Handing over the big comedy cheque

Well, after 2 months of fund raising and moustache growing I finally handed over the big comedy cheque to the London Tropical Zoo on Friday.

The lovely fella I’m shaking hands with is Tony, whose family owns and operates the zoo. I didn’t catch the name of the snake, though he did whisper it in my ear (as you can see).

I was well chuffed with the cheque. I made it myself with a lot of free-hand type and designing on the fly. Came out pretty nice in the end I reckon.

I raised a total of £377 cash (which in real terms becomes £473:46 after they claim the tax back). Not bad for a bit of facial hair and loads of support from a lovely bunch of people (and by that I mean YOU).

Thank you everyone who made a donation. I was honestly amazed to not only reach but surpass my target, and that’s all thanks to my friends and family for supporting me so generously. You’re the best.

Winner of the cookies was Steve Arnold, one of my Tai Chi compadres, and the prize for the largest donation went to the lovely Rikki Hale who lives in Phoenix, Arizona (how international is that!). She’s received her goodie pack along with my heartfelt thanks and I’m happy to say she seems to like it all. What Steve thinks of his cookies remains to be seen.

Gracias amigos, for all your help. It’s been a good laugh.

Moustachioed Shenanigans pt 2

Well, I’ve been promising these for a while, and now they’re finally here. So, for all you folks out there, here’s some moustachieod shenanigans for you to enjoy, by way of a thank you for all your help with my fund raising efforts.

I decided to recreate images of my top 3 Men of Moustache, by means of dress up and top notch computer wizardry. Special thanks to my friend Sabera for all her help in making this possible. I couldn’t have done it without her!

So here they are, in ascending numerical order:

3. The Bandit

Burt doing what he does best, show off. It’s a hard life eh? What a job, what a car, and what a moustache!

2. Magnum PI

If you’re going to be a private investigator make sure you drive a Ferrari, live on Hawaii, and have a good moustache. You know it makes sense.

1. Earl Hickey

Karma gets you in the end, but a good ‘stache will see you through anything. Randy!

So there you go, top shenanigans I’m sure you’ll agree. Was a good laugh doing the pics. The wig was a bit creepy to wear, and we got a few funny looks in Crystal Palace park with it on, but it was well worth it. I’m especially proud of the wall behind ‘Earl’. All old school free-hand typography and cut and stick. Oh yeah, I’ve still got it baby.

Moustachioed shenanigans pt 1

Had a bit of fun today.

I’ve been promising some moustache fun for a while now. Well, this post is by way of a teaser for what’s to come.

My friend Sabera and I did a wee photo shoot in Crystal Palace today. It started with a wig,

a hideous wig that needed a serious haircut! There was some set design,

a bit of research,

and a lot of monkeying around!

Check back at the end of the week for the results of our efforts, I guarantee it’ll give you a chuckle.

Week 37 : out and about

Been a busy week this week. I’ve surprised myself with how busy I’ve been.

We had a very successful International Kiki Day, where much fun was had by all and a number of goodies were procured for future enjoyment.

I popped sarf o’ the river to see my friend Katie who I did Go Ape with, and who I haven’t seen for ages, taking with me a gluten free version of my Coconut and Oatmeal Cookies and some Chocolate Crunchies (which I’m still working on the recipe for – coming soon).

And then last night I went to a party, where I drank for the first time in 4 months. Not dirty dirty Stella, as pictured above, but a couple of mojitos. Now I didn’t get really drunk, the mojitos I made weren’t even that strong, but I wish I hadn’t bothered. I didn’t gain anything by it. In fact the only result was I felt a bit rougher this morning. That’s why I think I’m going to lay off the booze for good pretty much. I think I’d prefer it that way.

And finally, my days of ‘taching it up are coming to an end. I’ve called time on the Moustache for Cash project, and I’m now in the process of collecting all the donations and arranging to hand them over to the zoo. Hopefully this week I’ll be able to do one final blog entry with a grand total on, including some pictures of the handover, an announcement of who won the cookies and cake, and possibly another little surprise. Check back next weekend for more developments.

Feeding time! (‘tache watch part 3)

My word, what a day! The lovely people at The London Tropical Zoo invited me over to do some photos for their Facebook page, and I got to go in the cages and feed a whole load of the animals. How cool is that! Check this out…

I got to meet Rolo the Bolivian Squirrel Monkey,

Aztec and Inca the Marmoset,

Klaus the Boa Constrictor,

and Ringo the Lemur!

What a great day!

The squirrel monkey was hard to pin down, hence the slightly blurry photo. He just kept leaping about all over the place.

Didn’t get any pics of the marmosets on me as they were quite happy just chillin’ on their branch. Suppose I shouldn’t be surprised at that, as the only pics I got of them last time were of them sleeping, pretty much.

Klaus was brilliant. So very heavy, and incredibly strong with it. You could feel the potential power when he wrapped around your arm. I can imagine what it would be like to tackle one of the big constrictors. But holding on to this guy really confirmed for me what I suspected already, that I love snakes! That being said, I think I’ve got a thing for lemurs as well.

