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Bushmills Town Panels Update

10/19/2013

What the panel MAY look like.
This is just a mock-up sample.

Just a little sneak peak of what the Panels in Bushmills might look like next year, or at least the progress of the panels so far. Each panel, one situated at the Giant's Causeway Park and Ride at the top of the town, another in the Millennium park next to the river and the other at Hamill Park outside the Bushmills Whiskey Distillery all will feature the same map layout and heritage images (originally they were going to have different themes for each area...Salmon jumping in the Millenium Park design, a Finn McCool design and a Whiskey barrel design but most of these designs are now used as faded design elements in both panel and brochure)

The map will use a grid and the commercial section (the part that is left blank in the mock-up image to the left) will indicate what grid square each establishment falls under. The heritage images will all be number coded so that visitors will be able to find the location of each place of interest easily. I am very pleased to have been able to redesign the panels of the town with the help of the Brighter Bushmills group and hopefully, if or when they need me, when this project is over we will work on other projects in the near future.

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Bushmills To Receive New Logo

10/19/2013

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Another day’s meeting at the French Rooms brought us a little bit closer to designing the logo for the town of Bushmills. It’s been an ongoing task with varying opinions on what would best represent the town.

This time around I’ve decided (at least for now) to only illustrate what is given to me by the group as it seems they have a definite idea of what they want, and

Created from a Winston Boyce design. The logo
may have a look similar to this.
Rendered in Photoshop by myself

really yet another cook would only spoil the broth. Initially I thought that a town logo that would tie in with the same style of work that I did and which will be present on the 3 orientation panels, tourist info indoor panel, and the newly updated brochure would work best, but with the group wanting a more simplified streamlined logo I entrust it to the group. Logo design is not something i am very familiar with, with my work being more illustrative and detailed compared to the very sparse abstract design that the group foresees for the town.

As always, it's great to meet up with the group and progress further with the project. Both panel and brochure work are coming along nicely and are nearing completion, with a few minor additions included in the map. I am of the belief that this is some of my best work to date, and i am glad it will be displayed in my home town.

My original design for a Bushmills town logo
used Currie's Mill beside the old
bridge accompanied with a simplified
montage of both the river and the iconic Bushmills chimneys

I’ll be working on a Ballintoy map next for Art Ward through the Ballintoy Group (an official name will be included in my blogs as and when I get more info of course) but all in all a stretch of map that starts from Dunserverick Castle and runs across to Kenbane Castle will be underway soon. I feel this will be a really good follow-up to my Bushmills map, which, all being well, will be on display in Bushmills next year.

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John Clarke Potato Festival

10/10/2013

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Saturday the 5th of October saw the first John Clarke Potato Festival or “The Potato Festival” as it has been more commonly referred to. I first heard of it through Professional photographer Art Ward who also works along side me on the Brighter Bushmills Project’s new town map and brochure along with the rest of the group. The festival was held at Innisfree House, a National Trust owned property and one time home of potato grower John Clarke. With Art working with the National Trust it was great to meet up with him and chat about this, that and the other; the other being the possible map work for Ballintoy, which will be created in the same style of illustration as my Bushmills town map. To view the colouring of the Bushmills town map, click here

For being it's very first year, the festival had an impressive amount of stalls and cookery demonstrations, with Glens of Antrim Potatoes and Tayto Crisps in attendance. All in all a great day out.

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Did I Will You Here?

10/7/2013

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Eyes, like the eyes that I knew
From before a time I first saw them
A face it seems I’ve known
I’ve always known
From the beginning
So familiar
Did I dream you like I dreamed
Of the map?
Did I will you here?
Strange, now that I see my own self
In your dimples, kindness
The bangs in your eyes so sweet
I long to walk the road with you
And to kiss your feet along the journey

I’m so sorry I seem dormant
Devoid of feeling
When really I feel you drawn to me
Like the sun across the sunflowers
As they turn their heads

In truth I could never truly conceal
The fire inside
Even if I wanted to

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Chilli McCool's Was Just Not Cool At All!

10/5/2013

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I do not make a habit of complaining, but when i do i like to think it's important enough to be worth writing about. Originally i planned writing this a lot sooner but i was under a busy schedule with the Brighter Bushmills Project's Phase Two assignment (creating the panels, new brochure etc for the town).

So what rattled my cage? in a word....a burrito.

