Spelling?

Posted on March 23, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Dictionary, Fun, Humour, Language, Life, Spelling, Writing2 Comments

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Can you spot the mistake? It’s funny how the brain works – writing the word “buidling” instead of “building” is just an example. Apparently if you have all the right letters and the correct first and last letter of the word, your brain can unscramble it. For instance if I write :

The qcuik bowrn fox jmpus oevr the lzay dog?

You should still be able to read it.

Spelling only became regularised when the dictionary arrived. Once the spelling of words was written down with a definition the spelling was more fixed. But spelling is still quite phonetic, based on sound sometimes. For, four, fore all sound the same but have different spellings and meanings.

The example above is more likely to have occurred because of a computer mistake when the author or designer did not proof read the art work.

I guess I make a lot of mistakes too. I do rely on spellchecker but even that gets it wrong sometimes.

Starry

Posted on March 23, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Comets, Constellation, Equator, Geminids, Orionids, Planets, Stars, TelescopeLeave a comment

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I’ve been making patterns again, this time using a close up of sequins on my jumper… Very random I know.

The stiches on the jumper also add texture to the photo. I think the stars look like little dancing people holding hands.

I love stars and astronomy. I’m interested in things like the magnitude of stars, seeing comets, planets and asteroids. I read web pages like spaceweather.com which gives you information about CMEs (coronal mass ejections) from the Sun, which is caused by the sun’s magnetic lines of force getting tangled up and hurling out plasma from the sun’s surface.

If the weather is clear I will look out for meteor showers like the orionids or geminids (Based on the constellations they appear to emanate from).

I wish I lived in the southern hemisphere. I have heard of the magellanic clouds (small neighbouring satellite galaxies) which are below the plain of the ecliptic, which is the flat plain of our galaxy. Anything below that can only be seen from the south.

We (our planet) is topped at an angle of 22?degrees. So although we see constellations they vary with the seasons. They rise above the equator or sink below it depending on where we are in the year. If you sailed on a boat or flew on a plane at night you would see the constellations change as you flew north to South, or vice versa. Some constellations like the southern cross are only visible in the southern hemisphere and some like the plough or Great bear are only visible in the North.

I had a couple of little telescopes and once saw a tiny image of saturn and its rings and the galilean satellites of Jupiter – four moons that orbit Jupiter. There are more but are too small to see in a backyard telescope.

I’m no expert but I do like to learn. I’m sure there are lots of websites where you can find more information. Funny how I can ramble on after describing my jumper!

Xie Xie, thanks in chinese.

Posted on March 22, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Blogging, Chinese, Doodle, Drawing, Fish, Sketch, Thank you, Xie Xie6 Comments

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I was just sitting in my local Chinese takeaway restaurant and decided to draw one of the fish they have swimming round in a large tank. When I had done it and the food was ready I showed my drawing to the lady behind the counter. I explained that it was a quick sketch as the fish kept swimming. It looks a bit worried but that’s just my drawing.

I asked how to say thank you as the food there is always lovely and the people in the restaurant said xie Xie and wrote it down next to the sketch. They are Mandarin speakers. I had asked if they were Cantonese. But they said no. The words are very similar in both languages but that the writing of Chinese script is the same in both languages (dialects). I think I remember reading that in a friends blog here, that even if the words are pronounced differently the script is the same.

Anyway it was a tasty supper and it’s nice to communicate even if it’s only with a few shared words.

Thinking about it the words I have learnt in other languages like Greek and Thai all tend to be the ones meaning please and thank you. I must have been bought up right!

Blue

Posted on March 21, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Blogging, Blue, Colour, Hue, Life, Poem, Poetry, Sea, Sky2 Comments

Bold blue

Bright blue

Blue shadow

Ultra blue

Strong hue.

Added flowers

April showers

Blue curves

Ultra marine

Lapis lazuli

Cerulean

Show me a blue

In the sky

In the sea

Show me bright blue

Partial eclipse

Posted on March 21, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Crescent moons, Eclipse, Life, Moon, Pinhole camera, Science, SunlightLeave a comment

I Bodged a hole in a peice of card

Two years ago we had a partial eclipse (about 85% to 90%) of the sun. This meant that the moons shadow cut into the Sun’s disc but didn’t completely cover it.

I knew that if you make a hole in a peice of card and then hold the card infront if a plain white or pale surface you can project the image of the sun onto the wall. This is better than trying to use solar goggles which are not always safe to use. YOU MUST NEVER LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN. You could be Blinded. Even if you use sun glasses you are in danger, sun glasses do not cut out the full spectra of the sun and your eyes can be burned. You must not look at the sun! The second two photos were to show the suns image cast on the wall.

Anyway after that strong warning I will continue… .

