Category: cartoon

Butties

Butterflies cartoon
Roger hard a work

I thought that I’d give my laidback lepidopterist friend Roger a bit of a challenge with his birthday card this year. This is going to be difficult if you’re not familiar with British butterflies, so answers at the foot of this post.

And if that isn’t enough here are four bonus species – all different species of a group of small butterflies that hold their forewings at an angle above their hindwings, so they look a bit moth-like.

more butterfly cartoons

Answers

Top cartoon, back row, left to right: Red Admiral, Purple Hairstreak, Painted Lady
Front row: Small Tortoiseshell, Purple Emperor, Comma, Small Copper

Bonus species, left to right: Large Skipper, Small Skipper, Dingy Skipper, Essex Skipper (and yes, as Roger pointed out, Dagenham is no longer in Essex, it became a part of Greater London in 1965!)

I didn’t get around to including the Chequered Skipper, shame about that.

Brownie-gate

brownie cartoon

As it’s our council leader Denise Jeffery’s birthday, I couldn’t resist a homemade birthday brownie cartoon. Congratulations too to Tracy Brabin, M.P., who celebrated her birthday yesterday by becoming West Yorkshire’s first elected mayor. By the way, her ‘vote Labour’ brownies turned out to be perfectly legal.

And commiserations to a talented bunch of runners up. What a shame that all seven couldn’t get together like the mismatched heroes of a comic book series to pool their superpowers, perhaps mentored by a wise old leader, played by former Dewsbury Reporter journalist, Patrick Stewart, to ‘promote ideals of tolerance and equality for all’ in West Yorkshire, just like he does in Marvel’s X-Men movies.

Tortoise

tortoise

I was looking for a character with a bit of pizazz for my next homemade birthday card, but I guess that this guy’s going to have to do.

Published
Categorized as cartoon

The Eternal Optimist

cartoon

Scientists have conclusively proved that being a Huddersfield Town supporter is good for your health: researchers have discovered that optimists are 11 to 15% more likely to live longer. For Townies make that at least 22%!

A supporter of Huddersfield Town
Remarked to his wife with a frown,
"If the lads don't buck up,
We'll be out of the Cup,
And the Terriers are going to go down!"

The Pink-foots on Vacation

goose family

I went for the great wildlife spectacles of spring migration and nest-building for twins Connie and Annabel, who live alongside the flood meadows of the River Trent.

mallards cartoon

I found myself thinking, if Ikea ever broke into the wildlife market . . .

A Classic Cake

John Carr

It’s so hard to find a birthday card with a Horbury theme, so it was back to the drawing board for this one, celebrating local architect John Carr’s towering achievement, the classical confection that is the Parish Church of St Peter’s & St Leonard’s.

Happy birthday to Alex!

Carr topped the spire with that rather un-Christian symbol, a Grecian urn, but this crashed down and was replaced with a wrought iron cross. The urn, which was about 7 feet tall, was carefully pieced together again and, in my teenage years stood as an oversize garden ornament in a house on Cluntergate which I believe had once belonged to a Mr Green.

When Moths turn Bad

moth cartoon

My friend John Gardner, celebrating his birthday today, has built up an impressive list by running an ultra-violet light moth trap in his garden. Hopefully these reprobates haven’t turned up.

clothes moth

Moths have a bad name in my brother Bill’s childhood writing. He wrote this damming indictment aged six and it’s survived in a school exercise book from his infant school days.

Teenage Tuna Tearaways

Tuna tearaways

I found it slightly alarming how easily I slipped into the sleazy slang of these Teenage Tuna Tearaways. Ivy’s is the first ever child’s birthday card to have been given a PG – ‘may include unsuitable dialogue’ – rating.

Maunder

maunder

MAUNDER, talk incoherently, or in a low tone, grumblingly. “What are teh maundrin thear abaht?”

Wakefield Words, William Stott Banks, 1865

A Clip Studio Paint animation of a page from my illustrated version of William Stott Banks Wakefield Words, A List of Provencial Words in use at Wakefield in Yorkshire 1865.

Link

Wakefield Words, paperback, available post free in the UK from Willow Island Editions.

Lockdown Birds

We’re delighted to have some of our facilities open for your visit, you’ll notice we’ve made some changes to help keep everyone safe.

RSPB Dearne Valley Old Moor website

We’re looking forward to being allowed to travel again as far as our nearest RSPB reserves, but for the time being we’re limiting ourselves to walks from home. Non-essential shops and hairdressers opened again today.

An earlier version of this homemade birthday card (happy birthday, Paul) suggested that a Masked Booby had turned up at Old Moor, but I don’t think that I’d get that one past the Rarities Committee.