http://www.annablack.com/organisation
This month I am mostly sorting the notes for my book. Only another 1000 odd people to meet 
blog
Aug 102010
Aug 052010
draw a smiley face on your hand http://www.annablack.com/if-you-ever-feel-down
Jul 302010
http://www.annablack.com/colossal-adventure Came across this beautiful 1983 copy of the Level 9 text adventure game for the BBC yesterday. It appears to be complete including the “hint envelope”
“Colossal Adventure is a full scale version of the original, classic, mainframe game “Adventure”: with added 70 locations. All crammed into your micro. This massive, pure text adventure has over 200 locations and a wealth of puzzles which may take months to solve.”
Jul 282010
http://www.annablack.com/no-golf-on-a-sunday The Isle of Harris on the Outer Hebrides, Scotland is very religious. On a Sunday everything on the island is closed, and nothing happens locally but church. On our walk from Leverburgh (the 2nd largest village on Harris) we spotted 4 churches in close proximity and many others on the outskirts.
Jul 242010
http://www.annablack.com/thelankyhobo Just back from wild camping, tramping and hitching around the Outer Hebrides in Scotland.
Met some genuinely kind and jolly people (and sheep) and got into a few scrapes and japes – so have plenty of stories to tell in the coming weeks (and a fair few APOTSPOAB’s* too)
Jun 212010
for being such a fantastic inspiration. You are so missed already by your fans.
You know you are. You really are XXX
Jun 072010
Today I am mostly work editing (see “to the left”) Along with bits of “Unconformity” an animation/live action short which I hope to have completed by the end of August and my 2006 Edinburgh Festival self a facing docu which is a long time coming.
Looking back through footage made me personally reflect in a jolly way. It’s been very difficult to be active and creative for the last couple of years. I’ve been on my way back from a serious illness and my brain is faster than my body sometimes. For someone like me this is frustrating!
M.E. / Chronic Fatigue (or whatever name you give it) pretty much decimated my entire life. Work, relationships, finances, home, and career. I ended up without anywhere to live and turned from an hyperactive lanky bint into a inactive docile lumpy cheese sandwich. (I am more svelte these days 
)
I lost two years of my life, but in a strange life affirming type-way!
One of the worst things about the whole experience was being informed on a regular basis that I was just “depressed”, or “down”, or even “lazy”. It made it ten times worse having to constantly explain or convince people that I was actually ill – as well as being ill. In the end I just stopped talking to people.
Anyway, I always try to channel anything negative into what I do creatively and use it positively. It’s very strange how out of pain can come inspiration so I’m glad I bought that signed photograph of Arthur Bostrom ten years ago! It forced me to get out of the house and meet people, and probably saved my sanity. (Did I say I’m writing a book? 
)
So – to paraphrase – I feel very fortunate, and I am now as well as I can be – and back, behind, in front, and inside a camera looking for inspiration! It’s all jolly and it’s all positive!
Cheers, and thanks for sticking with me.
Anna x
Mar 142010
Many of you will know I am a complete retro computer geek. Specifically Commodore 64 and 16, but I collect other systems like ZX Sinclair Spectrum, Atari, Coleco, etc. Back in the day I used to program games and adventures and do all sorts of fun things with them. Easy tiger.
Anyway, back in the mid 80′s a company called Melbourne House released a text adventure called “Hampstead”. For the uninitiated a text adventure is a game where you type in a series of commands and you try and solve puzzles and pick up objects and find treasure, etc. It’s very much like reading a book. You create the locations in your imagination
The aim of Hampstead was not just to reach Hampstead, but to attain it. Questions and answers posed on the advert below included:
Questions people ask about Hampstead:
Q: Is there life after Hampstead?
A: No, Only before and during…
Q: Why do dustbins have no lids in Hampstead?
A: In order that passers-by may see the week’s completed Guardian
crosswords stacked neatly within…
As I now live not far away from Hampstead I am determined to complete this classic game and therefore attain my own version of Hampstead and hopefully my own bicycle with a basket
Check out Hampstead on World of Spectrum and get yourself an emulator to attain Hampstead with me
Feb 122010
We went to Portsmouth and saw the hovercraft which was a geeky ambition 
And here is @thesignedphoto with the Spinnaker Tower 
Regular readers will know I am a complete variety and theatre history nut. I was fortunate enough to meet Steve Clark while at the London Palladium a few weeks ago. Steve is one of The Clark Brothers and dance history on legs – or feet to be precise. Have a look at the clip below – it is absolutely incredible!
He is a true entertainment legend who regaled us with tales of working with Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr and many other names I never thought I’d be one degree of separation from. He also said he worked at the Kilburn Empire!
Also below is a lovely bit of video with Sandra (a wonderfully jolly lady with a beautiful beaming smile) when they broke into impromptu sing songs. This clip makes me so happy – it’s a real joy to watch!
Would you like to replay the video or share the link to it with your friends?
(apologies for the hazy video quality – the lighting was very gloomy and had to brighten a bit…)
(I’ve managed to visit a few of the West End Theatres recently so will write more soon about my backstage exploits )
