Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Twas The Night Before

Wreath

There's a point when it looks like Christmas is going to falter. The sky is darkening into night, people are making their way home and the shutters are starting to fall on the evening.

Barred Star

All the half-planning, the buying and the rushing look like they will end in nothing and Christmas will not materialize. You are alone in the dark.

Ice Lights

Then a small point of light throws it all into focus


Christmas will arrive


RP


Copyright © 2008 THE GREEN ORCHARD Ltd. All rights reserved.
All other products or brand names mentioned are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

Wednesday, December 03, 2008

Hot off the press

The Gazette & Harold

The newspaper created for the 'News' icon in the web interface.


RP


Copyright © 2008 THE GREEN ORCHARD Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Sunday, November 30, 2008

The Gazette & Harold

I've been working on the next part of the web interface for The Haunting... Here is The Newspaper for the 'News' icon

Newspaper masthead


RP


Copyright © 2008 THE GREEN ORCHARD Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Wednesday, November 26, 2008

The Last Vestiges of Autumn

Autumn tree


RP


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Tuesday, November 25, 2008

It begins...

Calling Card


It's Autumn in THE GREEN ORCHARD and the last few leaves are falling. Sunny days, crisp and cold mix with wet grey days and the colours of the season change at a whim. It is a time of change and a time of anticipation. A new all-consuming project has taken hold; The Haunting at Hemlock House. The Haunting... will be a Stop Motion film for the web and the interface is taking shape. Today I was printing out photographs for the album

Photo's for the album


It is the start of a long journey and there are a lot of models to make, cliches to be researched, infinitives to be split, film shots to be alluded to and heroes to which heads are to be nodded in the general direction of. It is a descent into insanity in the nicest, most light-hearted way and I'll probably lose all my hair (wait! I've already lost most of it!) and it is all thanks to HP Lovecraft 1890 - 1937 RIP.


Now, the soundtrack to the days ahead
  • Iron maiden - Fear of the Dark
  • Cradle of Filth - Nemesis
  • Blind Guardian - Tommy knockers
  • AC<>DC - Night Prowler
  • Judas Priest - Hell Patrol
  • Nile - In Their Darkened Shrines
  • Opeth - The Leper Affinity
  • Blind Guardian - Welcome to Dying
  • Dragonforce - Valley of the Damned
  • The Cramps - Fever
  • Rainbow - Tarot Woman
It Begins...


RP


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Wednesday, November 05, 2008

WHOOOOSH!

3 fireworks


RP


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Sunday, November 02, 2008

Outside Edge

Light Edge


RP


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Sunday, October 19, 2008

Anticipation!

Chinese Democracy


RP


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Pumpkin At The Gate

Pumpkin At The Gate

From Mu's Stop Motion set for 'In The Garden'...


RP


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Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Curl

Autumn Gold


RP


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Sunday, October 12, 2008

Turn On, Tune In, Check Out!

Initial


Lights


ALIENWARE


Please Wait...


Pick a superlative, apply here _ _ _ _ _ _ _


RP


Copyright © 2008 THE GREEN ORCHARD Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Saturday, October 11, 2008

Autumn

Acer Leaves

Autumn comes
She is heralded by her livery
Of russet, golds and amber.


RP


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Wednesday, October 08, 2008

'Get Away From Her You Bitch!'

Ripley uncovered!

ALIENWARE


RP


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Out Of The Box!




RP


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Sunday, October 05, 2008

Glastonbury 2009


Tickets secured! It's a long road but the journey starts here...


RP

Copyright © 2008 THE GREEN ORCHARD Ltd. All rights reserved.
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(They're) It's Here...

m15x_back_angle_left_HI.tif

It's arrived! But I wasn't in! So I've got to Wait! Aaaarrrggghhhh!!!


RP


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Wednesday, October 01, 2008

Phase 9: (Order Shipped)

It jumped from Phase 5 to Phase 9 and it's on its way!


aw_wallpaper_m15x_1920x1200.jpg

(mine's the one on the right - Ripley)



RP


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Saturday, September 27, 2008

Blind Guardian - Sacred 2

The time is fast approaching when Sacred 2 Fallen Angel will be released, a most notable RPG because of Blind Guardian's appearance in it!

See it from GameSpy PC and loads more info via RPGWatch - always my first port of call.


RP


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Sunday, September 21, 2008

Down To The Seaside

I went down to the seaside today. There is always something satisfying about walking on sand, with the sun glinting off the sea and making me screw up my eyes. The effect is heightened with the sound of waves crashing against the pebbles that litter the shoreline.

I had an ice cream, rum & raisin flavour and it melted as I walked along. Butterflies danced around coastal flowers; subtle pinks and a green interspersed with orange-fire red. There was only the slightest breeze and everything seemed perfect, like a last calm, before Autumn starts proper.

They'll be starting to build my m15x next week!


