Leg update

Posted on August 29, 2023August 29, 2023 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Aches and pains, bandages, calf, elevated, Leg, muscles, Photo, Sleeping, thigh, Tired, wound2 Comments

It’s still attached!

Actually the wound is healing well. Still got to keep it elevated. Plus I’m getting better at walking again. My problem is I’m putting stress on my shoulder and arms pushing myself up and down, and it’s making me tired and grouchy. Four hours sleep last night…

When you have to lift your legs up to reduce swelling it is tiring as it catches your thigh and calf muscles, but I’m treating that like chair yoga and doing bends and stretches to try and improve my flexibility.

Now if I can just get over the cough and sore throat I seem to be developing…. Heaven knows I’ve had enough of this now.

Bottle oven day

Posted on August 29, 2023August 29, 2023 Posted in Memories, Sketching, UncategorizedTagged Art, ArtRage app, Bottle oven, bottle oven day, Digital drawing, Drawing, Photodirector, Pottery, Sketching, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trent2 Comments

Happy bottle oven day! 29.8.23. It’s celebrated every year. I think there are only 47 bottle ovens left from the thousands that used to be in Stoke on Trent. A lot of them are deteriorating but hopefully the heritage of them will be preserved. The potteries, with their bottle ovens were the creative heart of the city.

On my chest

Posted on August 29, 2023 Posted in Cat, UncategorizedTagged Asleep, Black and white cat, injured leg, Life, Settee, Sleeping, Snoring, Sofa, Tired, Tuxedo catLeave a comment

Just woke up and found my cat lying on my chest! I am sleeping on the sofa as I can’t get upstairs with my injured leg.

He’s a friendly cat, but usually he is happy to lie down next to me on the chair arm. But tonight? I guess I’m the warm spot on a cold night. Seconds before I grabbed my phone to take this shot he had his head down, fast asleep and snoring.

Unfortunately for him I had to shift him as I was literally pinned down by his weight. He is now curled up snoozing at the other end of the settee and I’m sitting up with a cup of tea.

Old TV shows

Posted on August 28, 2023 Posted in Memories, UncategorizedTagged Childhood, dailyprompt, dailyprompt-2042, Life, Memory, Programme, Prompt, Sci fi, TV, variety2 Comments

What TV shows did you watch as a kid?

There were a lot of Sci fi programmes when I was growing up. The Tomorrow people, Thunderbirds, Star Trek, UFO, Space 1999, Dr Who, each one had it’s theme and ideas. Some were more idealistic than others, some were frightening. The variety of adventures were fascinating. Some of the sets were very shaky, you could see the walls move if an alien bumped into them! But it was the storyline that was important.

They really seemed to be more thoughtful than modern Sci fi. I think because they didn’t have fantastic special effects, and the English versions were less lasers and cowboys in space type stories, and slightly more philosophical.

It’s surprising how much I remember after seeing this prompt. I’d like to see some of these shows again just to see if I remember them correctly. I’ve recently watched Fireball XL5 on a station that shows old TV programmes. I used to love it when I was little… It’s awful now!

Juggling

Posted on August 28, 2023 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged #bandofsketchers, Art, Artrage, Doodle, Juggling, Photodirector, Sketching, talent2 Comments

#bandofsketchers prompt “talent” I decided to use juggling as my theme and digital drawing/graffiti as its method, more of a doodle than a sketch….Artrage app and photodirector were the apps used. I did actually learn to juggle, but not very well!

Biddulph Grange

Posted on August 28, 2023 Posted in Memories, UncategorizedTagged Biddulph grange garden, China area, Day out, Egyptian garden, Japanese garden, National Trust, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trent, Swiss cottage2 Comments

Somewhere I’d like to visit again. We haven’t been this year and I miss it.

Biddulph Grange garden is run by the National Trust and is a garden built on a slope that is made up of seperate areas… The Japanese garden, Egyptian garden, Swiss cottage, China area and other sections. The Daliah walk should be in full bloom. There is also a lovely tea room within the Grange building, although it can be quite busy.

It’s one of many attractions that are within a short distance of the city of Stoke on Trent in Staffordshire. So if you are in the area check out its visiting times and prices. Worth a day out.

Yesterday’s tomatoes

Posted on August 28, 2023 Posted in Memories, UncategorizedTagged cold rain, Facebook memories, Gardening, Home grown, Last year, Overcast, Summer, Tomatoes2 Comments

Actually my small 2022 crop.

I only put in a couple of small plants this year so we have had about 8 or 10 tomatoes this year. I just haven’t had the heart. Then this appeared on my Facebook memories and I’m amazed at the sunshine. This last few weeks have been a succession of grey, wet days, Atlantic lows storming in with chill winds. According to the weather forecast September might be slightly better. I’d like something summery please, not too hot, not to cold. X

Afternoon

Posted on August 27, 2023 Posted in Memories, UncategorizedTagged Afternoon, Colour, dailyprompt, dailyprompt-2041, Flowers, Fun, Light, Poem, Poetry, Primary colours, Rhyme4 Comments

What’s your favorite time of day?

When the sun is overhead

Light shines down on bright flower beds

Makes the hazy colours shine

On plants and flowers and bees divine

At the stroke of noon I see

Primary colours, one two three..

Red and blue and yellow too

And the other colours hue

Make me want to paint and draw

All the beauty that I saw

Afternoon is the key

Makes my mind feel oh so free

Mornings are OK I guess

But post meridians are the best!

Trying to add a mosaic round the cat.

Posted on August 27, 2023 Posted in Cat, Sketching, UncategorizedTagged belly, Black and white cat, Cat, design flaw, Mosaic, Pattern, sprawled, Thinking, Tuxedo cat2 Comments

My cat was lying, belly up, looking at me. He was on the Sunday papers so I decided to add a mosaic to the background. The only problem is the tool has a pointer that magnifies where you are drawing but it doesn’t line up with the edge of the image. It also means a lot of filling in if you use a small nib, and overlap if you use a larder one. It means if you try and draw round the outline of something like the cat it often overlaps and you have to use the back toggle or add a bit of extra drawing to cover over the uneven areas. Still it looks better than when he was sprawled on the newspaper.

Cold

Posted on August 27, 2023 Posted in Cat, UncategorizedTagged August, Autumnal, Bank holiday, Cat, Chilly, Cold, cost of living, shivers, Summer, WeatherLeave a comment

It’s cold in our house today- on a grey overcast bank holiday Sunday. I was having a rest on our sofa, but woke up to a cold shiver down my spine. This is British Summertime so what do I expect? I’ve lived long enough to see snow in June. So this is nothing. It’s just I don’t want to put the heating on. Cost of living and all that!

So what do I do? Add extra layers, curl up and keep out of draughts. Have a hot cup of tea or coffee. I don’t think I will see steam rising! It’s not quite as cold as that, but I’m…. brrrrr… Cold… I’ll try and get a cat to sit on me x