[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":11},["ShallowReactive",2],{"blog-post-christmas-toast":3},{"_type":4,"body":5,"bodyHtml":6,"excerpt":5,"featuredImage":5,"publishedAt":7,"slug":8,"tags":9,"title":10},"blogPost",null,"Ah yes, my Christmas card! Sorry if yours hasn't arrived, I was a bit patchy this year about sending them out, and I realised I forgot to tick off names before I posted the first few batches. Durr. Keepin' it simple, oh yeah. \\r\n\\r\nMerry Christmas from Vern and Lettuce, and hugs and badly sung carols and lots of toast with jam.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/vern_lettuce_xmas-cfd6f2b320.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nGary, Lauren and I had our festive Christmas bubble tea studio lunch, then Gary got some prezzies for himself at Deptford Market and I bought a bunch of cheese. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/xmas_shopping-ec2c5900b8.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nHere are some lovely drawings from the drinks party my agent, \u003Ca href=\"http://unitedagents.co.uk/jodie-marsh\">Jodie Marsh\u003C/a>, threw for us in Clerkenwell. The one on the left was drawn by \u003Ca href=\"http://www.scribblehound.com\">David O'Connell\u003C/a> and written by \u003Ca href=\"http://www.sallynicholls.com\">Sally Nicholls\u003C/a> and \u003Ca href=\"http://www.fumboo.com/\">Jamie Smart\u003C/a> drew the one on the right. Jodie thought they were fab. (If you can't read it, Sally wrote: \u003Ci>Hmm... I'm not sure we can sell post-structuralism to ten-year-olds. Have you thought about adding some zombies?\u003C/i>) Jamie's is easy to read.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/jodie_marsh_agent-1f711077fc.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nI've just been having a cup of tea and re-reading this lovely book, \u003Ca href=\"http://www.christmastruce.co.uk/\">\u003Ci>The Christmas Truce\u003C/i>\u003C/a> sent to me by one of my very favourite illustrators, \u003Ca href=\"http://www.davidrobertsillustration.com/\">David Roberts\u003C/a>. The guy had about two weeks to make this book and didn't even have time to send in roughs, just finished artwork, but true to form, he's totally nailed it. David Roberts rocks. \u003Ca href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_truce\">The Christmas Truce\u003C/a> itself is pretty cool, too, when a bunch of German and British soldiers in WW1 put down their guns for a little joint party session, sing-song and football.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/christmas_truce-bc13d7d24f.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nAnd \u003Ca href=\"http://beatonna.livejournal.com/\">Kate Beaton\u003C/a> rocks, too! If you don't have her new comics \u003Ci>Hark! A Vagrant\u003C/i>, then it's high time you did. She makes funny comics about history, but also slips in a lot of literary stuff, often books I remember reading when I was growing up, such as Nancy Drew. I love how she took a bunch of \u003Ca href=\"http://beatonna.livejournal.com/143229.html\">Nancy Drew books\u003C/a> and spun each cover into a comic strip. Here's an excellent interview with her that I just found over on the \u003Ca href=\"http://forbiddenplanet.co.uk/blog/2011/kate-beaton-interviewed/\">Forbidden Planet International blog\u003C/a>:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Clj-embed id=\"1327\"/>\\r\n(Here's the \u003Ca href=\"http://youtu.be/A-4UEPGYZc8\">YouTube video link\u003C/a> if it's not showing up.)\\r\n\\r\n\u003Ca href=\"http://beatonna.livejournal.com/\">\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/kate_beaton-9455074a8c.jpg\">\u003C/a>\\r\n(An excerpt from \u003Ca href=\"http://beatonna.livejournal.com/141280.html\">this Crusoe series\u003C/a> by Kate Beaton)","2011-12-22T23:21:00.000Z","christmas-toast",[],"christmas toast",1776628721149]