Reading spooky stories

Posted on October 26, 2025October 26, 2025 Posted in Memories, UncategorizedTagged afternoon entertainment, Anxiety, Confidence, Penkhull, Pub, Reading, writers group3 Comments

My writing group put on a show this afternoon. All of us got together to read out spooky stories we had written. They were not specifically done for the show, but after writing for ten months we all had something to contribute.

We got organised and even had tee shirts made up with our logo on. Everyone read out one or two stories in a local pub. They were pleased to have us and asked if we would go back at Christmas!

I was very nervous. My heart was racing and I struggled to just turn the page. But thankfully my stories were very short so I got off the stage area quite quickly. I think blogging here has made it easier. Being in the group has really helped.

Youdraw

Posted on October 24, 2025 Posted in Memories, Sketching, UncategorizedTagged 500k.art, Art, Black and white, Books, drawing life, Images, Memories, Sketches, Youdraw4 Comments

https://youtube.com/shorts/EmEBgH30shY?si=Q3TMLxNVdQfRB6Sj

I was drawing at a digital platform called youdraw several years ago. The object was to collect 500,000 drawings.

I’ve recently been contacted as they are going to publish 10 books with contributors art included. I thought I would share the link to my interview. Hope that’s OK…

My first cat…

Posted on October 23, 2025 Posted in Cat, Memories, UncategorizedTagged 1st cat, Cat, College, Dad, Home, Memories, student, Time, tortoiseshell cats, YearsLeave a comment

She never usually sat on dad’s lap, but this time she did. Such a loving little tortoise shell cat. I didn’t know then that this sort of fur colouration is mainly female…. I may be wrong. We had another cat too but I dint remember him well, I left home a few years later, and I missed them so much.

Of course when I stayed in student accommodation we weren’t allowed pets, but a year later we took in an old straggly cat that someone was going to have put to sleep. And after that I’ve always had cats… 11 in total… My friends.

Sleepy heads

Posted on October 22, 2025 Posted in Cat, Memories, UncategorizedTagged Bed, Black and white cat, Cat, Poem, Poetry, Schrodinger 's cat, Sleepy, Tired, Tuxedo catLeave a comment

My two other cats

Asleep and awake

A Schrodinger pair?

No box, just a bed

They need to rest,

Those sleepy heads.

Still worried

Posted on October 21, 2025 Posted in Cat, UncategorizedTagged Black and white cat, Cat, Cat Food, Knee, my friend, Purring, Sleeping, Time, Tuxedo catLeave a comment

He’s on my knee at the moment, purring. I thought I was going to lose him last week but I’ve been trying to pursuade him to eat and this seems to be working. He’s gone from just a liquid diet to a few solids. Tonight he had a bit of white fish, then he ate some kibbles. Later he ate a bit of normal soft cat food and then some soft pate style food with a gravy on top. Now he’s had a few treats! He still has to have medication but it’s good to see him eating again x.

Bedtime

Posted on October 21, 2025 Posted in Cat, Memories, UncategorizedTagged Bed, Black and white cat, Cat, Life, Memory, Paws, Poem, Poetry, Sleeping, squirming, Time, Tuxedo catLeave a comment

She got on MY bed again
The cheek! She’s too big!
Gets in the way
Her feet are big
Her head is large
She sprawls
Flops and squirms
And all because
Of my paws!

Apples

Posted on October 20, 2025October 20, 2025 Posted in Memories, UncategorizedTagged apples, Autumn, Crisp, Crumble, Dessert, Food, Fruit, glut, Pie, stewed, Sweet, TastyLeave a comment

There’s a glut of apples at the moment. People are bringing boxes and bags of them to give away.

Red, golden, yellow, green. Cookers and eaters, full of sugar and fibre. Crisp and juicy. I like them stewed with custard.

And you can’t beat an apple pie or crumble, just the mouth watering and warming dessert for this time of year. Sitting watching the rain and wind blowing horizontally past the windows, I want that bowl of flavour!

Threads challenge

Posted on October 20, 2025 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Challenge, dare, Fun, Poem, Poetry, Prompt, Rhyme, Silly, socks, threads1 Comment

A threader had dared people to write a poem using the word socks.

I came up with this :

My socks fell round my ankles
As the elastic was worn
It’s really not a good look
And I should have sworn
But I was in an interview
Trying for a job
So I hid my legs very quickly
And decided to shut my gob!

Very silly I know! Hope you laugh!

Some cheerful autumn flowers

Posted on October 19, 2025 Posted in Memories, UncategorizedTagged Cafe, Decoration, Eccleshall, Flowers, Leaves, Musical notes, posies, Staffordshire, TableLeave a comment

Flowers in a pot decorated with music. I went to the singathon at eccleshall yesterday and all the tables in the cafe had these lovely posies on them. You can’t see the black musical notes that were placed in the pots because I cropped the photo.

I loved the combination of colours and shapes. So delicate and intricate. I hope you like them too.

Singing

Posted on October 18, 2025 Posted in Memories, UncategorizedTagged Choir, Countryside, Fun, Language, Loud mouth women, Melody, Music, Singing, Staffordshire, WorldLeave a comment

One of the choirs I’m in went to a singathon today. Choirs and performances all day. This is a photo in the cafe. I don’t have permission to take photos of the participants.

It was lovely to join in with the choir, we sang songs from around the world including Tonga, Trinidad, France, Romanian, and Maori. I had to have a chair as I cannot stand for long, which is immensely frustrating. But it was great to be out and about, and driving through the autumn countryside was a bonus.

As we left we heard the theme to “Blackadder” played on recorders through an open window. A really eccentric English moment.

Mallaband-Brown

Author: artbychristinemallabandbrown