JOY PARADE No.9
Daisies by dusk! The Inventor of Capri Pants! The Financial Considerations of Having A Swimming Pool for Seals In Your Back Garden!
HELLO!
Well, what a week!
It’s been absolutely scorching here in the UK. Proper Have-I-Accidentally-Climbed-Into-The-Oven-Again? sort of heat. I hope you’ve all managed to keep reasonably cool and are reading this whilst wafting about your kaftans and spritzing your face with fridge-cold glycerin and rosewater.
I’m not so good in this heat. My D.I.I.S (Delicate Inherited Irish Skin - thank you Granny Alice) does not cope with such intense sunshine so I tend to keep indoors or under a delicate parasol like an Edwardian maiden. I come into my own in the evenings- when the sun sets and the air cools but is still gently warm- HEAVEN!
This week has really whizzed by- and I do mean WHIZZED. I feel as if I have been in perpetual motion-
I’ve been on trains!
I’ve been on the tube!
I’ve been in cars!
I’ve been in taxis up a hillside in the middle of nowhere!
And all the time I’ve been working, working, working. My mobile studio has been in full force and I’ve been cracking on with the illustrations for my book because of the Horrible Disgusting Deadline™️ I have. The artwork seems to be coming on well though and I am now over halfway through it all! HURRAH!
Am I allowed to show you a sneak peek? Probably not!
Am I going to? ABSOLUTELY!
One of my trips on a train this week took me into Central Lon. for the Macmillan Prize for Illustration award evening held at Macmillan HQ. It was SUCH a gorgeous evening celebrating this year’s winners and raising a glass to those awarded Highly Commended.
I’m very fond of this award because really I owe my entire career to it. When I was at uni I won a Highly Commended award in my 2nd Year and in my final year I won 2nd Prize. From there I got my first commission and met my fabulous agents.
All of this was twenty years just a couple of years ago now and I will forever be very grateful for the opportunities the prize has given me.
I’ve even been a judge for it twice and it’s honestly the most fun you could have in an office. Just feeding your eyeholes with wonderful work for hours and then (gently) battling it out with your fellow judges over who should win what. THRILLING STUFF!
This year’s collection of prize winners were utterly fabulous and very inspiring. SUCH TALENT! And a very interesting mix of styles and ways of telling a story. Now, here would be where I show you a load of photographs of the evening and the artwork on display but the problem is I was too busy talking to do any of that. Instead, here is the only picture I took all evening. At least it proves I was there!
Afterwards I had to dash for my train (another one!). I got there just in time (with a squeak of extra time to get a Greggs (vegan) sausage R before racing down the platform and leaping into my carriage .
Of course because I was travelling on a train in the UK the journey naturally did not go to plan. Twenty mins in we stopped in the middle of nowhere for an hour for absolutely no reason whatsoever (or at least no reason communicated to us passengers).
I didn’t really mind as I had a lot to entertain me. Blitz spirit broke out in my carriage after 15 mins of us going nowhere and a woman in front got out a full bottle of wine from her handbag and shared it around with the people on her table. (She had a stack of paper cups in her handbag too. We ❤️ a prepared diva.)
I spent some time eavesdropping on other people’s convos which is a great hobby of mine.
Earlier in the week I’d heard a woman tell her friend “We’ll, you know how clean I like things. I’m VERY AC/DC about tidiness” (She meant OCD).
On THIS journey I was DELIGHTED to hear someone describe something good as being “The ant’s pants”. I think they meant “The bee’s knees”.
WONDERUL stuff!
After this I cracked on with some work. Then when my iPad battery died I wrote a chapter of a story I’m writing (on my phone), read my book and then fell asleep.
Thankfully I woke up JUST in time for my station.
And so that’s been my week!
Now, shall we get on with this week’s JOY PADADE?
I think we should!
1. As per, we MUST begin with our traditional BEHOLDING! and EXCLAIMING!
Despite the heat, it’s been a gorgeous week for the old eyeballs. Everywhere has been looking so BRIGHT! The sky appeared freshly painted, the grass looked well scrubbed and wherever your peepers fell there were flowers and loveliness.
I am still ENTHRALLED by the Ox-eye D’s that seem to multiple every time I blink. I’ve particularly enjoyed them at dusk this week…
… and also against this shabby yellow paint. There is just something so CHEERFUL about them.
After weeks of glorious green foliage, my nasturtium flowers have finally made an appearance and they are stunning and delight me every time I ogle them. I’ve had to move them though because they have been very much Of Interest to my chickens and I did notice a few Looney Toons style cartoon bite marks out of some of the leaves. Now the entire plant is under High Security and all is safe and sound.
The geraniums are still putting on quite an OUTRAGEOUS show on the kitchen window sill.
And in the field behind the garden the wheat is looking magical.
The other evening I watched as it billowed and swayed in the wind. It’s so magical to watch a breeze ripple all the way through it making it bobble about like waves on the sea.
Good to stand at the edge of it and take great lungfuls of fresh air and enjoy it. V. Life enhancing.
2. Last week was Father’s Day and I had a nice time with my Farv who is a thoroughly good egg. I took him out for lunch with Muv and the entire thing was gatecrashed by 2/3rds of my collection of nephews + one of my honorary nieces (Oldest Neph’s GF). They all lolloped in and put away more chocolate cake than you can imagine. Where DO my nephews put all the food they eat? Hollow legs….
Anyway - it was lovely to see them all as always. What nice, joyful humans!
What was also lovely was this card I received.
