might end up standing in the dock , throwing herself at the mercy of the court while child services drag the poor child to the orphanage….I can see it all….. The papers of course will have a field day and Steve ( good old Steve) will give a few more interviews. Like I said I can see it all.
Life is funny. One thing follows another and before we know where we are we’re lying on our backs wondering where it all went wrong. We all lose in the end. Happiness comes and happiness goes. Time passes. Sometimes we learn from life and sometimes we don’t and sometimes it doesn’t matter either way. Some take the high road and some take the low road…..and others get lost along the way. ( I should have been a philosopher). Little is constant in this life. There are no guarantees. We can be sure of nothing. We cannot tell the future but the future will happen and somewhere in that future there there will be many more Steve Brookstein interviews. He’ll probably give an interview on his death-bed.
Steve is being air brushed out of X Factor history though they claim it’s just a technical issue. No doubt he will explain it all to us in some forthcoming interview ( he he he). HIs activity on Twitter is causing quite a stir but to be honest I find it very hard to figure out the whole twitter thing. All those private/public conversations where everyone seems to know what’s going on except me……But by all accounts there’s great fights going on over there. ‘Better than East Enders so they say. Beer bottles and curses flying all over the place. Great fodder for the tabloids. A bitter old man , that’s what some are calling him. But Steve knows how to handle such people……and we can all follow the drama on Twitter. It’s great , isn’t it. Where would you get it ? – there are people out there who would pay good money for a ringside seat to all this but they’re getting it all for free on Twitter……”You tell ‘em Steve , tell them all to go and have a good f***…..we’ll shout support from the cheap seats. ” Kick their heads in Steve” , “Rip their hearts out” , “yeah , you show ‘em Steve”.
Mind you , I’ve got no interest in such venial stuff …..I’m just remarking on the state of the world , Steve Brookstein’s world that is. Personally I find it all a little uncouth. I have to practically force myself to check his Twitter page. And all this is taking its toll - I’m an emotional wreck ……I might end up back on the Valium. But does Steve care about any of this ? Not on your proverbial Nelly. Is he worried about me and my palpitations ? Not a bit of it. Meanwhile here I am sitting in my gloomy little flat listening to , “40,000 things’ —” It’s all turned out nice again just the way we planned / it’s all good / it worked out in the end” — Indeed ! But who am I to decide what’s the right and wrong in all of this. I am , as they say, a person of no consequence. Some regard me as no better than a common fool but most are indifferent to any opinion I might have about anything. Oh yes , it’s a hard life. I would give a few interviews myself if anyone asked …..but no one is asking. Oh dear , oh dear. Where did I go wrong ?
TWITTER TWEET STEVE BROOKSTEIN SIMON COWELL
May 28, 2010
Just a few hours ago I put up a post about Steve Brookstein of X Factor fame/infamy. Having nothing to do I then decided to check if there was anything on his Twitter page. Just killing time ….’you know. Anyway , what did I see but a tweet from Simon Cowell. Well , it was from SimonPCowell and it looked real enought. It was actually on Steve Brookstein’s page , I think , I’m not very literate when it comes to the new communications stuff. What the tweet said was that Brookstein wanted the 5000,000 that Cowell owed him or it might have been that Simon Cowell wanted the 500,000 sterling that Brookstein ‘owed’ him – I’m not sure. Is this stuff real ?
I don’t use Twitter. I leave a tweet most times I post something on my blog but apart from that I just don’t GET the whole thing and don’t quite see the point. But I do wonder if all these people are who they say they are. I try now and again to follow some of the conversations but the text like short hand gets me quite confused – mind you , I’m easily confused. Now , let me think – is there anyone out there who ‘owes’ me a few quid….
RUDE NASTY BLOG COMMENTS
May 24, 2010
I get my fair share of comments on this blog -the good , the bad and the indifferent. Why people comment in the first place I’m not really sure as I rarely do it on other peoples blogs myself. Engadget recently closed down their own comment facility due in part to the nasty rude nature of some of the comments they were receiving. But millions of people visit the Engadget site so they can afford to ignore those readers who like to interact with their site. Some bloggers find the nasty comments intimidating and not only close down the comments but often shut down the blog itself.