This was not just any old burrito though. This was an "up all night working, burning the midnight oil illustrating a map and finishing up the last remaining bits and pieces for the following day's meeting" burrito. I had not stopped for a midnight snack, not stopped for breakfast or any of that kind of thing. Now granted, my time keeping may not be the best in the world but this map has been occupying me pretty much around the clock. Yet, i enjoy it so i cannot complain.

I'd heard of Chilli McCool's on the North Coast, situated on the road between the Smuggler's Inn and the Giant's Causeway. I believe it is a new establishment. The last time i had had a burrito in a restaurant was Boojums in Belfast and so I was happy to see someone start up a Mexican style restaurant on the North Coast. I was fully in support of such a place and decided to see what they had to offer.

At eight british pounds for a burrito i half thought there must be some mistake. Was i getting a side order too and just hadn't been informed of it? Was the fact that with the guys behind the counter looking more Polish than Mexican or English it was causing some sort of menu and price malfunction? None of the above. Instead, it was eight pounds for a burrito. Fine, i thought to myself, i'm paying over the odds but chatting to the young man behind the counter and his explaining that they'd only set up a few months ago, i decided that IF the burrito was resonably decent, i would overlook the expensive price (It's a takeway style burrito for heaven's sake) in the hopes the business would find it's feet and establish itself better.

Now it has to be said that the set up is pretty decent, with the counters, the "subway" style picking and choosing what you want from a few containers and etc but the lack of choice left a little to be desired. Still, i thought to myself, give this wee burrito making business a chance because after all, they are still new it would seem, AND, they are trying to offer something a little different. I chose what i wanted from the rather paltry choice on offer, and had the young man load it onto my tortilla wrap. Could the young man be any more careless with the ladle, slapping the relish on and spilling it over the containers of sweetcorn and tomatoes? Did it ever occur to these "burrito making" employees that some members of the public might HATE salsa (hey you just never know) and wouldn't appreciate their lettuce covered in the stuff. I mean, that, after all, is why it is in separate containers is it not? to establish that there is CHOICE, however paltry it might be. Not that i cared that much personally. Things like that really are not that important to me. It seemed though that a little discretion couldn't go amiss.

The kicker came when i watched the guy starting to wrap my burrito in clingfilm. Oh i am not that worried about cling film either, i'm not a snob but bloody hell this was to be eaten at a table either in the establishment or outside. I took the burrito out and sat at an outdoor table as the weather was good, and as i began to eat it, i realized that the burrito was cold. The wrap was lukewarm but it's contents were cold. Screw it, i thought, I've not eaten since yesterday so we'll give it a shot, but i suppose by the grace of God my burrito started to come apart in my hands and was falling all over the table. Now dear reader, do not take that the wrong way. I am well accustomed to a tortilla wrap and i was not throwing it all over the place out of frustration at such a crappy service/burrito...i mean at 8 pounds i was not exactly eager for the burrito to fall apart all over the wooden picnic style table. Instead, i shoved it into the clingfilm and ate it later. That was the only way to salvage what was left. I then took myself off to the Smugglers Inn up the road and half wished I'd gone there in the first place. If the contents were warm and the tortilla wasn't paper thin (and thus the contents falling all over the bloody place) i would have overlooked the price and the sloppy service. IF a paper plate was provided the burrito could have been so much better because it would have been managable. In fact, At the price of the burrito, it's really the least they could do.

Hey, so sue me i feel sorry for the tourists in those tour buses that stop into this place because really the food is not THAT cheap, nor is it, in my own personal view, particularly healthy with half heated meat and whatever else. Mainly though a paper plate would have been a huge help. I'm not into the business of trying to badmouth small businesses but i remember walking away from that place feeling cheated.

In saying that however, others seem to have had better experiences on TripAdvisor. That's entirely possible. Also these reviewers may have had a different meal. If i had time on my hands I'd join TripAdvisor and give my opinions on the local areas around here but for now i'll just write about it if and when i see fit on my own website

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g209948-d4551300-r175737361-Chillie_mccools-Bushmills_County_Antrim_Northern_Ireland.html

As a respecter of the burrito I personally could not recommend the restaurant to anyone based on the service i received but it is entirely possible that they have repented of their ways and invested in some paper plates or at least a few napkins

Thanks for reading
James

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Bushmills Town Panels Update

Bushmills To Receive New Logo

John Clarke Potato Festival

Did I Will You Here?

Chilli McCool's Was Just Not Cool At All!

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