things that make us happy!

We have been given “Happy 101 award” by our good friend Rob Edmonds, to list ten things that make us happy. SO I am going to start and let jules finish.

1. Vancouver - we both love living here, and love the days when the view of the spectacular North Shore catches our breath. It's also really hard being away from family and friends so I think that makes us appreciate it much more.

2. George - our husky pup, text book case, word for word, typical husky. She is only a year and already singing allot.

3. Ireland - the people, the places, the food, the drink, enough said.

"all that i am, or ever hope to be was fashioned on ground once home to me"

4. London - we both miss london a lot, but I don't think either of us could go and live there again, it wears you out when you live there, you either survive or it chews you up and spits you out. It spat me out after 5 years and jules after 10 years, so we both have alot of memories and a lot of favourite haunts, these are just a few.

ok my turn now,

5. anyone who knows me knows snowboarding is a large part of my life. I was bitten over ten years ago, its an addiction, and one that I don't see ever giving up. I'm still fall on my backside loads, land on my head, you name it but there really is no better feeling than strapping in for that first run, dry mouthed thinking of nothing else, shutting the world out and flying just flying, flying down, hitting that sweet spot, magic carpet taking you wherever you want to go, feeling the fizz of snow kicked up by your turns hitting your trailing hand, legs burning and you stop to wait... for friends or just because its just jaw droppingly beautiful, and silence the sort of silence only snow in a landscape can bring...and again drop, fizz, butterflies, burn, smiling faces, again ? f*ck yeh.

ps, i stole this shot of me from my pal Dean's website, sure he wont mind he knows what I'm talking about...still havent forgiven you for that goat track ;)

6. 'Bright kids just messing around with ideas....let's play it by ear' there has probably been no greater influence on the way I think about design, what turns me on and what I try to achieve in professional life than The Bartlett School of architecture, Peter Cook, Neil Spiller and a whole host of others drive this design school into places others fear to go. Their summer shows are incredible, their students some of the sharpest minds in the world and what they produce helps shape the way we think about our world. Beautiful, sometimes scary, challenging and at times plain weird, always incredible.

7. Pioneers, heroes, eccentrics and men who just went and did it and did it with style. Here's a few.

I had the pleasure of meeting Sir Chris Bonington twice when I was a kid, Colne Municipal Hall, must have been late 70's early 80's. He was showing 35mm slide shows of his trips to far flung places with names I couldn't pronounce.

Fred Dibnah,fearless steeple jack,a man who left his wife for the love of a steam engine, or was it the other way round, Northern, proud, uncompromising.

Bill Drummond a man who burnt a million quid in the name of art. Live and lived their lives by their own rules.

8. Acid house, blaming my old mate fletch for this one, it wasnt the pills thrills and bellyaches, it wasnt the scene, it wasnt even really the music...although that was pretty damn good and a big tune still gives me goose bumps and a funny shivery feeling, it was primarily the people, it was like sharing a secret and knowing it was going to be huge, really huge. Still pretty epic when a big tune drops and the place goes mental. An attitude, maybe a feeling I dont know really.

9. The North. Lancashire. A place, a people, an attitude, the weather, the wild windswept landscape, the sweet smell of the moors in spring time, the humour, the food...yes the food, the down to earth no nonsense honesty, the place that made me and that goes with you where ever you end up.

10. The Wild. Its a big one yes, its places, people, weather, unsanitized, untamed, alive, vital. There isnt enough of it in the world these days.

Thanks Rob, kind of nice to take a few minutes to think about this. So now to hand on the honour, Dan, what makes you happy ?