If I could spread flowers
Beneath my feet
And perfume the air
If I could make manna
From heaven, fall
If I could grow fruit
With taste and tang, sweet
Surround myself in clouds
Of lovely hue?
I’d STILL
Be fed up!
Hmph!
Fed up
I was in it!
What was the last live performance you saw?
Our choir members sang at a celebration for the completion of a project a few weeks ago. We were involved with a performance at The Potbank hotel at Spoke in Stoke on Trent, which also included the Boat Band (above). Our choir leaders are members of the band. We sang sea shanties and some interesting pieces, like the Eerie Canal and A Wonderful World which Louis Armstrong sang.
Being part of a choir is something I would recommend for helping your mental health. I only sing a couple of times a week and wish I could do more. Singing takes you out of yourself. Singing at a performance boosts your confidence. I’ve sung many times over the years and I don’t get overwhelmed with nerves anymore. OK it’s usually only to a few people, but if I’m giving pleasure to other people then that’s good.
As to an actual performance that I saw, but was not involved in? That goes back a few years I think. We went to the theatre and saw a play about suffragettes. It was interesting, it brought out a lot of the issues women were affected by in those days. I wish I could remember what it was called? It’s so long ago that I’ve forgotten! I don’t know if it was during or before the pandemic? Life can be hard to remember!
Tweet bird
Drew over yesterday’s monster to create something else. A little parrot or budgie? If I don’t do anything else artistic I’m still doing doodles. Still using Artrage app to draw interesting images. It’s just an imaginary bird. Tomorrow is a new day, perhaps I can do something more than a sketch. X
Help
My life is quite chaotic at the moment. Lots of things to do, plenty of time, but lack of inclination to do things. Procrastinating is my favourite pastime!
Everything is tangled up. I’m trying to organise and assess things, but failing. Thinking and worrying is not helping. I think I need to meditate or do some relaxation. It’s not that I don’t want to do things, but I think I’ve had my head in the sand for so many months, I don’t know how to drag it back out. I know this is self reflection, and I hope its a good thing. Writing it down might give me a push.
Grief has not helped. And now other people I know have died and that has knocked me back. I don’t want to think of the end of things. But I guess we should all make some plans? Sorry this is a bit random, maybe talking will help though.
Eye see
Eye see you looking out at me. What are you? A mishmash? A chimera….
An ape or monkey? Imagined monster, alien symbol.
Is that a volcano or a scientific flask full of acid. How were you created. Are you a figment?
Have you got whiskers or a moustache? Close set eyes stare back. A mythological owl.
Do those eyes hide a soul, will you start to howl? A dark night could hide you, are you foul or fowl?
It depends
What do you do to be involved in the community?
I have been a volunteer in the past and taught a few classes in adult numeracy and literacy. I’ve painted murals for a hospital and school, which was a paid job, but it was for community projects. I’ve served on a few committees both politically and for the community, and I still try and help to some extent.
My problem now is that I am not as mobile as I was, and after finishing work early because of my health I am out of touch with a lot of things. But I do still sing in choirs which are entertaining for communities, and I try and donate what I can. It troubles me that I’ve stepped back from things. That can knock your confidence. I also helped moderate a couple of websites for a few years, but they closed down, and after spending two or three hours every night dealing with problems and spam, I was glad to stop. I’m still happy to deliver leaflets, despite meeting snapping dogs at the letterboxes.
So my answer is, it depends what I’m capable of, but I try and do something where I can.
Circle
Today’s #bandofsketchers prompt was circle. I drew Circles. I used to have a shower curtain showing bubbles, a bit like this… It drove me mad because I kept seeing bubble people like this on it! It was an example of Pareidolia.
Sunday beauty
I’ve just got round to drawing Sundays #bandofsketchers prompt beauty. This was a narcissus flower I think at Rode Hall on Sunday. I was thinking of drawing bluebells but my photos were a bit blurred.
Manipulated images
Both these images started out the same. One I adjusted to add texture. The other I used a mozaic, fisheye and inverting tool. It’s fun to digitally finger paint. I need to get my PC working so I can do something more complex and finely manipulated. I’m learning all the time.
Trumpet player
What’s a job you would like to do for just one day?
I would play the trumpet at a gig! I started learning before the pandemic, but of course that intervened. I am also having problems with my health and I haven’t held or played my trumpet for three years now. It’s probably seized up, I know I have!
I’d learnt enough to play scales and a few short tunes. But the trouble now is fear. Fear of failure, of not being able to do it any more. So the trumpet sits in its case in the living room. It’s not a good thing to let go of the start of something, I regret not pursuing the skill.
I admire jazz trumpeters and also players in brass bands. But holding it and positioning my mouth wasn’t easy and I wanted to be better at playing than I was. Perhaps that is the problem. Too much expectation, not enough skill.
To play for one day. To an audience. That would be a thing. Maybe I should start again, ask for someone to teach me?
Maybe…. It would be thrilling!
Mallaband-Brown 