The Spoon Drawer

Weak Three - Flat Pack of Losers

So, another weak another absolute shower of flat packed poop and I need to do you an update and synopsis clickety-boo. As I type I am sitting on a chair or table that has a box of rotting fish underneath, and you know what? it doesn’t work.

As LordAlanSirSugar said the girls’ Tidy Sidy was a bit Wishy Washy Poxy Boxy but at least you could foldo up tiny Jordan and pop him in, what with him not being an average sized person. However if I had the chance I’d recycle Jason slimy “not nice but still dim” Leech…bleurgh. 

However, the girls did reach a new lau and Big Al decided to fire Sophie, I don’t know why; her skill set is immense what with her quote “I don’t design, I don’t manufacture, I don’t sell and I don’t pitch.” She can certainly do market research…bady.

With that crushing news and the the fact that Alexbot created the best thing Lord Al has ever seen (remember this was the man behind the Amstrad Emailer Phone) we find Jim and Nick have been our first to fall with them expertly picking all three of the first batch of losers. The meat is not coming to you boys.

Still plenty of points to fight for and us lot on 0 are sitting pretty….on a grey box.

And now you’ve read this, scroll down to the next article and see if you fancy joining us for #covcashmob next weekend. Shopping with added fun!

#covcashmob - You’ve got to be in it to spend it

You know when you ‘accidently’ find yourself bullied into organising a Cashmob? no? well you ain’t lived and #lovedcov.

What’s a Cashmob?

Very simply put, it’s an event in which people come together to shop at one shop at the same time, usually pledging to spend a minimum amount. 

So it a) supports a local business b) raises people’s awareness of great local businesses c) gives the participants some social fun IRL and d) means you might end up with some random tut…but for a good cause.

Why am I doing a Cashmob?

Mainly because @vornster can’t be bothered…and has ‘hired’ me to run this for her, but also because why not? The man behind the Cashmob challenge is the one and only Dan Thompson and he is using his We Will Gather initiative to inspire and entice 10 groups to mob before 25th May. If we pull this off in Cov, we can inspire more and maybe win £100 for a future We Will Gather event.

When are WE doing #covcashmob?

Saturday 25th May 2013 at 11am.

Where are WE doing #covcashmob?

We will meet in Shelton Square, we will Cashmob, we will (hopefully) retire to a local (non chain) food place for some scran and to scrutinise each other’s purchases. We will tweet the shit out of the event, we will Instagram the hell out of each other’s smiley post mob faces and we WILL win £100 for more shizzle in the future.

Where will WE shop?

Over to you, my original pitch was to pick 3 stalls in Coventry Market so we have a choice of goodies to spend our spondies on…BUT this might dilute our chance to make an impact on one local business. So here’s a bloody Doodle (I love Doodles) where you can vote on our mob location OR SUBMIT another idea (local, walking distance, independent). All the names will go into a sock (I haven’t got a decent hat) and we will pull out, and set off!

How much is this going to cost ME?

A fiver*…I know! bargain! and some lunch money for later.

What next?

DOODLE me baby

Sign up on We Will Gather

Get excited

TWEET

INVITE

PERSUADE

And finally again, why?

Why not?

*minimum, you can spend as much as you like!!!

Weak Two - Beehaa

Morning mentors, I cannot apologise enough, I was partying all night and crawled into bed at way past midnight (just)…not knowing which loser was fired last night. It turns out it was wet loser Tim. So here is the league table after weak two.

And remember, 0 points is GOOD at this stage, it means you have 4 potential scorers left.

Good luck!

Weak One - The Shipping Container Full of Tut

It was a relatively calm start to the series, mainly because the losers decided on team names without so much as a fist fight and Jaz broke the sound barrier for Project Manager selection. The first real test was getting Jaz’s hair in the cars with those equally large egos but she did, but in a patronising way. 

The highlight of the programme has to be the comeback of Freddie Mercury, or at least an android version with very tightly stretched skin, and from Wales..who knew.

The gorgeous but wholly manufactured by machine (maybe half by Jaz) that was Luisa showed her real class with phrases such as

“I’ll be on her like a fly on shit”

just shit really Looloo.

However, the quote of the episode has to go to plastic Freddie who got to know his team well. How could he forget Neil, he was always there shouting from the back.

