Indoor and outdoor cats

Posted on July 24, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Black and White cats, Cat, Cats, Friendly, Fun, Garden, Indoor, Keeping cool, OutdoorLeave a comment

Seamus (top) on the bookcase at the top of the stairs keeping cool.

Gracie (middle) on the bed, in the shade

And welcoming Woody (bottom). He’s a cat that keeps coming in our garden, he’s not ours but does get fed, however he’s twice as big as our indoor cars, and well fed so I think he’s one of those cats that make a living visiting people and as he’s very friendly we let him. There are other cats that come in the garden but they don’t get fed.

I make sure to wash my hands if I stroke the outdoor cat incase he has any illnesses.

Why Woody? He likes sitting in the garden and it’s full of trees.

Flower portraits

Posted on July 24, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Design, Flower portraits, Flowers, Gardens, Photos, Summer1 Comment

Just a few pictures of flowers from the garden today. This way you don’t see all the trees and shrubs that get in the way of them.

They are, red calla lily, osteospermum, lily, pink hydrangea, rose, pink convolvulus, buddlea, pelargonium, monybretia in bud, monybretia in flower (not sure of spelling), blue hydrangea, geranium.

I’m doing a few flower paintings and these could be subjects. I hope you like them.

Heat

Posted on July 24, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Flowers, Garden, Gnats, Heat, Photos, Storm, ThunderLeave a comment

Some of the plants got bashed by last night’s storm. The temperatures are very hot although there was a bit of cloud cover for about 5 minutes and with a gentle breeze it felt quite pleasant in the garden. Now though the sun’s come out again and I feel like I’m being bitten by gnats or midges. I also realise I should have used some sunscreen. I think it’s around 32°C?

Last night I made gooseberry fool for dessert using the gooseberries we had picked from the garden a few days ago. You have to top and tail then first, which took a while as we had loads of small fruits. I boiled the goosegogs with some sweetener, let it cool then added the mashed fruit to mixed yoghurt and whipped double cream. Delusions cool and green.

Oh good, sun’s gone back in for a bit.

Thunder and lightning

Posted on July 24, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Bolt of lightning, Bright, Electric, Lightning, Rain, Storm, Thunder, Thunder and lightning, Weather, Well watered plants2 Comments

After such a hit humid day Britain is now being hit by big thunderstorms. I watch an app called blitzortnung and you can see lightening strikes from around the world. He thunderstorms that we’re here an hour ago have moved up towards the North East of the country, but it looks like another line of storms is on its way up from the Midlands. I tried to take some photos but the first few didn’t work very well because my phone camera was on automatic. By the time it had decided on an exposure the flash was gone (orange coloured sky photos caused by street lamps) then I realised if I set lit on the basic manual mode I would get quicker ictures despite the view on the camera being darker. The purplish photos were from doing that. I managed to actually catch a bolt of lightning! The bright one, like daylight was just an extremely bright flash.

Now its raining again. No doubt we will have more but its 3.39am….

Goodnight

Sunset

Posted on July 23, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Colour, Driving home, Evening, Life, Penkhull, Penkhull sunset, Sunset7 Comments

I was coming home from choir early because I was hit and bothered because its so hot here, (around 30°). But the sunset was fantastic and I just had to stop and take pictures. It developed as I watched.

Necklaces

Posted on July 23, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Blogging, Colour, Craft fair, Design, Glass, Glass cabochons, Jewellery, Necklaces, Wire weaving6 Comments

Thanks to my friend Angela Ashton whose glass workshop I attended to make these glass cabochons and my friend Debbie Travis whose wire weaving skills produced the wire supports for them. I have to say they came out beautifully. Now all I’ve got to try and do is sell them!

The invisible man takes a bath….

Posted on July 23, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Fun, Humour, Invisible man, Invisible?, Poem, Poetry, Sci fi2 Comments

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The invisible man took a bath

Cleaned his toes

Washed his nose.

Washed behind his ears

Under his brows.

The invisible man

Dripped water

Everywhere

In the bathroom

After his shower.

The invisible man

Tried to shave.

He was brave.

Invisible blood

Everywhere!

Mug

Posted on July 23, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Blue, Colour, Design, Flowers, Fun, Painting ideas, Pretty, Willow patternLeave a comment

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Random influences.

This burleigh ware blue mug. I’m thinking of painting a blue flowery pattern on a small canvas. Not sure yet and it’s not going to be a copy of this but just something pretty.

Then I want to do a few small paintings based on sections of the willow pattern design. I’ve done a few of these before.

Believe it or not… Bat

Posted on July 23, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Bat, Environment, Flitting, Moth, Penkhull, Pipistrelle, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trent, Village hall12 Comments

This tiny bat was flitting around the back of the village hall last night. I know they are fuzzy photos but all I can say is we watched it for about ten minutes. I think it was a pipistrelle bat. It was hard to get a clear shot because it was moving so fast.

There were a few moths about and I think it was trying to catch them. I wish I had a bat detector. It transforms the high pitched call of a bat into a clicking sound you can hear.

Anyway that’s what happened last night. No vampires were harmed taking these photos. X

Reds and greens…

Posted on July 23, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Acrylic on canvas, Cadmium red light, Dahlia, Dragons eye, Fun, Hot, New paint, Poppy, Tiny painting, Tired, WipsLeave a comment

Hmmm, so I got a strong red from the shop and decided to overoaint the poppy. Then I attacked what I think is a dahlia… In that one I really think I need to look at a real one. The third picture is my attempt at a dragons eye.. Don’t know why? The fourth just is, but I’m not sure what yet. Each need taming. Green might be OK. We will see….