05/09/2026
August was quite eventful as my Instagram account , an account I had for 15 or twenty years, was hacked by some git in Adana, Turkey. Instagram closed it down and deleted it, taking with it all my photos and thousands of followers built up over the years. So we dust ourselves off and start again,
I have mounted quite a few specimens in August in preparation for the Leeds Steampunk and Alternative Market in October, so looking forward to that. I had quite a few commissions in, too.
I only did one course in August due to workload, so we had Gokul visit to learn some taxidermy. He ended up doing a crow but would have preferred a magpie, as these are quite exotic to someone from India. I don’t tend to offer magpies to beginners, as they can be a little tricky, as is doing the birds with the wings up, which is what Gokul, wanted, but we aim to please. He also travelled from east Yorkshire on the train every day, leaving around 6AM to get to me for around 10 am. That is dedication. Anyway, I think he ended up loving his crow, wings-up, that he took home on the train. I also took the opportunity picking his brains on some of my plants, as he is very knowledgeable in that field.
I also took the decision to resign from the day job so I can concentrate on the art I love and escape the chaos of the job. Life is short, and it was only supposed to be a 6 month gig for me, but nearly 5 years later, I was still there, so the time is right for me now to get back to full-time taxidermy.
Thanks to the people who have followed me on this new account, too, and please spread the word of my new account. Maybe some of my old followers will find me again.