I was lucky enough to visit the street artist Anna Laurini in her Finsbury studio in North London.
It was fantastic to be able to meet her, and even more so to return with the below pastel drawing. Just need to get a frame for it and then it will take pride of place hung up on the wall.
As mentioned elsewhere on this site, it always means so much more if you're able to speak to the artist when purchasing one of their pictures...
As you've probably gathered, Brentford Football Club are very close to my heart. In November 2016 they announced their new club crest / badge.
I thought the following snapshots from their official website are quite interesting.
The first one shows the previous club crests, dating all the way back to 1893.
The next one goes on to show what was considered wrong with the incumbent badge in this day and age. Part of it was because of the digital aspect - how it didn't fit with the demands of the various forms of digital media.
Finally, I guess you're now interested to know what the new crest looks like? Well there are a couple of versions floating around, and this red and white one is my favourite at the moment.
It will be interesting to see how the new crest is received by the fans. Although the incumbent crest wasn't the most striking, there is the familiarity aspect.
Most fans seem to be focusing on the number of legs of the imaged bee, and the fact that it resembles a wasp. For me, I like it but feel that it was a shame they couldn't incorporate the iconic red and white stripes.
The last couple of times i've been to Barcelona, i've come across the BADTORO brand, which really struck a chord with me.
BADTORO is a pet created by the design team consisting of Andrés Barzi and Jordi Nogués. The final design came by the spring of 2005. The idea was to draw a bull with the minimal strokes posssible that would create empathy with young audiences while providing a new icon associated with Spain (always away from the clichés of the market).
His defiant look shows both nobility and courage, which in some ways provides a humane attitude a young audience may easily empathize with. BADTORO image can be found in many official products like T-shirts, mugs, hats, key chains and other souvenirs available in many stores throughout Spain.
Suffice to say, I now am human advertising board for the brand, with couple of BADTORO T-shirts, tin cans and other merchandise.
I thought I'd post this old BBC April fools from quite a few years ago. I found it hilarious at the time, and it still has great value!
"Film maker and writer Terry Jones discovers a colony of penguins, which are unlike any other penguins in the world"
First there was football. A low key affair in which Brentford beat Crewe Alexandra 5 - 0 at Griffin Park. The second of two consecutive 5 - 0 victories for the Bees!
Then England New Zealand in the Rugby League World Cup semifinal at Wembley. Although New Zealand won with literally the last kick go the game, it was probably the most exhilarating 80 minutes of live sport that I've ever witnessed.
The second leg was a rather one-sided affair, with Australia thumping Fiji 64 - 0. I guess that's the main problem with rugby league - there's not much depth in the number of quality of teams. Once you get past Australia, New Zealand and England, there really isn't anyone else in contention.
But, to my surprise, at rugby league matches they don't sing "Swing Low"...
Then there was the Rugby a Union contest between Fiji and The Barbarians, at Twickenham. I nearly lost count, but I believe The Barbarians came out on top 43 - 19
