Gavin Munro Grows Furniture...

Gavin Munro is an innovative designer who grows trees into creative pieces of furniture.
Living and working on his farm north of Derby
in England, he grows willow, oak, ash and sycamore trees framed over forms so the saplings grow into chairs, light fittings, mirror frames and tables. There's more here.
Maybe money does grow on trees...

Selfie Sticks, Handy Gadgets, Idiot Sticks Or Narcissus Sticks...

Time Magazine called the Selfie Stick
one of the great inventions of 2014 but they had forgotten all about Arnold Hogg of Rugby in England's Warwickshire who in 1926, fashioned what was probably the world's first Selfie Stick by somehow attaching a stick to a camera and made a photo of himself and his wife Helen. Much to the amusement of his family.
Some of us remember when, not so long ago, you were able to ask a complete stranger to make a photo of you without the fear of having your camera stolen.
And who knows maybe make a new friend.
But those days are gone and while there are many moments the stick is indeed a handy stick, we've become so insular this silly stick has taken away the need of human contact...

And They All Lived Together In A Little Crooked House...

There was a crooked man and he walked a crooked mile. And he found a crooked sixpence upon a crooked stile. He had a crooked cat which caught a crooked mouse. And they all lived together in a little crooked house.
In England's delightful little Suffolk town of Lavenham the old nursery rhyme takes on an element of truth as many of the half timbered, brightly coloured and noticeably crooked, seem to lean on each other in a drunken fashion
as if for support...

Flamboyant Characters From The Streets Of Marrakesh By Moroccan Artist Photographer Hassan Hajjaj...

Born in Larrache, Morocco in 1961, Hassan Hajjaj left for England while still young and then, heavily influenced by the club, hip hop and reggae scenes of London as well as his own North African heritage began finding ways to present his creativity.
A self taught artist, designer and photographer he became a portraitist making wonderful images of his friends, fellow artists
and musicians.
And they would mostly be modelling the exciting and flamboyant clothes he would create too.
You can see more about Hassan here...

If You Like Hanging Around, Try It Once In A Roomoon...

Tents hanging from trees is nothing new
but the Roomoon might be just the thing if you want to hang about.
Conceived and made by young design and technology graduate Rufus aka Roo Martin as a project while at Bryanston School at England's Dorset, the clever Roomoon has become his full-time business.
You can see more about the Roomoon here.
There's lot's to like even if the price is a bit high.
And you might even want to hang around more than once in a Roomoon...

Dinner At The Hotel Splendid...

The Hotel Splendid is not your usual five star resort hotel with an international chef and a pool to soak up the sun by.
No, the Hotel Splendid is much superior to that.
It started life as a double decker bus plying its trade on the streets of  England's Nottingham until. Until Entrepreneur Les and the Very Gorgeous Dee purchased it sight unseen and had it shipped to New Zealand.
And now almost hidden from view in the little bohemian village of Haumoana in the Hawkes Bay it awaits a complete restoration but enjoys hosting the few guests that grace its unique and eclectic style.
Wonderful and amusing dinner guests included a man who's made a career out of making sure the correct number of lengths of spaghetti get put in a can, a woman who while wearing a red rose in her hair, sings Verdi's Requiem and drives a train through the Swiss Alps and another, a woman with a feverish fetish for wearing kitch footwear.
And the food? I'm glad you asked.
All five courses were just splendid...