When you start a blog you have to keep in mind the simple fact that you are , so to speak , starting a conversation with people who in real life you might or might not wish to know. Every time I post an article I am talking for the most part with total strangers. The reader may be a wonderful person or an out and out scumbag. Most readers are nice , pleasant who will either agree or disagree with what I write but there are always the few…..and we’ve all met them , who just insist on being unpleasant or just downright nasty. Quite a few people get in touch to let me know that I’m a fool , idiot and don’t know what I’m talking about. This is fair enough (they might even be right) but most do so in a reasonable manner. There are , at the other end of the scale , those who can be downright threatening , people who will actually make specific serious threats. But as the man said , “If you can’t stand the heat…”
I don’t moderate comments regardless of how critical they are and have only ever deleted one. I consider comments as compliments. If readers feel moved to post a comment at least I have engaged their interest. But there are always those readers that no blogger/blog reader wants. The sort of person who leaves the single word , GOBSHITE, as a comment is , for most people , little more than an irritant and a trivial one at that. But it does lower the tone ……and can be quite off-putting for the casual reader.
But as my mother used to say , “These things are sent to try us”. And they do , they do , they do…..Incidentally , it’s impossible to leave a comment on a blog without revealing your IP Address so there is no anonymity as such. In fact it’s virtually impossible to do anything on the WWW and remain entirely anonymous. If some mad man decides to track you down there’s nothing you can do about it. There are those who bend over backwards to protect their identity and then go and put their whole family up on Flicker. I’ve come across blog/websites which specialise in advice on how to remain secure on the WWW and yet the authors will invariably give you so much information about themselves that you could be knocking at their front door within hours.
I have never really understood why certaon people feel the need to make nasty comments. There’s a whole army of such folk on YOUTUBE – I’m sure you’ve come across them. I think a lot of them have some sort of sexual problems or perhaps they are just insecure……’or maby they just don’t have much of a life. It’s sad really , isn’t it ……
SILLY OLD TWIT RIDES AGAIN
May 22, 2010
I’ve been out of action for a while. My blog has been dormant. But I’m back now. And why am I back ? Well , to be honest I have nothing better to do. No big statement , no manifesto , no promise of something special to come just an excuse to fill in the vacant hours. I’ve learned one thing in the last couple of years but I suppose I already knew that it all comes down to the vulgarity of power and those who have it.
Walk softly , very softly and carry a big stick. Keep your head down. Expect nothing. Follow the money trail ( all roads lead to hell). It’s business. It’s all business and nothing more. Pearls before swine…… ‘ But I’m not dead yet so don’t laugh too soon …….bitter , bitter , bitter – Your damned right !
…..he he he ……he he he………..
The ramblings of an old fool…..he he he ……he he he….
…… “Who’s a silly old fool”? …….. he he he ……..he he he….
” Pass me the hatchet Mary” …….. he he he ………he he he ……….har har har……..
The pen is mightier than the sword…..HAR HAR HAR….HAR HAR HAR……
Oh yes , announce it to the world. Let the blogosphere know ….. I’M BACK. ……..I’M BACK………he he he ……..he he he…. You can’t keep a good man down. – am I right or am I right ? …….he he he …..
GOOGLE GRANNY’S (GRANNIES) BASH
May 22, 2010
Today I was invited to visit Google’s Head Office here in Ringsend in Dublin. When I say that I was invited I mean that everyone in Cambridge Court ( a complex for ‘older’ people in Ringsend) was invited. I can’t remember the name of the people organising this trip ……Age something or other ….and I have no idea why they feel that I might even want to visit Google. But all this is neither here nor there. There are more important things in life than Google .
Cambridge Court is, for the most part, a dumping ground for older less affluent people. Situated as it is within a few feet of Docklands it might just as well be a thousand miles away . You won’t find any ‘inclusivity’ here ! There is no mixing of the social classes. Segregation is as real here as it ever was in South Africa. Google Head Office rubs shoulders with Dockland apartment blocks. Herds of what used to be called ‘yuppies’ jogg their way to Sandymount Strand in the evenings with the self-assured body language of those who know that their day has truly arrived. I could go on…..
I do not live on planet Google. To be honest , I couldn’t afford the rents – and you want me , ME ! to visit Google. And why me ? Is it because I’m old , marginalised or just too stupid to make my way there on my own initiative ? – Go away , leave me alone. I’ve got better things to do.
Meanwhile , back in the real world I read that Steve Brookstein is now officially the worlds greatest failure. I know how you feel Steve. But don’t let them get to you. WE WILL HAVE OUR DAY. Google/Simon Cowell and the Great New European Super State will go the way of all flesh. Every dog will have its day. Et cetera , Et cetera , Et cetera……..Blah Blah Blah….Google this , google that …….googlegooglegoogle……Go away , leave me alone , take a hike , get a life , take a pill , chill out , google your granny. If there were no old/marginalised people all these Age this and Age that organisations would need to invent them to justify their own budgets. – “We don’t need no googleisation , we don’t need no false concern”. Yeah , right on. I couldn’t have put it better myself. – Now push off before I set the dogs on you.
