Earth moves…

Posted on April 18, 2022 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Earth, Energy, Life, Moon, Movement, orbits, Spiral, spiral orbit, Sun, Thinking, Time, time machine, Time travel, TravelLeave a comment

We think the Earth goes round the Sun and the Moon goes round the Earth. So at the end of a year the Earth is in the same place as a year ago. Right? Wrong! The Galaxy is spinning and the Sun moves with it through space. The Earth orbits the Sun but because the Sun is moving the Earth spirals along around it, and the Moon curves and spirals round Earth. So hard to try and draw! If we could time travel we would have to move through time and space to get back onto the Earth. But if you take into account the speed we are travelling and the distance we will have travelled around the Galaxy, I imagine it would take a great deal of energy to do it!

Fog

Posted on April 18, 2022 Posted in UncategorizedTagged atmospheric, bandstand, Black and white, Fog, Greys, Hanley Park, Shelton, Stoke-on trent4 Comments

A photo taken a couple of months ago I think. It was in colour but I changed it to black and white. It was taken at Hanley Park after a choir performance. The sun burnt through the must for a while but then it drifted back in again. Swirling round the bandstand and making it chilly again. But it was so atmospheric, literally!

Music makers

Posted on April 18, 2022 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Bishton Hall, Boat Band, Day out, folk songs, Fun, Music, musicians, Rugeley, StaffordshireLeave a comment

The Boat band playing at Bishton Hall today. It was great to hear live music. Fiddle, trombone, guitar and squeezebox (accordion?). The fun of hearing reels and jigs, creole and folk songs. Hearing the sloop John B played with enthusiasm. So entertaining. So much fun. They are always worth listening to. Enjoyed it.

Magnolia sketch

Posted on April 18, 2022 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged Art, Bishton Hall, Blossom, Colour, Drawing, Life, Magnolia, Rugeley, Sketchbook, Sketching, Staffordshire, Tree4 Comments

I sat and drew one of the magnolias while we were there at Bishton Hall. It was just a black and white sketch so I coloured it in when I got home. The curved edges are because I can’t get my sketchbook page to lie flat. I don’t think I’ve got the colours right, but I have only got a limited range of colours in the set of felt pens I’m using.

Face scribble

Posted on April 18, 2022 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged Artrage oils, Doodle, Drawing, Fun, Lines, Poem, Poetry, Scribble, Short poem, SketchLeave a comment

Oh what fun to scribble

Into art to dabble

Seeking nothing

Finding fun

Doodled

Lines

Done!

Magnificent Magnolias

Posted on April 18, 2022 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Bank holiday, Bishton Hall, Blossom, Flowers, Magnolia, magnolia trees, Rugeley, Staffordshire, Trees2 Comments

Two large Magnolia trees spreading out over a lawn at Bishton Hall near Rugeley. Staffordshire. The chairs give a sense of how wide the canopy of them is. To the right was some sort of glass house or green house where our friends in the Boat band played various pieces of creole and other music. A very enjoyable afternoon.

Tree at Bishton

Posted on April 18, 2022 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Bank holiday, Bishton Hall, catkins, Craft fair, Easter, Life, Old tree, Rugeley, Spring, Staffordshire, Tree trunkLeave a comment

Never seen a tree trunk like this before. It’s like a hand reaching down grasping something protruding from the earth. The limbs explode above waiting to burst into leaf. I could see catkins but could not identify this gnarly tree. Bishton Hall near Rugeley, Staffordshire was holding a craft fair. Very interesting and enjoyable.

Too many people

Posted on April 17, 2022 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Anxiety, Covid, hundreds, Kings bromley, Masks, Nervous, people crowd, Surprise, Thai temple6 Comments

I was shocked at my reaction to visiting the Thai temple at King’s Bromley today. There were so many people. It was a friendly atmosphere but I felt overwhelmed. I went into the crowded area in front of the stage (wearing a mask), but almost immediately I had to get away. I burst into tears! I went and sat in the shade of a tree away from the main crowd. I didn’t like being exposed to do many people. I was also surprised that only one other people were wearing masks. I’m supposed to be visiting somewhere else tomorrow but I’m seriously concerned about how I will cope, fear, nerves and anxiety again ?

Spring flowers

Posted on April 17, 2022 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Bluebells, Daffodils, Fortnight, Gardening, Life, Plants, Spring, Time, Tulips, UK, Weather2 Comments

It’s almost the end of tulips and daffodils season. Soon it will be bluebells and other spring flowers… Leaves are opening on the trees. Buds swelling with the water that is falling from the April showers. We decided to go out for the day and headed south for a few miles. You could see more leaves on trees the further south we went. I remember hearing on a TV programme once that you could see the spring slowly creeping up the country as the days lengthened and the daffodils flowered. It might have said it takes two weeks to go from the far south to the far north? Not absolutely certain though.

Decorated doorway

Posted on April 17, 2022April 17, 2022 Posted in Fine Art, UncategorizedTagged Beautiful, Carving, Colour, Design, Fine Art, Gold, Green, hand carved, sculptural, Thai temple1 Comment

Doorway at the Thai temple. So beautifully decorated. Golds and greens, amazing patterns. The celebration was outside so we didn’t go in, but I would have liked to. The skill and artistry is outstanding. I imagine the sort of skills you would need to carve church screens, or old furniture. Those skills are being replaced by computers or 3d printing. But hand carving and painting adds something special. Not clean and accurate, but human and possibly slightly flawed. It is fine art. X