Author: artbychristinemallabandbrown

I'm an artist based at the Spode factory site in Stoke on Trent. I paint, draw and create digital art. Contact me at mallabandbrown@aol.com

Watching a Wonderful Life

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Christmas is the time I like to watch old films, cheerful and poignant. Today I had the pleasure of watching James Stewart in a Wonderful life. Its a lot more complex than I remember it. Stewart plays George Bailey who runs a small savings and loan company. He is up against a villain called Potter who wants to own Stewarts company as well as everything else in the town. The story turns on a mishap with the companies money. Stewart in desperation want to kill himself, but is shown a world without himself, and doesnt like what he finds. I’m not posting any spoilers. Watch it if you can!

Mince pie floater?!

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Oops! I watched in horror as my mince pie slid from the plate, past the cat, down into my fresh mug of tea! Errr… It floated for a while then started it’s inevitable sinking. Like the Titanic movie at Christmas it was soon glugging (with bubbles) out of sight!

How had it happened? A jogged elbow, a tipped plate, the cats paw? It just happened.

Rescue mission? I took a spoon and tried to fish it out, like a trawler reaching its net down into the murky depths. But the disintegration had started and the tea was dissolving the pastry. I decided I could drink the tea, and then spoon out the pie as I drank. I did. Turns out pie pastry isn’t as nice when dunked as rich tea biscuits. But waste not, want not. But the minced fruit was nice. However I would not recommend it as a tasty treat!

Christmas TV

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So, there was a strange mixture of secular and religious TV on for Christmas Eve. We started out watching the Festival of nine lessons and carols from Kings College, Cambridge this evening. The choral singing was beautiful, etherial, sublime. The arrangements were lovely and the readings were excellent.

But what else to watch. I wasn’t interested in game shows or music quizzes and I just wanted a quiet night. I’m still not very well and it gets worrying as you get older when you don’t recover as quickly as you would have in the past. I’m waiting for the antibiotics to kick in.

My hubby decided to watch an old Clint Eastwood film. It was violent and much more realistic than some more modern films (which have people dying without blood and guts). I’m afraid I just went to sleep, occasionally waking up at particularly noisy bits of it. Not exactly Christmas viewing!

Trying to enjoy

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My mind is muddled,

My thoughts are muddied

My intentions busy

But ideas are muzzy…

Such a joyous time of year

To enjoy, with good cheer

Or so they say, and so I wish

To drink and eat a tasty dish

To share love far and wide.

But also remember those that died?

For they are here no longer, live

And for their memory we will strive.

We cannot follow where they’ve gone

We can only know their life is done.

So sad and sweet my thoughts entangled,

To relax my mind I’ll try to wrangle.

I can not say about it, more,

I do not want to be a bore.

I can only think of farewells

Then listen to midnight bells

And listen to the Christmas carols

Sung by all of heavens heralds.

Enough of this

Peace is my wish.

Merry Christmas /Holidays

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Have a happy Christmas

A joyful day for you and me

May all the world be happy

Round the Christmas tree.

I hope you get the things you need

To help you get along.

No matter if you celebrate the season

Maybe even sing a song

Or not, and do something else,

I wish you every happiness

For this year and next

All year long. X

Odd cat

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When I put my finger next to one of my cats, instead of nuzzling he’s started to bite and chew it. I don’t know why? He will sit and Starr at my finger then grab it and chew! And it’s not like he’s hungry, he’s got lots of food. Maybe he likes the texture of my fingernail. It’s not too painful, he’s not broken the skin, it just seems like odd behaviour. He used to rub his head against my finger or hand, but as I say this is now happening. Any ideas? Is it boredom, is it because he’s trying to be dominant? Do I think if I die he will be one of those cats that survived on my corpse? Help!

North America

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So yet again I didn’t know what to draw. I tried to remember the shape of the North American continent (including Canada) and to draw it from imagination. Then I remembered when our teacher would use a roller to print out the shape of the United Kingdom onto our school books for geography class. Maybe American children had something similar to use for history or geography? So that’s what this drawing is meant to be…#bandofsketchers prompt for Thursday.

Cyclamen

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A rescue from my sisters house. A pink cyclamen plant in flower. It fits in with the Christmas cactii, a similar shade of pink. I can’t find another place for it because there are radiators under the windows so they are only really good for germinating seedlings.

I would have bought all her other plants home with me to look after, it’s sad to think they are all sitting there in her house, in the cold. It’s sad I won’t speak to her on Christmas day, I won’t be able to share my thoughts, ask how things are going. Be interested in her family. Still, I will look at the Cyclamen and remember.

Tidied cupboard

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About twelve inches of paperwork removed from this cupboard, my paintbrushes stored in vases, a star mobile lit at the back of the cupboard (it’s on a cable and won’t work anymore when it’s hanging up). Two glasses of coffee liquor over ice. It actually feels quite grown up. I can also get at my orchid plants in the window, one of which I seem to have killed. I have got to finish off by tidying the cupboard next to this. I’d like to have it done by Christmas if I feel OK. Housework? I hate it. But sometimes you have to do it….