Prologue

I held my head in my hands, my warm breath finding its way up my face only to escape through my fingers

**“There’s just no way that it can be done!”
**

I look over the calendar again, Deadline August 15, 2020.

I had to create two pages per week if I was to submit the book on time and I just let it slip. Like I had unknowingly stumbled in quicksand I soon began to realise that I was close to getting in over my head. I rummaged through the project documents like an alcoholic looking for an overlooked beer. There had to be some kind of late submission information. Nothing!

I looked on the Stetchbook Project Website in a desperate bid to reignite a little hope when something caught my eye.

Initially my eyes rested on the 15th of September and I quietly rejoiced the one month extension. It wasn’t until I read the “Yes, you can submit a book after the deadline” as though it spoke directly to me that my legs began to bounce with excitement.

I fired up my email and reached out for contact, just to double check, to give me some kind of assurance.

It wasn’t long till I heard the ping of my inbox beckoning me to come and see what it had for me

As my eyes traversed the lines a slow exhale of relief escaped my lips as the corners formed a smile.

**….Still got time
**

**The Understanding of Privacy

**

**The understanding of privacy

is turned on its head.
If you are asleep, awake,
or on the toilet..
**

**His closeness knows no bounds

**

Luckily at the time of writing, things have changed and my boy is a little more capable of playing on his own for a small amount of time. But, spend a little too long in the toilet and it won’t be long before you hear scratches on the door like in a zombie movie. However, instead of the ensuing groans you have a little dictator on the other side demanding to know what you are doing and why you are doing it.

Before we got to this stage he would happily sit practically in-between your legs and play with a sound book while you squeezed one out.

**“Daddy what was that noise?”
“Not to worry, that’s just the Gruffallo who just threw the little brown mouse into the pond”
“Why did he do that?”
“I don’t know, probably he just wanted to have a little alone time”
**

Being a single Father I have had to re-evaluate my concept of privacy or abandon it altogether. I saw a meme on Instagram which pretty much summed it up by posing the question from a Mother’s point of view “Are you even a mummy if you haven’t had to ask your child to stand back so you can wipe yourself”

I feel her pain… although my boy went the step further and asked to see it !

https://cinnamon.video/watch?v=425358462239638547

[https://coil.com/p/rufio/The-Little-Yellow-Envelope-/jU09sOuHb](https://coil.com/p/rufio/The-Little-Yellow-Envelope-/jU09sOuHb)

[https://coil.com/p/rufio/The-Sketchbook-Project-Series/IHtpFtmfH](https://coil.com/p/rufio/The-Sketchbook-Project-Series/IHtpFtmfH)

[https://coil.com/p/rufio/The-Sketchbook-Series-Snapshots-of-a-Single-Father-Pt-2/Q_m0ez8-J](https://coil.com/p/rufio/The-Sketchbook-Series-Snapshots-of-a-Single-Father-Pt-2/Q_m0ez8-J)

[https://coil.com/p/rufio/The-Sketchbook-Series-Snapshots-of-a-Single-Father-Pt-3/CfPggb1qh](https://coil.com/p/rufio/The-Sketchbook-Series-Snapshots-of-a-Single-Father-Pt-3/CfPggb1qh)

Following on from our Solar Panel / Handheld devices experiment I thought it would be interesting to see what can be powered using only energy from the sun and turning this into a mini completely pointless series to tickle you on Wednesdays.

If it can make you think twice about what can actually be powered with renewable energy then great, if not then a smile with suffice.

Solar Powered Hummus

For this instalment I seek to answer the age old question that has baffled philosophers throughout the centuries. “Can you make hummus using the sun?”

We all know the deal with hummus. Grab some chickpeas, some oil, tahini, garlic, dash of lemon juice and blend it all together. Wham! Bam! Thank You Ma’am.

But can the Goal Zero Yeti handle the wattage and an over zealous child to get the job done?

https://cinnamon.video/watch?v=410032708576609510

https://cinnamon.video/watch?v=410034900972864752

As you can see the answer is yes with 90% battery still left to spare.

So should you find yourself alone and fending for yourself in the wilderness, with only a set of solar panels, a portable generator, and a blender at hand, and you somehow manage to find all the ingredients.. now you know you can make hummus !

You're Welcome

In April my girlfriend’s nephew celebrated his second birthday. During this time in Austria, we were already coming up to 8 weeks under lockdown and things were starting to relax in stages in the outside world, however people were still advised to leave their apartments only for exercise.

