howies®

“I cannot endure to waste anything as precious as autumn sunshine by staying in the house. So I spend almost all the daylight hours in the open air” — Nathaniel Hawthorn

Autumn is a funny one.

One one hand you’ve got the autumn leaves, the cold crisp mornings, wrapping up warm and log fires. All very lovely and picturesque indeed.

…then you’ve got the rain.

the rain.

the rain.

So i’m calling on you to send in your favourite autumn snapshots to me here – hollie(at)howies(dot)co(dot)uk, to remind us why autumn (or Fall if you’re Kim) is actually quite a nice month afterall. I’ll make a slideshow of the nicest ones at the end of next week. Remember to include your name and where the photo was taken so i can credit you accordingly.

So then this time next week we’ll all be able to sit back in front of a log fire, crack open a beer (hey it’ll be friday afterall) and enjoy…And then hopfully have an urge to get out there and enjoy it properly.

Here’s one to get you started. It was taken last weekend in Cwmcou, just outside Cardigan. Nothing spectacular i know…i just like trees.

On tuesday a lovely lady Julie Mackey came in to our shop to tell us that she was really upset about not being able to make it to our Battersea dogs home ‘wee do’ lecture but would like to donate one of her doggy prints to us and maybe try and raise a bit of money for Battersea.

We decided to do a secret ballot after the talk and let people enter there highest bid, we had alot of generous offers but in the end the winner of the poster was George Bridgeman…

I’m sure his donation will help to make alot of dogs and cats very happy!

Today it’s November. That means it’s time to grow a Moustache.

If you haven’t heard of this annual challenge it’s called Movember and it’s to raise awareness to male health issues, in particular prostate, testicular cancers & mental health.

To make it even more exciting we’re challenging some of the guys from Innocent in a ‘tashe-off’

So ditch your razors and lets get in on!

Thankyou to everyone who entered the Pumpkin Challenge this week, ive been torn between a couple of entries but i have finally made a decision!

and the winner is….Robert Ellis

it’s got a nice Hunchback of Notre dame feel about it.

Congratulations, you have officially won braggin rights for the next year!

Happy howies Halloween.

On Monday, Paddy and I were having a flick through the blog at work and noticed hollie had put up a post about the ‘Wildlife Photographer of the Year’ exhibition in London.

So yesterday we got up nice and early, cracked out the bacon sandwiches and made our way to the big city. After half an hour of staring at tube maps and an A-Z we made it to the Natural History Museum only to find a 2 hour queue!

Eventually we made it inside and found the exhibition and after about an hour of umm-ing and ahh-ing this little fella caught our eye….a picture in the category ‘One Earth’.

It was an amazing exhibition and I’d recommend anyone to go and see it if you can! It certainly sparked off a heated debate of the long standing issue of Canon vs Nikon between Paddy and I.

So after a long day of wandering around London we began our Krispy Kreme hunt…one meeting with a self titled ‘Ram the Info Man’ who, for small change will be your walking (and often running) talking sat nav. Eventually we stocked up on the glazed wonders and headed for the tube. 

Three stops later and minus one iphone, panic set in…a couple of hasty phone calls later and a very kind lady back at Covent Garden revealed that I had in fact left my phone on a seat and walked off without it. Three stops later (back the other way) I was reunited with the phone and after many a thank you and hug, a very tired pair of tourists made their way back home.

So we’d like to say a massive thank you to ‘Ram the Info Man’, the sweet looking penguin for making us smile and Stefana for bringing the phone back safe!

Last night i made my first ever Pumpkin lantern and i’m pretty pleased with it if i do say so myself!

So as of now I am challenging everyone to a Pumpkin competition, the only prize is Pumpkin glory and a photo on the blog for the winner and the only rule is that it has to be a face, no fancy witches on broomsticks or any of that!

Email your contenders to carnabyst@howies.co.uk

Closing date is friday 30th october at 3:00pm!

Mark

These films are made by you, uploaded by you.

a simple 23 seconds video about why we should pick you to come the do lectures.

Here’s our first one.

Remember, we have put aside seats for students, ngo’s for the Do lectures.

Tell us why you.

Tell us what you want to do.

If you can’t film, write a letter.

The Do Lectures is about energy, ideas, creativity, action, change.

So don’t just sit there, do something (Dick Dastardly)

For more info: Claire@thedolectures.co.uk

it could be you.

Tomorrow at midday we close the Do Lectures Golden Ticket.

So if you have been thinking about it, now is the time to buy one.

One of you is going to win a Free Do Lectures Ticket.

It could be you.

It might be.

Think positive.

See you at the Do lectures.

maybe. just maybe.