Urban sketchers, on the roof.

Posted on September 16, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Drawing, Fun, Life, On the roof, Pot bank Hotel, Sketching, Spode site, Staffordshire, Stoke, Stoke-on trent, Urban Sketchers, View from aboveLeave a comment

I almost missed this today. We were invited up to the bridal suite in the Potbank Hotel to draw the views from the top room. The windows look out over the Spode factory roofs and beyond….

By the time I got there I was very late. I only had 45 minutes to draw. So I drew the view with the iconic Spode chimney first, looking out over Stoke Minster and part of the town hall. Then in the last 15 minutes I drew the cupola? of a building, its prominent as you look over Stoke. Turns out its an old co-op building. I only found out because as I was leaving I bumped into another urban sketcher who had not been able to get there in time. She had done research into what it was.

I might not have done as much as I wanted but it was fun. I would like to go back and do more.

Haunted bike light?

Posted on September 16, 2019September 16, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Bike light, Flashing light, Fun, Haunted, Led's, Red, Short circuit, TechnologyLeave a comment

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It’s on again! My hubby shouted from the kitchen. He’d been outside to check round the garden, and found the back light of his bike was flashing. But he’d turned it off after he’d found it flashing earlier. It was one of those multi function lights with different patterns each time you press the button.

Well has anyone got into the garden? I asked. No one can get through the fence, and why would they want to switch a flashing rear light on. I don’t know, he said but I’ve switched it off.

The next night he was checking round the garden again. It’s on again! He said excitedly. Well it must be broken, bring it in. It’s probably got rain in it.

So last night I walked in the kitchen, it was on again. I pressed the button on the back. Eventually it switched off. We went out for an hour and when we came back it was on again!

I know what to do. So I opened it up and loosened the battery, then I put the front lens back in place. As I went to walk away the lens popped off and landed on the floor! It made me jump! The outcome? It’s in the bin!

Classic cars

Posted on September 15, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged 2018, Austin cars, Blogging, Classic cars, Etruria, Photos, Sketching, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trentLeave a comment

Since I didn’t get any photos if the classic cars this year I thought I would post photos from a year ago. I think they are all Austin cars? The drawings aren’t too bad. Just quick sketches of them……

Blue green yellow… and a bit of orange.

Posted on September 15, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Blue, Colour wheel, Colours, Green, Life, Light, Photo, Window, YellowLeave a comment

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Have you noticed a theme? There are yellows, blues and greens floating around my last few posts. Maybe I’m heading towards spring colours to avoid the start of autumn turning into the drab greys of winter.

Two of these pieces of glass are replacements for the bright yellow bowl that the cats broke, let’s see how long they last!

I’d like to go back in time sometimes. There are so many things in the world that are going wrong. We don’t need to live in interesting times x.

Ice

Posted on September 15, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Blogging, Crop, Depth of field, Focus, Ideas, Photos, Picture, TipsLeave a comment

I just took this photo, you can photograph anything and get an interesting result. In this case I like the way the cartoon cats surround the block of ice and almost seem to glow.

My tips for photos?

Look first. Even if you are seeing something through a lens look at it to see if you are including things you don’t want.

Don’t be scared to crop your photo. Got a streetlamp sticking up in the sky? Crop it if you don’t want it.

Don’t filter too much if you can help it. Once you start adjusting colours it’s hard to find the right balance. Sometimes you have to, but don’t over do it.

Use your on screen focus if you have it. If you can see something interesting you can us the focus option to just select that area. It also changes the depth of field.

Random poem

Posted on September 15, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Fresh, Gardening, Gold, Life, Papaver, Plant, Poem, Poetry, Poppy, Sunny, Welsh poppy, YellowLeave a comment

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About a random photo…

Yellow gold,

Spun sunshine

Fresh greens

Like limes

Flowers like crumpled paper.

Lemon yellow

Papaver Hibernica?

Welsh poppy

Red drained to orange and yellow.

High in windblown meadows,

Summer in your petals

Giving your celtic roots

Room to roam.

Long weekend

Posted on September 15, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Ceramics, Classic cars, Etruria, Etruria Artists, Etruria Industrial museum, Exhibition, Jewellery, Long weekend, Paintings, Staffordshire, Static steam engines, Steam engines, Stoke-on trentLeave a comment

What a long weekend! Two days manning the pop up exhibition at Etruria. I didn’t have much time to look at the static steam engines on display yesterday or the classic cars today. The place wasn’t buzzing but there was a constant stream of people coming in. Most of them were interested in what we were doing, what the building used to be used for, or decided to let their children make things with clay. A few people walked in took one look and walked out again. Sometimes they even asked where the tea room was.

Etruria Artists had paintings, photos, ceramics, jewellery and even painted stones on display. It was good to share the space with other artists there. I even bought a pottery frog, a mug and a whale.

So many people to talk to, to help, to explain to. I also helped a bit children with modelling clay. My friends usually do this and I just helped when they were not around. We made frogs and ladybirds, and an owl. Sadly I didn’t take any photos of the pieces as I forgot my phone.

Full moon

Posted on September 14, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Blogging, Creative writing, Howling, Mountain, Short story, Spooky, Very short story, WolfLeave a comment

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Full/harvest moon tonight. The howling started about an hour ago. Somewhere up the mountain there must be a wolf? I didn’t know they had them in Wales.

We are staying in a holiday let, a caravan. I got it online as a late booking. Yes I know, but the reception isn’t very good round here. I’ll call you back later.

Hi again, yes I know its late, but Jeff didn’t come back. I don’t know where he is and I didn’t know who else to phone? Police? No, I don’t think I need them….

Thanks for ringing back, I’ve found my charger now, got it plugged in so I should be able to talk. No he’s still not back, the car has gone so I think he must have gone to the village. Yes there’s a pub… Yes he might have gone there. Guess I will have to wait until closing time….. Did you hear that? Yes it was a howl, I think it’s getting closer……. Brrrrrrrrrrrrr……..

Life belt

Posted on September 14, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Building, Canal, Cauldon canal, Life belts, Red, Trent and mersey canal, Warehouse, WaterLeave a comment

I’m not sure why these are inside a building and not outside by the side of the canal to be used? Perhaps they are old and not the correct standard anymore. Maybe they have been stored in case they are needed? Maybe they are for use by the boat club that meets in the warehouse sometimes. Yes that is damp at the bottom of the wall. The building is between the trent and Mersey canal and the Cauldon canal. It is actually lower down than the water on one side, and next to a deep lock on the other side. So water might be slowly seeping in and the building is over a hundred years old.

Back to the life belts, I guess you could grab them and use them if someone falls in the lock….. I might find out about them…

Canal views

Posted on September 14, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Canal, Etruria locks, Inspiration, Photos, Pictures, Sunlight, Swans, Trent and mersey canal2 Comments

Seeing a family of swans preceding a canal boat this afternoon had me feeling so happy this afternoon. They were a bit like some sort of honour guard flotilla.

Then seeing the shadows on the bridge, it’s a really nice shape. I also admired the sign writing on Echo, so we’ll done.

The willow tree on the bank is still green, not tinged by cold air yet. In fact today was as warm as mid summer.

I must take a sketch book with me tomorrow.

Mallaband-Brown

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