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Another riot

November 2, 2012 //
2

It isn’t my week! I really need a break, to go away for the weekend and leave this lot behind. We just had our little tiff at Halloween when they took the mickey out of me, and now, only two days later, I have another riot on my hands. I wish they wouldn’t always jump in, boots and all, before they know the entire story.

I went to a Gallery yesterday to sound out the possibility for an exhibition of the Dede puppets. Procrastinator, even though I haven’t started him yet, has held me back for a long time. But finally, finally, finally, I went. It was all very positive. Usually I would mull it around in my head for a while and quietly discuss how to proceed with my partner. But as it happened I skyped with my brother in Germany last night. Unfortunately, when I skype I shout as if I have to be heard on the other side of the world without the aid of technology. So all the Dedes overheard the conversation and they took issue with what was said.

I told my brother that the curator suggested it would be better if I sold the puppets. All of a sudden I heard this kerfuffle in the living room and through the glass door I could see all the Dedes huddled together for a group hug and then they scurried off towards the studio. I continued my conversation telling my brother that I am not ready yet to part with them and certainly not with the original cast. However, I might, and only might, think about creating some new characters to sell at the exhibition. But of course by that time my Dedes were already up in arms and painting placards.

They slipped this picture I posted here under my bedroom door and I haven’t seen any of them this morning.

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Categories Art, Fun, Hand Puppets, Life

Egg on my face

October 31, 2012 //
0

Sometimes I wonder if the Dedes think I have no feelings… They really made me cry this morning. But let me start at the beginning.

Last night we had a discussion about Halloween. A few of them wanted to go trick-or-treating. As I am European I am not used to this custom and I immediately said: “This is for kids, you are supposed to be grown-ups!”

Someone (it might have been L’Artiste) replied, “but we are small and when we wear masks nobody will notice. We will just take you along as adult supervision.”

“I am not letting the Dedes go around the neighbourhood extorting lollies from the good people. –  And I certainly won’t take part in it! That is a sound No. Do you read me?” I was surprised they bought it so quickly. The reply to my no’s are usually …but, but, but… Not this time. They shrugged their shoulders as if they wanted to say “We didn’t expect anything else from you” and disappeared swiftly whispering to each other.

What a big fright I got this morning when I was about to fetch the newspaper… Totally oblivious and still half asleep, I opened the door and there they were… sitting on my doorstep. They were all prepared with the good organic eggs from my fridge and a big bag… and worse, they all wore angry looking masks of a suspiciously familiar looking face. “Trick or treat” they shouted, but I had no chance to answer or even close the door quickly… the first egg landed fair and square on my knee …and it almost broke. Thank goodness they are no good at throwing anything.

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Categories Art, Fun, Hand Puppets, Life, Photography

Take your pick

October 27, 2012 //
0

When green asparagus appears in the shops, and shortly after when the deliciously red and sweet strawberries follow, then Winter is well and truly over! To celebrate the fresh arrivals, and as a small token of appreciation for all her work, I invited Mouse to the first strawberry breakfast of the season today.

She arrived with her little clipboard under her arm. I was a bit taken aback. It is Saturday and the clipboard reeked suspiciously of work. “There are only two items I want to quickly go over with you” she said apologetically, while I dished her up the biggest fruit I could find.

I had a quick glance and in her scrawly handwriting it said:

  1. Reminder: Lou and Philosopher due back tomorrow
  2. Cancellation email

Pretty small list. I wondered what she needed the clipboard for. She should have been able to memorize these two items. I guess she wanted to feel important.

1. Lou and Philosopher

With all the goings-on in the last week I have totally forgotten to tell you that Mouse managed to send Lou and Philosopher on the long-planned fishing trip. We first hatched this plan way back at Philosopher‘s birthday  in June. Lou was so in love with Skeleton Edeltraut then and I hoped Philosopher would be able to talk some sense into the puppy. But the weather was inclement throughout winter. Philosopher’s boat wouldn’t have been able to handle it and so it just didn’t happen. I was surprised, indeed, more than surprised, when they hastily departed last Sunday morning. Turns out Mouse had chartered a boat without telling anyone and then just said: “Well that is it: you two go now. Otherwise it will never happen” And they toddled off. Lou, the still love-sick puppy, went very reluctantly. Philosopher was out the door in a flash (not really a flash, but faster than his usually laid back speed – He loves the sea.) Problem is, Mouse hasn’t thought about who is going to pay for the charter boat.