As it was his second birthday, one where he would better comprehend what was going on, we decided we would make him some cards and drop them off on his doorstep at a safe distance, give him at least a tiny amount of celebration to his day, something different from just another day stuck in the house again.

I asked what his absolute favourite thing in the world was. My girlfriend told me that he was obsessed with cranes and would always stop and point up at them. I printed off some basic crane pictures and told Luca that we were creating a special card for Finn.

“Why?”

“Because it’s his birthday”

“But why are we making him a card?”

“Because he is celebrating his birthday during a lockdown and he will not be able to enjoy it with his family and friends”

“But why?”

“Because of the Corona Virus”

“Why?”

“Because its spreading around the world and everyone needs to stay indoors to try and not spread it..”

“But Daddy why….?”

“…….. Luca just please just grab your pens and start drawing!”

As he drew the rudimentary colourful crane, the wooden box in the corner of the room caught my eye. This is the box where all the spare cardboard is collected to construct our “Cardboard machines.” Marble runs, sweet dispensers, monster traps, supercars.. you name it we’ve tried to build it.

I eyed up the long cardboard tube that “Santa” accidentally left while wrapping Luca’s presents last Christmas

“Now that would make a good crane, I think I’ve got some string in the kitchen and a chopstick” and with that we set about building a birthday crane.

In the beginning he would peer over his shoulder taking his attention away from his drawing for only a moment. It wasn’t until the crane really started taking shape, held together by oozing hot blue glue, that he pushed his felt tips aside.

Like putting one foot in front of the other things just seemed to fall into place. First the base to hold the pole, the frame to hold the string and a chopstick to reel it all in.

It wasn’t until we created the crane hook with cheekily hidden magnets inside that the questions began.

***“Daddy… is this for Finn?”
***

***“…Yes”
***

***“Why don’t we make this one for me and you can make him another one?…”
***

***“erm.. no.. the whole reason we are making this is for his birthday”
***

***“But Daaaddddd.. Can you make two?”
***

“No, we only have time to make one”

“But Daaaddddd..”

After attaching the crane hook to our newly made crane it was time for a test. We attached it to one of our other cardboard creations, the cardboard Lamborghini Countach, and did a test run with two little 1kg bars for ballast. It went up fine, albeit slowly, and the square ends of the chopstick allowed the car to stay up at the top without dropping. Perfect.

https://www.cinnamon.video/watch?v=376100774276498472

https://www.cinnamon.video/watch?v=376102410818421836

https://www.cinnamon.video/watch?v=376102883617145942

Luca did a couple of extra hundred test runs with a toilet roll and we were ready for painting. To help him choose a colour palette we rummaged through his box of Hubelino pieces and found the corresponding paints, yellow, green, red, blue and white.

I put some music on loud for inspiration and let the mess begin!

https://www.cinnamon.video/watch?v=376103514247529572

https://www.cinnamon.video/watch?v=376104360372864118

When all was done, we stopped and looked at our creation. What was once a few pieces of scrap cardboard was now a smile bringing machine and it was ready to bring joy to a little boy on his second birthday.

We dropped off the cards and gifts at the birthday boy’s front door and before we stepped back to a safe social distance, Luca showed him how it worked, and what he needed to do to pick up things.

What began as a kind gesture became an unexpected lesson for Luca. To give something to someone else, what you really want for yourself.

**I am so proud of him
**

Written JUL 14 2011 #Reblog

Part Two: Sayuri

After a year on Lil Tractor, I felt I learned the treacherous ropes of London’s traffic and decided it was time to step up to a geared bike. I saw an advertisement for the new 125cc released onto the market and headed down to the store to have a peek.

Honda CBF125

It was sporty red and even had half fairings, not that it was ever going to go fast enough to warrant having them, but I had to get it.

The bike was small but pretty and Japanese, so I named it “Sayuri” after the main character in “Memoirs of a Geisha.”

It was perfect for London, nimble and agile and seemed like it could go forever on one tank of petrol. I think I went for over two and a half weeks using it every day on £20 of petrol, before running dry and having to push it to the next fill up.

Most memorable moment

For a week I had got into the habit of raising the rpm’s whilst stationary on a red light and as soon as the light flipped to amber, dropping the clutch like a bomb. I would grin ear to ear like a little kid when the front wheel popped off the ground, leaving the rest of traffic in my dust.

At a set of traffic lights on the Kings Road, I dropped the clutch, and as expected the front wheel comes off the ground and I shoot away from the line. What I didn’t expect was the front wheel to keep rising past the 45 degree angle to 12 O’clock, dragging the L plate on the back on the floor snapping it off. My legs fall off the back of the bike and I’m left running down the road still holding onto the handlebars of a vertical bike.

