Describe one habit that brings you joy.
If I forget they wilt.
They sag and look sad.
I can only water
This limited area
Viewed from the back door
And kitchen
Scent wafts in
And gives me joy.
Remembering to water the plants.
Category: Memories
Based on…
Top painting by Theodore Gericault of a French peasant woman. I used it to base my picture on. The bottom painting is my portrait of Molly Leigh. I know mine is a bit rough round the edges, but I wanted her to look wise with a glint in her eye. I hope now I’m getting my sight sorted out things will improve. I will try and keep posting here but I may have to be careful how much I do.
Cat and cataract update
Today I had my operation. I was very nervous. To calm myself down I sang during surgery! The surgeon encouraged me. He wants to do my other eye too! I’ve got an eye guard on now. I can see the side on the right is a lot brighter and whiter. My left eyesight is much yellower. So TV looks odd. I realise how much my sight had been affected..must be careful not to bend over….. My cat is OK BTW. Need to give him another tablet soon. He’s going to be on them for life.
Two weeks till I can have a checkup for both him and me. Hard to type, my eye keeps tearing up. Better stop..
My Molly
My portrait of Molly Leigh the Burslem Witch. Painted after my mural of her at the Leopard Hotel in Burslem burnt down a couple of years ago. Acrylic on canvas.
It was used as a prop in the Who is Molly Leigh? opera that was on last week. I was so proud and excited to be able to display it in public. I like creating narrative pieces of art as well as portrait so of people which I would say is my speciality. I’d like to poss create further portraits of Stoke-on-Trent famous people… Just a thought.
The scene I was in..
With some of the other actors in the scene.
The character Alice Beech, far right of photo, sings a wonderful mezzo soprano piece about inheriting Molly Leighs cottage, that the villagers and vicar are all gossiping about the two woman’s relationship. And laments the loss of Molly.
Part of her getting the cottage obliged her to make 46 penny loaves every week to look after the “poor, the widows” basically the needy of the parish. Three townsfolk visit her as she sings. One is Winifred who is very nosy and wants to know whether Alice has “seen anything, anything strange?” since she moved in. She is ignored and just handed the loaves. Then Lily, a widow, visits and is given a few extra loaves. Finally a young woman visits for just one penny loaf. She tells Alice she doesn’t have to pretend, she understands. And that she is a friend.
The singing by Alice is lovely and written using the “Devils interval” a discordant chord which is a Tritone (six semitones) it causes an unsettled feeling in the music.
My Eye
I’m waiting, with some trepidation, to have eye surgery to remove a cataract.
When will I see you again?
Will you see me?
Patched like a pirate,
Hidden from my view,
Two dimensional,. Everything…
Lost vision
Hope I’m patched up
Soon…
Short, older middle aged, tired
How would you describe yourself to someone?
Oh and an artist, a singer, enthusiastic about caring for people. Thoughtful, enjoys science, and thrillers, and fantasy, and sci-fi. Cat lover, cat mother. Not too well, but surviving. I don’t know when to relent and let myself rest. I’m stubborn, if I have a strong opinion and I will try and get my point across.
Physically I don’t think I’m as well as I could be but I do try and look after myself. It’s sometimes difficult to cope but I manage.
Not a real loaf
Dough used by the soprano, Rosie (playing Alice) who was in the Alice Beech scene in Who is Molly Leigh? On the scene she pretends to make penny loaves for the widows and orphans of Burslem. When she passes away she bequeaths her cottage to Alice. The scene shows Alice baking and donating penny loaves to the poor.
One of the props every performance was some dough so she had something to represent the work at baking she did while she was singing her part. This was left over at the end of the Opera so I decided to make it into a Cottage loaf shape! No yeast involved and not cooked.
Random photo
By the cutlery and sugar, sits a brass cat. I liked the look of it so took a random photo. I cropped it a bit but I should have got rid of the cream coloured shelf above the cat. I just didn’t notice until I added it here. I could change it now, but is it worth it? The cat is in the cafe area of BArts in Stoke upon Trent. That’s where we’ve almost finished performing Molly Leigh. You’ll be glad because I won’t be able bore you any more!
Blackbird puppets
Two large blackbirds in a nest, one seeps, the other flutters. They have collected everything from apple cores to brass bells, keys to brooches. Theyay be Molly Leighs familiar. In one of the scenes of the Opera “Who is Molly Leigh”
Great props by makers at the BArts art company.
Mallaband-Brown 