I have to think about this one. I wish they wouldn’t do this to me. I am not a cash-cow. Oh, I feel a new puppet coming on. Yes, Cash-Cow would be a great flatmate for me.

2. Cancellation email

Mouse asked me who I thought wrote the email telling everybody the party last Sunday was cancelled.  She is very, veeeery upset that one of our friends would do such a thing. I looked at her and said: “This is a no-brainer, isn’t it? Of course it must have been Devil?”

“No, it actually wasn’t!” she rebuked

“What makes you think that?”

“He told me so! He was a victim here. He missed out on the party because of the email”

Everybody knows Mouse is a sucker for tall stories, and we often have her on. She believes everything and everybody. “C’mon, he is a devil after all. Do you believe him?”

“There we have it – you are clearly prejudiced towards devils. Just because he is a devil doesn’t make him a liar, does it? And yes, I believe him. He is my friend!”

“Oh no, not you too” I exclaimed resignedly “So who was it then?”

“I don’t know. But Devil told me he got the email and thought: Yes, rain is a good enough reason for her to cancel a party. After all, you cancelled the outing to the boat ramp because of rain!”

“Yes, but the party was in the house! Devil can’t be that thick!”

“That is besides the point. Someone has written an email to sabotage my hard work. I have worked my little heart out to pull off something really nice and on extremely short notice to boot. To be honest, I am terribly pissed off! So what are you going to do about it?”

Mouse jumped up. I have never seen her so agitated.

“I have to think about it. I don’t know who dunnit! I am at the end of my wits too if it wasn’t Devil!”

“I will leave it with you. And I want to see action, otherwise it was the last party I organised for you!” she said, and left without thanking me for the big juicy strawberry.

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Categories Art, Hand Puppets, Life, Photography, Relationships

Here comes Sunny

October 26, 2012 //
0

Sunny has the most amazing smile. He is footloose and fancy free, but there is one thing I can bet on: A few days after a party Sunny will show up. When all the tidying up is done, all the left-overs are in the freezer and the place looks spick and span. It’s time to relax on the deck with a G&T. And then here comes Sunny, on the prowl for a frozen doggy bag to take home as a cheap meal. Usually his mum cooks for him, but if he can score a good frozen meal somewhere he is quite happy to give her a day off and treat himself to something different.

“Not many puppets around last Sunday, were there?”  was his opening line. “Didn’t you get the email?” I asked and watched his reaction. “I don’t read emails!”  He shrugged his shoulders. “Do you write any?” I inquired further, as all of a sudden I thought he might have uninvited the others to score a bigger doggy bag. “It wasn’t me, if that’s what you mean”. This is so typical of Sunny. He doesn’t even know what I am talking about, but he is sure it wasn’t him. And yes, most of the time it is true, as he doesn’t do much at all.

Then he told me he had hoped I would finally introduce him to my dearest friend Chance. If he had asked me before, I could have told him Chance wouldn’t be there, as she is currently out of town on a marketing assignment together with Foxy Lady and Clown.

“The crowd was pretty boring, don’t you think?  Isn’t  it always the same?… These puppets are so predictable… Professor and Pig get plastered… and this pompous git Ducky! Give me a break”. He was thinking out loud.

“Stop right there” I intervened. “You are talking about my friends!” And you are not the most exciting puppet either, I thought to myself, but stopped short of saying it.

He sat down next to me: “Any chance of getting a G&T around here?”

“

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Categories Art, Fun, Hand Puppets, Life, Photography

What’s going on?

October 25, 2012 //
0

Thank God I had been warned. My reader Rae had asked in a comment who had his hand on Pig’s ear in the photo posted in Good Times.  My sincere apologies, as a publisher of photos I honestly don’t want to put anybody in the poo. I am not a papparazzi. It was an honest oversight on my part. When I selected that photo I looked at the expressions on their faces and didn’t pay much attention to their hands. Big mistake! But in my defense…when you are out on the turps you just have to behave yourself so much more nowadays if you don’t want to see any compromising images of yourself on the internet. But in this case it is slightly different, as Professor has now got his knickers in a twist, because he saw something he shouldn’t have seen.

