10th November 2013: No Connection

you were here but you were never there because you forgot to make a connection you dazzle me with raw talent a light that shines whilst nobody looks because you was never guilty by association and the fanfare was forfeited paying dues to only you and you alone beyond unknown an unturned stone left by those unlooking they never heard you never stirred by you never moved by what moves me it is out there that connection find it and reach for it because it belongs to you seek it and grasp it and cherish it and make it work for you whilst you work at what you do and make that connection squeeze it and grip it and communicate with the world

Halloween, as we watch TV with one eye on the front-door.

Always enjoy Halloween, a good time to meet the Mum's, Dads and kids
of our community, and reward them for the smiles and banter of the last year.

And I get to eat the leftovers.  

30th September 2013: turning my hand to video reviewing

for an extremely long time i have written music reviews for a handful of websites, including my own blogs

recently, i struck upon the idea of perhaps switching up my style a little, and transferring my skill set and my passions to a different medium that will force me out of my comfort zone slightly

after making a hastily filmed and edited together video to acquaint myself with the new app, i then embarked upon this new venture to see where it may take me...




please be kind, i am well aware that there are mistakes, some were intentional, or else intentionally included in order to chart my learning curve as i attempt something entirely new for me

27th September 2013: Sandwich

my plans to crack the world of online video music reviews has to start somewhere

and so i downloaded a brand new video editing app, and then wondered how i should then aquaint myself with it

since i was so short on time, and i needed to eat, i decided to film myself making a sandwich, and then edit it whilst i ate

and here is the results...

Must still take it easy

The Operation for Prostate Cancer was 2 weeks ago,
moving about is still limited, but life with out the catheter
that came out a few days a go, is less restrictive,
but still tiring.   

July 30th 2013: Lungful of Liqueur (Single)

Following the release of the debut album, Anubis Horror, in June 2013, comes the latest single release, accompanied by brand new tracks created especially for this release.

Lungful of Liqueur is a late night tale of being too fueled by alcohol to sleep and wanting to shake up the world from the confines of your own bed and your own mind, and sets the tone for the rest of the EP.

I met her in Rattlers - part 1 is a poem written after a night in one of Enfield's worst night spots, having nowhere better to have gone and hoping we wouldn't bump into anyone we knew, San Miguel and Sunsets is a new track capturing an Ibizan vibe and named after an evening spent at Cafe Del Mar and final track, Bleed Me, is another spirit-aided poem, twisted and distorted into a disturbingly atmospheric piece of music.

credits

released 29 July 2013





All words and lyrics written by Glen Byford, all music arranged by Glen Byford.

July 30th 2013: super

i woke up today with the intention of getting loads of stuff done

it started well, working on music and getting stuff very close to finished

then the internet decided it didnt want to let me try and further myself journalistically, orblet me check my emails, and then it frustrated me that the house was a mess and i had to get it tidied

and then i decided to sit down and try and forget abut all my worries while i put together the Superman Lego set that my best friend bought me for my birthday

followed by a nap, i think it definetly helped

Photo taken by Glen Byford using an apple ipad and edited using Aviary, July 30th 2013

July 27th 2013: Estate Agents

Having jumped on the train heading in the wrong direction from West Brompton, we found ourselves having to jump off at Fulham Broadway and cross the platform to get ourselves back on track

I'm glad we did, otherwise i wouldn't have seen this faded estate agents advertisement on the stations crossing

Photo taken by Glen Byford using a HTC Desire C and edited using Aviary, July 27th 2013

July 27th 2013: Godzilla

Many of the stalls at Earls Court's Hyper Japan exhibition were packed out with collectable figures, including a fine selection of Godzillas and friends

Photo taken by Glen Byford using a HTC Desire C and edited using Aviary, July 27th 2013

July 8th 2013: We Jammin'

my girlfriend, in her parents back garden, enjoying a rendition of Bob Marley on the ukelele and a BBQ as the sun goes down

Photo taken by Glen Byford, using a HTC Desire C and edited using Aviary and Instagram, 8th July 2013

Hunchbakk's Anubis Horror, out now.

                       

Its been a hive of industry at home lately, 

Ian's had his head down in the laptop, 

beavering away at the art work for his brothers 

coming book, Downloading Nirvana.

at the same time working on images for 

 Anubis Horror's track releases,   

with midnight phone calls for

next-day photo shoots, a proper art studio

with last minute changes, deadlines and 

more changes, its all completed now.