CAMBRIDGE COURT RINGSEND NEW WEB SITE (WEBSITE)
July 30, 2009
A few weeks ago I wrote a short blog post about Cambridge Court Ringsend which is a small housing complex for senior citizens run by Dublin City Council. I had been a little critical of some of the living conditions there , the small (tiny) flats and the general noise level that one is subjected to. Since I wrote that piece there have been some developements that the you may be interested in.
I had not really given any thought to what other residents might or might not think of my comments and didn’t ( and still don’t ) care one way or the other but as it has transpired I seem to have hit a raw nerve or something like that. But whatever it was I ended up getting a bit of what the British I think call ‘ribbing’. It seems that everyone here had read my blog , including those who perhaps didn’t even know that such things as blogs existed prior to all this. The next thing was that someone had gone to the trouble of printing out a hard copy version of my blog and pined it up on the community hall notice board. Well , as the man said , “There’s no such thing as bad publicity” , so I’m quite happy about that. And last but not least , a Cambridge Court Website was launched on the WWW.
So there you are. The excitement here is terrific , up to now there was little to raise the pulse. If someone lost their house keys that was a talking point for the rest of the week but now …..God only know what might happen next. When I came here first I thought there would be wild parties and fornication all over the place , after all the tenants (inmates) are all within nodding distance of the grave- but no , Bingo is about as wild as it gets. Mind you , There may be things going on behind closed doors that I don’t know about.
Before now I don’t suppose anyone knew that Cambridge Court existed and now there’s two website spreading it fame to the four corners of the world. If there was only someone here who knew a bit about video broadcasting we could turn the whole place into a reality show. ….
Cambridge Court is situated about 3 minutes walk from The O2 in Dublin’s Docklands and within 10 minutes of Sandymount Strand. It’s in the heartland of Ringsend which ( if it wasn’t for the litter/dog dirt) is rather a nice place that retains the feeling of being an old Irish fishing village. It (Ringsend) boast one of the worst pieces of public sculpture in the country ( a monument to domestic violence ) which the local yobs have unfortunately not yet defaced. Public housing and Dockland “apartment’ sit side by side but that’s as far as it goes. The pubs in the village are exclusivly WORKING CLASS. It has one charity shop , Mrs Quinn’s which is always worth a visit. The whole place is , needless to say , a hotbed of blogging….OH , and if you happen to see a chap flying down the Ringsend Road on a Brompton bike thats me…….Since this last sentence was written my Brompton has been stolen so instead you’ll have to watch out for me riding my Mezzo through Ringsend. To read more news , moans about Cambridge Court just click on the Cambridge Court Tab on the right……
TWITTER TWITS HACKED
July 26, 2009
The co-founder of Twitter , Evan Williams and his good wife have had their email details stolen or borrowed or something like that and as a result Twitter itself has been well and truly hacked. Paypal accounts have also been the subject of this hacking. I don’t really understand how this business works so you’ll have to read the story or watch the video yourself. But whatever you do be careful about giving too much of you personal information on Twitter. They say it’s all hunky- dory now ….safe as houses and all that. But only a complete Twit would put too much reliance on that.
BLUE TIT LIVE STREAMING RTE BIRD’S NEST
May 1, 2009
A couple of Blue Tits (is that one word or two?) have just given birth to a clutch of Blue Tit eggs here in Dublin and are being monitored on The Mooney Show on RTE Radio. I know nothing about such matters but it apparently will take two to three weeks for these eggs to hatch , in the mean time the birds will eat 18,000 caterpillars each. Well , that’s what Derek Mooney said , I’ve no idea if it’s true or not. Children from all over Ireland will be tuning in to check on their progress….but personally I find it all just boring. I don’t like birds and the only thing I can call to mind on the subject is that as children we would snigger in school as the teacher spoke the word ‘tit’.
I’ll twitter this ( get it ? ) on my Twitter – it’s the sort of aimless/pointless boring bit of non news that should make a perfect Twitter soundbite. I’m not the Birdman of Alcatraz. I’ve never even flown on a plane. I’m a man who beleives in keeping his feet firmly on the ground. “A bird in the hand…..” . Why would anyone want a bird in their hand and why would you want to watch one sitting on an egg for hours on end ? The only book I’ve read on birds was not about birds at all. Bird,s Nest Soup by Hanna Greely and the author was just a little bit mad herself. Big Tits or Blue Tits who gives a flying f***k.
UPDATE: BLUE TIT 2010 …………….update
