I had a few days away in the Cumbrian Lake District (land of Wordsworth and Beatrix Potter) and filmed a few poetry readings that suited such a beautiful back drop.
This is a piece called Canoe. If you've never been out in an open canoe before, then I heartily recommend it. The world and its troubles will seem far away and if you are loosing your mind, you stand a good chance of finding it again!

Mattress riding by Mark Bardsley

 A caricature of some doggie friends; Jack & Cadpig, who are both rescued Portuguese street dogs and are now very much loved pets. They have a wonderful new home in the English Lake District and are very happy! I have depicted them as Portuguese Buccaneers.

My friend the piano

Crufters going crazy!

A facebook friend drew my attention to yet another Crufts dog show outrage this morning;
that of an owner lifting a Scottie dog up by its neck and tail - possibly not a comfortable way to be repositioned!
A poem very quickly formed in my bemused mind and here it is, along with an appropriate image from my canine portfolio. Apologies to Robert burns!

The Scottie handler's caution.

Hoo to handle a Scottie

(Ye ruffians please tak heed)

Doon’t hoist im up by the bottie,

Doon’t hang im high bi th’ lead!

Doon’t fret that yon doogie might tangle,

He’ll tamp back doon ye will see.

Doon’t bi th’ throat let ‘im dangle,

Let Scotties gae wild an’ free!

"Billy won't pass the parcel", 40 humorous poems for children, is now live and downloadable from Amazon Kindle.

Here is a sample illustration; "Octavius the Octopus". The book features quite a number of creatures including  dogs, bats, jellyfish, cuckoos and owls. All the poems rhyme (for those of you who aren't big fans of blank verse). Each poem has its own illustration.

 Heres my rendition of "Billy won't pass the parcel" from my new Kindle book which goes live tomorrow (Saturday). If you navigate to my facebook page (link below) you will find details of my reading aloud competition. There are 3 limited edition "Billy won't pass the parcel" mugs to be won.www.facebook.com/markbardsleyillustration

www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vPUoEalx6k

BILLY WON'T PASS THE PARCEL Kindle launch competition & World Read Aloud Day!

To celebrate the Kindle launch of  "BILLY WON'T PASS THE PARCEL" I'm making a limited edition mug featuring the cover art available. There will only be 100 of this special launch mug made, each individually numbered and featuring a verse from the poem. So, keep your eyes on this blog and facebook for further announcements.

There will also be a chance to win a mug by reading one of 3 selected poems from the book, filming it and posting the result on my blog or on facebook. (make sure you have your parents permission if you are under 18). You will need to download the book from Amazon Kindle to find the poems that I want you to choose from. The 3 readings that I like most will win a special edition mug. The winners will be announced on WORLD READ ALOUD DAY on Wednesday, March 4th. So you will only have from Saturday 28th of February (when you can download the book) until noon (12 am UK time) on Wednesday 4th March to send me your reading!

"BILLY WON'T PASS THE PARCEL" Kindle first edition 28th February!

I've been writing funny poems for years but this is my first published collection entitled "Billy won't pass the parcel". It consists of 40 original poems (all designed to make you giggle a bit) and each one has a full colour illustration to go with it. You can order the complete book  from Amazon Kindle.
Here is the image featured on the cover and a couple of verses from the poem;

From:"Billy won't pass the parcel"

When I have a party

I ask the boy next door;

His name is Billy Jackson,

He says he’s three feet four.

He doesn’t eat much party food,

He says he just likes fruit,

He doesn’t wear what children do,

He always wears a suit.

I love writing poetry but its a lot of fun illustrating it too. I can give you even more information that way and you can see just what I was thinking! I usually write the poem first and then do the picture otherwise I wouldn't know what to draw! I'd probably go scribbling around randomly and just become confused! I often am confused anyway so writing poetry calms me down and helps me think straight...you should try it, it might help you too!