Nothing

Posted on March 2, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Canal, China, Kiln, Life, Nothing happened, Pottery, Short story, Spode, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trent, Very short story2 Comments

Couldn’t resist posting this photo.

On this site sept. 5, 1782 Nothing happened.

The day before had been busy, barges were loaded with pottery to take away on the canal, horses pulling the barges to distant towns along the trent and mersey canal…. . Seven days earlier a load of clay and ground flint had arrived. The pottery has been thrown on wheels or cast in slip. Then into the kilns so that they could be fired biscuit hard. The paintresses had decorated each pot with beautiful designs. These were the pots that were spreading out over the land now.

But today nothing happened.

Mable smiled at Jeremiah, he smiled back, but nothing happened. Mabels father was not approving of Jeremiah, he was only a lowly saggar makers bottom knocker, making the bases for saggars. These were the pottery cases that fine pottery and china was fired in to protect it from the smoke from the coal. Jeremiah had no prospects. He was younger than Mable. She was the owners daughter.

All she could do was smile. All she could do was hope things would change. But today …

Nothing happened.

Maybe one day it would ..

The dancing dino

Posted on March 2, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Act, Cabaret, Dance, Dinosaur, Entertainment, Flash-dance, Fun, Music, Sideshow, TyrannosaurusLeave a comment

This is my friend last night. She was part of Cunning stunts cabaret show. She was dancing to flash-dance in a Tyrannosaurus suit. It was sooo funny.

I’m glad we went. She is part of a father/ daughter act who do a circus and sideshow act. They do everything from knife throwing, fire breathing, lying on beds of nails and all those traditional acts, but they do them with a modern twist. Last night they did a mashup of cult movies with sideshow skills.

They have been all over the world with the show and very rarely come home to put a show on here. There evening included lots of little sketches, exotic dances and music from Pig man and his rubber band singing Jazz.

For the final section you have to imagine an orange Dino gyrating and pole dancing to one of the flash dance tunes, bending over backwards, twisting and turning, mad! It brought the house down. Imagine Godzilla at a disco!

Fractal

Posted on March 2, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Blog, Blogging, Chaos theory, Computer, Fractal, Fun, Golden section, Internet, Learning, Mandlebrot set6 Comments

IMG_20170228_212953_680

This is a form of Broccoli, the pattern seems fractal, where it repeats in smaller and smaller forms but in the same pattern. Another example is the Mandelbrot set. The now famous pattern that constantly reveals and renews itself the deeper you look into it.

Have you heard of Fibonacci numbers? They relate to the spirals on this Broccoli plant too. There are two spirals if you look closely. One is more curved than the other. It’s based on prime numbers. Like 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, and so on.

Now this is where I have to admit only a slight knowledge, I only know about Fibonacci because of programmes I have seen about him and they were based on art. I have also heard of the golden section, which is based on another spiral, and is said to allow you to place objects in a painting into the most beautiful composition. But I am no mathematician.

If you look up Fractals, Mandelbrot and Golden section, you should find interesting information about them all, and Chaos theory which seems to link them all. They are all fascinating.

There are several books out there about Chaos theory. It’s worth reading around the subject.

Well balanced

Posted on March 1, 2019 Posted in Cat, UncategorizedTagged Balance, Canterlevered, Cat, Fun, Humour, Levitate, Life, Poem, Poetry, SquashedLeave a comment

Just when you think

The day couldn’t get more cat

Another view arrives

Like a third bus,

At the same time ,

With the same number,

On the same route.

Squashed on the lid

My well balanced cat

Canterlevered out

Over space,

Your spine curves and stretches

Round like a bridge

Supported at both ends

Strong.

Your head was tucked down

All snuggled till you saw me.

Levitation is your trick today.

When cats stare

Posted on March 1, 2019March 1, 2019 Posted in Cat, UncategorizedTagged Cat, Dreams, Ghost, Invisible?, Leap, Pounce, Stare, UniverseLeave a comment

When cats stare what are they seeing? Why do they look at things that don’t seem to exist. I see him pouncing on things but they are not visible to me. A great big purr/miaow yowl… then a rush and land crash onto a chair or leap over a bag or some books.

Seeing the unseen.. A sixth sense? No smell, nothing to feel, no image. I look in the same direction, nothing.

Can cats see into the past or future? Can they see ghosts? He never hisses and his tail does not thrash from side to side. The look is curious, open eyed. Querying the validity of what he sees.

There is a Shakespeare quote from Hamlet, something along the lines of “there are more things on heaven and that are dreamt of in my philosophy Horatio”

Maybe cats can see through our universe. Maybe they can see into the next….

