One plant we tried to grow in the garden was Gunnera, seen here at Rode hall. It’s a large leafed plant with a spiky surface. It grows in wet conditions and the leaves can get to 2 or 3 feet across. This was by a large pond that has a waterfall at one end flowing down a stream to the lake. There are a large variety of plants at the hall but this is a favourite.
We also noticed there were rhododendrons in flower today, which means we must visit the Dorothy Clive garden to see how that is growing.
We finally got the weather for our walk around the grounds of Rode Hall. It was lovely, calming and peaceful. I know it’s strange, but I wondered where the musical backing track was….. But there was beautiful birdsong.
This was the last day of the actual bluebell walks, but they are obviously still there for a little while. There is a Rode Hall website and I’m sure there will be details available for visits there.
List the people you admire and look to for advice…
Issac Asimov, three laws of robotics
Carl Sagan, pale blue dot, astronomer and scientist
Noel Fitzpatrick, exceptional veterinary surgeon
Marie Curie, discovered Polonium and Radium
Sir Patrick Moore, famous amateur astronomer,
Sir Oliver Lodge, invented the spark plug
Dr Jane Goodall, primatologist
Rosamund Franklin, jointly discovered DNA, British Chemist
David Attenborough, naturalist, broadcaster and environmentalist
Chris Packham, Environmentalist and broadcaster
Professor Dame Jocelyn Bell-Burnell, discovered Pulsars
Mary Anning, discovered fossils.
Albert Einstein, General and Special theories of relativity.
Richard Feynman, American physicist. Wrote ‘Surely you’re joking Mr Feynman’ and other books.
Is that a long enough list? I like to try and understand basic science, I don’t know enough, but I try and get some understanding. I think Asimov got me thinking about science at an early age. He not only wrote science fiction, but books about chemistry and other sciences. So I found out about the early chemist’s, physicists and astronomers. By reading his books they introduced me to Carl Sagan, who wrote books such as Cosmos.
At the same time I used to (and still do) watch ‘The sky at night’ on TV. So I learnt a bit about astronomy, but also about people like Jocelyn Bell-Burnell who discovered pulsars, and other scientists including Issac Newton.
David Attenborough introduced me to gorilla’s, in his TV programme ‘life on earth’ and so I heard about Jane Goodall and her work with primates.
Finally in the 1970’s there was a TV series that dramatised the lives of Marie and Pierre Curie. Having read about her in Asimov books it was fascinating to see what she had been doing in the early twentieth century.
It’s a random list, but it helps me explain my interests…
Playing and learning, using metallic felt pens and the filters and mosaic tool on my phone.. It’s the sort of thing you might call a doodle or an illustration. But is it art? I could imagine using these images for cards or for a children’s book. The cat is titled “tortie”. Not much more I can say.
I don’t have any pictures of the Coronation of King Charles III today as they will all be copyrighted.
I didn’t watch it except for the royal carriage taking King Charles and Queen Camilla back to the palace after the service in Westminster Abbey. The British do create a marvellous spectacle, ceremony or pageant. Not everyone is a royalist in the UK. But we still call ourselves the United Kingdom.
I was amazed at how many people slept out in chairs just to have a place there. And the weather was typically British for the occasion (raining).
How do you sum up something that happens so irregularly. The Queens Coronation was 70 years ago and who knows when Prince William will be king? but he is next in line in the succession to the throne. This is despite King Charles having a sister and brothers. The rules of who gets the crown are laid down in history.
I feel lucky as a woman, to have the right to vote. It was only 100 years ago that the suffragettes fought and won votes for women in Great Britain. I voted when I was 18 or 19 and have done ever since. I followed my family vote when I was young, but going to college and seeing the real world changed my opinion on who to vote for.
I wish all women had the right to vote. In some countries they are still not allowed to, effectively disenfranchising half the population. Why shouldn’t women have a say? After all the rules and laws governments make effects 100% of a population. I think the patriarchy in many countries means that women and girls only get basic education and have little chance of bettering themselves. They should have the choice to change their governments.
So if you don’t vote how can you change things? And if enough people get together, they can make a difference. Not voting or saying anything just means your opinions can be ignored or denied. One vote might make all the difference….. X
Hubbys ear with hearing aid sort of visible He’s got grey hair but I didn’t have the right felt pens to draw them so I’ve suggested dark hair. Thursdays #bandofsketchers prompt was listening. Felt pen drawing.
Oh it’s just a doodle of blue birds on a green background. My ears are doing strange things, I just heard a song from the TV suddenly very loud in my left ear. Then I loud whistling. I got distracted so I posted this instead of something more interesting. Anyway you can see my process of drawing in one app then manipulating it in another. Off to stick my head under the shower to try and stop the whistling…
For the second time in a few months we are holding an exhibition at the Whitfield centre in Newcastle under Lyme.
The Group Exhibition is on in three weeks. If you are around come along and see some lovely artists and their work.
I will be doing some painting for another craft fair the week after. I hope to be doing small paintings of things like bees and flowers. I generally find images I’m interested in and work from them off my phone photo gallery.
Mallaband-Brown 