Coronation?

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.

This Coronation will go down in history too…

Yes I vote

Do you vote in political elections?

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

Birds

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…

Exhibition news

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.

Rode hall today

We went to see the bluebell walk at Rode hall today but stopped to talk to a lady that was very upset and distressed about something.

As we were chatting to her we all got caught in a thunderstorm with hail and heavy rain. We got soaked and decided to abandon the walk. Thankfully I had a discussion with someone from the hall and we can go back on Sunday. Above are pre bluebell walk photos with lowering dark clouds.

The hall is off the A34 between Scholar Green and Rode Heath:

Rode Hall, Church Ln, Scholar Green, Stoke-on-Trent ST7 3QP

Imagination

What gives you direction in life?

Imagining a direction to take

Decisions made when I wake,

Thoughts my mind makes….

It’s a hard question when you get older and most of your life is behind you. I’m not very religious, so mainly I want to stay safe and keep going. No one wants bad things to happen.

I guess what direction I take could include going round in circles, always turning right, heading north. But mainly it’s just survival. Not in a preppy, survivalist sort of way, but just managing with what we’ve got, helping others when we can. Not expecting too much. Just trying to support each other. It’s not always easy, and questions have to be asked about whether the direction we are heading in now is still the right one.

The world should be fair for everyone. I know that’s a hard thing to expect, and people can be selfish and jealous of what they have. But I hope people will consider others as well as themselves. I think John Lennons song ‘Imagine’ is a good thing to follow…..