RP


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Sunday, September 07, 2008

The Pen Is Mightier Than The Sword

m15x_back_angle_left_HI.tif

It’s said that ‘the pen is mightier than the sword’ but it’s not mightier than a Intel® Core™ 2 Extreme, NVIDIA® GeForce® 8800M GTX, 2GB of 667MHz DDR2 Memory loaded laptop with a High-Def screen that can be configured to light up with an effects lighting system is it?

Writer’s tools have come a long way since stylus and board and so I’m gearing myself up with an Alienware Area-51® m15x laptop. Why so uber-spec’d I hear you ask. Well, I need to be able to relax between the large bouts of writing and I can’t think of a better way than watching High-Def and playing the latest role-playing games. You never know, I may even review some!

‘Look after the writer and the stories will look after themselves’ I think is the old adage (maybe that a new adage, one that I just made up...).

Area-51_m15x_flat_open_HI.tif


RP


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Saturday, September 06, 2008

Dog & Rocket



RP


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Friday, August 29, 2008

Lost The Plot

I have a plot
An idea in my head
It rolls around like liquid gold
And then stops dead, like lead.
I wait for the catalyst
That will transform base thought into gold prose
It comes in the form of
The rain, your smile, my dreams, a wild rose.



I have a plot, a faint idea of what I want to write and it rolls around my head like liquid gold out of the melting pot. I just get to the point where it starts to make sense and its stops. It is as dead as lead. The thoughts are gone, the ideas won’t settle. I have to wait for a catalyst, some spark that will ignite the reasoning pathways through my brain. It comes in the form of many things; the streaming grey rain, your smile caught as the sun bathes the room, my dreams that swirl like ink in water and the wild rose as it trails the fence.


RP


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Monday, August 25, 2008

Fringe

Fringe*

I'm always waiting in the wings,
for things
I'm out on a ledge
Near the periphery
On the boundary
At the edge
The fringe.


* I like this photo. It conjures up the Northern Lights and grass at night and emerald fire.


RP


Copyright © 2008 THE GREEN ORCHARD Ltd. All rights reserved.
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First Draft

’When you have finished writing your story, it is not the end, it is just the beginning - it is your fist draft’.

So runs this amalgam of words from various authorities on writing that used to strike terror into my heart. I mean, I’ve just finished it, the words are sacrosanct, I like it how it is!

I realise now, it was immaturity on my part. I see that revision enhances a work, rather than just ‘changing my words’. I know I’ve matured a little (that’s matured as in matured in writing terms from a two year old to a two and a half year old, rather than like an old cheese). I do review my work and review is no longer a word of terror for me. However, I still keep my ‘first drafts’ - as is, untouched, clean. They're like a security blanket or loved toy, kept out of sight in a bedroom - it’s good to know they're there.

(I even reviewed this before I published it!)


RP


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Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Pawnography

I sold my Wii console the other day for some cash (impoverished writer an' all that). I never really used it that much, I just never had the time and my plans and emotions changed.

The initial concept of 3D interaction in space sounds good on paper but waving your arms about in front of the telly all feels a little unnecessary. It just isn't the done thing. - it isn't cricket! There are only two ways I consider 'motion' acceptable; playing a guitar a la Guitar Hero and wielding a lightsabre in the noble quest of right in a living room far, far away. Both are catered for by the Wii so I'm in no way saying the Wii has got it wrong. There is no denying the vast hype and consequent uptake by mass swathes of the populous, opening up gaming to , well everyone is what the industry wanted. However, I cannot help thinking that something has been lost. There is a vast choice out there and it is growing every day but most of it is sub-standard, trying to cash in on the success. No matter what people say, 'eye candy' is important - 'I' can't argue with Hi-Def and I'm sure a Hi-Def Wii will push it nearer to the holy grail of games consoles.

As I entered the game swap shop it all felt a little seedy, almost as though I should be wearing a long mac and hiding my identity, I didn't know why but then it struck me. This is the new pawnbroker. All it needed was three digital balls above its doorway. We deal in old technologies and more so as we head into an uncertain future.

I will use the experience in my writing, setting it in a distant future on the planet 'Blurg' so my dalliance with the Wii can be put to further use and I do feel a little sad at its passing into the pawn system. Ah well, at least I can eat now.


RP



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Tuesday, August 19, 2008

A Missed Opportunity

People have been to festivals like 'V' and 'The Green Man Festival' recently and there is still a host of others and it got me thinking about Glastonbury; how can I get the £50 together for advance tickets in October? Have my photo's been selected for the Glastonbury photo comp? Are the cows safely back in their fields yet? and then it hit me, a missed opportunity! I wish I'd used the following tagline in my blog about Glastonbury

'The road to Glastonbury is paved with mud intentions'


RP


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Thursday, August 14, 2008

The Fireplace and The Car

I walk over to the fireplace that has warmed the hands of inhabitants down the ages. Staffordshire pottery dogs stand attentively at either end of the dark mahogany mantle shelf, their orange and gold markings complimenting the lazy flames, that reach up like arms seeking solace from the soot-blackened grate. The clock in the centre passes time as I move to warm my hands.

