ORDERING a curry, reading the Argus, watching people in the supermarket - cartoonist Tim Harries finds inspiration everywhere.

For the last ten years he has daily commented on events across Gwent, from the mundane to the life changing.

Now Mr Harries, 39, has collected the best of his work into a book, A Never Say Dai Collection.

The Argus cartoonist, who lives on Gaer Street near Belle Vue Park with wife Nikki, says he hopes family-man Dai Morgan, his hard-working wife June, mischevious son Rhys and teenage daughter Joanne will find a wider audience.

"I like to think of them as kind of the Welsh Simpsons," he said.

"I've been doing it for so long that they almost write themselves. Sometimes what I know Dai would say before I know what I think."

Although he always loved drawing, taking A'level art, when he left school aged 17 Mr Harries was encouraged to get a "proper job" by his family, who live in Pontypridd.

For the next eight years he worked in a series of office jobs, before finding work as a medical illustrator at Llandough Hospital, drawing diagrams for leaflets explaining complex procedures to patients.

He started sending off cartoons to newspapers, getting one of his first published in a national newspaper. But it was after the Argus commissioned the Never Say Dai column in 1998 that he was able to become a full-time cartoonist.

Now he says when his friends read the paper they often spot situations they recognise.

"They'll say 'I remember that, I was there'," he says.

Mr Harries always carries a notebook to jot down ideas if inspiration strikes.

"I've been sat there until the early hours trying to think of something," he says. "Sometimes I have got the idea but not the punchline!"

When he has the idea Mr Harries roughly sketches out the strip.

Then on a fresh piece of paper, over a lightbox, he carefully draws the detailed catoon, two to three times larger than it will appear in the Argus.

The whole process can be as quick as an hour, but may take much longer.

"It's one of those situations where you can't quite believe your doing it," he said. "It's what I dreamed of really."

Visit www.neversaydai.co.uk to buy Mr Harries' book, which costs £6 plus £1.50 postage, and see Never Say Dai every night in the South Wales Argus.