Timely ability

What’s a secret skill or ability you have or wish you had?

I have a strange ability to do with time. If I’m cooking something in the oven and set the timer for whatever length of time the dish needs cooking I will have an urge to get up and check the time at exactly one minute to go! It happens virtually every time. It’s weird.

Other timely abilities included knowing when my hubby was coming home from work no matter what time his shift ended. I could not relax until a few minutes before he got home. This was despite the time not being a regular thing and no phone calls (he wouldn’t use a mobile phone). (One of my cats was always waiting for me when I came home, the same thing?).

Finally, I can be sitting at traffic lights and if I count to ten, the lights will usually change before I finish counting. I’m not sure why but it seems to work say about 70% of the time.

My thoughts are that I’m living time backwards! I can’t understand how it works. I know we humans have ‘timing’ cells in our brains that regulate our ability to measure time. Perhaps my cells are very accurate? It’s a mystery.

Small cat?

No, just the camera angle. He does look cute, warm and cuddly. But beware the claws, tickle his chest and he’s OK, but go anywhere near his belly and the paws grab you and his claws will hook into your flesh.

It’d almost 2am, I can’t sleep so I’m watching a silly film and I just looked over to see where the TV remote is and saw him. Now the cat flap has clattered and his sister has come in from outside. I guess she will be looking for a warm chair to sleep on too. Cats cheer me up when I’m feeling really low.

Breezy

What is your favorite type of weather?

Kite flying on a breezy day, enough breeze to lift the silk or nylon covered structure up into the air.

We went to a kite flying festival in Wales years ago. I had made a kite out of bamboo tied together with melamine silver plastic taped to it. I’d painted a Japanese symbol on it, I can’t remember what it was (this is about thirty years ago).

It wasn’t just breezy, it was very windy, and most kite flyers had decided not to bother. But I tied a tail onto my kite and tried to fly it. It wasn’t very happy so we added a plastic carrier bag! Then it flew, horizontally, just above the beach, but it flew. I was so proud!

The next day there was a gentle breeze, I took off the bag and the kite rose high into the air. I have always loved kite flying weather since then.

Lifedrawing

Ten minute watercolour sketch I did today at our art group. I am not going to show the front view sketches that I did as some people may find them offensive. Most of them were pen and watercolour sketches, I did try using a sharpie pen but the ink bled onto the paper and was too smudged. These were all 10 or 20 minute pictures. The final life study is an acrylic on canvas. We had an hour to complete it. I painted the models braids with ribbons woven into them and I mirrored the idea of them by painting a chequered floor (the floor is wood block parquet). I might post a close up later.

My Geography teacher

Who was your most influential teacher? Why?

My geography teacher influenced me a great deal. I can’t remember his name and I gave up geography when I had to choose my subjects for my exams. I couldn’t carry on because the lessons clashed with art which was always going to be my main subject.

The reason for the influential effect was the thoughtfulness of the teacher. We learnt a broad range of things from the crops some countries grew, to vulcanism, plate tectonics, details of maps, and lots of other information. The lessons were interesting, the teacher got our attention. He explained things clearly, he was patient and understanding. We got an insight into the geo politics of the world.

I wish I could remember his name but despite my poor memory I think he was most influential.

Shot in the dark?

Just back from a quiz

I’ve just been out to a fundraising evening that was to support athletes who will be competing in the Special Olympics for the  United kingdom.

It was fun, with cryptic questions to identify local place names “angry bird” was Heron Cross for instance.

The most difficult one was a percentage guessing game. These were the set called “a shot in the dark” . One question was what percentage of people of the Earth’s Population has ever been on a plane? I think the answer was 6%? There was a lot of debate in our team. You could get 3 points if you got the exact answer and 1 if you came within 5%. We did quite well and our team came third which for a group of strangers was pretty good.

I really enjoyed it and I’d like to do it again. I’d forgotten how much I like quizzes and how competitive I can be!

Space on my phone

I love taking photos on my phone. I take a lot most days. Yesterday I saw this dish inside a glass topped table and had to take a photo. It’s a favourite design, the Willow Pattern. But that leaves me with a dilemma. I am using up lots of space on my phone. I have thousands of pictures. Many are duplicated. I really need to edit them! I also try and optimise my pictures, which means the images are shrunken, not in size, but in information. The other problem with that is the pictures all appear on one date…. So the order of them is often lost. But I won’t stop taking photos! Does anyone have any knowledge of how I can reduce this problem?

Feet

Not mine

I have a sore toe, I must have knocked it.. I had a trip to the podiatrist today, we discussed things and think I must have stubbed my foot against something. Unfortunately I am now walking around with a dressing on it. I hope it stays in place. I’m not going into detail but if it hasn’t dried up by next week I might have to have more work on it.

Age is a nuisance, your body doesn’t always work properly and you have things going on you never expect to happen. I’m hoping I can get over this and keep going. Life is a pain sometimes and we don’t get to choose what and when things happen.

Spend more time with my cats

What do you wish you could do more every day?

Get up in the morning with my cats

They are running around like bats

I mean silly rushing

Each one pushing

The boundaries of reason

But it’s the spring season

Jumping about then resting

And they’re always questing

To find a nook and cranny

To hide in like a canny

Cat, ready to pounce

Or at least flounce

Off in a huff

Which can be rough

To their friendly mate

Who’s left in a state

Of shock

After a sock

In the face with a paw

When they were calm before

Getting all het up

When they meet up

On the bed

They sort of see red

And chase

Yes that’s the case!

Hi jinks

When a claw sinks

In your nose

But it’s fun I suppose!

Treat

Ice-cream Sundae at the Quarter restaurant at the Spode Site, Stoke on Trent today. I have to say this was a huge amount of ice cream. I felt really naughty, but I’d had some good news so I treated myself to it.

I’d called in at my studio to collect paintings that sold during my Retrospective exhibition. I’d met up with a friend and we decided to go for tea. It was lovely to see her and to chat for a couple of hours. It had been a few months since we last got together and it was good just to have a laugh for a change. Things have been difficult but I  just had a glimmer of hope today.