As a dad it's been great seeing the boys 

working as a team again, something

they do regularly. 

Welldone Boys.  

30th June 2013: magazine

today's prompt: magazine

this one shouldn't have been too hard

i knew i'd be taking a magazine on holiday with me to fill the time on the plane/on the toilet, and i'd bought myself a copy of Clash with Beady Eye on the cover

but in a store in Berlin i found this curious beast, i know very little of what it is about, it being in German and everything, but i do know that it has a picture of a lady with a bright red Btman mask imposed over her face, and that was good enough for me

Photo taken by Glen Byford using an ipad and edited using Aviary and XnView FX, 30th June 2013

29th June 2013: tv

today's prompt... tv

before embarking on holiday and having perused the words listed for this challenge, i presumed that our hotel room would have a telly in it

and of course it did

what i hadn't quite counted on was the fact that our hotel room looked out across Berlin and straight upon the city's famous TV tower

although this photo was not taken from our hotel window (trust me, i did take pictures of the views) i took this one as we headed back to our hotel (looming in the background, betraying its true stature) after another day crammed with adventuring

Photo taken by Glen Byford using a HTC Desire C and edited on an ipad using Aviary, XnView FX and Pixlromatic, 29th June 2013

28th June 2013: friendship

today's prompt... friendship

i feel lucky that i've had the chance to travel to some great places and experience some amazing things alongside my best friend

this photo of our two empty glasses was taken on a pit-stop, mid way through a walking tour of Berlin, which we decided to embark on after we'd had a tour around the famous Hansa studios, a day which we rounded out by going along to a great little venue that night and catching a couple of bands...

phew

Photo taken by Glen Byford using a HTC Desire C and edited using Aviary and instagram, 28th June 2013

27th June 2013: shoes

today's word... shoes

as we dash around the house gathering up our bits and making sure that we've packed everything, i stop to take a photo of the cluttered shoe space by the door

my trusty converse..

Photo taken by Glen Byford using an ipad and edited using Aviary, 27th June 2013

26th June 2013: school

today's prompt... school

since moving into my own house nearly 3 years ago, i don't think i really have much that reminds me of my own school, no old school uniform in the wardrobes or any old school photos laying around

but i have got this momento of one of Britain's most famous schools just knocking around the bottom of my wardrobe

Photo taken by Glen Byford using an ipad and edited using Aviary, 26th June 2013

25th June 2013: hair

Today's prompt... hair

a quick look in the bathroom cabinet reveals the product i am currently using in my hair

Photo taken by Glen Byford and edited using Aviary and XnView FX, 25th June 2013

June 24th 2013: holiday

todays prompt... holiday

and funnily enough, i shall be flying off in a few days time, headed for Berlin

Photo taken by Glen Byford, using an ipad and edited using Aviary and XnView FX, 24th June 2013

June 23rd 2013: colour

today's prompt... colour

i was keeping an eye out all day for something suitably colourful for my 23rd photo of the challenge, nothing grabbed my attention enough but i wasn't bothered

because i knew i could always fall back on the tub of face paints that i have been accumalating over a number of halloweens and fancy dress parties

Photo taken by Glen Byford using an ipad and edited using Aviary, 23rd June 2013

June 22nd 2013: family

today's prompt... family

today felt a bit of a stretch, nothing inspiring came to mind, no interesting gimmicks or ideas to try out

today isn't my most inspired, and for the third time in a month, Batman joins me in the photo challenge, assisted by his son Damian, the latest Robin, since the prompt was 'family' after all...

Photo taken by Glen Byford using an opad and edited using XnView FX and Aviary, 22nd June 2013

June 21st 2013: film

today's prompt... film

just a quick pic of a dvd case would be far too boring, and I haven't got any movie posters up at home

I've got my unlimited cinema card and probably a handful of ticket stubs hanging around, oh, and I've also got my 3D glasses!!

one close up selfie later, a touch of adjustment and a rather cool effect that works perfectly on this photo, given it a lightly cracked look and I've got myself an image that would seem quite at home on a genuine movie poster

photo taken by Glen Byford using an ipad and edited using Aviary and XnView FX, 21st June 2013

June 20th 2013: sold out

and then last up was what I thought would be the strongest contender for the photo challenge

but after editing and everything, I was happy with the end result, but not happy enough