Sure enough, last night when I came home from work Professor was waiting on my doorstep. As I had an inkling about what he wanted, I just jumped in and said: “Great to see you, can you tell me again about this email?…” He looked at me and shook his head. “It is not all about you missy, you always do this to us!!! We visit you and the first thing you do, is telling us what’s on your mind! We might be little, but we have problems too!” He really worked himself up into a rage here. I immediately backed down, apologised and asked why he had come.

He wanted to see all the photos I had taken at the party. He is suspicious there is something going on between Pig and Sunny. His biggest fear is being cuckold. Pig and Professor have been together for as long as I can remember and what a fine couple they make. After all, they are the poster boys on my blog. So I listened to his lament and thought to myself: jealously is a more likely feeling. Knowing Sunny, tickling Pig certainly  means nothing to him. Sunny is just an air-head, always silly. I would say, if he had five fingers on his hand, he would have given Pig the ever so popular rabbit ears on this photo. (I only found out recently the annoying V sign people make on photos are supposed to be rabbit ears, not the peace sign.)

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Categories Art, Fun, Hand Puppets, Life, Photography

The last we hear of it

October 24, 2012 //
8

I had to get up at 6:30 this morning to run an errand. Not my time really, I can tell you. I am one of those nocturnal sorts. But it was a gorgeous morning… beautiful sunshine. Secretly I have to admit, once I am up I do like the feeling of the world waking up around me.

My errand took and hour and I thought nobody had noticed me going, but when I returned, Devil was sitting right next to the door waiting for me. I was surprised to see him, as he hadn’t shown up at the party. “C’mon,” he said in his sweetest voice, “this is the perfect day for an outing. You still have a little bit of time before you need to go to work so lets skip down to the boat ramp.” I didn’t dare say no after my experience last week. There was absolutely no excuse, except that I didn’t feel like it. So I had to give in.

Skipping he did indeed… all the way down to the ramp. He ran, and stopped waited for me and constantly hurried me along. I even thought I glimpsed a little smile on the way there. But boy, was he disappointed when we arrived at the ramp. It was the totally wrong time for a visit. The landing lay in the shade, the tide was out, the water limp and uneventful. He could hardly hide his disappointment. I couldn’t resist taking another pic. Between you and me,  I will keep this one in my wallet. It will be a good reminder for him when he is overdoing it again some time in future. “…Remember Devil, when you didn’t speak to me for a week?”

At least he will keep mum about it now. Give him a couple of days and we will be best mates again.

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Categories Art, Fun, Hand Puppets, Life, Photography

Good times!

October 22, 2012 //
4

The party was a bit of a fizzer in terms of attendance. I feel sorry for Mouse and Push Push. After all the preparations only a few puppets showed their faces. Later Professor told me he had received an email letting everybody know the party was cancelled due to rain. The email looked authentic. He decided to drop by anyway as I certainly would have stocked up on wine and it would be a pity to waste it.

I have my suspicions who sent the email, but I will keep them to myself. He wouldn’t stoop that low would he? He wouldn’t try to ruin Mouse’s efforts. He hurt her more than he hurt me, as she has done all the hard work. I only paid for the wine and the food. If I ever find out that it was him…

In the end there were only a handful of us. We still had a great time. We always do. Nobody raised my issue with Devil. They all have their own problems. Why should they be interested in our little tiff? They all wanted to forget their sorrows and to party, not to burden themselves with yet another problem.

Usually I am not much of a party animal. I prefer one-on-one conversations with my friends.  I usually don’t  remember much detail about the party, what I have talked about (certainly nothing deep and meaningful) and who was there… All I can remember is the general feeling whether I enjoyed myself or not. And I certainly did enjoy myself last night.

Looking at my illustrious friends I had around last night… I am sure I can call myself open-minded.

I took a couple of photographs as proof we had a good time. The one I have chosen for today’s post shows Professor and his mate Pig in the foreground on the left. Pig is just happy he had enough booze and Professor is on the brink of slipping into the melancholic phase.  In the back Sunny the aspiring artist is talking to L’Artiste Dede  the accomplished artist. L’Artiste Dede  is not particularly interested in what Sunny has to say. If you know Sunny, you know his story as well. He is a good guy but very repetitive. He just can’t get his break. As L’Artiste has advised him many times, less talk and more doing wouldn’t go amiss. Skeleton (to the right of L’Artiste Dede) feels she is missing out on something and I have my suspicions she is hard of hearing, but she just wouldn’t make an appointment with the hearing doctor. And the one on the far-right is Ducky. He is a politician and stands for election in the Dede Society. He has tried a few times unsuccessfully, but he doesn’t give up hope and in the meantime he just makes everything his business. He has an opinion about everyone and everything.

