New paintings and regular art updates.
See cloud man fly
As he floats by..
Oh my word! It’s been so dry,
There’s been no rain, I wonder why?
The clouds do roll across the sky
But squeeze them, they stay dry.
Most of May it wasn’t wet
Or if it was then I forget…
From sun-up to sunset!
High pressure domed
Across us roamed
Mild dry air
No rain to spare.
Just high uv
Sunburn you see
So let it rain
And rain again!
On my walk this morning I found this forlorn bench. It was just on a path on a patch of grass. I didn’t take a photo of its view, because it overlooks a car park and then some old buildings.
I did notice a Magpie (hello Mr magpie, how’s your wife is a saying to dispel sorrow caused by a single Magpie) and a little pied wagtail nearer the fence. I wish the street furniture was a different colour. The bench, bin and fence look somber in black, although that matches the birds. Maybe a nice shade of blue or red? Who knows….
Stinging eyes after eyedrops. I’m having my retinas checked as I have a regular screening each year. I don’t like it because your pupils are enlarged so the nurse can photograph the back of your eye. It means I won’t be able to drive for six hours and I have to wear sunglasses to stop the glare of the sun. I can still just about see my phone screen but anything beyond that is getting blurry.
Still it’s good to know that I’m being looked after. At least the NHS is still taking care of people. When I get home I need to sort out another appointment for something else. It’s all go!
What fears have you overcome and how?
When I was little I would jump and scream if I saw a spider. They scuttle, they crawl, they shake their webs to make it hard to see them.
Then I did biology and found out about them. They have little boxing glove shaped things on their front legs called pedipalps, they have eight eyes, they catch and eat flies and other pests. They come in all shapes and sizes, but British ones are relatively safe and garden spiders are quite interesting to look at with patterns on their backs.
It got to a point where my manager, who was arachnophobic, would ask me to catch spiders if they were in her office! I also like snakes after a wildlife talk at school where they bought some in for pupils to see. I was at a festival today and got to hold a snake. Once you get over the initial fears you can do it.
Spiders and snakes are part of nature, kill off insects and spiders die, if spiders are gone birds have less to eat, and what do snakes eat? Birds and small mammals, soon we would be left with nothing. We need to care….
Seen today
Green trike, eagle head
On front mudguard
Long and low
Tandem seats
Lying back
How do you see
The road?
Chrome, black and green.
Just read a fellow bloggers post about the paper trail (or lack of it) to get her vaccum cleaner fixed. It reminded me of recent interactions with the Internet where I have struggled to find out information.
First you have to find the right website, then you have to register, add a password, make sure it’s strong enough, accept cookies…
Then you have to find the right section of the website to fill in. I thought I’d done that, but when I visited the place I was trying to register with they didn’t have my information. Turns out I’d registered to get special offers not service!
Back to the website. I found the right section after ringing the helpline and waiting 40 minutes for an answer. So I had to attach documents. Luckily I have a printer/ scanner. So I created .pdf files.Is everyone following so far?
I sent the documents only to get a message back saying one of them was too old. I found the up to date one (which inconveniently had tea spilt on it) it was still legible.
I had to send it off again, hopefully they have it now.
Then, a friend who has no Internet rang. Could I help? She’d had a letter telling her to go to a council office. But she couldn’t find out where? I checked the Internet and got a phone number, rang it, after twenty minutes I got an answer. Sorry this department doesn’t deal with that… You need another department. (the select number 3 option did not include the right section) She gave me the direct phone number (wow!) but there was only an answer machine so I left a message. THEN I turned the letter over…. The address she needed was on the back…. I could go on, but everyone probably can relate.
Why is this happening? Cost cutting, cheapness and a belief that everyone is computer literate….
A nice idea. A piece of thick paper with wild flower seeds pressed into it. My friend ladybird Su had a workshop stall today at Etruria festival today. I used a black ink stamp of a tree and then I coloured it in with felt pens. The wildflowers will be wending their way by post to my sister. I hope she likes it. The card and envelope are so small that the stamp is almost too big for it.
Hubby gazing across the canal at Etruria festival today. I should have used two pages to show what he was gazing at! But he moved too much so I just got a quick sketch in…Today’s #bandofsketchers prompt was gaze.
We went to Etruria canal festival today. It was a brilliant sunny day, huge crowds (that made me anxious) (I still haven’t learnt to feel safe again after the pandemic). But there was lots to see and some incredible exhibits. There were hawks and snakes and a puppet theatre which made huge insect puppets. Lots about climate change and Morris dancers too! The industrial museum was open for free to the public and there was a massive queue for the cafe. B’arts were involved in a lot of the work and Etruria Artists had a stall there using clay to create objects children could take home with them. @ladybirdsu had her little caravan there and was running a little print workshop. You could print on cards that have wild flower seeds pressed into the paper. You literally plant them to grow wild flowers…
Overall it was an enjoyable experience, although I did tear up for a while. Something set me off and I needed a hug. Life can sometimes jump out on you when you’re not looking and hit you between the eyes!
Anyway, the photo is of a lovely steam punk, (I think he’s with the Doomsday Morris who were performing at the festival).
Describe one simple thing you do that brings joy to your life.
He often sits up in the tree
Ot atop a chimney pot
He starts to sing
His voice raised
In skirls and slides
Whistles and trills.
Old blackbirds sing longer
And better, complications
Added each year.
Attracting and announcing
Territory and partnership.
His music gives me joy
Taking the time to listen
Releases peace,
Simple and sweet.
Mallaband-Brown