New paintings and regular art updates.
Fushias in the garden, like little ballerinas, skirts whirling, pale pink over dark pink petals. Stamens hanging down, like little legs pirouetting in a dance on thin air…
The colours thrill. Pinks, browns greens and purples. The background blurs into fluid texture, waiting for your quiet death as cool ice freezes you in withered majesty.
Oh dear, this bench is falling apart
Sat on for years
Worn away
Crumbling and split,
No resort
But to buy new slats.
Cast iron still strong.
Hold together
And you will be new….
To be our support again.
I was looking at Maori designs for whales and Orcas and saw one for a dolphin. I haven’t copied it but this is similar, with my own spin. I was still thinking of Auntysocials challenge to do something with her black and white piano keys. It won’t be possible to do womething like this without cutting and shaping piano keys. But it’s just an idea. I’m not quite sure why I added the waves. I can imagine the dolphin jumping.
Shouldn’t have added the curly lines to the title. It seems to read dolphik! Or dolphink, oh dear!
We have wanted a bike shelter for a while. There is not enough room in the shed for bikes and they have been scattered around the garden for months. They are covered up but as the weather deteriorates they will need a bit more cover so we have had this structure built. I’m hoping it will do the trick for the storage of the bikes. If not we might have to go bigger!
Today we had the task of replacing the plants, hanging baskets and pots in the back yard that we had taken down to have a new fence put in. The next door neighbour had allowed us in to get at his side of the wall so we’ve helped him by clearing back the brambles and Ivy and cleared his path so he can get to the back gate.
Now the pots are back I can see which ones have suffered from drought and the cold. They were all crammed together in our garden (on the other side of the house) but it was cold last night so some things have wilted. We have a real microclimate in the yard and it’s always a bit warmer there. Hopefully they will bounce back in the coming days.
We won the semi final although someone said our flag looks like a bread wrapper! Now we are in the final next Tuesday against Tiree. I think it looks like a beautiful place, perhaps we will visit one day. However I can’t help hoping Penkhull win.
In my previous post describing the flag I forgot to say the blue colour represents the blue of Spode pottery. This iconic firm closed some time ago, but I have an art studio on the spode site so I feel doubly connected to Penkhulls flag. I will try and find the full description of what it symbolises.
When I bought the house I noticed a small rose bush. I thought nothing more of it. Then I moved in and everything was lovely. At least at first.
As time passed the garden grew, I tried to look after it, but it just kept growing. The roses were beautiful, white, perfumed. But it kept growing, entwined in the fence, creeping over the path.
But inside the house I felt safe. It was warm and comfortable, the colours were muted, pastels, old soft furnishings, blankets, a happy place.
Then one morning, I tried opening the double front door, the handle would not move, something was wrapped around it? I looked out of the window, sideways, I saw it. The rose had grown round the door handle, as I watched leaves sprouted and perfect white flowers appeared. The house was happy, the rose was happy. But me? Not so much.
Up the hill,
Legs stretched
Lungs, stretched
Looking back,
Catching my breath.
More to do,
Further to walk,
Down, then up.
Further each time.
Stopping less than before
Keeping going,
Surprised I can do it!
Exercised.
Our prompt from band of sketchers today was wood, so instead of drawing some brown furniture I decide to draw the trees outside including a pear tree, buddliea, pine tree and other trees, lots of wood. Our garden is a thicket! I hope you can see it OK, lots of leaves. The pears on the tree are growing larger every day. X
Penkhull flag is in the semi-final of the @flaginstitute World Cup of flags today till 11am tomorrow. This is part of the vexillological festival to make up for not having many sporting events this year.
Penkhull was in the doomsday book and was then called Pinchetel. Penkhull means ‘Hill hill’ and is a very steep basalt volcanic plug that sits above the majority of Stoke-on-Trent. It is known as the village in the heart of the city.
The flag was only designed recently. The green represents the village green at the heart of Penkhull, with four roads leading up to it. The Cockerel (also know as a rooster or chicken) sits on top of St Thomas’s Church that is in turn on the green.
The flag was created for a competion run by the residents association to raise community spirit. I’m pleased to say that I partly helped to design it.
So if you would like to join in and vote you can find the vote over on twitter. Look for #penkhullflag #WorldSeriesOfFlags
Thank you. X
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