Mega Giga meals

Posted on October 13, 2019October 13, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Evening meal, Food, Half size meal, Huge meal, Large portion size, Mega, Not impressed, Pub grub, Tasty, Too much4 Comments

This is not a criticism of a particular place and I have not used an image of a menu as it will be copyright.

But… We live in an age of excess for some and austerity for others.

I was looking for something I really liked on the menu and I spotted a mega meal of a full rack of pork ribs, a huge portion of chips, two corn on the cob and coleslaw and baked beans. But here is the but…. That is far too much for me. I could have shared with my hubby, but he doesn’t like ribs. So I thought I would ask for half of it. The mega meal was almost £16, so I hoped I could get something for £8. The answer? NO. But I said, there’s no way I can eat that. I want to eat less. Well, came back the answer, just eat what you want, or take the rest home for later!?

Huh, but I won’t eat it and I don’t want to take it home for later…..

Well we are sorry, but the half rack of ribs was taken off this menu….

I paused to think about this. Anyone without a huge appetite cannot have ribs, there is no other option. If you buy it then you are paying double the usual price. Its promoting greed and spending too much on a limited budget.

I had to choose something so I had a cheese burger in a brioche bun. It was adequate but dry, and the French fries were dry too. I smothered everything in ketchup and mayo to try and make it a bit more edible. I left half the bin, but I was not happy. I think they have lost a customer.

Something less traditional

Posted on October 13, 2019October 13, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Acrylic on canvas, Art, Bottle ovens, Design, Landscape, Negative image, Painting, Pottery, Winter kilns, Work in progressLeave a comment

After the intricacies of the previous painting I decuded late last night to start this, based on photo that I’d worked on to turn it negative. It’s also got an interesting effect of light and dark on things like the chain link fence and round the edges of the bottle ovens.

I don’t paint bottle ovens very often, they are iconic round here, but there are an overwhelming number of ainting of them. Everyone has their own style and thoughts about them, this is me trying to put on a different spin if you see what I mean. The finished work will be called Winter kilns.

Progress

Posted on October 12, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Acrylic on canvas, Art, Autumn, Falcon works, Landscape, Painting, Stoke, Stoke-on trent, Sturgess Street4 Comments

15709232116956248549019902494543 it’s coming on. But I know I’m looking too closely, which means I need to stand back and work out what if anything is wrong. I still need to add more bricks and sort out the trees. If I get this done I might do one of the bottle ovens.

Little brushes, lots of bricks, tiles, leaves, boards on the windows…. A derelict building, falling down gradually. I wish someone would take it on and look after it.

Leaves

Posted on October 12, 2019October 12, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Blogging, Colour, Design, Fireworks, Leaves, Leaving, Patterns, Poem, Poetry, Skeletal leavesLeave a comment

Leaves, leave, the trees.

Leaving the world,

Death and decay.

But like a firework,

Exploding in colour,

Before deminishing

Into a skeletal framework.

To be blown away on the wind……

12.10.19, drawing

Posted on October 12, 2019October 12, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged 1" challenge, Art, Black and white, Black and white drawing, Insomnia, Life, Mug, Pen and ink sketch, Sketch, TiredLeave a comment

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Says it all really, I went to bed, then got up five times, tried to sleep, now it’s catching up with me.

So many things were going on in my mind but I couldn’t shake them off.

Day 12 of the 1″ drawing challenge so I’m a good third of the way through it. Only 19 days to go.

Started painting Falcon works

Posted on October 12, 2019October 12, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Acrylic on canvas, Art, Derelict pottery, Falcon works, Mr Goss, Portmeirion pottery, Staffordshire, Stoke, Stoke-on trent, Sturgess Street, Work in progressLeave a comment

I’m in the middle of painting this nightmare of bricks! I’m also struggling with the perspective. I want to do more to it but I’m having a break for a bit. I’ve noticed that the windows are not lined up properly so I will have to over paint a section of it. Also, although the photo is quite dark I’m trying to get more shaping and brighter colours into the autumn leaves and I think I will try and lighten the bricks possibly by adding lines of paler mortar between the bricks. Anyway it’s a work in progress and it needs more work.

Half way home

Posted on October 11, 2019October 11, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Daydream, England, Hills, Homeward, Journey, Life, Sunshine, Travelling, Wales, Welsh hills2 Comments

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We’ve found a place to stop for lunch when we are driving home through the hills of North Wales. Its about halfway or a little less. Before you come back down the hill into Wrexham and cross the border into England. On a sunny day its good to stop for a refreshing cup of tea and maybe a scone or a salad.

With all the rain we have just had I wish we were back up in the hills. Bathed in sunshine, watching fish in the pools.

It’s a pleasant daydream instead of watching water run down the glass of the living room window. Hearing it patter onto the window ledge from the guttering, spattering the plants. Letting moss grow on next doors roof…..

Sunshine, that’s what I need. Xx

Old pottery

Posted on October 11, 2019October 11, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Falcon works, Life, Penkhull, Photos, portmeirion, Possible painting, Pottery, Research, Staffordshire, Stoke, Stoke-on trentLeave a comment

I have a project for the weekend. Which of these should I paint? I wasn’t necessarily going to paint a bottle oven (these are at the Falcon works, with the Goss hawk at the end of the building). They are situated around the back of Portmeirion pottery. And I quite like the architecture. I might paint a negative image….

I have seen these buildings for years but didn’t investigate them much. I learned more about them and the owner today from a friend. Apparently the owner treated his work force very well and he even introduced a fire extinguishing system in the pottery to prevent fires.

Today’s one inch challenge drawing

Posted on October 11, 2019October 11, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged 1" challenge, Art, Black and white, Drawing, Image, Lion, Rain, Sketch, Sketching, Weather2 Comments

It’s very wet outside, so I’ve done my 1″ challenge sketch for the day. I’ve just drawn a picture of a painting of a lion I’m doing. It’s a work in progress. (progressing slowly). I’ve got lots to do, but I’m not in the mood. I think the weather is getting me down!

Recurring dream

Posted on October 11, 2019October 11, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Blogging, Buildings, City, Crumbling, Dreaming, Dreams, Imagination, Life, Recurring, RuinLeave a comment

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In my dream I’m in a city, buying a crumbling house, with many floors. It is so delapidated, chunks of rubble are falling from it.

The house is actually two houses one on top of the other. It is perched at the top of a vertical cliff, and bits of building keep falling off.

I don’t know why I’m having this dream. I’m not scared in it, the city seems recognisable as somewhere I know, the sun mainly shines, or the sun is setting. Sometimes I will be miles away and I have to walk back to the house, by convoluted paths.

All the buildings in the city are falling down, but they are like ruins, much more romantic than real buildings.

I want to work out why I’m dreaming this and I don’t understand is why it keeps recurring?

Mallaband-Brown

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