New Year, new chalkers...

I was super excited to see that my niece had been gifted a chalkboard for Christmas this year...

FINALLY! An accomplice...

Or do I mean 'apprentice'?

***

Autumn, Sefton Park, Liverpool: Can I take the park home with me?

I love Autumn

You can't really tell on here, but these leaves were MASSIVE. Like, the size of my face.

And the colours of them (plus pretty much everything else in this park) look awesome.

Look!

Give

me

all of it.

Every tree, fallen leaf and tiny blade of glass.

Every city should have a park like this.

All it needs is...

...MORE squirrels.

I mean, I know we have some here but...

...they just won't come out of the trees.

And you, Dog, are not helping this situation at all.

***

Exploring the Lake District

The Lake District is one of my favourite places in the UK.

...and not just because it's a place I can chalk without being told off...

'I got soaked writing this'

Not from any waves.

But from this suspicious- looking tyke who is now pretending to have spotted something in the water.

I don't care though.

It's really cool here and I feel good.

You probably can't read this but it says 'I am Queen'

He thinks he is king...

But he's not.

I am the Queen of the lakes. And that is all.

We found a secret spot behind a hut on one of our adventures...

I was super tempted to run and jump off the edge...

LOOK AT MEEE

CHALKING AND HAPPYY

I should totally be a poet...

***

Cardiff, UK: Being a rascal at Printhaus

This week, I invaded my sister's studio at Printhaus in Cardiff.

(That's my mum. She likes to invite herself to the Printhaus studios too.

In this photo, she's pretending to be some sort of elf helper, drying and ironing tea towels)

I LOVE the Printhaus

Not only because it has a comfy living room area with yellow paintings on the windows and an endless supply of tea, but it also has:

A garden full of vegetables 

Ace graffiti on the walls...

...and an outside bar that looks like this!

'this is a bar'

And look!

'This is God'

So cool.

***

Hey everybody! I'm back on my bike!

Hey everybody!

(This is me trying to get my message, body AND bike into one photo.)

I'm back on my (chalking) bike!

HOORAH

It's only been 5 days, right?

AND IT'S SUMMER!

Such perfect timing.

***

Liverpool ONE: Be Excellent to Each Other

'Be excellent to each other'

(This is some good advice I received from Eddie Argos of Art Brut recently)

Or, if that's too hard, follow my friend Paul's advice...

'Have fun, love life, be Helen'

(Obviously swapping my name for yours...)

HAPPY 2014

***

BBC Radio Merseyside: Today is my last day in work...

Here are the headlines...

As you've been in the radio business for a gazillion years...

I'll miss you all

                                               

***