The Swedes. They know how to do stuff. If you have an airport and it's cold enough, make an ice sign. People will notice, take pictures, and feel better about themselves.
I'm here on a Discovery shoot. We're filming behind the scenes for Industrial Junkie - a new show ready to launch sometime this year. It's a programme recorded at breakneck speed by some nice people working with North One television and hosted by the exceptionally dry humoured Jonny Smith. Nice guy. Likes cars. Likes cars a lot.
You're right, it is a small crew, but their turnaround is quick, so it pays to be a small unit. That helps us as well. We're only two (I'm working with director/cameraman/international Derbyshire playboy Carney Turner), which means we can bounce around without hassling them too much. Day one went well. Loads of good chat for us from Jonny, and some great camera stuff from Carney. Should be some magic short form for the Disco boys.
It's all taking place just outside of Pitea, a small town tantalisingly close to the arctic circle. It's a slightly creepy place. Not many people around. Big factories flank the city belching their white smoke into the clear northern air. The light here can be pretty special. Even the view from the hotel corridor is worth a pause.
The Thai restaurant isn't bad. You shouldn't have problem finding a table. Be careful of any film crews in the corner though. Unless you need to know how filthy Vegas is. Or about Jonny Chrysalis. Or how easy it is to shit out of a moving helicopter. Which - face it - is probably worth knowing.
On Wednesday, I was in Harpendon to see plowman craven. We were getting Sergio scanned for some work I'm doing for the Discovery Channel. Sergio has nice hands, and that's what I needed scanned.
There he is. Look at those digits.
Then on Wednesday, we were filming those hands. For the whole day.
He looks very zen. As well as having lovely hands, he has a smorgasbord of philosophy ready to be devoured. Example 1: The most common cause of divorce? Marriage.
Wednesday was also the day Arthur Albert Bennett came into the world to join his brother Fred. I don't have a photo of him, but I think this is where his Mum got the idea (for the name, not the baby).
She's a magic FM fan.
I was drafted in to get Fred to nursery whilst Jon made the birth. It was chaos. But after three sets of clothes and a variety of liquids cleaned from the floor, we made it to nursery.
The weekend was busy too. We spent the day in Marlborough on Saturday. Looks like we may call it home soon.