Category: Uncategorized

Blue moon and super moon

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Moon doodle

It’s not blue and it’s not really super!

There is a super blue moon tonight and tomorrow night. All that means is that there are 13 full moons in this twelve month period and this August there are two in the same month. This is the second and ‘blue’ moon. The moon also happens to be at its closest approach to the Earth, a few thousand miles closer, so it appears slightly bigger in the sky. The moons orbit is elliptical, so it has two centres of gravity and so sometimes it appears closer and sometimes further away. The next super blue moon will be in 2037. There are lots of articles on the Internet about it today.

Please don’t click

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I had a strange message yesterday that worried me. Someone keeps getting notifications about my posts in their email and it’s irritating them. I don’t know them and am not sending them emails so it must be notifications from WordPress about my posts?

I know I sometimes write quite a few posts a day. My mind jumps about and I like putting my thoughts down, but I guess that might get on peoples nerves. If it does I apologise.

The only thing I could do was check if I was following the person (I’m not, and don’t think I’ve seen their blog). Then I thought, they don’t have to follow me. I’m not after lots of followers, it’s too much responsibility. So I suggested they unfollow me.

Finally you can click on some blogs to receive email notifications everytime someone posts. I used to do that when I started here. I’ve now limited it and unclicked notifications because my email inbox was getting too full. I was literally getting hundreds of emails on some days.

So, I think just follow who you like, but don’t expect them to follow back. Some people will instantly become friends, others acquaintances, and some you will be irritated by or they will be irritated by you. Its all depends on your personalities. Just enjoy x

Mow Cop Castle

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What was the last thing you searched for online? Why were you looking for it?

So I could draw it

I had to do a drawing prompt for an art group that I’m in and I wanted to draw something old with ‘nooks and crannies’ which was the prompt.

I love the phrase, I think of old buildings, of old corridors and priest holes that people could hide in. Like Cavaliers hiding from Roundheads. Of hidden treasures, or pirates gold doubloons.

Mow Cop Castle is actually a folly, it was built on top of Mow Cop Hill that looks out over the Cheshire plain. It was never a ruined castle, but built to look like one, with the walls built to appear like they are tumbling down, and it’s silhouette is very striking as you look up to it. If you go up to it you can see the Jodrell Bank Observatory over at Holmes Chapel.

The drawing is not a good representation but it gives you an idea of how it looks.

Cat on a box

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I turned round and then back, and there was a cat on the box that I’ve been using as a footrest. The box normally has a cushion balanced on top of it but sometimes I want to reposition my legs and it’s slipped so I need to rebalanced things, and voila the cat, without missing a beat commendered the box top. This is the other boy cat, not my friend from this morning. The other, other cat is usually found nesting on one of the cat tree platforms, which, because of my hubbys mad indoor gardening, is also used as a lemon tree and cumquat plant stand. Oh the joys of sharing a house.

Stumpery

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Old tree stumps can be used to create something like a rockery in a garden. This photo was taken at the Biddulph Grange garden last year. I’ve also seen this technique used in other gardens and there were some stumps created at Trentham Gardens last year too. I guess the stumps give an interesting effect, especially when they are covered in green moss. They can be interplanted with shade loving plants including ferns. The appearance is like seeing shedded stag horns scattered and stacked neatly along the path at the Grange.

Mow Cop

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Digital drawing for #bandofsketchers prompt. I thought Mow Cop with it’s ‘nooks and crannies’ would do. Still working digitally because I don’t have a spare sketchbook and I still can’t get out the house. This is in Artrage and I did a digital finger painting. Swapping between the drawing and a Wikipedia photo so it’s not accurate. I liked the metallic effects.

Leg update

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It’s still attached!

Actually the wound is healing well. Still got to keep it elevated. Plus I’m getting better at walking again. My problem is I’m putting stress on my shoulder and arms pushing myself up and down, and it’s making me tired and grouchy. Four hours sleep last night…

When you have to lift your legs up to reduce swelling it is tiring as it catches your thigh and calf muscles, but I’m treating that like chair yoga and doing bends and stretches to try and improve my flexibility.

Now if I can just get over the cough and sore throat I seem to be developing…. Heaven knows I’ve had enough of this now.

Bottle oven day

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Happy bottle oven day! 29.8.23. It’s celebrated every year. I think there are only 47 bottle ovens left from the thousands that used to be in Stoke on Trent. A  lot of them are deteriorating but hopefully the heritage of them will be preserved.  The potteries, with their bottle ovens were the creative heart of the city.