Diana Rigg?

Posted on December 22, 2020 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged Art, Black ink, Challenge, Diana Rigg, Drawing, Face, Face to Face, Portrait, Sketching, Trying to get a likenessLeave a comment

I do love drawing people, but there is less chance now of finding a subject. So when BBC 4 just showed a half hour interview with Diana Rigg in a programme called Face to Face from 1997? The image of her was full face far away, full face close to and profile images, so her face was fully in view was for approximately ten minutes. It’s a good bit of practice, as if you were drawing from life. The face never stops moving so you have to try and fix where the eyes are, how far apart, how long the nose? And the shape and size of the mouth. Plus the face shape. How long is her chin? How high her cheeks. Trying to see all of the face, not looking too closely at just one bit, so it fits?

Getting ready?

Posted on December 22, 2020December 22, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Christmas, Covid, Foid, Life, Lunch, Memories, Missing friends, Planning, Turkey, WorldLeave a comment

Thinking about Christmas. Or any other festival. I would usually be getting ready to travel to see my relatives on Christmas day, or for them to come to us. Only a small group of us, between three and four depending if there is another guest. Then Christmas lunch would be turkey with sausage meat and stuffing, roast potatoes and parsnips, peas and sprouts. Plus gravy. Not interested in bread sauce or cranberries. Our lunch then over we open presents and chat, watch some TV. Maybe go for a walk. In the evening the meal is a salad with some cold meat. I guess I should apologise for this. I know vegetarians and vegans and I do feel guilty. It’s our family tradition, but perhaps it’s time to change.

As the Christmas celebration arrives I’m beginning to wonder if it’s worth tidying up and preparing lots of food. There are only two of us this year. Life changes and you have to go with it….funny how describing it for us is all about food and not the religious reason. How strange. I didn’t mention presents either. I’ve got too much stuff. I don’t think I need more!

In the sky

Posted on December 22, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Duplicated, Foliage, Grey clouds, Layout app, Mirrored, Photo, Poem, Poetry, SkyLeave a comment

Green

Floating

Upwards

Amid grey billows.

Like green dragons

Frogs

Or flattened chickens.

Strange creatures

Caught in a net of cloud…

Books

Posted on December 22, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged #bandofsketchers, Art, Book, Books, Drawing, Fun, Library, Phone, Prompt, Sketching2 Comments

Today’s sketch of one of our bookcases. I’m too short sighted to see it well… For #bandofsketchers prompt: books.

Two other artists posted photos of their bookcases, we all have appear to be bibliophiles, with large collections of books. I’m glad, I don’t understand how you can go without them. Yes you can buy them online. But there’s nothing like a real book in your hand…. And I can say from experience that if you drop a book on the bath it dries out better than a phone!

Standard Fushias

Posted on December 22, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Cold, Flowers, Fushias, Gardening, Mid december, Outdoor plants, Standard Fushias, Stoke-on-Trent, Weather, WinterLeave a comment

Outside Portmeirion pottery shop in Stoke. Standard Fushias are still in flower on 23.12.20,some of the leaves are looking a bit sad, but it’s testament to how warm it has been over the few months. My hubby found a ladybird on him last night after he had come in out of the garden. I dropped it off in a flowerpot so it would have somewhere to shelter.

The crazy temperatures that global warming is causing mean that things are staying in flower longer, but there are not many insects around to pollenate them. I pray humanity does work to regulate the worlds temperatures.

Wassail

Posted on December 21, 2020December 22, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Apple, Boundaries, Celebrate, Cider, New year, Parish, Poem, Poetry, Rhyme, Traditions, WassailLeave a comment

Drink mulled cider

Dance and turn

beat the apple bough

Sing and burn

Fires to fight

And defeat the dark

Bring good fortune

To the bark.

Wassail the folk

Who sing in praise

A happy new year

And prosperity raise.

Remembered wassail

But not this time

Socially distanced

Won’t be the same.

Handle with care

Posted on December 21, 2020December 21, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Angry, Box, Elf, Fragile, Hungry, Magical, Mystery, Parcel, Short story, Spooky, Very short storyLeave a comment

What’s in the box? She asked. I couldn’t say he replied. It just arrived in the post.

They sat and drank coffee.

Open it? She said. No wait till Chrismas he replied.

That was three days ago. Now it was Christmas morning. Let’s open it now, she said? After lunch, he said.

Each time they put it off, the tiny Christmas elf in the box got weaker, hungrier, angrier. It had been posted to bestow three wishes. Now it had decided the wishes granted would be its own. It would start by attacking whoever opened the box.

Elves are fragile, but not as fragile as humans!

Rainy day in Burslem

Posted on December 21, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Condensation, Damp, Driving, Grey day, Mist, Presents, Rain, WetLeave a comment

Delivering a few presents today, the sky was grey and the clouds low, hanging over the hills in a misty damp blanket. I had the blower on in the car but it didn’t keep the moisture out. My glasses kept steaming up because I was wearing a mask.

By the time I got home I was cold and tired. But it was the furthest I’ve driven in nine months. A whole 24 miles.

Wet carolling

Posted on December 21, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Choir, Clay Chorus, Fun, Music, Mystery singers, Night, Village Green, Wet weatherLeave a comment

We went out and sang upon our local church green tonight. All of us in masks. We each had a space marked with a CD on the ground. We sang four songs, Good King Wensceslas, Ye Shepherds arise, While Shepherds watched their flocks by night (Cranbrook version) and the St Day Carol (now the Holly bears the Berry…).

There were about seventeen of us getting very wet, but it was great to sing in harmony with people. We didn’t have an audience. But it was great fun.

Look up Penkhull Mystery singers on YouTube if you want to see us in full voice in previous years.

Stuck!

Posted on December 21, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged AA, Annoyed, Automobile, Breakdown, Broken, Car, Catch, Garage, Life, SadLeave a comment

Just at the bottom of this picture is the inner door catch of my car. I’d been out to the shop and when I got back I tried to open the door, and it snapped off in my hand! I had to get someone to open the door from the outside. I called the AA (automobile association) and they came out quickly. But all they coukd do was thread a cable tie round the pinion inside the door… Now I can pull on a bit of plastic, and if that doesn’t work lower the window and pull the catch on the outside… Hopefully I will be able to manage until the catch is replaced!