Alex: “I’ve worked with Liam all day.”
Lord Sugar: “Sorry. Who have you worked with?”
Alex: “Liam.”
Lord Sugar: “His name’s Neil.”

Tut was sold, and cat waves were done in celebration and that cafe had it’s first customers. Bye bye Jaz.

So, with Jaz dancing off here is the first league table:

Tomorrow sees episode 2, the ‘make a flavour of beer that takes major breweries years to perfect, in only 24 hours’. I bet it tastes bitter.

Updates may be slower after this one as I am out on the town tonight and will miss the ‘fun’.

Weak Zero - The Entrants

So, we have 43 entrants raising an amazing £155 for MIND and Macmillan.

This is how you’ve selected:

and here is the popularity (top 3) overall:

The Apprentice 2013

Colleagues, friends and wannabe Apprentice mentors,

Each year, Catherine Thomson and I run (she tells me to) a sweepstake competition for BBC’s The Apprentice. As we are all professionals we enjoy the series and taking tips and tricks from some of the countries brightest and most eligible future CEOs. It’s also funny when they fall over.

Usually we sell you an Apprentice to mentor (you can’t influence them much but if you shout at the screen really loudly I’m sure they hear you) and charge you a couple of quid and some of the money goes to charidee and some goes to pay you bloodsucking money grabbing entrepreneurs if your apprentice is the least worst. This year however I have harnessed the power of Twends (Twitter friends of course) and drummed up a great selection of prizes. SO, all your hard earned lucre is going to go to MIND and Macmillan. Both amazing organisations that support people in very difficult times.

The Competition

Meet the candidates NOW! —> www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p017h0j7/profiles/candidates and use their names, photos and some pile of horsepoo that they say about how great they are to instantly judge them. You can then pick your top 3 and bottom 1 in order.

Points will be awarded as follows.

Points for final position 16 for the winner, 15 for second all the way down to 1 for the loser.

Multiplier for candidates finishing in the position you selected x 2

Bonus points for selecting the loser and getting it right - 15

Prizes

• A £25 meal voucher for Aqua Food & Mood Lebanese restaurant in Warwick or Coventry
• A meal for 2 voucher with a bottle of wine for Blue Bistro in Spon Street, Coventry
• A £25 voucher for John Taylor & Son butchers in Earlsdon, Coventry
• A family ticket for 2 adults and 2 children to see a Coventry Blaze ice hockey match of your choice next season.
• A voucher for a bouquet of flowers from Ben n Zak’s florist in Coventry Market
• Booby prize – a nasty flammable teddy bear ‘Booby’ from Tinderbox Toys in Earlsdon, Coventry

The top 5 point scorers will win a prize of their choice with the highest point scorer choosing first. In the event of ties for position (which I suspect will happen as my scoring system is untested and possibly flawed like its creator) I will instigate a picking from a hat system.

How to enter

An entry costs £3 although you may pay more, you won’t get anything extra except a warm feeling in your soul.

You will pick 4 candidates from the list based on your business intuition or their silly face.

Email me at richard.harrison@warwick.ac.uk with your entry list. I’ll get your money somehow over the next month.

Mentor your candidates by screaming at the telly and/or tweeting things at them.

Laugh when they are kicked out and end up back at McDonald’s or in court.

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p017m136

CLOSING DATE FOR ENTRIES – TUESDAY MAY 7^th at 4pm

MyTop 10 of 2012

There are many albums I’ve loved this year but I’ve tried to keep it to ones released in 2012 and that have spent longest in my ears and car CD player. So notable absences for the amazing Wes Finch - Mayflower and Duke Special - Oh Pioneer but I just haven’t spun them as often. A new year’s resolution? Also, Wilful Missing and Barricades Rise have been played a lot more than some below but 2011 was their year!

Hope & Social - All Our Dancing Days

My favourite discovery of 2012, an amazing band from Leeds who have SO much fun it is infectious. Amazing music, great people and the best live gig I’ve been to in ages. This album was ‘cobbled together’ in 2 months but you can’t tell, some great stomping tunes to hit your steering wheel to. 

The xx - Coexist

So relaxing to pop this on and sit back for 10 minutes before the kids are back. Love the way it perfectly compliments the first album, nothing new but nothing needed changing. 

