Welcome to P40B

More pictures of the Freud party

2008-11-11T15:00:00.001-08:00

http://www.flickr.com/photos/russki2/sets/72157608822948212/

Vot do you sink ven I say ze phrase "P40B"?

2008-11-03T11:02:00.000-08:00

I celebrated my birthday with friends on Saturday at the Freud Museum in London. There was an Austrian theme, which explains my slightly unconventional dress. I don't look a day over 39. Well, maybe a day. But no more than that.

P40B Art Collective scores big success

2008-11-03T10:58:00.000-08:00

Extreme danger: art lovers flocked to the McConnell gallery in the Barbican on Saturday to see a one-day exhibition from the P40B Art Collective. Full details at www.011108.co.uk More pictures soon.

Warning: this exhibition is hot

2008-10-27T02:56:00.001-07:00

Perhaps you were listening the radio and heard about a strange art exhibition that's coming up at the weekend? It would be great to see you there. Full details and a map at www.011108.co.uk Entrance is absolutely free.

40 things I've learned over the past 40 years

2008-10-27T02:54:00.000-07:00

If you want some tips and advice from someone with real-world experience, click here to read the 40 things I've learned in my first 40 years of life on planet London.

Young before my time

2008-10-11T17:20:00.000-07:00

Here I am posing in a Bench t-shirt, looking about twenty years younger than I actually am. If you visit the brand's website, you'll see how painfully cool my sartorial statement is: http://www.shop.bench.co.uk/

P40B Art Collective

2008-10-11T17:19:00.000-07:00

The Art Collective has been hard at work, planning for its first ever exhibition. Find out more at www.011108.co.uk

The search for eternal youth (cont'd)

2008-09-20T06:27:00.000-07:00

One good way of staying young could be to embrace cool youth brands. If I'm seen wearing them, people will automatically knock ten years off my age. Here I am wearing a Duck and Cover t-shirt. If you want to see how I should look in this brand, click here.

New P40B survey shows more council staff banned from Facebook

2008-08-29T02:06:00.001-07:00

I've just published the results of a P40B survey at www.p40b.co.uk

Over the summer, I contacted all the London Boroughs under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act to see whether they banned their employees from accessing sites such as Facebook and MySpace. It's clear that councils are divided over their approach, but more and more are choosing to use software to block their staff from gaining access. Although no one wants to think of public servants sitting around wasting their time at work, I wonder whether the policy is rather shortsighted? We all know that there's a whole generation addicted to social networking. Even older folk such as myself have dipped their toes in the water. Wouldn't it be better to encourage social networking as a way of stimulating a connection between council employees and members of the public who are pretty alienated from local government? I hope this is a story that will be picked up by the media, as there are implications right across the public sector.

In other news, as my 40th birthday fast approaches, we've had more pictures of hats appearing around the world. If you visit www.40whitehats.co.uk, you'll find the familiar white titfers as far afield as New York City and Queensland, Australia. It's great to think that news of my celebrations is spreading virally to people I've never met before.

I hope shortly to launch another signature initiative in which people can send me greetings from far-flung locations. Watch this space.

Merchandise available

2008-08-14T16:08:00.000-07:00

Show your support for the world's weirdest birthday party by visiting my Zazzle page for merchandise.

Latest birthday news

2008-08-14T15:44:00.001-07:00

Hats are travelling well. The latest shots from Belgium, France and Spain are now available to view on www.40whitehats.co.uk

The eccentric Count Phillip von Woodford is about to travel to Salzburg to investigate a code hidden within one of the world's best-loved musicals.

And a whole new P40B site is set to launch shortly. Watch this space.

One month in

2008-07-31T16:41:00.000-07:00

It's just about a month since I launched P40B and I'm very encouraged by what we've been able to achieve so far - particularly in relation to the 40 White Hats signature project. I've recently posted more images from the USA at www.40whitehats.co.uk and http://tennesseetitfers.blogspot.com Branded titfers are currently to be found everywhere from Belgium to China.

With three months until B-Day, it's time to step up a gear and put our foot on the gas. Watch out for more madness as August unfolds. The aim is to build to a crescendo in September and October, letting as many people as possible know about the whole P40B concept.

How big can one man's birthday become? Only time will tell.

