New paintings and regular art updates.
Yes I love you
Yes I do,
Yes I married you,
Yes it’s true.
Yes we are happy
Yes I’m sure,
Yes don’t ask why?
Yes I said so….
Yes I’m angry,
Yes I’m annoyed
Yes it’s your fault.
No I don’t care.
No there’s no problem,
No it’s just words
No I’m not lying.
No it’s just playing.
Because it’s a poem!
The older you are the faster life seems to go. Whether it is because of all the experiences you have had so you know what to expect, or your mind is so used to days flowing into weeks and months….. Its like the song, you turn around and youth has gone, summer turns to autumn and winter.
This year has been one of the best in my life in some ways. My health has been OK, I’m not at work so I don’t feel all the stress I used to, and because I lost weight I have been able to get about better. In contrast time seems to be affecting my partner more. He is still fit, but struggles to stand up and does not exercise as much. I’m sure it’s more to do with putting on weight, but it’s not helping that he is older than me.
I wish I could go back in time and explain what happened to me as I got older and tell myself what mistakes to avoid.
Life goes on, now I’m more thoughtful and perhaps too cautious. More bothered about going on long journeys and even stupid things like driving in the dark.
Life keeps going. I do as I’m told (mostly) by my doctor. I’m lucky at the moment to have health, home and some happiness. I just hope I’m not tempting fate by saying it!
Argh that’s my leg! My cat is “poddling” that’s kneading it with his big, heavy, sharp clawed paws….I’m suffering from tiny puncture wounds in my thigh…stroke his back and he starts up again. Left, right, left, right…..look of concentration on his face, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, slowing down .. almost..no he’s started up again. Ow, should have worn thicker trousers….finally settled down, ready to sleep….thank goodness…
I once saw a poster “poddle free cheshire” that’s where I found this wonderful word.
X
How old was I when we first had a cat? 11 or 12 I think, we had two cats, a tortoise shell and a grey tabby. I remember loving them. One was a kitten and we had a settee which had four legs so it would run underneath and pounce on my ankles. I had to sit cross legged on the seat to avoid getting scratched!
I went to college and my friend had two kittens which we took to the vets and we saw an old cat there which was due to be euthanized. we asked to take it in and looked after it for a year until it died of old age. That cat was Jinx and I did a lovely painting of him.
The following year we took in an adult female cat. She was very clever and liked to ride on my shoulders. She had kittens and we kept two of them. Once their mum died they were our cats for many years. The female lived to 21. As they got old we took in another two strays, one of these would sit on the white line in the middle of the road, waiting for me to come home. He was knocked over in an accident with a car and was put to sleep. The other cat we think was killed by antifreeze or another poison. I was very sad when that happened, but we were later persuaded to taken in two more cats. They lived long lives . Finally last year we took in a brother and sister cat. They love chasing each other around the house, up and down stairs. Having fun trying to catch water from the bath tap and jumping up on top of the cupboards in the kitchen. They are a little shy when new people visit but they are loved and give love. I could write more but I don’t want to bore you.
X
The lights go down
You step forward,
Spotlight
Suddenly a figure in black enters
Stage left,
A glint of metal
An arm raised
Bang bang your dead?
End of act one…..
Hint of mist,
Haze of fog,
Gravestone centre stage,
Hush falls over the audience,
The earth in the grave tumbles,
Slips
Fingers push upwards,
A hand raised up,
Blackened nails stretch out
Through a solid stage?!
It’s Halloween and the sense of foreboding hangs heavily in the air. Birds fly around the house, their fluttering wings catching at the windows as they fly up in panic from something slowly shuffling about the building.
Leaves are falling in a mimicry of snow. A crumpled carpet of browns and gold, dulled by the cold dark air. Sound is muffled, but even through it there is a lurking, grinding shudder.
As the darkness falls a tremor shakes the ground. The stems of ivy entwined around the walls of the house seem to stretch and shiver, the leaves expanding and contracting, pulsing, throttling. Dragging down on the building, pulling through cement, brick and concrete. Crumpling the floorboards and ceilings. Slowly the house changes shape, slumping down into itself like a car in a crusher.
Finally a spray of water rises above the debris as the water main bursts.
The birds fly and flutter down, settling on the rubble. Quiet descends.
I love ornaments, but have an aversion to dusting, hence all of my ceramic cats are rather dusty.
The more I collect the worse I get. I added up the number of cat ormaments I had once and gave up after 50. I’m afraid I like collecting “useless tat”. Maybe one day I could use them in an art work. Or more likely they will sit and continue to gather dust.
I think each of these cats is a depiction of a Egyptian goddess Bast? I may be wrong.
A couple of weeks after our small crop of apples the pears have almost all fallen off the tree following a strong breeze. There are two left up on the tree.
As with all windfalls they are a bit battered and bruised. We had a few earlier and I think birds have been trying to eat them too, but pears stay hard for ages then suddenly ripen so they are not soft enough for the blackbirds and robins in the garden.
What to do with them? I’m going to chop off the bad bits then poach them in white wine when they are a bit riper . I dont think they will be beautiful pears standing up right in their bowls, but a bit more of a chopped up chunky pudding, with added custard. I might take photos!
Why is the tree at an angle? I don’t know, we put it in and it grew this way. This year we put an old shelf upright underneath it to support it as it was tipping further. As it grows large fruit, they seem to pull on the top half. Hopefully it won’t snap. It was bought as a sapling from an old Woolworth store. It must have been planted 20 years ago and since its matured it’s always borne fruit.
Hooray for the old pear tree. Faithfull fruiter!
I enjoyed drawing today. We went round the terracotta warriors exhibition at the world museum at Liverpool.
The exhibition was crowded and I felt guilty at standing the way of the crowd as I drew. I got barged a couple of times and someone jarred my arm just as I was drawing one of their faces. But I also got a few complements. It was hard work. I took lots of photos. But drawing really makes you look. And quick sketching makes it all the more of a challenge. I finished my sketchbook but I think it was worth it. I’m hoping my drawing skills are improving. Sometimes I’m still a bit hesitant but that’s to be expected.
What is sleep, this spider web of thought,
Old choices or soft places? Violence or love?
Never forget your dream until its over then it’s gone.
Reality is there . Belief in normality that is surreal.
Fire and ice, pain and grace.
How we dream of troubles,of happiness of joy of hate.
Integrating thoughts or losing the agony of pain.
Value sleep it is an escape into dreams.
Mallaband-Brown