Hot buttered toast

Posted on August 27, 2022 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Aches, Butter, decaffeinated, Food, Hot, Insomnia, Sleep, Sleepy, spread, Tired, ToastLeave a comment

When you get up after two hours lying awake at four o’clock in the morning and need comfort food. A lightly toasted slice of white bread and the spread of your choice, and a decaffeinated beverage helps. The first thing I thought last night when I woke up was ‘toast’, I’d got to take a tablet, and I didn’t want to take it on an empty stomach. I remember making toast for people for breakfast in one of my jobs. When all the residents had had theirs we were allowed a slice of toast and a cup of tea. A five minute rest in a hectic morning. And doesn’t it look good enough to eat? I’ve managed to get about three hours sleep in total and all I want to do is get back to bed. But the toast was lovely.

Red

Posted on August 26, 2022 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Childhood, deep red, dress, Life, Maroon, Memories, polkadot, RedLeave a comment

Red is the colour I loved as a child. Not pink. I had to have a bright red polkadot dress. I remember seeing a red setting sun for the first time when I was small. I liked red sweets, though I don’t remember the flavour. Red roses were beautiful, and red toffee apples were tasty.

Even now I like wearing red, but I’m a bit more adventurous, liking deep reds and maroons and bright reds. I still don’t like pink though.

Photosynthesis

Posted on August 26, 2022 Posted in UncategorizedTagged botany, Green, Growth, Life, photosynthesis, Plants, Programme, starch, Thinking, TVLeave a comment

It took centuries to discover why plants are (usually) green and how they grow and create food from thin air. I was watching a programme about botany last night and there was a long explanation about the science of it.

First people experimented by weighing a plant before and after tending it for five years and finding that although it gained weight it did not affect the soil. Then they tried growing plants but without light, which meant they would not thrive. They realised that they created starch in their leaves, but took time realising they absorbed carbon dioxide and gave out oxygen as a byproduct.

The whole programme was very informative but I wasn’t taking notes. But the idea that humans could understand it and may be able to use the process artificially is amazing. The ability to turn sunlight into fuel would be something that could help humankind.

Postponed craft fairs

Posted on August 26, 2022 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Cost, Craft fair, Crafts, Energy, Life, Money, postponed, Rent, Spode, Studio2 Comments

Sadly the two craft fairs I signed up for have been postponed because they fall too close to Christmas, there are other similar fairs on at the same time and the cost of living makes them less likely to be profitable because no one will have any money.

I would like to participate in ones next year but how can I be certain that things will be any better then? People are going to suffer financially and luxuries like arts and crafts may not be saleable. The whole idea of being an artist and trying to sell work seems less and less feasible.

Meanwhile, I’m seriously thinking about leaving my studio at Spode. I didn’t use it very often since Covid happened because I’m still avoiding people. I don’t know if I can afford it any more. Life isn’t terrible but sometimes you need to be sensible.

Fuel price cap

Posted on August 25, 2022 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged conservatives, electricity meter, Fuel, Gas, Government, inflation, Life, Oil, Poverty, Sketching4 Comments

Later today the United Kingdom is going to be told the new price cap for Gas and Electricity which will affect the cost of bills. The price is set to skyrocket to about £2300 a year in October but then £4200? Per year in January! Bills are going to be unaffordable for the poorest in society and the question of whether to heat or eat becomes very bad if all you can afford to buy is cheap tinned food but you can’t heat it up.

The UK is supposed to be the sixth richest nation in the world but we seem more interested in giving the fuel companies shareholders masses of money instead of supporting our citizens. Our government is currently deciding who will replace Boris Johnson by letting 160,000 members of the British Conservative party choose the next prime minister instead of doing something about the cost of living crisis. Note to Liz Truss who is likely to win. If you cut taxes that’s fine for the rich, but a lot of people don’t pay them because their incomes are already too low. A 1% cut of nothing is nothing.

Pointed

Posted on August 25, 2022 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged #bandofsketchers, Art, Drawing, Felt pens, fine line ink pen, Pen, Pencil, pointed, SketchingLeave a comment

Today’s #bandofsketchers prompt was pointed. I didn’t really know what to do. Not feeling too inspired, I’m ill, so just drew a cone shape with a point on it and a darker shadow then added pen, pencil and paintbrushes with points. I suppose I could have drawn the Shard in London or something like that.

Before covid?

Posted on August 25, 2022August 25, 2022 Posted in Fine Art, UncategorizedTagged Art, Artists, Colour, Dorset, Fine Art, Holiday, Life, Lulworth cove, Painting, shingles, StonesLeave a comment

You could go to a beach and find someone just painting stones as a job (Lulworth Cove in Dorset). A respectable way of earning some money as an artist. Sitting in the sunshine, working on imaginative designs. We bought one with a blue octopus painted on it. The stones were probably collected off the shingle beach (yes I’m writing about different shingles). I would love to go back there but I doubt this artist would still be plying his trade. Yes the world has changed.

Green, red, white and black cat.

Posted on August 25, 2022 Posted in Cat, UncategorizedTagged Andy Warhol, Art, Black and white cat, Cat, Filtered, Fun, Photo, Playing, screen printLeave a comment

Happy cat. I decided to play with using a black and white filter then adding texture and then a flood fill of red and green. I think it is similar in an Andy Warhol image (though I make no claim of having the same sort of skills as him) I just think it shows how digital filters now can quickly change an image that would have required skills such as black and white photography and screen printing in the past.

Black and white cat

Posted on August 25, 2022 Posted in Cat, UncategorizedTagged Black and white cat, black and white filter, Black and white tv, Cat, Poem, Poetry, Programme, Television, TVLeave a comment

Like an old TV

His horizontal hold

Has slid

He’s flat on his side

Vertical gone a smidge

Black and white and grey

Relaxed for the day

In a min

He will snore

Or purr

Like a hissing

White noise

Screen…

Shingles

Posted on August 24, 2022August 24, 2022 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Ache, chickenpox, Herpes Zoster, Ill, Illness, Internet, lower back, Pain, shingles, Tired6 Comments

No, not the sort that you find on a beach. The one caused by having chickenpox. It can come back as shingles in later life…..

Hubby is due his vaccination against it which is great, but I’ve had an aching lower back for a week. It hurt even more last night, each time I tried to get comfortable I got shooting pains in my back and leg. My hubby had noticed a rash of blistery spots in a line on my lower back, just on one side. Suddenly it occurred to me this might be shingles. I looked it up and found an image that seemed similar to what I have. Luckily I got a doctors appointment and they decided it was a mild case so I’ve got some tablets that should calm it down. They used to say if your shingles met in the middle you would be very ill (not sure how bad or how they could), I’m thankful it’s not too bad.

Mallaband-Brown

Author: artbychristinemallabandbrown