The Count unravels a secret code

2008-07-31T16:39:00.000-07:00

I've long suspected that there's more to The Sound of Music than meets the eye. Luckily, Count Phillip von Woodford is here to investigate in more depth.

Some kind thoughts

2008-07-29T10:32:00.000-07:00

I posted news of my hat project on CNN's iReport beta site recently and was particularly struck by the comments of a lady who goes by the name of butterfly1.

"I really don't know you," she writes, "but your face seem so gentle and sweet. You celebrate you birthday however you please. You only live once, you might as well do it up in style."

My sentiments exactly.

"You are a gift to God with a smile that wonderful," she continues.

Modesty prevents, butterfly. But it's a very nice thought. And one which is causing me to smile some more as I write.

The face that launched the world's craziest birthday

2008-07-25T15:23:00.000-07:00

Although I'm very happy to celebrate my 40th birthday this year, I'm only human. There's a part of me that naturally wants to stay young forever, retaining the health, vigour and confidence associated with my earlier years. Over the next few months, I'm going to be looking for ways to grow old gracefully. My aim is that when I finally turn 40 on 1st November, strangers will look at me and say: "That geezer isn't a day over 39..."

First stop on the trail was top Sussex beauty salon Tranquility in the City. The Hove-based treatment centre welcomed me on Thursday for their "Simply Divine Champagne Facial". A lovely lady gave me a warm cleanse, before applying a vitalising mask. I was then exfoliated, masaged and treated with a Veuve Cliquot based foam mask (see pictures below). The salon tells me it's the glamorous way to fight the signs of ageing.

I emerged with my skin feeling much the same as it did in 1972. People are now asking me whether I'm that Phil Woodford's son. Perhaps being 40 isn't going to be so bad, after all?

If you have any suggestions for ways for me to reverse the ageing process or prove that I'm still young at heart, please email p40b@philwoodford.com

2008-07-25T15:20:00.000-07:00

Where's the birthday boy? An expert therapist from Tranquility in the City leaves just enough room for Phil to breathe.

2008-07-25T15:18:00.000-07:00

Rubbing it in: as Phil's wrinkles are ironed out, he's reminded of how close to 40 he really is.

2008-07-25T15:16:00.000-07:00

40 winks: Phil relaxes as the ageing process is slowly reversed.

Multiple timezones for P40B

2008-07-20T17:04:00.000-07:00

One of my ambitions for my 40th birthday party is to celebrate in multiple dimensions and parallel universes. I've set the ball rolling with three blogs that take P40B out of time.

Back in 1888, a rather more erudite Phil Woodford is trying to distribute birthday hats around the world, but struggling with the infrastructure of the Victorian transport system.

Fast forward to 1945 and Phyllis Woodford is coming to terms with the end of the war in Europe and recounts her life as a happy-go-lucky London girl. Her knowledge of life in the forties could prove invaluable as I head towards my fifth decade.

And who's this in 1972? That face looks familiar! Yes, I'm looking forward to my fourth birthday with eager anticipation. But will my parents have saved enough Green Shield Stamps to buy me a decent present?

Watch for regular updates as we move towards B-Day 2008.

Hats start to travel

2008-07-12T12:49:00.000-07:00

You never can tell where a P40B titfer is going to turn up next. That's what makes the 40 White Hats initiative so enjoyable. We've already had photographs sent from Spain and Denmark and I'm reliably informed that hats are now as far afield as the USA and Thailand. Keep up with all the latest news at http://www.40whitehats.co.uk/

Other P40B websites and initiatives will be launching soon, including the results of a survey conducted under the UK's Freedom of Information Act. In the meantime, you may want to check out my Infrequently Asked Questions site or explore the Bebo page of the P40B Art Collective. These radical artists have big plans for later in the year.

And P40B will also be celebrated in parallel universes. Check out the first one right here.

Stop off here for the birthday latest

2008-07-02T15:54:00.001-07:00

Welcome to my new-look birthday site.

P40B is going to be a whole lot of fun over the next few months, so please check back regularly to read the latest news. If you're on Facebook, you may also want to sign up to the "Phil's Facebook 40th" group, as members will get advance notice of new initiatives and web content.

Between now and 1st November, I'll be blogging regularly here and keeping you up to date with my plans. The big news at the moment is the launch of 40 White Hats - a P40B signature event. Confirmation came through today that one of the hats is in southern Germany and set to travel fast.