---

The warm breath of Michael met the cold interior of the car that had stood outside all night in sub-zero temperatures and clashed, forming steam like an over-boiling kettle. He slammed the door shut as he sat in position. The key slid and clicked into the ignition and he turned it confidently. The engine repeatedly barked like a demented dog that had been left out in a field but did not run. His eyebrows raised slightly and he tried again and was met with the same response. He took his foot off the accelerator pedal and tried again. This time the dog barked, then coughed a couple of times and finally sprang into life. Michael smiled and pressed his right foot on the accelerator pedal a couple of times now, revving the engine. The mild frost that had formed on the carburetor of the flat four engine melted away as it started to warm.

---

-- A couple of my warm up pieces --


RP


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Tuesday, August 12, 2008

The Ragged Flag

'I'm rallying under the ragged flag. At the moment there's just me, oh and it's starting to rain. All I need is a spot of good weather and a bit of a breeze.'

I've recently been reading that to become a successful writer you need percyverance, perciveerance, pereseeveerence, perseverance. Oh yes and you need to be able to spell.

Well I got caught in a downpour this afternoon but used the opportunity to write a short piece, inspired by the rain. It's not a novel but it may come in useful in the future - perseverance. If Percy can do it, so can I!


RP


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Friday, August 08, 2008

Writer's Blo(ck)g

With Glastonbury fading into the countryside of memories, I turn my focus upon writing. I did say this blog would be about writing so it starts here...

I have been writing under the table as it were (not actually 'under' the table you understand, just a figure of speech) throughout this blog but I have recently started in earnest (dear old Earnest, I haven't seen him in such a long time...). I enroled in The Writer's Bureau on their Comprehensive Writing Course and it's very good. It's helping me start out on a professional footing - I'll let you know when I'm famous.

So, what do you do once Glastonbury has finished for the year? Well
I've also been slowly edging my way forward with part two of my novel. I'm trying to get the characters to a new location but they are stubborn and will only slowly do as they're told! The main character; Harold does as he's told - he's quite obliging
  • Harold had really put his foot in it this time. And it had come over the side of his size 8 brogue, soaked up his sock and wicked further on, up his leg, leaving a ring!
Finally v3 of the thegreenorchard is nearing completion.


RP


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Friday, July 18, 2008

A GLASTONBURY TALE (70)

A Fond farewell

As the last piece of litter is finally put away, and the grass starts to push its way through the trampled surface and the cows look to returning to their fields I will post these final fond images of our times at Glastonbury. They represent my memories which will aid the passage of time until next year's festival.

RP

Mu

Red Flag

Ruby Baby

A park Flower


RP


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A GLASTONBURY TALE (69)

Life After Glastonbury - Ballard<>Lovecraft etc.

The Ballardian has an article about JG Ballard & HP Lovecraft. Now if only they could have gotten Masamune (Wikipedia) into the equation my triumvir of authors would have been complete.

These are the comedown days after Glastonbury; reading Dominion by Masamune Shirow, finding out about the new Cthulhu movie (jump from here), toying with the idea of reading another Ballard novel, watching Ghost In The Shell Stand Alone Complex Second Gig...


RP


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Tuesday, July 15, 2008

A GLASTONBURY TALE (68)

Trash City

Plane Heads

Mutant Drummer

Down Low and Dirty

I didn't buy a TV





RP


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Sunday, July 13, 2008

A GLASTONBURY TALE (67)

Stand Out Moment

G Stage

What was my stand out moment? There were so many; Steve Hillage's Mirror System, Dreadzone, The Glade at night, Way Out West at the Dance Village, Banco De Gaia at Croissant Neuf on Sunday night, the list goes on. But I won't forget hearing the distant strains of Chase The Devil by Max Romeo floating out across the Dance Village as I approached on Sunday morning and approaching the G Stage to find Don Letts DJ'ing. It got better. Dr Alex Paterson (The Orb) joined him on stage and then took over. From start to finish, it was a history lesson MPLA by Tapper Zukie, Uptown Topranking - Altea & Donna, Al Capone - Prince Buster, The Model by Kraftwork reworked and dubb'd - pure magic.

Don Letts - concentrates on old school reggae

Don Letts - the history lesson in effect

Don Letts & Dr Alex Paterson

Dr Alex Paterson - the doctor will see you now


RP


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Saturday, July 12, 2008

A GLASTONBURY TALE (66)

The Park

Memories of The Park - this was a great area with lots to discover and best of all Tea & Toast including vegetarian bacon rolls!

The Park Stage Banner

The White Rabbit

The View From The Park

Tea & Toast - a lifesaver

Santogold


RP


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Thursday, July 10, 2008

A GLASTONBURY TALE (65)

The Glade

This was my favourite venue. I saw Steve Hillage's Mirror System, Massonix & Dreadzone here...

The Glade

The Glade

RP

RP

Mu

RP


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