Photo taken by Glen Byford using a HTC Desire C and edited on an ipad using Aviary and XnView FX, 20th June 2013

June 20th 2013: FTSE

Next up was a photo of support act, FTSE, a nearly one man band, save for when he was joined by guest vocalists

a genuinely interesting act and inspiring to see what just one person and a small Akai set-up can accomplish on stage

This was edited later in the evening, using the same FX that made a tin of beans into a work of art

Photo taken by Glen Byford using a HTC Desire C and edited on an ipad using Aviary and XnView FX, 20th June 2013

June 20th 2013: gig ticket

It seemed a shame to take those photos, take the time to eit them and then not share them with the rest of the world, so I might as well provide you with the runners-up to my final selection for today's photo challenge

First up was my gig ticket, idling upon the kitchen counter before we headed out to the train station

Photo taken by Glen Byford using an ipad and edited using Aviary and XnView FX, 20th June 2013

June 20th 2013: music

today's prompt... music

and how fortunate that I should be going on to a gig, how fortunate that it should coincide with music being the prompt word

Hoping that I may grab some great live pics, I still took a handful of snaps around the kitchen before setting off for Brixton

and despite getting a number of pictures and editing a number of pictures, including my ticket, the support act and the 'sold out' sign for alunageorge, I actually think that the sight of my watch resting upon the new Crystal Fighters album, with my phone, Oyster card and stereo remote control nearby was a more alluring sight

some editing later and I think I made the right choice

Photo taken by Glen Byford using an ipad and edited using Aviary and XnView FX, 20th June 2013

June 19th 2013: Toy

today's prompt... toy



but i've only just taken a photo of a toy!?




perhaps I should plan ahead, but nevermind, let's just approach this from a different angle

I'm a massive geek and have got plenty of toys hanging around the house, many are up in the geek room, and since I've put the loft ladder back up I couldn't really be bothered to head up there

what have I got just hanging around the front room?

of course I have a large Batman figure standing watch over my front room from the top of the TV set

I took a few moody looking shots

but then I thought that maybe I should approach this from a different angle

so I took a photo of my Batman toy from a different angle

Photo taken by Glen Byford, using an ipad and edited using Aviary, 19th June 2013

Home from Home

                                          Stu's View.

This picture was taken today while exploring the mysteries

of The London Borough Barnet, after my appointment. 

      

June 18th 2013: style

today's prompt... style



oh, now that's not a very easy one is it, sounds a bit too pretentious

that's fine, i'm sure i can pull off pretentious..

so here's my pretentious self-portrait, demonstrating a sense of style that my girlfriend isn't always the biggest fan of

Photos taken by Glen Byford using a HTC Desire C and an ipad, and edited on an ipad using Aviary, PicStitch and XnView FX, 18th June 2013

June 17th 2013: memory

today's prompt... memory

now, having just taken a photo of a childhood toy and not yet wanting to repeat the photo of a photo thing that would work under these circumstances, i had to really scratch my head, what else could i photograph that would signify memory


well, how about our modern memories...

so out comes my digital camera, click open the little side flap and pop out the memory card, holder of so many memories over the past few years

(also under consideration was my external harddrives and USB sticks, thanks to my girlfriend for originally suggesting the USB stick)

Photo taken by Glen Byford, taken with an ipad and edited using Aviary, 17th June 2013

June 16th 2013: child

todays prompt... child


for fear of repeating ideas over and over, i had to think a little harder today, so i ascended into my geek room for a few new ideas

the idea was to take a handful of pictures of toys thati had as a child, some that i have kept since then, and others that i am searching for in charity shops and at car boot sales inorder to recapture my youth

the photo i settled on is a shot of some hand-me-down Star Wars toys, most prominent in shot is Wicket the Ewok and Luke Skywalker's helmet when he is disguised as a Stormtrooper (Luke himself has been M.I.A for a very long time, i hope he turns up one day), originally belonging to my cousins, they were passed down to me and my brother and stayed with me since.

Photo taken by Glen Byford using an ipad and edited using Aviary and XnView FX, 16th June 2013

June 15th 2013: kitchen

todays prompt... kitchen


i took a number of shots that could have made the final cut today, each showing a unique side to my kitchen, trying to distinguish what makes my home feel like home


i chose the eventually, with a viking m&m guarding empty jars and a birdhouse from the top of my fridge

just like any normal kitchen, right?