Cat on a chimney

Posted on March 1, 2019 Posted in Cat, UncategorizedTagged Bird, Cat, Chimney, Garden, LifeLeave a comment

sketch-1551441776284 I’ve seen squirrels up there, but never a cat on our neighbours chimney. In fact thinking about it I’m surprised I haven’t seen one before. The back of the building is where an old shed and outhouse used to be. In the way of these things someone had converted the back into a bathroom but had pretty much left the roof and chimney in situ. The only change being that they have capped the chimney with a large slab of concrete. I guess this is a pretty good vantage point for cats. There is increased activity from the birds so they are prowling around looking to chase things.

This is not one of my cats which both live entirely indoors. But our garden does attract a lot of the neighbours cats Luckily there is no sign of feathers to indicate birds have been taken, but it is a worry. I also saw another cat high up in our privet hedge this morning. It was very wobbly. Any bird would have flown before it could be attacked. _20190301_115628

This, believe it or not is a blue tit in the garden. It was too far away to get much detail. It’s waiting to fly to one of our numerous bird feeders.

First and last through the gates. #writephoto

Posted on February 28, 2019February 28, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Blogging, Creative writing, Family, Garden path, Gate, Learning, Life, Short story, Very short story, Write photo prompt, Writing challenge28 Comments

portal

Image copyright Sue Vincent. From Sue’s #writephoto photo prompt.

This is my first ever ping back so I hope it works……

The stone gateway was imposing, the heavy gates looked too big to push open easily. The first time I walked through the gates I was 10 years old and very nervous. My grandma lived in the big house, but as we had only just moved back after several years abroad I had never met her. Seeing the gates and the stone gateposts made me think that someone very important lived there.

I remembered the long tree lined drive. The dappled sunlight warming the golden gravel. I wanted to know how far it was to the front door so I started counting steps, but lost track around 300. As I turned a bend in the path I saw short, grey haired lady in horn rimmed glasses, she didn’t look as scary as I imagined her. She was waiting at the top of three steps made of grey stone. I wanted to run up to her, but mom had told me to be polite. So I walked up slowly and quietly said hello.

That had been 40 years ago. My gran must have been about 50 but I had thought she was very old. I remembered her putting a record on for me, a Beatles song. ” Help ” I think it was? From then on she would always play music when I arrived, some pop music, other times classical music like Stravinsky or Rachmaninov. Sometimes we danced together and laughed at each other.

Today was a sad day. The last time I would walk through those gates. I remembered all the happy times I had spent there. Afternoons after school always seemed sunny. Gran would give me a snack and Mom would pick me up when she finished work.

Now both of them were gone. Today I had to lock up grans house and hand over the keys to the estate agent. The funeral had been a week ago. I had her favourite music played at the ceremony.

As I left I shut the gates gently, knowing I would never walk there again…..

Boarded up

Posted on February 28, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Adventure?, Fun, Humour, Life, Short story, Silly story, Very short story, Writing2 Comments

IMG_20190219_200723

He woke up in darkness, the window he has climbed through last night was now boarded up. He was alone in the barn, but his hands were tied behind his back. He heard a quiet rustling in the straw. A squeak and he realised there were either rats or mice sharing the space with him…..

Everything had been quiet when he had crept into the barn about 8 o’clock the previous evening. He’d been setting up the camera when something or someone had hit him on the head.

What the hell do I do now? he thought. I’m stuck.

He glanced about and he saw something black in the corner, an old scythe? Yes stck under some sacking. It was so easy in mystery stories. Just rub against the blade and escape…. Two hours later he’d got through one strand of rope, his wrists were bruised and cut and he was sweating with the exertion of trying to escape. If he ever got out of here he would have words with his mates…

This was not how a stag party was meant to go!

March Winds

Posted on February 28, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Lamb, Life, Lion, March, Poem, Poetry, Rain, Roar, Snow, Weather, WindLeave a comment

IMG_20190228_191259

Tomorrow is March

Month of winds

Whirling round

Sharp and clean..

March comes in

Like a lion

Fights with the world

Shreds trees.

Like a dragon

Breathing cold fire

Bringing rain

And late snow ….

March comes in like a lamb

First day of meteorological spring…

Gentle breezes

Kiss the blossom

Arriving early

In warm breath.

Then the old saying goes

In like a lion, out like a lamb

In like a lamb out like a lion…

Whatever way..

March Roars !

Fairies

Posted on February 28, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Design, Fairies, Fun, Sculpture, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trent, Trentham Gardens, Wire1 Comment

I saw lits of fairies made of wire at a place called Trentham Gardens recently.

I was intrigued by them so when I saw a wire weaving kit to make a small one I decided to get it. I opened the box to find a small mackette of a figure and three thickness of wire together with some pliers.

I’m nervous of even starting! There are apparently YouTube videos to help but I’m not sure what I will end up making. I’m better at painting in two dimensions than creating in three. Wish me luck!

Mallaband-Brown

Category: Uncategorized