Belated hello (1 Viewer)

[monkeyman]

Sorry folks, I didn't introduce myself when I signed up on Saturday! Very rude of me.

My real name is Al Stewart, I'm 46, married for the second time with six sprogs between us ('though thankfully all departed the nest or living with exs!) and live in North Walsall in the Black Country. To our overseas visitors, that is in the heart of England, north and northwest of Birmingham.

I hail originally from Renfrewshire in Scotland (Braveheart country) and studied Grahic Design at Leicester in the seventies. I currently design educational books and resource packs and a literacy magazine for a publisher in Brum as well as the odd commission or two. I enjoy drawing and painting as well as photography.

I and my wife are both RSPB members although not "local" members. We both enjoy walking our two dogs and birdwatching in the surrounding countryside - of which there is plenty. The Black Country is a total misnomer and many interesting species can be found there!

I am very impressed with this site and find the people I've "met" so far to be a charming and knowledgeable bunch! As well as my drawings and photos, I hope to contribute articles on my bird sites and experiences. This site is what "bird" sites should be like!

Cheers

Al "monkeyman" Stewart

 

[ralph]

Welcome to the Forum Al - very good to have you along.

Look forward to reading you posts from the Black Country. Especially look forward to more of those pictures!

You'll find everyone here pretty knowledgeable about different things, and I guarantee you'll be made welcome by everyone.

:t:

 

[IanF]

Welcome to Birdforum Al :t:

I hope that you find plenty of subjects to pique your interest. As you say, everyone is pretty friendly on here.

I look forward to reading your postings.

 

[Reader]

As a virtual next door neighbour to you I say welcome. I just wonder how many times we might pass each other in this part of the world.

Very impressed by your credentials by the way.

 

[monkeyman]

Thankyou to one and all for your welcome to this wonderful site.

To John J; yes we are 'virtual' neighbours in more senses than one . . . and chatting over the virtual fence! Please check out the Birds Gallery where I've posted a few more GP pix from Gailey for you!

Al
:t:

 

[JennyWren]

Hi Monkeyman,....


Welcome to BirdForum..... :t:

Just like Ralph said, you will find LOTS of knowledgable (birding) people in here,.... unfortunately I'm not one of them!!! :-O
Hope you get as much enjoyment from the site as the rest of us do...... :gh:


... JennyWren
PS: I love that avatar!!!

 

[monkeyman]

The avater

Thanks Jenny!

I'm going to change it, so if you would like to use it, you're welcome.

If anyone else wants to use my illustrations or would like me to create one for them, I'd be only too happy to oblige.

I believe in sharing talents as well as knowledge!

A

 

[Reader]

Hiya monkeyman

Yes I have checked the gallery, as you now know. Now I'm green with envy: lol

Good pics though of a very confiding bird.

By the way, how did you make up that avatar, it's brilliant. Also I have to enquire at what you mean when you say that we are neighbours in more senses than one? That went over my head a bit, mind you that's quite easy nowadays.

 

[monkeyman]

Hi John

To answer your queries:

The play was on the word "virtual"! We're "virtually" neighbours, being in the same neck of the woods, and we are in touch through the "virtual" reality of the Internet (chatting over the "fence" as it were)! Sorry! I can be too subtle for my own good sometimes . . . and yes, I do have a pretty weird sense of humour!

:t:

The avatar was made in Adobe Image Ready, a very comprehensive programme which came with the latest version of Photoshop (a 'professional' image manipulation programme). I originally created it for a website I was running (sadly no more). It took a fairly long time as it is basically an animation and you make it up frame by frame. However, they're fun to do. Keep a good look out as I will be changing them quite regularly! As I said in my previous post, I'm quite happy to make stuff up for other folks, if they want. Just send me your requests and I shall see what I can do.

Glad you liked the pix.

Cheers

B

Al

 

[dylan]

Welcome to birdforum Al, look forward to your articles & more of your illustrations:t:
Incidently, I'm an animator for an educational company - birds of a feather flock together o

Dylan.

 

[monkeyman]

Hi Dylan!

Yeah! You're right!

What kind of stuff do ya do?

I'm pretty ancient . . . did my training in hot metal (the Original stuff!). I love the web and mod tech stuff but I still prefer pencil and paper!!!
I'm mostly paper based and got headaches upon headaches with ctp printing with all this new stuff; I suppose it's a bit better for you . . . what with computerised anims and all that guff! A lot easier than it was when I started out in the seventies, I'll bet!!!!

Keep in touch.

Al

 

[Reader]

What a wide ranging bunch we are in this forum. I don't think that I have ever seen such different things that people do all gathered on one forum. Things look good here. If you can't learn anything on this forum, even old f***s like me, then there's no hope for you: lol

 

[Colin]

Hey Monkeyman,
I used to live in the Bournbrook/Selly Oak area of Birmingham, just down the road from the Black Country (for overseas readers, this name pertains to the industrial heritage of the area and is in no way a racist remark as I am sure you will agree Monkeyman).
You say you did Graphic Design at Leicester in the 70's. That was almost certainly at Leicester Polytechnic as it was then. If I am right I may have seen you as I studied Applied Chemistry at the Poly from 1970 to 1974 with a year in industry at the Boots Company just up the road in Nottingham.


Colin

:hippy: as I was then

 

[LMG]

Hi there Monkeyman,
Belated welcome. Love the illustrations - very talented!
LMG

 

[monkeyman]

Blasting from the past

Hi Colin

Missed you by a year!

I started at LP in '75! Just to reminisce, do you remember Fox magazine, the SU mag? I ended up edior of it in 76-77! And was the new Student's Union Building complete when you were there? Believe it or not, my son now runs the bar there! It certainly is a small world!

And you lived in Brum? (I used to live in Great Barr before I saw the light!) Dd you frequent Edgbaston Reservoir? It's a place that I've passed by quite often, but never had the time to stop! Maybe soon!

Look out for some articles from me as I am writing some stuff about south Staffs/Black Country (multi-ethnic country, I prefer! And all the better for it, I say!) birding. There's a fantastic wealth of wildlife in this area that is totally overlooked by your average commuter!

The series will be called "The Monkey's Tale - an urban safari" . . . WATCH THIS SPACE as it were, to coin a phrase!

B

Al

 

[monkeyman]

Thanks LMG

Glad you like the pix. Will post some more when you're bored of these ones!

B

Al