New paintings and regular art updates.
Digital art with added background.
Wishing you all a lovely 2025. I hope things go well for you all. That things are as peaceful and good as they can be. That no harm comes to you and if you don’t get your hearts desires you will at least feel positive about it.
What makes you feel nostalgic?
The WordPress image library is hard to use to find British pictures. I was looking for an image of “Robin Hood” but I could only find the bird, or a coat hood or the hood (bonnet) of a car.
I want to share some of the 1960’s TV shows I remember from childhood. Some of them are being shown again.
They include ‘the Avengers’, not the marvel ones, but John Steed and his various female companions. For example Mrs Emma Peel and Tara King. They were secret agents.
Then there is the Champions, three investigators, starring Stuart Damon, Alexandra Bastido and William Gaunt. They were transformed into people with superpowers after a plane crash in Tibet.
Also, Randall and Hopkirk (deceased). Marty Hopkirk is killed in the first episode and returns as a ghost to help his friend to undertake Private Investigations. Marty’s wife Jeanie is often involved.
There are so many more, Dr Who, the Tomorrow People, Space 1999, Jason King, Department S. The Saint, the Persuaders and The adventures of Robin Hood…. So many, some from the 1970’s. And not forgetting Gerry Anderson shows like Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet, and Joe 90. They give me a warm glow if I see the programmes, although some of them haven’t been on for decades. I get drawn back to sitting infront of the TV watching my favourite shows. Getting excited about their adventures. Life was so much simpler then.
Time flies, life goes on
Hurt and pain are never gone
Somewhat diminished
But still living here
Coiled round my heart
With everything dear.
Life seen in chunks
Days weeks and months
One year follows another
Some I can smother
Forgetting the pain
But then it rises again.
My life will continue
My future uncertain
Draw back the veil
Open the curtain
On next year’s adventures
And will I have dentures?
(well I couldn’t find a better rhyme…!)
My friend took me out this afternoon for lunch. We went to a pub called the Star at Stone and had a pleasant lunch. It’s on the Trent and Mersey canal and sits next to the towpath so it’s reachable from the water as well as the road. The decor is quite rustic and a nice mash up of old chairs and oak tables.
On the way home we drove home through the countryside on a road that parallels the main road but is more twisty and interesting. The sun was low and shining on the sides of buildings giving them a beautiful glow. A definite pick me up after days of grey mist.
How have your political views changed over time?
When I was young I voted one way, the same as the rest of my family. I was very young and influenced by their long term beliefs.
When I left home I moved into shared accommodation, I realised I had been living in a bubble at home, I hadn’t had the responsibility of paying bills before, or other things to deal with, like not having hot water and having to shower at the college. I met different people and they had different political views. Over the years I changed my priorities and my political allegencies.
All I would say is that it’s good to think for yourself, look at how life is and make a decision that is good for you, and the people around you.
Yes it’s a lampshade. Made up mainly fake bivalve shells. Yet another odd old thing my house is decorated with. I often wonder what will happen to my stuff when I’m gone? Do I specify that all my art (lots of paintings) will be shared out to family, donated to a local museum, my old school? Maybe someone will like it enough to buy it if it were sold in an auction? Is it persuasive enough for people to like? I won’t be there to find out.
In the 1980’s My hubby worked for a few years in a cadmium colour factory, they processed the raw pigments to get colours from pale yellow, through orange to red and deep matoon red. He bought me jars and jars (empty coffee jars) of the colours home, but as they are made of a heavy metal I decided to give them to a friend who knew how to use them and grind her own oil paint.
I don’t know if he was allowed to bring them but I think he knew I would love the colours and I did. They were the purest colours I had ever seen. To quote Rudolphs song “you could almost say they glowed”. As Cadmium is similar to Lead though, I decided not to use them.
Grey throughout the day.
Cold and dreary
Cat sits by the oil heater,
The others up
On the bed.
My curtains closed
I hold the grey at bay.
My “daylight” is a bulb
No warmth, just brighter
Than the gloom outside
Grey, removing colour
Sad sort of day.
This time of year is called Christmas and this stained glass window is in Bethesda chapel in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent. It depicts Mary, mother of Jesus. I’m afraid the photo is a bit blurry and small, but it is one of my own pictures.
Around 2000 years ago stories were written of a tale of a child born to a virgin woman. The baby was visited by shepherds who were told to see the him by an angel. He was also visited by three Magi or King’s bringing gifts of gold, Frankincense and Myrrh. His family fled as refugees into Egypt to flee the massacre of innocent baby boys by Herods troops.
In later life, after performing miracles by looking after the poor and healing the sick, he was crucified by the Romans as a type of rebel, or freedom fighter, but he was trying to get people to love one another, care for each other, forgive each other’s sins.
The stories were collected into a book called the Bible and the new Religion called Christianity was born.
Share what you know about the year you were born.
I was born on a beautiful planet
A long time ago.
We hadn’t visited the moon
And Superman hadn’t flown.
The world was overpopulated
With a few billion less people
No such thing as a Tesla existed
But we were not bothered.
Shops mainly closed on Sundays
And had half days in the week.
Butchers shops had sawdust
My head was a lot closer to the ground!
No mobile phones, lucky to have a phone box
Wimpy meals instead of McDonald’s burgers
Coffee was in a bottle, liquid, with chicory?
Sweets had not shrunk.
No sweeteners, no noodles, except in Vesta meals
We hadn’t been decimalised!
We were not in Europe (common market).
And Dr Who hadn’t time travelled yet.
Enough information?
Mallaband-Brown