comica 2008 and cormorants

If you’re anywhere near London, don’t miss your chance to book tickets for Comica 2008, an amazing line-up of comics speakers, including Dave McKean, Art Spiegelman, Posy Simmonds and Alan Moore. London Underground Comics are doing something on 22 Nov, and be sure to book tickets for the 23rd to see the DFC crew – Adam Brockbank, John Aggs and Patrice Aggs, Gary Northfield and me – with three guys who know a whole lot about comics: David Ashford, Steve Holland and David Roach. Maybe Derek the Sheep and Vern can go canoodle in the corner while we’re talking.

Yesterday everyone in my rowing club came down to paint the boathouse and get ready for the clubhouse grand reopening next weekend. (We haven’t even had a loo, we’ve had to pop next door to the pub for a pint if we wanted to use the facilities. The Globe, London’s greatest but least posh rowing club.)

We were supposed to go to the Tate & Lyle sugar factory to pick up some of the furniture they’ve been storing for us, but the Blackwall tunnel under the Thames was blocked both ways, so all but one of us abandoned the car and ran back for our training session in the gym. On the way, we saw these cormorants sunning themselves along the river. I love cormorants (otherwise known as common shags.) We remarked on how they look sort of prehistoric, I need to do some sketches of them at some point.