I’m not a dad, but I’m very lucky to have quite a number of Very Important Small Humans in my life. Some I am related to and most I am not. This card is from one of my little friends. R is 5 years old (“ALMOST SIX ACTUALLY!”) and we are great pals. His grandad was my wonderful godfather who I miss greatly. R made this card at school for me. It was a complete surprise and I think it is one of the nicest things I’ve ever, EVER received. I’m going to treasure it always.
3. One of my train journeys this week took me to St. Pancras station (aka St Pancreas aka St Panny). I met my wonderful friend C there for a quick gossip before we both had to dash off to other places and other events.
I love St Panny station. I like the vast blue roof and the people waiting for their loved ones at the arrivals bit from the Eurostar. I like it when people are playing the pianos and strangers stop and listen and sometimes sing along.
I also particularly love this Tracey Emin artwork that glows high above everything at the bit of the station where the international trains terminate. Isn’t that a lovely thing to see when you step off the train from Paris? It always tugs at the heartstrings.
4. Am V. keen on these jaunty spotty notebooks. Is there anything better than a new notebook? Will you write a novel in it? Or will you fill it with shopping lists for your trip to Sainos? Either way - fabulous and I’m always thrilled by the possibilities!
5. Also from re-found objects I like this fish padlock. I’m going to get one and then find something I need to lock up with it.
6. These “Pride and Prejudice Inspired Paper Clothes” are wonderful and bonkers and made me honk with laughter.
7. I’m excited to get a copy of this book (with her lovely new cover) asap.
8. And the title of that book made me think of this book - A Company of Swans which I must re read IMMEDIATELY. (If you haven’t read Eva I’s grown up fiction you must. SUCH a treat. Beautiful, swooning, romantic, wonderful. And never twee. She was a genius.)
9. I’m going to buy this David Shrigley silk scarf and have it framed in a bright pink frame and hang it in my living room. It’s a sentiment that I think we are all feeling a lot this year…
10. I was reminded this week about Neil “Bunny” Roger, the English socialite, couturier and eccentric. He also invented Capri Pants (what a legacy!). There is SO much to enjoy about his life - the parties! The defying of gender norms! The shopping sprees!
My favourite thing I read about him was this snippet from when he was in the army:
“He enthusiastically joined the Rifle Brigade and saw service as an officer in North Africa and Italy where he led his company into battle while heavily rouged and wearing a mauve scarf.”
And this bit of his biog DELIGHTED me…
You can find out more about him here.
11. Reading about Bunny R made me think of another of my favourite eccentrics - Stephen Tennant. A fascinating, bonkers, intriguing life and well worth having a read about here.
One of my very favourite Stephen T stories is this 1966 letter to him from his brother, Christopher, who had the unenviable job of trying to control Stephen’s finances:
12.I don’t know if any of you are like me and have been in the market for a cast iron dove figurine, but if so - I’ve got you covered. Available here.
13. I’ve enjoyed looking at this painting a lot this week. I’ve got it saved on my phone.
I like the teeny tiny people and the washing on the line and the air of mystery the entire thing has. It’s all very intriguing and yet I am absolutely sure that there is a hearty fruitcake sitting waiting on a scrubbed pine table in the kitchen within.
14. In honour of the sunny summer weather let’s finish with a sing-song from the wonderful Victoria Wood: A Day At The Seaside
“A plate with Lady Di on - for serving potted meat!”
FINALLY….
Two FINALLYS this week!
1. I had a new book out this week. I told you about it in last weekend’s JOY PARADE but here’s the info in brief again. It’s called ASTRID AND THE SPACE CADETS: DANGER AT THE BLACK LAGOON!
It’s an intergalactic adventure set on PLANET MOIST featuring two alien marine biologists- Dr Sue Nami and Professor Coral Reef. (And if all that doesn’t win me the Booker I don’t know what will…)
Here’s a peek at a spread from the inside…
You can nab a copy here (or at any of your favourite indie, chain or online bookshops)
2. For the last couple of years I have had the enormous privilege of illustrating a series of books by the wonderful author, Natasha Hastings. Natasha is a fabulous writer and all round excellent person. So kind and generous and it has been such a joy to be entrusted with drawing her imagination.
The Miraculous Sweetmakers books are historical adventure stories with lots of excitement, huge amounts of heart, heaps of clever and inventive magic and they have been such a pleasure to work on.
The final book in the trilogy comes out later in the year and this week my cover for it was REVEALED… you can see it here.
And if you would like to preorder it then you just need to skiddadle over here and get clicking.
Thank you so much for reading this week’s JOY PARADE.
I hope you all have a lovely weekend. In between working on the Horrible Disgusting Deadline™️ project I am being dragged to a funfair by my thrill-seeking, fairground mad ten year old nephew, seeing a pal for a stroll around a country house, and shoving my nose into bouquets of sweet peas I will have rescued from the clutches of my chickens. What will you all be up to? Let me know below because I am terribly nosy.
I’ll be back next week with June’s FULL NEWS BRIEFING! I’ll have lots to tell you… In the meantime, if you’ve enjoyed this JOY PARADE hit the heart ❤️ button below and do please follow me on Instagram (I’m @mralextsmith over there) and also subscribe to and share this newsletter to all your chums.
Thank you so much!
In Tearing Haste,
Alex T Smith
HEAD PIGEON.
You have over achieved once more!
I quite like those finish art landscapy pieces you do… the way the landscape is tied into the swirling dramatic story. Enthralling & Entertaining…
You are an absolute delight ❤️