Bell X1 - Field Recordings

It takes a special song to make you buy an album off the back of only a few listens, and to buy a double album? I adore In Every Sunflower from this live, acoustic, stripped back album on Spotify so much I did exactly that. 

Alt_J - An Awesome Wave



Unlike anything I’d heard before, so that’s nice. And with a tenuous Leeds connection I am proud to say I like these before they were famous-ish…2 recommendations to listen to them because they had a song called Matilda helped too. However, I really fell in love with the band from the comments they had added on the free Soundcloud stream of the album where you can read about what all the songs mean, sweeties. 

Luke Leighfield - New Season 

One more introduction from the Stylusboy/Atlum Schema camp and I’m very grateful. Luke is a wonderful singer songwriter who on this album appears to have turned his guitars up to 11 and cranked out some great arena fillers. Sounding not unlike the much missed (he’s still here really) Jake Shillingford and My Life Story…what could be bad?

Admiral Fallow - Tree Bursts in Snow 

Scottish rock pop that just makes me smile.

Kishi Bashi - 151a 

Discovered via a Bandcamp recommendation, Japanese American violin with looping pedals and a smear of Olympic majesty.

Of Monsters & Men - My Head is an Animal 

Thanks to Monday Night Listening Club for giving me the chance to listen to this all the way through. Mumfords with a woman singing! yay.

Richard Hawley - Standing on the Sky’s Edge 

The Hawley is back but with a rawk sound. It’s a grower but can’t wait to see him on my birthday where the sound will be immense.

Ben Folds Five - The Sound of the Life of the Mind

13 years without BFF is too long, they came back sounding like they’d never been away and we went to a great gig where they proved they shouldn’t have gone.

It’s like 10,000 spoons when all you need is a knife

Right, so…well…err. This is another blog about my love for Twitter…but with a twist. 

My name is Richard Spoon and I’m addicted to Twitter.

phew, that’s the hardest bit…well ok, maybe not addicted but recently I’ve realised that I have a problem.

Not with Twitter, not with you lot, not even with the amount of tweets I shit out some days but more with everything I end up doing around it.

It’s been a difficult couple of months at home and work and my family is supposed to be what calms me down and makes me smile. But I’ve found myself getting stressed and snapping at my poor wife and certainly the cat. It took a recent snap when I was ill to realise (this is what lying on a short settee trying to sleep gets you) that the calmest time we’ve had as a family for a long time was when we go camping…because there are no distractions. I get tense and stressed at home a lot of the time because I’m wanting to do other things. Those other things might be Twitter or Olymtwics stuff, or finding new music for my blog, or running a photo challenge etc. etc. I LOVE all these things that I do but they sure take a lot out of me and me out of my family. So…I’m taking a break. Not from Twitter, not for you lot but just from the current regime.

I’m going to put my phone upstairs as soon as I get home from work and it stays there until the kid’s are tucked up and Shiv and I have had a bit of quiet time together. I’m postponing the Winter Olymtwics even further (we’ll have a big push around the actual Winter Olympics time in February) so I don’t have to do anything on it until 2013. I’m taking a break from The Spoon Player…I’m sure my 5 regular readers will survive. I’m even pausing the Spoon Shooter Challenge after this Friday until January. Even the #mondaynightmixtape is pressing PAUSE until the second Monday in January. 

So, it will be quieter from me for a bit but it’s a good thing! for me!

Sorry if you were looking forward to me twatting about playing games this Christmas but don’t worry…I’ll be back. I just need to breathe.

See you around…

I-Spy

This is kind of a follow up blog to the now famous ‘How I Changed My Life Using Twitter’ blog…but also I’ve realised could be a nice static #FF page I can tweet every week with very little effort.

I also get frustrated when muggles ask “are they actually friends? have you actually met them? you know they are not real don’t you?”…so a thumb of the teeth to these non-believers.

Here goes:

I-Spy the following twits. These are people I didn’t know before I created @mr_spoon and still want to know now! This is not an exhaustive list as there are many more twits I’ve said hello to or had a brief chat but I don’t tweet very often at all or met again.

In some kind of order but don’t be offended, or just unfollow** ;o)

**please don’t, I’m needy

I-Spy Points : 25

These are twits that we’ve met, befriended, shared ‘drunken’ (@ShivHarrison of course) nights with, sworn at (possibly via Mario Karts online), hugged (but not like that Helen, tossed off with or stalked…and got our sausages out for.