When the sun shone onto the card a small image of it was projected behind the card. This is called a pinhole projection. Then as the moon glided across the sun a little bite appeared to cut into the sun. Gradually it increased. In this case the sun was passing across the face of the sun in one direction but because the projection was upside down the moon appeared to bite in to the right hand lower side but it was actually passing left to upper left.

As the moon crept across the face of the sun I noticed the shadows got less strong. Then I saw the shadow of my weeping fig on the wall. Amazingly all the leaves combined to cast lots of curved moon shadows onto the wall. I went outside and noticed the same thing was happening where the light was coming through the tree leaves. I’ve seen this phenomenon photographed and described on astronomy programmes.

Finally I took a shot of the light vshining through the trees. Carefully not looking at the sun and ensuring the camera lens was not pointed directly at the sun.

Life is interesting I hope you get the chance to see an eclipse.

Ancient stares

Posted on March 20, 2019March 20, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Ancient, Creative writing, Environment, Life, Memories, Short story, Spirits, Very short storyLeave a comment

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The ancients, they look on through time. They see the world now and remember what it was like then. They are in the gargoyles, in statues, in faces in stone. They are hidden where they could find space. They may be thousands of years old but they do not last forever. As age wears them the ancient spirit wears away too. Look at that old stone head on the corner of the wall. It’s spirit is washing away with every bit of grit the rain wears away. See that old stone face on the plinth? Hands rub its bald head and gradually it dwindles.

Ancient memories dwindle too. Now there are moments of sunshine seen six hundred years ago which will not last much longer. There a remembrance of a lost husband or wife that was once strong but now veiled. Ancients seeing the world now are amazed at the destruction and damage. Trees that they have lived with cur down in an instant. Buildings they became part of ripped apart and turned to rubble.

Now the ancients share with younger spirits. To be a homeless ancient is to gradually disperse into the air and blow away on the wind. Long forgotten, never to be seen again.

Just add owl

Posted on March 20, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Bird, Environment, Help, Life, Owl, sanctuary, Science, Wildlife6 Comments

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About 9 years ago I had an hour at our local wildlife sanctuary as a treat for my birthday. One of the highlights was the chance to fly this owl. Unfortunately I can’t remember what species it was, but it was a magnificent bird.

The sanctuary takes in birds and animals that have been in private hands and then the owner has not been able to look after it, either because the bird or animal got too big or was too expensive to look after. I just love how flexible it was, turning its head round on its shoulders. I think we will have to visit again soon.

International Women’s Day 2018

Posted on March 19, 2019March 19, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Burslem, Burslem School of Art, Clay, Coal, Faults, Geology, Mining, Pottery, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trentLeave a comment

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I just found this sketch of International Women’s Day from about a year ago. I had a stall with art for sale at Burslem school of Art. I think this was the first time I ever drew the main gallery and I also tried to draw the banner that was on display there.

The school of art is very crooked. Burslem is old and suffers from subsidence or is undermined by coal mines. The whole of the city is built on clay and coal and the coal field under the city has caused a lot of damage over the years. Parts of the city also have geologic faults running underneath them so it’s not surprising that the buildings are affected.

There is also a volcanic plug where I live, the very base of an ancient volcano that was worn away by erosion over thousands or millions of years. The hill that is left dominates the valley of the river Trent, but the ground rises in other places too. There are coal tips (slag heaps) where the spoil from the collieries was dumped as the coal was hewn from the ground.

The wonder of Pottery and artistic design was the result of the geology in Staffordshire.

Not mothers day

Posted on March 19, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Flower, Gone, Goodbye, Life, Micro poetry, Mother, Mothers day, Not mothers day, Poem, PoetryLeave a comment

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I might buy a flower, to remember her,

I might buy some perfume, or a scarf.

I can’t give them her.

So long ago, years ago, I lost her,

Each year when mothers day comes

I stare at parties of young or old women,

Children with their mums,

And wish she was here.

It’s not mothers day for me.

Seamus two years ago

Posted on March 19, 2019 Posted in Cat, UncategorizedTagged Cat, Food, Fun, Happy cat, Life, Love, Poem, Poetry, Shy catLeave a comment

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What a change two years make. Seamus was quite a timid cat. It took me ages to coax him out to say hello and I think you can still see caution on his face here – a couple of months after he arrived. He’s much more self assured now. He loves playing catch chase with his sister. Instead of sleeping in quiet corners or under cupboards both of them now sleep on a cat tree or on the back of the sofa in the middle of the living room.

They both will only eat one flavour of one type of cat food, but it is supplimented with treats and they know how to stare so you share food off your plate.

Cat stares

It knows what it wants

It hypnotises you

To share your breakfast

Lunch

Tea

Dinner

Supper..

How do they do it?

With love and telepathy… !

Mallaband-Brown

Author: artbychristinemallabandbrown