Dropping off

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I’m shattered… I’ve been out most of the day in the garden and at a singing event and delivering some leaflets.

Trouble is I start to doze off and then funny gobbledygook starts appearing on my screen such as:

-hhh+h or vvhhgghh or cxdddddjjn

Where my fingertip trails across the screen while I had fallen asleep.

I just did it again but have deleted the scrambled letters .. I need sleep!

Chose the image because it’s bright, cheery, and makes me feel awake.

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Tree time

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This tree is going to have to come out. This was taken a couple of years ago. Since then we have had a lot of the branches cut back. Basically because it is too near the house and we are concerned the roots may affect the walls!

So we have spoken to the local wood turning group and they are happy to take the logs to turn into artistic objects.

I have already see birds carrying twigs around the garden so it needs doing soon.

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Owl

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Being owlish I look carefully at things,

I see them from my flying wings.

I hoot with laughter when I hear a joke.

I spy mice and voles at a stroke,

Will my owlish brain outwit you?

Never know what hit you?

I swoop down so soft and quiet

To consume my rodent diet….

My talons and beak are sharp

Winging down over hill and park.

A barn to rest in is all I ask.

A nest to build is my task.

My eggs and chicks they grow fast

Gobble up food, a tasty repast.

Then once they are grown the fledge

And out to the world they emerge.

So this old owl will towoo some more.

To hear the twit of my Amore.

Singing New Light

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Today one of the choirs I am in sang at a local school for “sing up day”. We sang some a capella songs from Loud Mouth Women’s reportoir and also “New light ” a new anthem based on “this little light of mine” composed and written by Greg Stephens and Steven Seabridge (the potteries poet laureate).

It was a pleasure to sing infront of a full school assembly. The children joined in and even did some of the gestures for the song. I hope they enjoyed it, although some of the little ones seemed a bit perplexed by what we were doing at first.

One of the teachers is a member of the choir and enthusiastically explained what we were doing, and Penny Vincent (who helped organised Stoke Sings choir festival in February) and Kate Bardfield, our choir leader, helped teach the children some of the song including sections of”this little light of mine” and adapted versions of this and a section about the six towns, Burslem, Tunstall, Hanley, Stoke, Fenton and Longton.

The anthem talks about coal mining and hard clay. It talks about regeneration and a feeling that the city of Stoke-on-Trent is worth fighting for. It was a very enjoyable occasion.

 

Got my plate

I’ve just had a plate delivered. It was one I designed at a “have a go” session at the Wedgewood factory in Barlaston, Staffordshire. You had to draw the design on a piece of paper then it’s photographed and printed on a plate and sent out to you. I’m a little disappointed because its a bit paler and duller than I was expecting. Also the cat, Gracie, is not as central on the plate as I was had drawn and was expecting. That may be my fault. The second image is where I have upped the contrast, and actually looks closer to the original. And the photo of the back tells you when I drew it.

If you decide to do something like this beware using felt pens and pencils that are a bit worn down or dried out. This will effect the outcome. On the whole I enjoyed the experience and its nice to have something of your own to bring back. Its a souvenir of a good day out.

What’s out there

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What is it?

Box thing with round things, moving

Not my human, moving

Green things waving on long thin things

Wet stuff, falling,

White wet stuff, falling

Coloured things, small, smell nice

Thing with wings, flew past, fast.

Thing with Four legs on string, barking.

Something like me, black and white.

Something like me orange, whiskers.

Not my human wearing red with flat white and brown things

Bang, oh noise, white and brown things come through hole in wood thing in hole in big square white thing, white thing also has hole in it that has clear stuff in it so I can look out and thing hanging down that makes ringing noise when I play with it.

This odd poem is me trying to describe from my cats perspective. I don’t imagine they have nouns for things, so I haven’t said windows, door, or envelopes but just tried to explain them. I hope this makes sense..

Swirls

When I have had a long day I enjoy doing something creative. These were done with a couple of apps, sketcher free and picsart.  I don’t know why I like swirls and spirals so much.

Anyway here are three iterations. The first was the most complex to create, the second and third led to the first. I started with bright colours and then reduced them by using the curves option, changing each colour to a more muted one and eventually grey.

I think I will just finish here. Today was very busy.

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In the morning

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In the morning her hair had turned white. She didn’t know why. It had been a normal evening, nothing out of the ordinary. Bed at a reasonable time. Nothing had woken her until her normal waking time at 7am.

And yet, her hair had turned white overnight? It was meant to happen if you were scared or had a shock. Something she never understood as there is no blood supply to hair. It’s dead, it’s colour is created as it grows and as you get older grey or white hair gradually takes over. But overnight? What could have happened?

She had had a shower…… Oh.. …

Peroxide! She had used the wrong shampoo. Her daughter used it normally…. .

Make me paint!

_20190310_022442 I need to paint. I’ve had a break, partly self enforced because I was busy and tired and lost my way in doing other things like blogging, plus it’s been winter and it’s too cold and dark. I was doing lots of things as hobbies too. But I’m nervous of spending too much of dwindling resources.  I’m scared of putting a toe back into the world of work. I want to be helping people as well as painting.

The cliff edge is looming and I want to take a step back. Writing here is allowing me to explore ideas and thoughts that I have never been able to do before. It’s all very gentle and kind and I’m afraid I’ve found a cosy space that allows my dreams, but perhaps I have to let go and try harder in the real world. I’m saying I’m an experimenting artist so I need to do that….. Give art a chance.

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