@predacomDom and @PsychoMumma

How we met: We met IRL to search for some treasure on Hearsall Common (geocaching) after Shiv made friends due to mutual babies 2 years ago. And it was love at first sight.

Main qualities: Car fixing, general geekery, eggs, introducing us to many more wonderful twits, digital/analogue fun…and 80% of the time wonderfully funny and kind.

@RaeMcK and @baxterglen

How we met: Playing @barryfromwat’s Blankety Blank, I battled with Rachael (and @emmersimms, @rockchickgill and some weirdo @markwardropper (now vanished)) and somehow made an amazing friend from Oxford…but with her heart in Cov!

Main qualities: THE NICEST WOMAN ON TWITTER…and a good fella too!

@GarethStringer and @daveyjay1985

How we met: Can’t really remember how we met the big man, possibly a Priory Place link with Shiv…and the wee man comes as part of the package (ooer).

Main qualities: Juggling, a shared love for @taylorsbutchers’ meat, Lego and generally love/hate for Coventry gossip.

@arctic_sunrise and @Mrs_Sunrise_

How we met: A pure introduction via @predacomDom…more loveable geeks.

Main qualities: Experience designers, hot chilli, wonderful handmade chocolates, Mario Kart and some of the kindest people…ever.

@poppypurple and @loonytoon

How we met: Another @predacomDom matchmake. Now we regularly inhale puddings, fix fences and scream at each other over Skype.

Main qualities: Phone advice, virtual nightclub flirting, IRONMAN, girly girly advice on pink clothes…shits and giggles and sweary nights on #twiitups

@lisacov19 and @stevesharratt99

How we met: We think she followed us, put us in a sweepstake…and she just won’t leave us alone.

Main qualities: Everyone’s mum (she is hardly old enough…but Mr S!), tweetup organising and bitching, teachy advice and Heat magazine dealer.

@MattHogan

How we met: Possibly a link with arty farty Coventry types? We think he liked my wife’s Blitz.

Main qualities: THE NICEST MAN ON TWITTER…roof boxes, music appreciation and the BLOODY CUBE in his conservatory!

@taylorsbutchers and @traceytaylor79

How we met: An introduction via @claireemma79 shortly followed by a meeting at Godiva Festival…and he offered me a free pork pie…sold!

Main qualities: MEAT!…and boozy nights, meat, garden games, meat…lovely friends with access to meat.

@TinderboxToys and @RichHarrison72

How we met: Not 100% sure, Earlsdon, kids, meat lovers? But meet we have and Biggus Dickus is the bigger brother from another Mother now and we enjoy a good toss every now and then.

Main qualities: Look at the name! and handy for excellent toys in their shop, his sausage making skills are prize winning (I was robbed) and he looks like a Policeman.

@claireemma70

How we met: Probably just bullied her way into our lives ;o) Definitely met at the Godiva Festival but was chatting before then. 

Main qualities: Up for anything, in a good way ;o) Introducing us to the Meat Boy and sooooo competitive. 

@mannyc

How we met: I don’t know how we met as he must have been living in France at the time. I believe the first time in real life was a random invitation to a wonderful BBQ at Chez Coulon…top homme.

Main qualities: If you are bored at the weekend, have kids and like moles…he can find you something to do!

@stylusboy

How we met: I listened to a few tracks by Steve aka Stylusboy then found out he wanted someone to photograph his gig at a local festival. Boom! a beautiful relationship was born.

Main qualities: Wonderful music and the nicest guy (apart from Matt of course) on t’internet…and a massive conduit for introducing me to more local music!

@barricadesrise and @JC_Barricades and @HeidiMcEntee

How we met: Another living room meeting for the boys and a pub meeting for the laydee. I was introduced on-line to the Barricades boys (Michael and Jonathan) by Twitter’s favourite busker @stylusboy and invited them to a living room gig. 

Main qualities: Foot tapping, floor breaking, finger bleeding grumpy Mumford inspired music. Wonderful twits with great senses of humour, photography skills, two gorgeous boys and one of them owns a bookshop…perfick!

I-Spy Points : 24.5

These are twits that may feel they deserve to be in the 25 point category but haven’t done enough yet ;o) Wonderful humans that we have spent a good few times with but WANT MORE!*

*for the purposes of the point I’m making, just people we meet up with slightly less and I haven’t been to their toilet.