The bike slows down and I try to control the bike onto it’s side, dropping on to one knee to help brace the impact. As the bike comes down at a weird angle, my hand twists on the throttle, sending the bike into burnout donut around me.

All the while it seemed everyone on the Kings Road gathered to watch the spectacle before them.

When the bike finally cut out, there was only one thing I could do. I picked it up, started it, jumped back on and rode off like nothing happened. Needless to say I haven’t dropped the clutch at a set of light since.

To be continued…

⇦ Path of the Rider Pt.1 – 2008

⇨ Path of the Rider Pt.3 – 2010

I started off with a brief history of monetisation and then bored myself half way through and decided to make this straight to the point!

Yes you can.. but you have to work for it!

If you are not familiar with what Coil is then there are more in depth articles covering this, here’s a great one from PatriciaC but in a nutshell:

You pay a $5.00 monthly membership fee to join the club and then gain access to exclusive content on Coil Blogs. Now this membership does give you access to other monetised content, for example the video streaming service Cinnamon, but for this article we are focusing on Coil.

So you pay to be part of the club?.. ok… where’s the money making part?

There are two ways you can make money on the Coil platform:

1 . Subscriber views

2 . Coil Boost Pilot

Subscriber Views

When another Coil member reads your blog you are paid in the cryptocurrency XRP per duration that the person spends on that page. I must add due to the nature of XRP this happens instantaneously. The trickle of XRP hits your crypto wallet like Michael Jordan's tears.

Now before you get too excited you have to remember that Coil is in it's beta phase. Its still in it’s infancy which means the number of subscribers available to view your content is limited. The Coil platform does try to make content discoverable through Exploration filters such as New, Top and Trending and the Coil team regularly push notable articles to the pride of place “Featured” section giving an article more chances of being read by Coil users.

Outside of the coil ecosystem users also share their blogs on social media. Now if you create a literal work of genius and it is worthy of millions of views the monetisation only occurs when a Coil member reads it. So if only one of those million views is a Coil subscriber then in regards to monetisation you got one view, and you are paid for the duration that that person spends reading your article.

I liken it to fishing. Social media users are like a huge shoal of fish in the internet sea and you are trying to cast out a net in the hopes of catching a few Coil fish. Coil has a fantastic community on Twitter where other Coil subscribers help promote each other’s work, helping you cast out your net in the right places, but on a good day with a good haul of subscriber views you are going to be making pennies.

Now you can make a good case that pennies are better than nothing. This is very much true. We all have posts online and unless you were commissioned to write it or have been approached to endorse a product then the most payment that you ever received were a few likes on Facebook.

But in regards to an actual meaningful income you will be lucky if you will make back the $5 monthly membership fee on subscriber views alone.

Here is where the Coil Boost Pilot comes into play.

Coil Boost Pilot

The Coil concept is fantastic for creators on the internet. It moves monetisation away from the “shake your arse” on instagram for likes and followers to get an endorsement deal, to letting the content shine and financially rewarding it. If your content is good then people will spend more time viewing it leading to the creator getting paid more. That’s the way it should be. If the content is bad then readers will move on to the next thing, so it drives the overall quality of content on the internet up.

That’s Coil’s big picture.

Right now in these early stages we are far from this ideal. But you have to start somewhere. To help incentivise Coil subscribers to keep going and put up with the pennies until this ideal is achieved they offer monthly boost rewards to candidates they believe are contributing towards this goal.

I received my first boost at the end of June. Now it’s not enough to be able to live off for a month but it’s certainly enough to support my creativity. I can use it to buy new equipment or materials to help create more work and ultimately give back better content to the Coil platform. In producing better Coil content then I have the possibility of being rewarded with a bigger boost and so the circular iterations of driving up the quality of content begins, step by step. With more and more Coil members receiving this boost the quality of content will increase even more, and will start to attract and onboard more users to the platform, slowly revealing the big picture.

In regards to answering the original question.

Again.. Yes you can.. but you have to work for it!

I started really posting on Coil in April and in two months I have written more than I think I have ever written online. The only time I can write and create is when my son is asleep and the bulk of it on the weekends, so I can proudly say I have given my fair share of skin towards it. Before the boost sometimes it was hard to see the light, feeling as though the effort and the small return in monetised subscriber views wasn’t worth the sleepless nights. I have had my moments of disillusionment. But that comes with anything you try and do for the first time, whether its trying to play the guitar or learn a new language. Stick with it and reap the rewards.

