Wildfires

Posted on July 12, 2026 Posted in Memories, UncategorizedTagged Climate change, climate deniers, Conwy, Fire, Forest, Moors, Saddleworth, Wales, wildfiresLeave a comment

At the moment there are 19 active wildfires in the UK. They have been caused by three successive heatwaves in the UK since May.

Moorland near Glossop in Derbyshire is on fire. There is another caused by kids setting off fireworks I think. Their friend had drowned in a lake after getting into difficulties, and the idea was to remember him?

Also a forest fire in Conwy, Wales. A fire on Saddleworth Moor near Rochdale. Another on the Hampshire-Surrey border.

There are more massive fires in Southern Spain where several people have been killed or injured, and also in France and Greece.

So those climate change deniers have a lot to answer for.

Damsons

Posted on July 11, 2026 Posted in Memories, UncategorizedTagged Art group, cut down, Damsons, destroyed, Gardening, Hedge, Life, Plants, Walnut1 Comment

What fruit there is is ripening in this excessive heat but will possibly be spoilt by next Wednesday when I see it again, it’s at the craft group I go to, either that or it will have been eaten by hungry birds.

In other news my neighbour down the road owns a computer shop. A couple of years ago they bought the land to the side of my garden and now they are in the process of building a new office. So because my old hedge was growing over the boundary line they have cut it down and some of my Walnut tree branches too. I think they thought they were doing me a favour but I’m worried someone could get in the garden and break into my sheds (I have been burgled before), and Walnuts can weep until they die. With that and metallic fencing they are putting up it will feel more like a prison than a garden.

Fan time

Posted on July 10, 2026July 10, 2026 Posted in Memories, UncategorizedTagged Poetry, Weather, Poem, Life, Tired, Hot, Electricity, Fan, heatwave, exhaustionLeave a comment

Third heatwave in a few weeks

I’m exhausted

Too hot

Found a small fan.

But I wait for the room

To get hot

Before I switch it on.

Then bliss as cool air

Sweeps over me

But don’t want to use

Too much electricity…

Orange cat

Posted on July 8, 2026 Posted in Cat, Fine Art, Sketching, UncategorizedTagged Acrylic on canvas, Cat, impressionistic, Life, line work, orange cat, Painting, Texture, toothbrush1 Comment

Playing with line, used a toothbrush for the black outlines. Acrylic on canvas. Done at art group today. I gave it to a friend as it reminded her of her cat Marmalade. X

In situ

Posted on July 6, 2026 Posted in Fine Art, Memories, UncategorizedTagged Acrylic on canvas, Art, Criccieth Castle, decor, dining room, Fine Art, Home, in situ, Life, Painting6 Comments

Here is my painting, finally finished and hanging in my friends house. It’s colours really match the decor.. I’m so pleased I painted this it took ages but it works well. I can still paint!

Kitty

Posted on July 3, 2026 Posted in Cat, Memories, UncategorizedTagged Black and white cat, Cat, Kitty, last, Poem, Poetry, Queen, Tuxedo cat1 Comment

She’s the last

I want her to last

Have all of her 9 lives

Have the best life

The most love

Make her queen

Of the castle

My Cat.

A bit more

Posted on July 2, 2026 Posted in Fine Art, Memories, UncategorizedTagged Acrylic on canvas, Art, Criccieth Castle, final alteration, Fine Art, Painting, vegetation2 Comments

Improved the right hand side of the painting. It looked a bit bland and needed some more interesting vegetation… More work, but worth it.

Finished castle?

Posted on July 1, 2026 Posted in Fine Art, UncategorizedTagged Beach, Criccieth Castle, Fine Art, Landscape, Painting, Sea, Water, Waves1 Comment

Criccieth Castle, Wales. Looks a bit like a whale. I hope the person who commissioned it will be happy? I had to leave off some buildings and people from the original photo. That has made the hillside a bit more difficult to paint, imagining the undergrowth.

What do you think? I hope they like the restless waves.

Success

Posted on June 30, 2026 Posted in Cat, Fine Art, Memories, UncategorizedTagged 2026, Abstract, Acrylic on canvas, Cat, Cat fish, ginger cat painting, Pattern, three counties open exhibition3 Comments

So pleased I’ve got my little painting “cat fish” accepted in the 3 counties open exhibition in August. It doesn’t happen often these days x

Use a mirror base

Posted on June 29, 2026June 29, 2026 Posted in Cat, Fine Art, Memories, UncategorizedTagged Black and white cat, Cat, Fine Art, Fish, Fun, Goldfish, mirror base, Oil paints, Polytechnic, Tuxedo cat1 Comment

Got nothing to paint on? One summer I had no canvases because I was on summer break from the polytechnic. So I did a portrait of our cat on the wooden base of a broken mirror. I decided to go surreal and add goldfish, as if she was looking through a glass fishtank. Added painted gravel to the bottom of it. I had fun. This was when I was still using oil paints which soaked in nicely to the wood.