Ringo was so cute, and so very friendly. By the end of the session he was just chilling on my shoulder, which is why we got so many great shots. And his fur was so soft too. You can see why they sleep all cuddled up together. It must be well cosy. Also, check out some of the other pics to see his feet and that in detail. Lemurs are such amazing and unique creatures, all thanks to their isolated Madagascan evolution.

My thanks to Maz, Jordan and Zac at the London Tropical Zoo for making it all happen, and hopefully the photos will generate a bit more sponsorship.

Don’t forget there’s still time to sponsor me and possibly win some cookies or even a cake! And to give the Facebookers of you out there a chance at the goodies I’ve decided to extend the moustache wearing for another week or two. It means a bit more scratchy itchiness for me, but if it means the London Tropical Zoo can make a bit more dosh out of the whole thing then it’ll be worth it!

Howdy, partner (‘tache watch, part 2)

Check this bad boy out! (and by “bad boy” I mean the moustache, and not me)

Coming on pretty nicely huh? I added the hat and shades just to stop the pics getting too repetitive (and I think it looks good too ).

I’m just over 2 weeks into my Moustache for Cash charity growing for the London Tropical Zoo and things aren’t going too badly. If you check out my Just Giving page you’ll see I’m about 33% towards my intended target. Not as far along as I’d like to have been, but there’s still plenty of time for people to get involved.

If you want to make a donation to help out you can do so here, or you can come enjoy the moustache in person and make a donation then. There’s no limits, every little helps, even a couple of quid, and as an added incentive I’ve decided to do a draw of all donators to win a bag of home made vegan cookies (as well as baking a cake for whoever makes the largest donation). Now if that doesn’t entice you to give a little I dunno what will!

Week 32: In which our hero gets his sprout on, wins the Premium Bonds, and works on his moustache

A few wee new things this week. First of all I won the Premium Bonds. no, don’t get all excited, I ain’t rich. I’m up the princely sum of £25.

For those of you who don’t know the Premium Bonds is like a lottery, except your ticket once bought never expires. It just goes back in the draw. Consequently your chances of winning are astronomical. I’ve had mine since birth and this is my first ever win. Frankly, at £25 in 36 years, I’m a little disappointed.

Secondly this week, I’ve gotten into germinating my own seeds. I’m still trying to do the Thrive in 30 thing, only now I’m running out of money. Costs a fortune to keep buying salads and sprouts and stuff like that, especially when you don’t get round to eating them all and they go off, so I’m going to grow my own. Got this germinator and a pack of seeds, and I’ve had it on my window for a few days. That’s it really. A soak, a regular rinse, and you end up with a load of sprouts. I heartily recommend it to everyone. Much easier, and cheaper in the long run, than buying tubs of sprouts from the shops.

And lastly, I’ve finally got a decent moustache on the go! Unfortunately I can’t show you it as all the pics I took came out really bad (blurry, etc.), and now I need a shave again so it doesn’t look as good. But I will be posting some more pics in a couple of days so you can see how it’s coming along. For now just enjoy this clip that sums up the trials and tribulations of owning a moustache.

What it forgets to mention is how damn itchy it is! Come the end of the month I’ll be glad to see the back of this thing.

Week 31: In which our hero goes porno (‘tache watch, part 1)

Well, no surprise what my new thing for this week was. The glorious porno ‘tache I’ve started growing.

It began on Sunday the 1st, with… well, nothing really. I just stopped shaving. After four days, it was time to go to the razor. I got in the mood for the occasion with a little some appropriate music – Je t’aime, moi non plus – by Jane Birkin & Serge Gainsbourg – then set to work.

This was the result.

Not bad, but a bit normal I think. It lacked bravery, style, panache, and it made me look like a copper, so more work was needed. Come Sunday the 8th and it was time to get the razor out again. This time I added a bit more, extending the ‘tache down at the edges to give it it’s full porno credentials. Regarde:

Now you’re talking! This I like, and when it fully comes in it’s gonna look fabulous. I have an idea for some ‘tache based stunts to do in later weeks, but they’re still on the drawing board for now. More news as and when they happen.

For now, I hope you’re enjoying the developing facial hair. If anyone fancies sponsoring me in my efforts, and helping me raise money for the London Tropical Zoo, you can do so here. And my thanks to everyone who’s sponsored me already. I really appreciate all the help.

Kiki’s porno moustache

Well, I’ve decided what to do to raise some money for the London Tropical Zoo. For the month of August I will be growing some embarrassing facial hair!

I’m sure that my friends, relatives, and the general public, will pay good money to see me go around sporting a porno moustache. You know the kind of thing I mean, bushy but kempt, a little down at the ends, the sort of moustache that says ‘Yeah I’ve been naked on camera, what of it?’…hahaha… Sorry, but every time I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror or shop window I can’t help but think how daft it looks. And also a little official too, like a policeman or something, which is doubly scary.

So there you have it, 31 days of me getting funny looks and you guys getting a good laugh. You can’t say fairer than that. And as an added bonus whoever makes the biggest donation gets a free home-made cake from me. Now if that doesn’t tempt you nothing will!

To make a donation click here.

To read more about the Tropical Zoo having to move click here.