I just noticed, this is so typical, all the boys were hanging out together and most of the girls (Witch, Mouse and Push Push) were in the kitchen. How stereotypical is that?

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Categories Art, Fun, Life, Relationships

Prejudiced

October 21, 2012 //
0

I have to recap what was on my mind all last week. One of my puppets (I don’t want to name him) has accused me of being prejudiced towards devils and he made noises about suing me for an obscene amount of money, which of course I don’t have. But that is besides the point. I have been thinking about it a lot this week: Am I really prejudiced? Who knows, but certainly not against devils. Honestly, I have spent hours and hours listening to him when he was depressed, because  nobody seems to like him. He is not the easiest puppet to deal with. And yes, I had promised him an outing to the boat ramp and had to cancel, but for a very good reason: It was raining cats and dogs and he wouldn’t have lasted 5 minutes in this weather.

It annoys me tremendously that he now turns around and just gives me the blanket label of being “prejudiced”, only because he couldn’t get his way. How can one debunk this label? It is such a trap… And I stepped right into it. It is one of those labels that is thrown into the ring when puppets run out of arguments. Nobody wants to be prejudiced, but how can you prove you aren’t?

My accuser has made himself scarce, but I know he is around. I can smell sulphide. The curtains in the living room smell particularly bad, they will have to go in the wash soon. Anyway, I wonder if he is man enough to show his face at the party tonight and I am curious how it goes.

For now I am pleased to have it off my chest…  What do you think?

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Categories Art, Hand Puppets, Life, Relationships

Trust me!

October 20, 2012 //
2

Mouse must be out of her mind! I couldn’t believe my eyes this morning. I have to tell you the story.

When I woke up I heard a clinking and clonking from the kitchen and my first thought was: “Great, Mouse has everything under control. I will turn around and have a nice sleep-in.”  But then there was this shattering noise and of course I couldn’t resist any longer and had to check out what’s going on. Would you believe it? Of all the puppets… Mouse gave the job of cleaning my glassware to Push-Push! The elephant cleaning my precious glasses, my heart nearly stopped. And I felt like screaming.

“Get out of here” Mouse commanded when she spotted me in the door way. She was crouching over the dust-pan brushing up glass pieces from the floor. “You can’t be serious!” I exclaimed but I stopped short of telling her what I thought of Push-Push‘s dexterity. After all Push-Push was right there and it would have been terribly rude.

“Trust me and don’t worry. Push-Push is so keen and she can do it….”   Mouse said confidently and added “You don’t get that many volunteers these days.”  Then I discovered that she had given Push-Push all the cheap 1-Dollar-Warehouse glasses I had hidden in the back of the cupboard, while the heirloom pieces were still locked away.

Phew!.. Everything under control! Thanks Mouse.

 

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Categories Art, Fun, Hand Puppets, Life, Photography

Getting organised

October 19, 2012 //
2

I am going with Witch‘s recommendation and will invite all the Dede puppets for a social get together on Sunday. It comes in handy that it is a long weekend, so I should have no problems recovering before I have to go back to work on Tuesday.

But it is short notice indeed and I am not one to get organised in a hurry. I need my time, so I enlisted Mouse to help me. Honestly, if you ever have an event to publicise, Mouse is your puppet! She knows everybody and always finds something to talk about. She still believes strongly in face-to-face contact to keep friendships going. I think she should turn her skills into a business, but she lacks the necessary self-esteem to go out there and market herself.

I am very happy and grateful that she took over the job of inviting everybody. When I got up this morning, she was already sitting in the kitchen, pounding away on the computer. This is her only weakness: Writing emails takes a long time as she is a one-thumb-typist, but you should see her speed when she is texting….

Of course it would be even faster if the Dede puppets were on Facebook. They are resisting. They are very happy in their own little secret society.

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Categories Art, Fun, Hand Puppets, Life, Photography
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