
Sitting pretty,
Cat in a box
Just had his tea
Now he can sleep
I’ll let him rest
And get the best
Afternoon kip,
With some of the catnip!
New paintings and regular art updates.

Sitting pretty,
Cat in a box
Just had his tea
Now he can sleep
I’ll let him rest
And get the best
Afternoon kip,
With some of the catnip!

I’m watching the film, The lady in the van starring Maggie Smith who died recently. She was famous for her portrayal of the elderly homeless woman called Miss Shepherd who camped out for years in her van on the driveway of Alan Bennetts house.
It’s very surreal seeing her dressed in a “bag lady” costume as she was well known for her roles in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, Harry Potter and Downton Abbey. As the film progresses we learn more about the lady’s history and how she got into the predicament she was in.
I won’t give too much detail incase you want to watch it.

Still obsessed by not seeing the main auroras so I tried to imagine them and their spectacular colours. When you look at the incredible photos people have taken my rendition isn’t very exciting but I would have liked to see more than I did. Auroras are charged particles that follow the Earth’s magnetic field down to the poles. Without that magnetic shield we would be exposed to the radiation of space that would slowly deplete our atmosphere. Our magnetism is caused by Earth’s rotating molten core. Life on Earth is protected by it. Mars, a smaller planet has no magnetism and has lost its atmosphere because of this .
In Devon 9 years ago, hubby had an idea to paddle our blow up bed with a trowel to see if he could get across the bay…. not a good idea as the wind was blowing out to sea… he has these odd ideas, which slightly worry me sometimes..


My portrait of hubby actually up on the wall at the Brampton open exhibition in Newcastle under Lyme. I’m so proud to share this with the world. It’s called mend him. I started it at my studio at Spode and finished it there after he passed away. It was my last painting at Spode.
It’s on till 22nd December 24 so a lot of people will see it. I hope they like it. The painting is covered in cracks as if he is broken and then the idea of using gold lines to hold him together like a broken japanese pot. X

Two on an armchair
One one the floor
By the heater
So three tiers actually.
The Third too far away to fit
My companions
Warmth seeking
I’m saving money
Radiators only on a few hours
But they are happy….
If you had a million dollars to give away, who would you give it to?

Dollars are not my currency so first I would have to exchange them for pounds sterling.
Who would I give my donation to?
As its not my actual money I would not feel obliged to give it to people I know. I think I might give it to three or four charities.
The selection would be :
A children’s support charity, possibly for children’s health.
A cancer research charity, I would have to think about which cancer needs the most help, some are less “popular” than others.
Support for a homeless charity. Either for housing issues or getting their benefits organised.
Finally, I would look for other people to support, perhaps a historical society, or a narrow gauge railway.
Money spent. I’d then need a good rest in a darkened room.

Last night sparkling red /pink /green auroras shone over the UK and I missed them! They apparently were around at about 10.15pm, I normally look out after midnight. Suddenly my Facebook feed was inundated with photos. Oh I was miffed. I tried to take some pictures but not much was visible, the aurora had clearly wandered off somewhere else. Then as I was going to bed at about 1.30am I just caught a glimmer of a glow in the sky. Rather than going outside in the freezing air I looked out the kitchen window and managed to get some shaky shots. Well there may be another chance tonight xxx

Bright auroras all over the UK. But they happened earlier and I seem to have missed them. When I did go out round the back of the house the sky looked normal. So I looked north at the front of my house. But I could only see a green glow through the factory lights. My Parkinsons camera shake was as bad as ever and I was shivering. So I totally apologise for this awful picture!

As the sun set the clouds rolled in
Underlit by red sunlight
Boiling like a pot of shrimp?
But really calmly moving.
The nights are lengthening
Sunset comes earlier
Darkness encompasses us
I yearn for spring.
When the sun starts to return.