Photo taken by Glen Byford using an ipad, and edited using Aviaty and XnView FX, 15th June 2013

June 14th 2013: print

todays prompt... print


and i must admit to being slightly thrown by this one, should i photograph an art print (i could have done that for art) or maybe a printer, frankly none of my ideas were fascinating

but as i dropped into Enfield Town Library i decided to detour through their large print section

and the result is this...

Photo taken by Glen Byford using a HTC Desire C and edited with an ipad using Aviary, 14th June 2013

June 13th 2013: art

todays prompt.... art

another toughy

got gas

Taken by Ian Byford, using a canon eso 600d

12th June 2013: baked

today's prompt... baked


i could have forced my girlfriend to bake a cake

instead i grabbed an iconic tin of baked beans from the cupboard and got busy with some inbuilt fx from my editing aps

Photo taken by Glen Byford using an ipad nd edited using Aviary and XnView FX, 12th June 2013

June 11th 2013: book

today's prompt... book

that is a tough one, much like comics, i have far too many books to choose from

and much like comics, i think the result is slightly uninspiring when compared to other efforts made for this challenge


so here we have the books in my locker, a handfull of recent reads that i haven't got round to taking home yet

Photo taken by Glen Byford, using a HTC Desire C and edited on an ipad using Aviaty and XnView FX, 11th June 2013

mum

Prompted to post
by Glen;s lack of a picture of his mum yesterday,
this was my mum 30 or more years ago.
painted 2011

June 10th 2013: mother

today's prompt.... mother


hmmmmm, i've already done a photo of a photo

i guess i could sneak round to my mums and take a photo of her, but that seem a bit too obvious...


mother nature? mother earth? mother theresa?



madonna?


hang on, in my found filing cabinet, as i was clearing it out i came across a Next giftcard (with nothing on it), some homework, and a little laminated Mary and Jesus (i think), hence why the filing cabnet is called my Jesus cabinet (although i don't often call it that)

Mary and Jesus still reside in the cabinet

time to take them out and give them their time in the spotlight (literally)

Photo taken by Glen Byford using an ipad and edited using Aviary and XnView FX, 10th June 2013

June 9th 2013: dress

today's prompt.... dress


i was gonna dive in the dressing up box for ths one, but instead i stumbled upon an idea and downloaded a handful of free apps that might help me realise my vision

and so i present to you.... my girlfriend spinning around in our front room in a dress

Photo taken by Glen Byford, using an ipad and edited using Multiexpo, 9th June 2013

Pork Chops thawing in the sun.

Its nice to do something silly
now and then.

June 8th 2013: house

todays prompt.... house.

daft punk are playing at my house, at my house.

nicely making use of my retro lamp that i found in a charity shop not long ago, and showing off my 'new' vinyl rack that somebody else had thrown out recently and i decided that there was still life in it yet, it may need a make-over tho.


Photo taken by Glen Byford, using an ipad and edited using Aviary, 8th June 2013

June 7th 2013: Word

today's prompt word is..... word

and everyone knows that Grease is the word...

thankfully, i have a Grease fridge magnet that i recovered from an abandoned fridge a few years ago, phew...


Photo taken by Glen Byford using an ipad and edited using Aviary, 7th June 2013

Snooker or Gardening a prickly subject

Picture taken yesterday 5 June
Walking along the A10 northbound in Edmonton London. 

June 6th 2013: game

today's prompt.... game


so of course i dug around in the cupboard under the stairs where all of our games are kept, with half a mind of what i hoped to achieve with todays photo

then it was just a case of roping in my girlfriend to help set the scene, and the most difficult part, actually being in a position where i could capture a good shot and still manage to activate the camera's on screen shutter...

i think i did ok

photo taken by Glen Byford using an ipad and edited using Aviary, 6th June 2013

June 5th 2013: comic

today's prompt... comic

frankly, this should be easy for me, but with so many to choose from the decision became much harder than i thought it would be

as a result we have here just a standard shot of a comic (with a bit of filtering goin on, obviously).

but this is the Knightfall storyline, incredibly 20 years old now, and possibly the storyline that dragged my in the most and that i felt most invested in, and as a 9 year old i actually beleved that Batman had been replaced, that this was a new Batman for a new generation, i didn't quite grasp the concept of 'gimmicks', and the sales focused emphasis of delivering a comic event such as this.

photo taken by Glen Byford using an ipad, and edited using Aviary, 5th June 2013

June 4th 2013: party

so the third prompt is 'party'.......


and in this crazy instagramming world where filters are applied to photos taken with new technology to make them look old, i thought i'd take a photo with new technology of a photo taken with my girlfriend's polaroid camera of our housewarming party, and then apply a filter or two, obviously

so here is me and Sel, my friend that is also taking part in the chalenge, in a rather artistic and creative photo of a photo...