I hope those learning about Coil will give it a go and come and join a fantastic community, and I hope those already writing for Coil who are having second thoughts about whether its worth it will hold on a little longer for that boost.

Written FEB 8 2011 #Reblog

The rules of road Karma are not to be trifled with, and this afternoon I found myself riding up a hill when my engine started spluttering, out of petrol.

When you have to push a 180 kilo+ motorbike over a mile up-hill you do start to question why you chose to go down the two wheel path.

I can’t believe it's been over three years.

Part One: Three years earlier

I was standing wedged-in on a rush hour Bakerloo line train amongst the other cattle known as London Underground commuters. The train pulled into a crowded platform at Baker Street, the hot stale air escaping as the doors opened.

Now clearly there was no room on the train, we knew it, and the people on the platform knew it, but one guy had a glimmer of determination in his eyes. He sized up the non-existent space, as though working on a difficult puzzle, and then flung himself into the carriage, burying himself among the suits, ties and newspapers.

I couldn’t help myself. I cracked up laughing.

It was around this time that I came to the realisation that I was paying a lot of money every week, for the privilege of standing for a prolonged amount of time in another person’s armpit. What a way to start your day. I just couldn’t see the reasoning behind it anymore.

Me and the London Underground were through.

I’d always had a fascination with motorbikes ever since watching the anime Akira, the brake light streaks screaming through Neo-Tokyo, and Kaneda’s bike;

‘Twin ceramic rotor drives on each wheel! And these look like computer controlled anti-lock brakes! Wow, 200 horses at 12,000 rpm!’

I had a few mates who swore by scooters: They were ridiculously cheap to run, one of the fastest ways to get around London, and a shit load of fun.

I bit the bullet, did my CBT (compulsory bike training), got my L-plates, and got myself the biggest scooter I could find

Piaggio B125

This was a big old unit and was affectionately named “Lil Tractor” as it sounded just like one, once you managed to get it started. I bought it second hand with the knowledge that Dani Behr once sat on the back, the babe magnet that it was, having only one mirror and cracked plastics all over.

We had some good times me and Lil Tractor, and it always looked after me despite me crashing it numerous times.

It was here I learned my road craft. Filtering and dodging the cars.

Most memorable moment

A handful of front brake and the bike dropping and hitting the curb. I’m still skidding down the road on my hands and knees at around 30mph through a zebra crossing with people waiting to cross. They then cross the road after I’ve passed the white lines and come to a stop on my back.

To be continued…

⇨ Path of the Rider Pt.2 – 2009

⇨ Path of the Rider Pt.3 – 2010

I decided to reblog this series as they were posted a while ago on another platform and got no love and of course no XRP.

To whet your appetite for this series of posts below Coil Subscribers will find a helmet cam vid of my commute to work before I left London.

Me zipping around on my Ducati in London before I became a Dad. I had big balls then.. or no brains.. I can't decide now. But looking back now I squirm, especially at 9mins in. WHAT WAS I THINKING ! I did this 5 days a week twice daily.

I've done no fancy editing.. no music.. just getting on and off the bike and a little bit inbetween.

Have fun

https://www.cinnamon.video/watch?v=352161998231831877

His name was Jay. He’d just come from his friend’s house and was waiting at the bus stop to take the number 6 home. He wasn’t from around the area but knew it was rough. He put his hood up to try and look tough, to make him look like he could handle himself. He was afraid.

Jay was texting his mum to tell her he would be home soon when someone appeared out of nowhere. His heart was thumping hard, he looked at the man, could he tell he was scared? He quickly put his phone away remembering the adverts he’d seen on not to advertise valuables when out and about.

He left his hands in his pockets to try and hide the fact that he was nervous, his hands were shaking. Jay saw the stranger look at his pockets out of the corner of his eye. Was he looking for what pocket his phone was in? Was he going to rob him ?

Jay decided the only way not to become a victim was to pretend that he was not afraid, to talk to his would be attacker to show he was not shying away, not weak.

He asked for the time and the man answered back bluntly with unblinking eyes. Jay was sure the man was trying to get into a confrontation with him. But he couldn’t just remain quiet otherwise the man would know he was terrified. He asked again but louder.

When Jay asked for the time again the man asked about the clock on his phone in a raised voice. He was also pointing at where his phone was. Was he trying to get him to take his phone out so he could take it ? Should he take it out ?

