Month: November 2012

Origami #17 and some general wonderings….

~ Phil Lengthorn ~ 1 Comment

Over halfway through November's Challenge and it feels like I have been creating paper stuff for months. I'm also very aware that a blog post about a piece of paper folded up a ridiculous amount of times to create something that may or may not look like what it is supposed to look like may be beginning to get slightly tedious. So today's blog is being expanded into, to quote the blog's tagline, 'general wonderings'.

Firstly, let me get the whole origami thing out the way. Been creating a lot of animals lately so how about another box…..only 23 steps, but classed as 'difficult'….a starbox….#17….

The day started off with a run around Bourne Woods with the dog, left at about 9am, it felt pretty mild out for a November morning. I was ready for a lovely muddy run on the trails – and that was exactly what I got. At one point it was so muddy that the dog had to stop to check I was going to follow him. Came back caked in mud, trainers are on radiator to dry out, me thinks same again in the morning.

After a shower I had a walk into town to visit the Post Office to send a parcel. That was an experience. What is it with people that go to the Post Office? The people behind the counter are slow enough, but the people going up to the counter are worse. They go to the window with what seems like a letter to post and end up filling in a form, asking endless questions, counting money, paying by card, and then you hear them say “just one more thing my love”…..argh! I needed a visit to Costa just to relax…..

This evening I donned my wellies for a short stroll around Elsea Woods before it got to dark. I was greeted with a lovely early evening sky…..

For the rest of the evening I will be avoiding 'Strictly Come Dancing' and eating beef!

 

An amazing thing happened today….

~ Phil Lengthorn ~ 2 Comments

Due to 'Speech Evening' at school yesterday evening I hadn't actually managed to fit in November's Challenge to create a daily piece of origami, so I sat down tonight, did some stretching exercises, and created two (it would indeed seem that I am turning into an origami master).

First up a vase (#15). A 'medium' difficulty piece with 29 steps…..

Looks good! AND very practical, can be used to sort various items: fluff, toenail clippings, marbles, fag butts, and other small pieces of crap.

After this first piece, confidence was sky high. So next came a dove (#16), another 'medium' difficulty piece with 32 steps…..

Again no issues, clearly pointing to the fact I AM an origami master. And then the amazing thing happened….the dove magically flew into the air and perched on the vase!!! I can hear the cries of disbelief, so it was lucky I managed to get photographic evidence…..

 

Every day’s a school day…..

~ Phil Lengthorn ~ 1 Comment

They say that ‘every day’s a school day’ and today was exactly that. Forgetting that I am a teacher, and that every day IS in fact a school day, I have done TWO things I have never done before.

Scary

Earlier on tonight I ran around the woods in the dark for the first time ever. And let me just say now, despite being a machotough man, it was scary.

During the winter with the dark and cold nights, the walking of the dog becomes more and more of a chore. So a week or so ago I purchased a head torch with the idea that when I go running of an evening I would go round the woods and that way the dog can join me.

And so to tonight’s run……

It was really, really dark and really, really scary.

With the head torch on I could at least see where I was going, but the thing was it made the whole experience 100 times more scary. The shadows it casts freak you out, the trees become strange moving figures, the sounds in the woods zombies tracking you, the constant feeling of being watched and the whole ‘what is round the next corner’ makes for a rather strange experience. But having said all that, I actually quite enjoyed it! I even made a short video of the experience….

Origami Ghost

Another first for today is today’s origami attempt. To keep with the whole scary theme we’ve got going tonight, I have created a ghost….

Origami #13

~ Phil Lengthorn ~ 2 Comments

Unlucky for some….today is the 13th day of November's Challenge. I thought it was about time we had an origami amphibian…….

And so a frog…..

This was quite a difficult little blighter, it took 50 different stages and some sort of weird blow into the body to expand it (although this didn't seem to work very well). As you can see below, it doesn't look particularly like what it should do.

 

 

Still going….origami #12

~ Phil Lengthorn ~ 2 Comments

Despite the truck load of marking that I brought home with me tonight, November's Challenge is still going strong. I managed to create another masterpiece: a modular star.

Not particularly difficult, it just requires some time, a bit of patience and 6 pieces of paper all folded in the same way. Make them, put them together and with a bit of swearing luck it will form a star. At last, a piece of origami that actually looks better due to the 'special' origami paper I purchased. It reminds me of a Christmas decoration….

If you have 6 handy squares of paper and the time to have a go, then click here for the instructions. If not then you're probably just a 'normal' person and wouldn't think twice about wasting your time on something so pointless!

But given my new found love of the traditional Japanese art of paper folding, I found it 'magical'…..

Also….

….enough said.

 

Origami #11

~ Phil Lengthorn ~ 1 Comment

After #origamisaturday and the pressure of creating three masterpieces in one day it was nice to just have the one to make. After yesterday's blog post I had a request from Twitter to make a fish, and not being one to disappoint, a fish was the plan.

A quick look on the origami app I found a rather amazing looking koi carp that I thought would be impressive….

However, after a very frustrating hour and three failed attempts later….

I decided on a rather simpler couple of fishes….