Penkhull won the semi final

Posted on September 11, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Blue, Chicken, Cockerel, Flag, Green, Penkhull, Spode, Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent, Tiree, Vexillological, YellowLeave a comment

We won the semi final although someone said our flag looks like a bread wrapper! Now we are in the final next Tuesday against Tiree. I think it looks like a beautiful place, perhaps we will visit one day. However I can’t help hoping Penkhull win.

In my previous post describing the flag I forgot to say the blue colour represents the blue of Spode pottery. This iconic firm closed some time ago, but I have an art studio on the spode site so I feel doubly connected to Penkhulls flag. I will try and find the full description of what it symbolises.

Roses round the door.

Posted on September 10, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Horror?, Life, Mystery, Myth, Plant, Rose, Roses round the door, Short story, Spooky?, Very short story16 Comments

When I bought the house I noticed a small rose bush. I thought nothing more of it. Then I moved in and everything was lovely. At least at first.

As time passed the garden grew, I tried to look after it, but it just kept growing. The roses were beautiful, white, perfumed. But it kept growing, entwined in the fence, creeping over the path.

But inside the house I felt safe. It was warm and comfortable, the colours were muted, pastels, old soft furnishings, blankets, a happy place.

Then one morning, I tried opening the double front door, the handle would not move, something was wrapped around it? I looked out of the window, sideways, I saw it. The rose had grown round the door handle, as I watched leaves sprouted and perfect white flowers appeared. The house was happy, the rose was happy. But me? Not so much.

Tonight’s walk

Posted on September 10, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Exercise, Hill, Poem, Poetry, Random, Steep, Thoughts, Tired, WalkLeave a comment

Up the hill,

Legs stretched

Lungs, stretched

Looking back,

Catching my breath.

More to do,

Further to walk,

Down, then up.

Further each time.

Stopping less than before

Keeping going,

Surprised I can do it!

Exercised.

Prompt ‘wood’

Posted on September 10, 2020 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged Art, Band of sketchers, Buddliea, Drawing, Gardening, Green, Life, Pear tree, Pine, Sketch, Sketching, TreesLeave a comment

Our prompt from band of sketchers today was wood, so instead of drawing some brown furniture I decide to draw the trees outside including a pear tree, buddliea, pine tree and other trees, lots of wood. Our garden is a thicket! I hope you can see it OK, lots of leaves. The pears on the tree are growing larger every day. X

I’m voting Penkhull!

Posted on September 10, 2020September 10, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged #penkhullflag, Flag, Fun, Go Chicken!, Go Penkhull!, Life, Penkhull, Semi- final, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trent, Today, Twitter, VexillologicalLeave a comment

Penkhull flag is in the semi-final of the @flaginstitute World Cup of flags today till 11am tomorrow. This is part of the vexillological festival to make up for not having many sporting events this year.

Penkhull was in the doomsday book and was then called Pinchetel. Penkhull means ‘Hill hill’ and is a very steep basalt volcanic plug that sits above the majority of Stoke-on-Trent. It is known as the village in the heart of the city.

The flag was only designed recently. The green represents the village green at the heart of Penkhull, with four roads leading up to it. The Cockerel (also know as a rooster or chicken) sits on top of St Thomas’s Church that is in turn on the green.

The flag was created for a competion run by the residents association to raise community spirit. I’m pleased to say that I partly helped to design it.

So if you would like to join in and vote you can find the vote over on twitter. Look for #penkhullflag #WorldSeriesOfFlags

Thank you. X

Farewell Diana Rigg

Posted on September 10, 2020September 10, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Death, Diana Rigg, Emma Peel, Life, Mrs Peel, Patrick McNee, Rest in peace, Sad news, Steed, The AvengersLeave a comment

Rest in Peace Diana Rigg. She has died aged 82. Famous British actress and star of the 1960’s cult TV show ‘the Avengers’ alongside her co-star Patrick McNee who played Steed.

She continued to act and was always a brilliant character actress. Many people who grew up watching the Avengers with all the style and humour it bought to the small screen will mourn her passing. She was always dressed in stylish 1960’s clothes, but was never just a ‘dolly bird’ and was seen as clever and capable. She will be missed.

But why?

Posted on September 10, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Blank page, Ink, Letter, Life, Paper, Random, Strange, Waste, Why2 Comments

Two of the pages in a letter I just got had this printed on them: ‘this page has been left blank intentionally’.

Why? that’s two sides, a whole page left blank, but it isn’t blank is it? It has ink on it! And why not start a new section on the back of the page where this is written? I wonder how many thousands of pages are wasted. How many trees it would save? Make text 1 font size smaller. See how much that would save. And if the page is meant to be blank, leave it blank, to save ink!

Aunty socials piano keys?

Posted on September 10, 2020 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged Art, Black and white, Fun, Life, Music, Musical notes, Piano keys, Random, Sketching, Spiral2 Comments

Auntysocial.wordpress.com is asking for a design for her old piano keys, 88 of them, because she’s dismantled her old upright piano. The keys are black and white (over 100 year old ivory). There are photos on her page of what other people have done. I’ve tried to draw something after failing abysmally on a drawing app that let’s you draw circles but not spirals. Anyway this is wonky but I thought some wall art, a square shaped white panel, and with a spiral or two of keys on it, plus some musical notes painted on it. A bit random…. I don’t know.

Cat got out!

Posted on September 9, 2020 Posted in Cat, UncategorizedTagged Back door, Blogging, Cat, Cat flap, Life, Outside, Stuck, Time, Went out4 Comments

Loud rattling at the cat flap! Something trying to get in…. I went to open the door, but there was just darkness. I went back to preparing out evening meal. Then. More rattling. I went to the door and opened it, our boy cat was outside in the dark, trying to get back in. He dashed into the kitchen and proceeded to give me the biggest headbump ever. Just pleased to see me.

Talking to hubby, we decided he must have sneaked out when hubby went out to put some food in the shed for the hedgehogs.

Eye colour

Posted on September 9, 2020 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged Art, Artrage oils, Colour, Design, Digital drawings, Eye, Metallic, Non-metallic, Playing14 Comments

Playing with ArtRage oils, another app I like to use. I haven’t drawn with it for a while. It’s a free app on android (you can get the ro version with lots of other tools for a price). I like the fact that you can turn up the metallic effects from zero to 100%. There are four brush types. A dry brush and everlasting oils are two of the options. You can also change the size of the brush tools. Maybe it can be a bit fiddly to work with but it’s interesting to use and has a different look to most of the other drawing aps out there.

If you know of other apps, let me know. I want to find other options for drawing.

Mallaband-Brown

Category: Uncategorized