Whilst debating with himself about what he should do next Jay realised that he was frozen. His body wouldn’t respond to what he was telling it to do. He couldn’t take the phone out even if he wanted. He stared back at the man like a rabbit staring into the headlights of it's impending doom. The man moved towards him. His heart stopped.

Jay was having an out of body experience, watching as he sat there helpless as the man approached him. The man said something then moved suddenly. Just when he thought a punch was coming his way, the man began to walk away.

He nervously turned his head to watch as the man walked further away from him, and immediately turned his head back every time the man looked over his shoulder. Jay didn’t know what to do. He could wait for the bus, but then maybe the man walked off to get friends and would be back again soon.

What should he do?

⇦ Back

He lived about ten minutes Walk away from Queens Park tube station passing the number six bus stop on the way. Both took him within minutes of her house. After walking a few footsteps with the cold breeze hitting his exposed face, the heavens opened and heavy rain began to fall. Bus stop it was then.

As he approached the bus stop he noticed someone sitting on the bench, his thumbs working furiously on his mobile, obviously writing a text. Luke stepped under the shelter catching his attention. He could barely see the guy’s face hidden in the shadows of his hood.

The man quickly put his phone away keeping his hands in his pockets. Luke kept an eye on him out of the corner of his eye, watching for anything suspicious. He knew the area all too well, and knew what went on night. He was accustomed to walking past the bright yellow police signs asking for witnesses to violent crimes in the neighbourhood. Did he have a knife in his pocket ?

“Oi’ the hooded figure called out to him trying to catch his attention, “have you got the time?” Luke turned around and stared at him, trying to catch his eyes which were semi hidden in shadow. “What do you want” Luke said. The man hesitated but asked again “have you got the time?”

“What’s wrong with the clock on your phone? Does it not work or do you not know how to tell the time?” Luke said whilst pointing at the man’s pocket. He didn’t reply, he just stared back. The tension grew, both parties reluctant to be the first to look away. Luke didn’t have the patience to stand there all night and wait for him to give in, so he moved towards him not breaking eye contact and stood right in front of him.

“That’s what I thought” Luke uttered and began to walk, leaving the bus shelter behind him, every now and then checking over his shoulder to make sure he wasn’t being followed. The hooded guy remained seated, exactly where he was, but no longer seemed to be watching him anymore.

Luke shook off the rain which had rested on his duffel coat as he entered Queens Park Station. He had the habit of walking down to the end of the platform and getting on the last carriage. He was guaranteed a seat that way, and was unlikely to have to give it up for the elderly.

He got onto the last carriage and sat down. He heard a series of doors being slammed which seemed to be getting louder. He presumed it was the driver or someone from the underground coming to tell him there was something wrong with the train. Typical London Underground. The door connecting the carriages to Luke’s left suddenly opened, revealing a young man in a black hood.

Was it the guy at the bus shelter looking for trouble? It was dark then, and he couldn’t really see his face, so he wasn’t sure. The man returned his look then slammed the door behind him. He walked past Luke and towards the end of the carriage.

Luke followed him with his eyes turning his head. He saw that towards the end of the carriage a rather built man who was wearing a grey tracksuit had got on the train, and sat at the back. Luke looked back at himself in the window.. “peace of mind.”

The train doors closed and the train slowly began to pull away from the shelter of the platform and into the rain...

⇨ Next

⇦ Back

A tear dropped onto the page and began drawing ink from the word “communicate.” He tried rubbing it off, but only succeeded in smudging it further. As if the distorting of the word worked as a catalyst of realisation, he jumped off his bed and grabbed his mobile phone which was quietly charging in the corner of his room.

He was searching frantically for her phone number, looking under contacts, in his sent and received messages.. nothing. In an attempt to help with the healing process he had deleted all forms of contact he had with her, phone numbers, email addresses.. out of sight, out of mind. All that remained of her in his life were a few photos and the memories in his head and heart.

He had realised that the last thing he had said to her was that he hated her.. well.. it was the last thing apart from calling her a bitch and telling her he wished she was dead. But the point was the last thing he had said to her was a lie.

Somewhere in his mind he believed that apologising was the answer. He thought that if it didn’t win her back, then the least it would do would be to give him peace of mind. Peace of mind knowing that he had he tried to make things right.

He ran down his stairs and began to put on his duffle coat. He decided that if he couldn’t get hold of her by phone or email then he’d talk to her in person…if she would see him. At that moment a strong feeling of doubt came across him, would she actually want to see him?

The words “peace of mind” quietly escaped his lips as he picked up his keys and left his house, breaking the stillness of the night as he shut his front his door.

⇨ Next

⇦ Back