Stop! Hama Time!

It's Hama time!

I made a picture of an album cover out of Hama beads. Instead of telling you what it is, I'm going to make you guess... It's an album that was released last year, and I think you might be able to make out the name of the artist if you squint just so. This is an easy quiz if you know the album. I'm currently making another one which is much much harder!

By the way, I'm not sure if this is an original idea. Do you know of any other album covers made from Hama beads on the 'net? I've had a look, and I haven't seen any (other than the one I made of The Wedding Present's George Best LP, which I may as well repost below). After all, I thought that holding a Bob Marley LP cover in front of my face was an original concept, but they call that Sleeveface, and it's quite popular!

George Best made from Hama beads.

Peter Beardsley's Head

Peter Beardsley's head. Stick it to your window, wall or mirror!

For the 1990 World Cup, the Topps company produced a set of giant footballers' heads to collect, and via a suction pad on the back, to stick to an appropriate surface. When I say "giant", I mean a little under A5 paper size, but big enough (bigger than stickers, anyway).

I was old enough to know better, but I bought one or two packets anyway. You didn't know who you were going to get when you bought one. I was lucky enough to get a Peter Beardsley, who has been stuck to the hallway window on and off for the past twenty years. Open the curtains in the morning, and there he is, grinning at you with his slightly lopsided smile! A bit scary, really...

 This is what the packet looked like:

The excited fella in the foreground supports Sunderland

This is the full list of players:

1. Gary Lineker
2. John Barnes
3. Chris Waddle
4. Bryan Robson
5. Terry Butcher
6. Paul Gascoigne
7. Neil Webb
8. Peter Beardsley
9. Peter Shilton
10. Des Walker
11. Steve Bull
12. Stuart Pearce
13. Gary Stevens
14. Mark Wright
15. David Rocastle
16. Steve McMahon
17. Dave Beasant
18. Bobby Robson

I'm sure there's a Steve Bull and a Steve McMahon hidden in a cardboard box in the attic. I wish they were collectable, but a quick look at ebay tells me they're not. Nobody has bought one for weeks. Ah well.

Badge Quiz 2: Football

The second badge quiz shows six current Football League teams. Annoyingly, numbers three and five turned sideways when I scanned them - and yes, the scan quality isn't great, but come and have a go if you think it's hard enough!

Go!

Badge Quiz 1: Music

Two quick quizzes to amuse and/or infuriate you over the weekend.

This first picture shows six button badges, each of which has had the name of the band skilfully blacked-out. Simply name the bands.

Go!

Grape-Nuts, Loo Rolls and Cat Food

All ready for a Heston Blumenthal recipe

I pick up other people's shopping lists whenever I find them. Here's one that both tickled me and confused me at the same time.

Confused? Because I didn't know what Grape-Nuts were! I really had no idea. Are they something you feed your budgie? Are they some sort of aid for indigestion? Perhaps they help with bowel movements? I just assumed that they were a foreign kind of nut (I did know that there are no grape-nut bushes in this country, at least).

It turns out that Grape-Nuts are a breakfast cereal. And all the thousands upon thousands of hours I've spent in supermarket cereal aisles...I'd never ever noticed them. No 100% crunchy goodness for me.

The other thing I noticed about this shopping list is that the person who wrote it can only have been buying all this random stuff so that s/he could follow a Heston Blumenthal recipe. Poached loo roll, drizzled with a Weetabix and cat food foam, anyone? Washed down with a tinned grapefruit juice and bleach cocktail?

Don't try this at home, kids!