Category: Memories

Adders

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Speaking to a friend in America about snakes reminded me that there are a few species here including the most venemous one, the Adder. It’s recognisable by the diamond pattern on its back.

My hubby was climbing cliffs in Devon when he was young and put his hand onto a hand hold. He realised to his horror that it was a nest of Vipers! He told me he had nightmares for weeks afterwards.

But there are grass snakes which are lizards not snakes, they have vestigial legs I think. We found one basking in the sand on a Devonian beach one summer holiday. It glinted gold in the setting sun. Wonderful.

Shrove Tuesday

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Today is pancake day in the UK. The chance to eat something nice before Lent starts. Lent is a Christian tradition where people give up a favorite food until Easter. I guess in some ways it’s comparable with the tradition of Ramadan in Islamic culture, where people do not eat between sunrise and sunset until the end of the period of time when they celebrate the end fasting. I don’t know much about either religion, but it’s interesting that both are movable feasts (related to the phases of the moon).

Going back to pancakes. UK ones are bigger but thinner than the ones in America. The crepe suzzette in France is even thinner and served on a more regular basis. We tend to mainly eat them on Shrove Tuesday. Served with sugar or sweetener and lemon juice. Some people add blueberries or other fillings.

I’ve had a varied life…

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You’re writing your autobiography. What’s your opening sentence?

I’ve had a varied life, most of it devoted to art, but I’ve also managed to cram a lot of experiences into it.

I would then go on to detail sow of the art work I have done, but also the adventures I’ve had with my hubby, who was a most eccentric man. Our main mode of transport when we were younger was by bicycle and then a series of pulled old cars that consequently meant we had a lot of situations to deal with. My jobs were also varied and I would talk about as much as I could without disclosing personal information. I am not sure if it would be interesting to anyone else though?

Happy eighth blogging anniversary to me!

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This came up in my  WordPress a few weeks ago together with a blog saying something along the lines of “wow, it’s amazing I’ve been with WordPress so long and here’s to another eight years.” I don’t mind but I do prefer to write my own blogs rather than some bot writing them for me!

I hope my blog is interesting, sometimes humorous, hopefully informative. I don’t think I am as varied as I used to be. Maybe I’m running out of steam. Anyway hope to be around for a few more years. Cheers x

My three cats

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What are three objects you couldn’t live without?

My three cats keep me calm. I took my blood pressure today and it was considerably lower when the cat came and sat on my knee.

Each one has a different purrsonality. Calm and relaxed, cheeky and quick to pounce, one that would trip me up if he got the chance. They love being close to me and they are a comfort during some difficult times.

In fact I think they have helped me keep my sanity over the last few months. Keeping them fed and watered, giving them love and attention. I need the love they give back. X

Props

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A whale that was made for the Penkhull Mysteries plays. It was used in the story of Jonah  and the Whale and the story of the river Trent which rises on Biddulph Moor and travels through England in a North East direction to eventually flow through Nottingham and on to the Humber Estuary at Hull. This was made of willow withies held together with masking tape then covered with water based glue and newspapers (papier mache). It was painted white to block out the printing and then painted in grey black and white. The makers added serrated teeth and the jaw was articulated so it could open wide. I think the throat and tounge were painted pink and white. We made lots of props for the plays including a set of horses, butterflies, flowers, plants, and all sorts of other objects. I used to help paint some of them and also large flat boards that were joined together as scenery. I hope we get to do more this year.

Raffle!

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Just back from a quiz to raise money for the Penkhull Mysteries day. Some very hard questions, when was Port Vale football club formed, where does the Boat race start on the River Thames. What age was Joan of Ark when she died? Our team didn’t do badly, but we were 6 points behind the winners.

I did win a raffle prize, I usually do for some reason. I guess I get some luck occasionally. I enjoyed the evening, enhanced at the break by chip butties. People had fun and I think we raised a reasonable amount of money from the evening. X

A complete unknown

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I just went to see “A complete unknown”, a biopic of Bob Dylan early career up until he started using electric guitar at the Newport folk festival in 1965.

It showed his collaboration and love of Joan Baez and his other girlfriend Suze Rotolo. There was wonderful singing in the film by all the cast. A lot of songs that I only vaguely remember from the 1960’s because I was only a young child. But certain songs like “Blowing in the wind” are strong memories. I also remember Joan Baez songs as my hubby used to play them a lot. Time plays tricks with memories but so much came sweeping back into my mind as I watched the film.

Music is a wonderful form of communication. This was a brilliant film. If you can go and see it. X

Palm tree (artificial)

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Well pretend. I was sitting in a freezing warehouse where an art group meets and it struck me that their theatrical group had constructed these trees for one production or another. About three meters high, they must have taken some building. The green leaves spread out as a canopy above visitors heads. It made me think of warm sand and gently lapping waves. Or benches and tables laden with cool fruit juices and melon, papaya or mango. That helped me feel a little warmer despite the cold of a freezing February evening.

Warm Arctic?

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I just read a post from a flat earther on a flat earth page asking why people can stand outside in the sunshine with just a tee shirt or hoodie on? I tried to answer.     

   Arctic and Antarctic summers happen at opposite ends of the year. In the North it’s around June/July and in the South it’s December /January. In the summers the temperature can rise well above zero, because in the summer months the sun doesn’t set (in the winter months it stays dark for several weeks), hence, yes people can wear hoodies and tee shirts. It’s getting warmer because of global warming and it means sea ice takes longer to form. In addition the temperature rises at the poles are happening more strongly than at other parts of the globe.    

I hope this makes sense.