@Tvermar

How we met: If there is an event to be photographed, Mark will be there…and that’s probably how we met.

Main qualities: Great photographer, takes the pressure off me when I can’t be bothered ;o) All round nice guy…and Mary Mary quite as good a tog as him.

@steverumsby

How we met: I’m sure I would have met Steve anyway as he works on the floor above me at Warwick but it wouldn’t have been more than a grunt on the stairs. Now he is my go to guy for all things geeky at work.

Main qualities: Impartial advice on smartphones (as long as you agree with him), a big enough garden to put a tent up in, bouncey castle supplier and general all round loveable geek.

@chillchamp and @DrEmmaWilcox

How we met: I think we finally took the plunge and invited them to Harewoodstock 2011? met them many times since at craft fairs and the like.

Main qualities: Crafty and creepy (you know which one is which!) and can be relied on for some smut.

@etranger81 and @GoonerSoph

How we met: Can’t quite remember how we met on Twitter, possibly another kid related link but it could also have been Mark’s amazing dry humour…honest

Main qualities: Wetherspoons drinking games, pub advice and bum advice from the pharmacist. If you want to feel grumpy with a laugh, follow Mark.

@Coleone21 and @blewbies

How we met: We met Andy and Clare for the first time last weekend and discussed how we ‘met’ initially. We think we narrowed it down to Andy butting into a Twitter conversation about boobs. Wonderful couple with beautiful miracle daughters and a sense of humour to match my own…i.e. none.

@anglais_in_sete

How we met: Original on-line meeting was via Shiv but once you meet your virtual Auntie there is no letting go. A Tweetup veteran and also been part of two of her wonderful bijou craft fairs in Fillongley.

Main qualities: Lego love and virtual hugs. mmm

@atlumschema and @NicNoz

How we met: I was given Andy to stalk by @stylusboy and stalk I have. Met Andy for the first time in our living room for Harewoodstock 2011 and several times since when I’ve watched in awe at him play around the city.

Main qualities: Wonderful music, amazing looping and podcasts that will make you think, laugh and confused! 

@drumtip

How we met: Matt is a weird one…kind of met him before Twitter as he is friends with people at work, but I wouldn’t have done more than nod politely at him without him joining into Twitter based pub quiz team Team Twix.

Main qualities: Film knowledge, toy collecting and basically good in a quiz…if the questions are about films and toys.

@redwoodphotos

How we met: A wonderful opportunity offered by @stylusboy and Rob to spend a morning as a photography hanger on has been my only IRL meeting, but it was inspirational!

I-Spy Points : 15

Twits that are certainly people I’d claim to be friends (even if they might not) that we bump into regularly and share banter (they may call it rude behaviour). 

@thomastanton

How we met: The nicest Irish man on Twitter (except maybe @DukeSpecial and others) introduced by @matthogan. We’ve had a few great nights out…but not enough with this twit.

@allyhook

How we met: Whenever we go to a Council hosted event, she’s there being a Twitter star!

@Jondle

How we met: Yet another @predacomDom import but he now seems obsessed with capturing me on video whenever he can. Had some good times with Jon and I’ve also seen Prometheus with him.

@robmacca

How we met: His ‘Tales from the Attic’ YouTube journies into his pickled brain meant we just HAD to meet. A regular at Harewoodstock, we can’t get enough of this Postie from heaven.

@bennzaksflorist

How we met: Even though I’ve never been in their shop, Ben and Zak keep popping up, courtesy of @lisacov19, lovely guys ;o)

@vornster

How we met: I’m sure we would have actually met the wonderful Janet via @shivharrison’s work which introduces us to many weird and wonderful theatrical experiences. I wouldn’t normally talk to artists though, but Twitter made it possible!

@britishrain

How we met: VJ managed to infiltrate a boy’s only pub quiz team, just by being lovely and actually very useful!

@Phillipa_Cross and @jpdale

How we met: Usually crop up at events where @predacomDom is, but John also works at my place…being a very useful geek indeed.

@RayClenshaw and @Jess_Ra

How we met: Another semi-Twitter intro as @shivharrison has worked with Ray for a while reporting on Belgrade genius but again Twitter has given me the key to them too! Borrowed many a garden lantern thanks to 140 characters too.