Photograph taken by Glen Byford, using a new ipad(after being taken by someone else, using a polaroid camera), and edited using Aviary, 4th June 2013

June 3rd 2013: fabric

for the third day of the 30 day photo challenge, the prompt word was fabric

so i fought my initial instinct to photograph a close up of denim, and instead got a lil more creative by going to my ipod and scrolling through the compilations to find some of the music that makes me happiest and reminds me of 'the good ol' days' when fridays were spent in the depths of Farringdon until the early hours and i would still drag myself into work the next day

i then got a lil creative with a handful of adjutments in Aviary and a restrained use of the 'splash' tool


Photograph taken by Glen Byford using the Apple ipad and edited using Aviary, 3rd June 2013

June 3rd 2013: the unwanted tale of two bad mice

found discarded and abandoned alongside a bin in Enfield Town

thankfully, someone after my own heart had appeared to have taken it in, since the framed picture was no longer there when i passed by an hour later

Photograph taken by Glen Byford using a HTC Desire C and edited using Aviary, 3rd June 2013, 12.27pm

2nd June 2013: time for tea

at the suggestion of a friend i'm taking a few cues from a 30 day photo challenge that she found online, obviously trying to be creative every day for the past three years isn't quite enough of a challenge to set myself, but the great thing about this one is the prompts that it provides daily.

todays prompt was story, but as she only mentioned it today, i was disapointed to have missed out on yesterdays prompt, which was tea, so i took a piccy of my cup of tea anyway...

June 2nd 2013: story

My best friend found a 30 day photo challenge online that she wanted to tackle, so of course i wanted to be a part of it too..

Each day provides a new prompt word and the prompt for june 2nd was story

i was going to photo my own novel, but i may keep that underwraps a while longer and instead have photographed the story that has barely been started and cruelly paused as i get to grips with proof reading my own book.

Photograph taken by Glen Byford using a HTC Desire and edited using Aviary, June 2nd 2013, 13.12pm

June 1st 2013: Teenaging (single) by Hunchbakk

finally, it's here...

the debut single, a four track package, is now available as a pay-what-you-like download via bandcamp

it has been a long time coming. the release of Teenaging, originally recorded in 2008, heralds the arrival of the full length debut album, Anubis Horror. a trip down memory lane and an industrial take on hip-hop elements, Teenaging follows the path travelled by many as their formative years at school gives way to an errant sense of identity and the prevailing person that we will ultimately become as life shapes us all. the title track of the single is also backed by a chopped up and tortured rendition of the poem 'The Dishonest Truth', the Kaoss pad created and long unavailable 'Base Element' that originally debuted in 2009, and a remix of Teenaging tackled by Tesla aka Matthew Sewell, guitarist and knob-twiddler with North-London djent-metallers UNX, whose debut EP was released earlier this year.



it's been an interesting journey that isn't over yet, but for this release i can't give enough thanks to my brother, Ian Byford, for providing inspired artwork, and to Matthew Sewell, who turned in an amazing remix that really changed the sounds that i have had swimming around my head for so long

so please, download, share and enjoy, and keep an eye out for the forthcoming full length album

I

May 30th 2013: it's coming

May 27th 2013: 'I hope we passed the audition'

the trail led us eventually to Saville Row, where amongst all the world renowned tailors sits the former Apple Corps headquarters at number 3, home of the Beatles final performance on the roof of the building

Photo taken by Glen Byford using a HTC desire C and edited using Aviary and Instagram, May 27th 2013

May 27th 2013: Royal Arcade

following the trail in a London walks book that my girlfriend bought me for our fake christmas, we found ourselves sprawling all around Piccadilly, learning interesting facts and viewing interesting sights as we went along

Photo taken by Glen Byford using a HTC desire C and edited using Aviary and Instagram, May 27th 2013