Memory of a steam fair

Posted on January 5, 2021 Posted in UncategorizedTagged 2018, Chelford, Crowds, gallopers, Memory, People, Time, traction engines, trains steam trains, WishingLeave a comment

About 2018, hubby and I visited a steam fair at Chelford near Jodrell Bank in Cheshire.

It wad a lovely day out. Lots of country market stalls selling everything from honey to shoes. Lots of mechanical stuff for farmers and people who like to ‘tinker’.

The photo is of a miniature train that was running alongside the main exhibition ring of the fair. We took a short ride on it.

Tractors and steam engines were being displayed. And around the ring were steam gallopers and traction engines, plus food stalls.

Wouldn’t be allowed now!

Handle

Posted on January 5, 2021 Posted in UncategorizedTagged #30daysketchbookchallenge, 2021, Drawing, Handle, Ideas, January, Subject, what to draw2 Comments

One of the drawings I have to do in the challenge is a handle. Most people seem to be drawing door handles, but I thought I would do the handle on a tin opener. I think it counts as one. It’s something you turn with your hand after all?

Interpretation is something you can explore when doing these challenges. Why should you be limited to a specific version of something? If you think about things you can come up with different ideas and be creative with them. I’ve got four more images to do just to catch up, but I don’t think I will be able to do them tonight.

On catch up…

Posted on January 5, 2021 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged #30daysketchbookchallenge, Art, Buttons, Drawing, Felt pens, Life, Marbles, Pencil, Sketching, Watercolour6 Comments

On catch up for #30daysketchbookchallenge, the first challenge was buttons.. This took an hour. For day 1, buttons….and a few marbles in this button bowl…

I’m not completely happy with it but decided to limit myself to an hour.. Used pencils, watercolour paint and felt pens. Not sure whether there is a time limit.

Band of sketchers prompt : Element

Posted on January 5, 2021 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged #bandofsketchers, bismuth, chemical, Colourful, Element, lab grown, Life, metalloid, SketchLeave a comment

Laboratory grown Bismuth crystals, element, Bi is its chemical symbol. Its a metalloid. Today’s prompt was ‘Element’ luckily I have collected all sorts of things over the years.

I’m also starting a thirty day challenge for January with a different group. I need to catch up with the first five days of January…

Internet trolls

Posted on January 5, 2021January 5, 2021 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Annoying, Covid, Facebook, fake news, Life, sticks and stones, Trolling3 Comments

At the moment my Facebook page is being trolled by a couple of men who think all the news about Covid is fake, that vaccination is useless, and it’s all about money and power. According to them hospitals are only 85% full as opposed to 92% in 2019. The argument I have against that is that a lot of routine work has been cancelled or postponed because of the need for beds for covid. And those patients are sicker and in need of much more care than normal ones. Their argument is that people are not dying in droves and in any case the virus mutates too fast for the vaccine. (there is no proof that it won’t work against the variant). I am not a doctor. But I have friends and relatives who have been affected. I objected to the trolling because of this. They don’t like that. I have had enough of it. I won’t be responding to any more of their comments!

New lockdown!

Posted on January 4, 2021 Posted in UncategorizedTagged environmental issues, Fearful, Hope, Life, Lockdown, Now, Spring, Time, Waiting2 Comments

Locked in, hidden, hiding under the duvet. Fearful, lost, caught in this world. But I will follow the rules. I don’t see any reason not to. We are trapped in history, waiting for the moments to pass. Waiting for clean air, waiting for a meagre spring, when life, at least in nature, might come back to renew the world again.

We have been too hasty to drop our guard. Ill led by men with hidden agendas. Some leaders shone, others discarded life in exchange for monetary power. But maybe the earth will win in the end. The environment protected as never before. We must live to our means, not to our greed.

Snow people

Posted on January 4, 2021 Posted in UncategorizedTagged collapse, Farewell, Holding hands, Melting, Poem, Poetry, Sad, snow peopleLeave a comment

Seen on my walk

Two melting snow people

Holding hands

Waiting to collapse

To pass from this world

As a puddle

On a concrete drive.

Who will mourn them

Gone and forgotten.

Meltwater in an urban street.

Flowers in January

Posted on January 4, 2021 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Colours, Flowers, Gardening, Life, Osteospermum? Aster? Questions, Plant, Walk, winter flowersLeave a comment

Slightly withered, but seen on my walk today. These daisy type flowers brightened my day. They are in the top of a wall and sheltered slightly under a bush.

I should have collected some of the seeds. I think it’s an Osteospermum, a plant from South Africa, partly because of the leaf shape? They look bigger than Asters? The colours are lovely with their deep yellow centres. If you know what they are please let me know?

Today’s walk

Posted on January 4, 2021January 4, 2021 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Cold, Exercise, Penkhull, Penkhull Church, Roots, Stoke-on trent, trying to get fit, Views, WalkingLeave a comment

Up the hill and round the bend to Penkhull…. Just over 3km but it is steeply up and down hill. We walked along the road towards the local high school too. The view over the Lyme Valley where it is set was in danger of being lost as there was a fight over hundreds of houses being built there. Hopefully that won’t happen. Cities need green Lungs…..

I came home then went for a second, shorter walk with a friend. I’m shattered!

Swan and Cygnet

Posted on January 3, 2021 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Environment, Humour, Life, Nature, Poem, Poetry, Westport lake, white feathers, wild fowl2 Comments

I remember

When you were an egg

I sat on you for weeks.

Then a fluffy brown chick emerged.

You were a handful,

with your siblings.

Sampling duck weed,

Chasing stickleback,

Bobbing up and down

While pike examined

your feet.

You could have been snapped up

By a fox or a stray dog.

But you grew

And grew

Fed by people

as well as your parents.

Your down is disappearing,

Soon you will be serene

White feathers sailing

Over the lake…..