@bruciestokes and @Sue_Stokes

How we met: Our paths seem to cross at events that need photographing and @TVermar can’t make it.

@helenwoodward and @covcarhack

How we met: Shamed on a couple of occasions hosting a craft stall next to Helen’s amazing jewellery, but saved by sharing baby woes with Daddy.

@MarkRHancock

How we met: It’s not always a success, Mark has embarrassed me in public at least once (it’s once) thanks to his role as a Queuing Olympic Ambassador. Unfortunately he also tends to spoil Pecha Kucha’s for me and everyone by unloading his brain on stage. LOVE HIM!

@Cockers_

How we met: After driving down a road just to take a photo of her skip, it took until a Council workshop for me to meet AND HUG Faye, unleashing her inner hugger on the world!

@sammi_jade

How we met: One drunken (mainly her) night at a Christmas Tweetup was the first and despite helping her stick a @RaeMcK spoon up @skyblue1987’s bum I felt the urge to hand deliver her some of @taylorsbutchers best to her house, she’s that lovely.

@stevecarpenter

How we met: I would have met Steve anyway as he pretends to help me develop apps for work, but having met before we met was so much nicer!

@rai_chull

How we met: The other half of @stylusboy, I feel privileged to have met her several times and enjoy her beautiful singing and model poses.

@MercurialD

How we met: Oliver works with @arctic_sunrise and @predacomDom in a dungeon near the canal. He pops up and piroettes at parties and wherever arty farties hang out ;o)

@BH28EW and @lesleyjmcdonald

How we met: Pecha Kucha attendees and although now moved to Scotland can be seen lurking in Cov sometimes.

@mooshtang

How we met: The lovely Jen is a colleague/friend of the geeky boys again and it’s nice to bump into her at gatherings.

@sihayden

How we met: I feel like a bonus point should be awarded here as Simon is someone I got to know about due to @stylusboy/Cov music scene introductions but Twitter has helped and despite living in the house opposite us I could have seen us never talking (it’s not like Coronation Street round our way) but now..we do!

@JonathanFoyle

How we met: The King of Tweetups! Not only does Jonathan bring twits together but he does it in style! We’ve had backstage tours of Coventry Cathedral and Stowe House thanks to super architectural geek Dr Foyle…and led to a few more introductions below.

I-Spy Points : 5

Twits we have played with doing things we might not have done if we hadn’t found them drifting around in the Twitterverse

@PhotographyJC

How we met: Enjoyed his #1 tour in Scotland taking photos of Auld Reekie thanks to Twitter chats.

@peteashton and @mattmurtagh

How we met: A tenuous link via friendsofED was the initial impetus to follow Pete but then admiring both men’s photography art has led to two Birmingham photo classes and hopefully more.

@le1gh and @Alan_Collins13

How we met: Sent out one evening to pick up a set of amazing cupcakes has been my only contact, but what cupcakes!

I-Spy Points : 2.5

Twits we’ve met possibly only once or twice, but you need to get points, what’s the fun if you can’t categorise people.

@okse

How we met: A quick chat at Leamington Arts Fair after admiring his painting and on-line 24 hour comedy gig!

@depict and @kevdepict

How we met: A strange but enjoyable evening at the Fishbone Gallery thanks to these two amazing togs.

@BudgieUK

How we met: Let him into our house after selling him a camera, however met randomly without knowing a link to another IRL friend.

@AmandaFarren and @fazzc

How we met: Attended one of Amanda’s many amazing Mumpreneur events and bought some lovely baby toys.

@Beatroot

How we met: Grew and compared moustaches with Craig, another point for @predacomDom.

@howlieT

How we met: Spent a lovely post-Daniel Kitson play drink with Misha thanks to many chats at ANY TIME OF THE DAY OR NIGHT, Coventry’s most prolific?

@AliCat3635

How we met: Popped up at a few creative city events round Coventry…possibly a Tweetup too?

@TroyLinehan

How we met: Met in a very wet beer garden for @lisacov19’s birthday, soggy.

@MustangMarkF

How we met: I let the Schumi hating man into my garden so he could pick up some chit.

@AMDTransl

How we met: I know we’ve met once at the Christmas Tweetup, and think maybe again?

@JohnDalziel

How we met: After entertaining me many mornings as I tweeted whilst I sheeted, I’ve met JD a good few times, and he hasn’t been drunk for all of them!

