Mock Mayor memory

Posted on April 6, 2025April 6, 2025 Posted in Memories, UncategorizedTagged 2019, Celebration, Ceremony, Fun, Humour, Memory, Mock mayor, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Play, Theatre3 Comments

Today I had the honour of holding the Cerimonial Mace of the borough of Newcastle under Lyme. We were Celebrating the Mock Mayor Ceremony that was held in 2019 to crown a Mock Mayor for the day. Then covid happened so there hasn’t been another event and I’m effectively still the Mayor! My hubby played the Mayor’s wife in one of my dresses…

The marvellous Glenn Martin James who organised the extravaganza is standing next to hubby in this photo by a lady called Amanda. Glenn has done a wonderful drawing of the whole cast at the event and it is now on display at the Guildhall. Hopefully there will be a new ceremony in the future. X

Had a lovely but tiring afternoon. Might post more later!

Smiling faces

Posted on April 22, 2021 Posted in UncategorizedTagged 2019, Clouds, Life, Mountains, Pareidolia, Photo, Seeing faces, Snowdonia, Summer, Wales10 Comments

Smiling cloud faces, view of Snowdonia, Wales, UK , June I think, 2019. Wishing I was there now. We haven’t been able to visit for over a year because of Covid…I saw this again today and remembered how enjoyable it was just travelling, exploring, driving down roads I’d never been down before. I don’t mind not driving much, but I’d like to go to a few nice places again….

Remembering Barndances!

Posted on December 26, 2020 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged 2019, Barn dance, Dancing, Drawing, Life, Memory, Penkhull, Penkhull Village Hall, SketchingLeave a comment

They were a hoot! Loads of people trying to dance square dances, making arches with their arms, swirling in circles round the room. Passing behind a line of people (casting) then dancing up the middle with your partner holding hands and twirling round and round. Crowded round tables around the sides of the room. Alcohol was for sale and they sometimes ran out of drink! I loved trying to capture people’s positions as they danced. In aid of Penkhull Mystery plays. I miss them.

Let me go back

Posted on September 23, 2020September 23, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged 2019, Back in time, Celebration, Ceremony, Cross dressing, Fun, Mock mayor, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Parade, Poem, Poetry, Random, Speeches, Woolen wigLeave a comment

Let me go back to 2019

When I played mock mayor

And was wigged in wool hair.

My hubby was wearing

A gown with great bearing

Cross dressed

In his best

In straw hat with beard

While his words were heard

Speaking prattle and tosh

To a crowd all a hush

Paraded the iron market

With oyez oyez, harked

A speech for the day

The people to play

Drink and be glutton

And eat best mutton

Till the end of the day

With nothing to pay.

Mock mayor on that day.

To the world on display…..

Missing Barndances

Posted on September 8, 2020 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged 2019, Art, Barn dance, Missing fun, Mystery Play, Panto, Penkhull, Raising funds, Sad, SketchingLeave a comment

Next month we would probably have been holding a Barn dance in aid of the Penkhull Mystery play (that didn’t happen in July). We would also have started rehearsals for the Penkhull panto, both events, ( the mystery play and the panto) had big audiences. Now our government has decided to cut the number of people who can live in England down to six both inside and out. No more crowds. Sad….

9 for 2019

Posted on January 5, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged #9for2019, 2019, 2019 roundup, 9 for 2019, Acrylic on canvas, Art, Artist, Clay, Easter island head, Life, Paint, Painting, Photo, Spode, Staffordshire, Stoke, Stoke-on trentLeave a comment

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9 of my favourite images from 2019.

From top left to bottom right…

Dramatic mirrored image of a North Wales beach.

Lion I painted for the local lions charity.

Mural in a downstairs cloakroom. I can still climb!

Easter Island clay head I made at Etruria Artists.

My art stall at a craft fair.

The stray cat that we are looking after who needs rehoming.

Falcon works, two images of the pottery I painted last autumn.

Holding my green man painting and with my vase painting during my exhibition at Spode.

Finally, painting of a window with peeling paint, taken from a photo I took at Spode.

Is it 2020 yet?

Posted on December 31, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged 2019, Blogging, Good and bad, Humour, Life, Memories, Thinking, Time1 Comment

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Time, memories, fears, wonders? The year has passed, slowly and quickly. I can’t believe it’s almost over. Things have happened that I couldn’t forsee. People I loved have gone, friends I have lost. But also, friends I have made, on line and in real life.

Can you tell by this reflective mood that I haven’t had a drink yet for New years eve? I migh treat myself to an Irish coffee. But I don’t feel like drinking a lot.

Things to avoid in 2020…

Politics!

Hot sun,

Getting too tired.

Going to bed to late.

What about you?

Happy New year

Posted on December 31, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged 2019, 2020, Best wishes, Good wishes, Life, New beginning, New year, Time6 Comments

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As New year approaches, I want to wish all the people who follow my blog, and who I have made friends with over the last couple of years, a Happy and Healthy New year for 2020. I know it doesn’t happen at the same time across the world and in some places its already late in the morning of January 1st. Others won’t be celebrating until hours later.

Wherever you are in or on the World, with all the terrible things that have happened, or are happening, may you find peace, and caring, and love. If your year was good in 2019, I hope that continues.

It doesn’t matter who, or what you are. I hope your life, and that of your families and friends is good in 2020.

Best wishes.

Last Day

Posted on December 31, 2018 Posted in UncategorizedTagged 2018, 2019, Blogging, Life, New year, Time, Year endLeave a comment

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It’s the last day of 2018. 2am, only 22 hours to go till 2019.

How do I feel. Well I’ve started then stopped doing a couple of things this year, including not being able to get to urban sketchers because it clashes with another art group. Not persevering with trumpet lessons because I was feeling down, and almost giving up on archery because I’ve been too busy.

The wonderful thing is though that I have tried my hand at these things. Where before I never had time to do them. I know I need to get back to them and I think when we have brighter days I won’t be in such a hibernation mode. I guess part of it is trying to do more with my partner. I don’t want him to be isolated. He needs to get out there and do things but his mind is not in a good place..

I know there is a lot of talk about mental health but I won’t go into details. I just wrote a long paragraph explaining it all then decided to delete it. Sometimes things need to stay private.

So anyway, we are passing from one year to the next. It’s an arbitrary marker of time. I guess it does signify the return of the Sun over the next few months. Time does seem to go faster with age. Clocks tick…….

So as the season is merry I shall wish you all a happy healthy and fun 2019.

Mallaband-Brown

Tag: 2019