Many things…

Art etc…

What topics do you like to discuss?

If you know my blog, it’s full of different things, ideas, thoughts. I try and explain things sometimes, although I might not have accurate information. But I try and get the gist of things. I like working things out. I also talk a lot about my art (which is what the page was originally set up for). Then I sometimes write poetry, although again, I wouldn’t say I was brilliant at it. And sometimes I write short stories. So all in all I try to vary things and hopefully not be too boring?

I suppose this all reflects a varied, comprehensive education. I’m definitely not a narrow minded specialist. I try and listen to both sides of an argument, but I’m not wholly impartial. If a subject seems important for the world or the environment, I will generally support it. I try not to be fooled. There are a lot of strange ideas out there, and the Internet can be an effective (and bad) way of spreading misinformation.

I enjoy science, particularly astronomy. You can find posts I’ve written where I ramble on about things like galaxies or eclipses, or disagreeing with strange ideas about the shape of the Earth.. It’s an oblate spheroid. I have collections of books, glass, paintings and other objects, so I try and keep myself enthusiastic about many and various things. And then there are Cats. That’s a whole separate post…

Recently I’ve talked about my health, but is this the right forum? Will I miraculously come across a solution to my problems? no, I think I just have to get on with things. But I certainly feel supported and I’m grateful for that.

Boiler room

Pressure, boiler, heat.

What a job, to stoke a boiler like this. (Shovelling in coal). I asked my hubby to explain how it works and he tried, but all I got was ‘fire’, ‘water’ and ‘hot air’. I think a boiler full of water lies above the fire and a large tube of hot air sits in the water, somehow the hot air also circulates along the sides of the boiler and smoke goes up the chimney. The fire and hot air heat the water into steam, which then powers a piston, which has hot steam expanding, is pushed down, and is then cooled by water so the pressure releases. And that turns the wheel that turns the gears and belts….. This is a Cornish boiler that is old so it only runs at about 15 pounds per square inch…

So, I hope I got that right and I haven’t made any horrendous mistakes. But having a vague idea of how things work is important I think? Bored yet?

S

Tulip close up

Close up of a tulip

Exciting. Yes to me, this wrinkled flower is changing by the day. If the weather warms up it might open in the next couple of days. Green and pink? Will it change colour too? Concentrating on one flower, but it looks interesting to me. It reminds me of a stormy sea. Waves crashing against each other….. Ooo I’m so excited!

Painting on display

My willow pattern painting of a large platter is up at Etruria Industrial museum now. I used two different reference photos of two separate patterns to make it more unique. I also designed the surrounding pattern myself. I tried to make it look like it was on display on a shiny surface, hence the reflections…. I’m feeling a bit better now so might have to go shopping. Oh what joy. But the fridge is empty. The eating machine (aka hubby) has been snacking again…

A few tulips

The joy of tulips. Now a normal spring flower, but a couple of centuries ago they were wildly expensive in the Netherlands. Tulip mania or fever took over and single bulbs went for sale for thousands of guilders. Tulips were getting a virus that made their flowers ‘break’ or go from plain colours to striped ones. Probably a bit like the red and white striped ones above.

I’m loving the wrinkled flower buds that are slightly green but have slight red markings. As they grow and open the colours can change and develop.

These are outside our house, on the pavement. I’m so pleased no one has touched them, some years we have had all of our daffodil flower heads broken off so I feel luck the display has been left alone. Now I’ve got to find new plants to create a succession of blooms later in the year.

Dance, abstract design

Green and red complementary coloured abstract. Drawn digitally in a sketching app then manipulated in photodirector. The plate is a background you can place your design into in photodirector. The final image is a close up of the “dancers”. Maybe this idea is something I can pursue. The idea was inspired by a programme about Henri Mattise on Sky Arts.

Summer paintings

Poppies everywhere on these two summery paintings. I took them over to Etruria last week so they should be on display at the Etruria Industrial museum today (Friday). The left hand one was based on the wildflowers on display at Trentham Gardens, the one on the right is emulating a tile pattern you would get on the side of a Victorian fireplace. Both were previously displayed at the Arts and Minds gallery at Middleport. It’s good to have a couple of venues to show my work at. I just need then to go to good homes now. X

Bricks

Bricks or sets? A good surface to walk on, but not for the environment. As the song by Joni Mitchell goes ‘they paved paradise and put up a parking lot’.

Everywhere everyone is having driveways installed, block paviours or tarmac. Repelling water so it runs away quickly instead of being absorbed into the soil. Then the drains flood and storm drains are overwhelmed. Raw sewerage gets released into rivers, which keeps happening. People have been wild swimming in rivers and around the coast for years, but the amount of waste effluent getting into our natural waterways is causing extreme concern for health.

There are new rules to make paving permiable to rain water. But who checks on it. So instead of putting in a driveway think about a more environmental and possibly cheaper option?