I wonder what will happen next?

Well, thats 2011 over and done with. A bit of a roller coaster with Anthony moving to Oxenhope and setting up his workshop with Al over in Slawit in January, and then the decision to do up the house, but they didnt get round to it and decided do Tent London instead. And then we had  all the excitement of Mr Smith the second being picked up by  blogs and articles all over the world, (we love Design Milk!) and then the two Ednas arriving,  and Sidney turning up at the last minute, packing the van with his paint still wet to head to London for Tent

Now you'd think that was more than enough bother for a while and that they could just settle down after getting back from London, but oh no, Anthony's off again with some new ideas. He'd hardly waved goodbye to Edna 3, who has gone to live in Worcestershire with the lovely Steve and his family, when he swept up all his drawings and disappeared into the workshop for 3 days, coming home with more coloured bits of wood, and lots of plastic bits which get under a whippet's paws like you wouldnt believe.

But Nel says to let him get on with it because at least we've got a dinner table and four chairs again. Me and Anthony couldnt see any problem with using the garden chairs and Anthony's workdesk for a few months more.... Mind you, she was well impressed with the new green and grey bench, and the little pink and grey  stool and the orange and black buffet too.

So now all they talk about is launching the Stitch collection this year. Well, apart from moving workshops again. This time its to a mill in Haworth, and the main reason is of course so that Anthony can take me with him every day. He's been muttering something about bigger workshop, gallery space upstairs, a photograpy studio and some classroom spaces to run courses, but its really all about having me with him all day. You see, he cant work without me.... and I really need to get away from the bloody cat Alice who torments me like you wouldnt believe.

I'll get him to take some photos of the new workshop in progress, and the special space set aside for my tartan blanket.

So, who knows what's in store for 2012, but as long as I can get some peace and quiet away from the Evil Feline One, I know it will be good.

A grand outing to Yorkshire Sculpture Park, part 2

Well, what a palaver the last few weeks have been. No blogging for this little whippet who has had his paw bandadged up following a conspiracy between a sleepy wasp with a death wish and the evil feline princess who had doubtless lured said wasp into my blanket.
But for those of my faithful friends who have been waiting for the next installment, here you go.

When we finally got past the giant rabbit thing to the Jaume Plensa works, the sun was going down. It was so magnificent that unusually for me I sort of got lost for words:

See what I mean? - theres not much more a whippet can add, so I'll head off to see what Anthony is up to in the workshop....

A grand outing to Yorkshire Sculpture Park, part 1

I'll give our Anthony this; he knows how to give a dog a good walk around a sculpture park.
Loads of time for snuffling in leaves, jumping up and down on walls to see over them, running madly round in circles, trekking up and down hills - I could hardly keep up wi' him.



Hanging Tree, Andy Goldsworthy

 You should have seen him wobbling on the wall above the Andy Goldsworthy "hanging trees", which were sort of odd and slightly disturbing to your average whippet.

Up at the top of the hill was the "basket" - Nel thought it was like a prison, but Anthony liked it better. The view through the mesh was amazing



Basket #7 Winter/Horbelt



Nel loved the Anthony Gormley One & Other - he looked a bit sad an lonely up there if you ask me, just keeping watch out over the lake all the day, or waiting for someone, or something.

Anyway, off to chase some rabbits to shake it off - seemed like a good idea at the time 'til I got up close. Not like any rabbit I've ever seen. Didnt look like it was going to scarper off down a hole either. I gave it a good barking at, even so.





Sophie Ryder

 It was about this time that we got one of those great emails through on the phone from a lovely french lady just saying "my client would like an Edna cabinet, in blue". I do think that if our Anthony could have wagged his tail, he would have done.

Right, theres loads more to tell you about the amazing Jaume Plensa stuff that we actually went to see, but I can hear the pitter patter of tiny needle sharp claws clad in deceptively soft grey fluff heading for my tartan blanket. A dog needs to get his priorities straight in times like this, and a toss up between contemporary scuplture or chasing the evil feline is a complete no brainer...

http://www.ysp.co.uk/home

bob comes to stay

We're working from home today, so I am stretched out in the winter sunshine of the sunroom watching Anthony drawing out of the corner of my eye.  I say drawing, its more like playing with the ipad, with a pencil to hand in case Nel comes in.... I've never known a designer so easily distracted.


If its not pinterest its fancy, if its not a new tweet from one of the people he met at Tent, its looking up CNC suppliers. Or just making another cup of tea. Or fixing the new stairs into the sunroom. Or pondering. He does a lot of that, does our Anthony. 


What he's supposed to be doing is the drawings for Sidney the shelving unit to go into Daniels flat. (http://www.anthonyhartley.co.uk/#!portfolio/vstc4=sidney) But Bob has come to stay.


Bob crept into his head while I wasn't looking - I was probably standing guard against the evil feline princess madam Alice who has had her eye on my tartan blanket for a while now...


Bob appears to be a close relative of Sidney. But Bob is more likely to turn up in a house like yours, because you will be able to design and fit him yourself. He'll still go into and out of corners, up and down walls and wherever else he wants to poke his nose. And he'll be unvarnished plywood, with a really cool coloured trim which you can choose yourself. 


So, Bob has come to stay and taken up residence inside Anthony's head,which is why not much else is getting done at the moment. 


Still, its a glorious day, and he's promised me a trip to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park this afternoon to see the Jaume Plensa works all  lit up at dusk. What more could a whippet ask for (except sole and exclusive and undisputed rights to his own tartan blanket at all times, forever....)