@claudiaforqueen

How we met: A lovely semi-spontaneous couple of meetings at the bloody OLYMPIC PARK!!! what a great Games Maker!!

@skyblue1987

How we met: I’ve tried to wash the image of his crack with @RaeMcK stuck in it at the Christmas Tweetup but I can’t…also a MoBro.

@kerryblakeman

How we met: Had the pleasure of meeting Kerry and Alastair (now vanished from my radar) at Godiva and showing Tilly that Policemen are lovely people!

@nikkipugh

How we met: Attended a Circuit Bending workshop run by Nikki thanks to the geek boys telling me I’d love it…I did.

@leesmithjones and @thethreeinone

How we met: A quick drink at the Christmas Tweetup a few years ago.

@everyfilmin2012

How we met: Another crazy, another one introduced by @lisacov19. When he isn’t watching EVERY FILM in 2012 he popped up at Lisa’s 21st birthday party.

@hannacha

How we met: Another colleague that would have blipped across my radar at work but thanks to Twitter I now have cakes to talk about when we do meet.

@wesfinch

How we met: I believe @ShivHarrison met Wes at the BBC when he played there once but I managed unbelievably to persuade him to perform at Harewoodstock 2012 and a gentleman and talented one he is. Gorgeous music, gorgeous modesty.

@JayMHooper

How we met: Met this doorknob at both of @JonathanFoyle’s intellectual Tweetups. Keeps promising to meet me at 4am at Warwick Castle but nothing so far :o(

@fotofacade

How we met: Another Foyle twit and an amazing architectural photographer. I hope one day to entice him to campus to partake in making brutal concrete look pretty.

@MalcolmHorse

How we met: Just a quickie with the Horse so far outside Waterstones watching a soggy Lady G put her nightdress on.

@sumi1998

How we met: A very pleasant unexpected meeting in a quiet bit of Taylor John’s during a night out to see some twits performing.

@noelene

How we met: The last of Foyle’s Twits on my list, crazy lady who wants her own sausage night.

@2cousinsbakery

How we met: I’ve tasted their beautiful wares at @anglais_in_sete’s craft fair.

@sarahaeroplane

How we met: I took off with the Aeroplanes at Ditch the TV (which I wouldn’t have dreamt of attending without @stylusboy’s say so) and very much enjoy her beautiful singing in my car…a lot.

@thefallows

How we met: Less delicate singing than @sarahaeroplane but another band I’ve chatted to thanks to Taylor John’s and therefore @stylusboy.

I-Spy Points : -69 (aka The @richboden category)

@richboden

How we met: I’ve had the pleasure of Dicky’s company thrice, once at work, twice with @flylilypad in a neutral environment and once he enticed me to his front door with the promise of a spare Sky Box.

Main qualities: Smut, filth and if you want anyone to say what no-one else will…it’s him, rat lover, Vimto lover, people hater ;o)

I-Spy Points : 7

People from my home town that my Mum might have taught, were in my year at school but I never really talked to, until Twitter! Now I chat about planes to Matthew and listen to music thanks to the @mnlclub run by Rich.

@knowlesm, @richlay

I-Spy Points up for grabs

These are the next twits on my list, you’ve gotta catch ‘em all!

@emslj, @littlelawyer84, @rockchickgill, @emmersimms, @madamding, @artistsmakers, @Charlie628, @ealvam, @benwakeling, @postmanplodcov, @lukeleighfield, @hopeandsocial, @wilfulmissing, @leemitchell

I-Spy Points : 69

@claireyh

How we met: Actually how we met isn’t the big deal for Claire, but without us pestering @Battsby (I know) to join Twitter he wouldn’t have met Claire, and he wouldn’t be getting bloody married to her!!!! Anyway, I hugged her and gave my blessing on Saturday outside @taylorsbutchers shop with a Philly Cheesesteak in my gob.

I-Spy Points : ALLOF THEM

Twits on my laminated list

@martineofficial

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Harewoodstock 2012 Update

FOR INVITEES ONLY

If you need our address then please mail me at mrgammon@gmail.com or DM me you Twit.

Parking isn’t an issue…in so much that we are not worrying about it! There should be spaces in streets surrounding the house, you just have to find them yourself ;o)

See you soon!