I am quite lost

Posted on December 1, 2021 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged confiding, Friends, gloom, Help, Life, Memory, Pattern, Sketching, Support, Thinking, Time, Winter, World2 Comments

My mind is a bit muddled at the moment. I am dealing with lots of ‘stuff’ and I feel overwhelming worry that I won’t get back on track. My life physically has been bothering me and I’m waiting for an appointment to try and find answers. I’m dealing with things for myself, my family and friends, and because I can put a good case for things I don’t mind helping. But when you persue various options and each one closes down it gets more and more frustrating. I wish I could herd cats, work out the best thing for us. I had to ask for help recently, and that was difficult. I’m a proud person and I don’t like to think I can’t cope. But you know those straws that broke the camels back? I think they are building up. Maybe I need to hibernate and look after myself, but turning away from others is not in my nature.

Two cats together

Posted on November 14, 2021 Posted in Cat, UncategorizedTagged Autumn, Black and white cat, Cat, Friends, Happy, Life, Photo, Time, Together, Tuxedo cat2 Comments

One on my knee, one on the arm of the chair. My two boy cats sitting almost nose to nose. They are quite tolerant of each other, and this is the closest they have ever sat together. It asted half an hour, both snug and warm. This is not photoshopped they were about three inches apart. So pleased we got the outside cat to join the household especially at this cold time of year.

Chandelier

Posted on October 16, 2021December 13, 2021 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Chandelier, Friends, Life, Lunch, Potters club, Pottery, Stoke-on trent, Stoke-on-Trent Station2 Comments

A lunch meeting with a group of friends today. We have been meeting on line for 19 months but have not met many in person.

We were at the Potters club, a lovely set of rooms at the top of an office building in Stoke on Trent. There were amazing pieces of pottery on display, and the view out showed Penkhull hill and the Trent Valley.

I could have taken many photos if I had taken my phone with me, but I had left it on my table as I was having to walk with a stick. So the only photo I got was one of three chandeliers in the Potters Club room.

Still want a sculpture

Posted on October 3, 2021 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Friends, Gardening, Help, Ivy, Overgrown, Plants, Pruning, Sculpture, Time, Wisteria, WorkLeave a comment

Fox sculpture.

I still want a sculpture in our garden like this but the artist has not been in touch. I wonder if something has happened to him? Oh well, people get busy. I will try again and see if we can have it done.

A good friend came round earlier today and helped with our garden. It’s getting very overgrown and neither me or my hubby can manage it anymore. The whole thing needs cutting back and pruning. Unfortunately the wisteria was a casualty as it has grown into the ivy that has got onto the roof of the extension so it needs clearing. Then you might be able to see a sculpture!

Passion flower

Posted on September 1, 2021September 1, 2021 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Autumn, Friends, Gardening, Lilies, Passion flower, Plants, Story, Surprise, Time, Very short story3 Comments

Suddenly there was a passionflower in the garden. She didn’t know where it had come from. Could it have been planted there by a bird? A squirrel? She knew she hadn’t planted it… At least she thought she knew…

A week later she was pottering in the yard. A beautiful lily caught her eye. Again she racked her mind, thought back to spring? It might have been in a bag of bulbs she had bought? It was early autumn. Too long ago to remember.

Over the next few weeks new plants appeared in her borders. Beautiful flowers and plants. Expensive plants. The gate was locked at night, and she only went out occasionally in the day. Was she being stalked…?

The revelation of who was doing the planting came late one Friday evening. She was having a drink with an old school friend. As she sipped her red wine she told her about the plants popping up in the garden.

Her friend blushed and smiled. Oh dear, she said. I’d better tell you. My garden is full, too full. I decided to spread plants out to my friends gardens, you, Jackie, Maude and Sisley.

Well it started as a bit of a joke, but once I realised I could push through the hedge down the bottom of the garden? Well I just kept coming back. I hope you enjoyed the plants? I should stop!

Don’t you dare! I love them. I was spooked, but now I appreciate the surprise. Thank you. Keep going, its fun.

Walk

Posted on July 31, 2021 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Creative writing, false memories, Friends, Imagined, Life, Thoughts, Together, Walking2 Comments

You took my hand, held it tightly. Dragged me up the hill to the viewpoint.

We stared across the tree tops, across the views of hills and valleys. There were old houses and modern warehouses where there used to be fields. It’s gone, you said, our youth and the beauty that was once here.

Remember when we had strength? When hills were virtually flat? When colours were bright and gaudy.

The trees were shorter then, we could see further. We used to hold hands and more. Now, we are lost, can our hearts stay forever together? The hill is steep nowadays. But we walk hand in hand.

Socially distanced choir

Posted on July 5, 2021 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Choir, Clay Chorus, Friends, Fun, Music, public singing, Singing, social distanceLeave a comment

We finally sang as a choir tonight. We were socially distanced. Each of us had a chair placed behind a CD. Two meters apart. We did some stretches and vocal exercises and suddenly we were singing together in reasonable harmony. We even sang in parts, soprano, tenor, alto and base. It was lovely! No zoom where all you can hear is yourself and the choir leaders. We started quietly but by the end we had some volume. Hearing each other gets the camaraderie going again.n

Next stop, singing in public at a canal day this coming Sunday. I hope we all stay well and the weather improves!

Today’s portrait session 9.4.21

Posted on April 9, 2021 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged Art, College, Friends, Painting, Pictures, Portrait, portrait session, Sketching, Watercolour, watercolour sketching8 Comments

Today we were playing with lighting effects, either with the light from a lamp, a phone or the screen light. I decided to try and use watercolour (mainly blue and brown) and a couple of extra colours depending on the backgrounds. The paint set doesn’t have a black, which makes it interesting trying to get dark enough colours…

I have short legs

Posted on March 27, 2021March 29, 2021 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged #100daywalkingchallenge, Challenge, Exercise, Feet, Fitter, Friends, Helping, Legs, Miles, Steps, Tired, WalkingLeave a comment

I just checked my step counter and it came up with this for March. But I do have short legs so it’s not as impressive as you might think. Plus this is steps not miles! Anyway I’ve surprised myself. I think I’ve done 55 days since starting the 100 day walking challenge with my friends. I think I’m slowly getting fitter. My average walk is around three miles. I’m tired and aching, but I will keep going barring injury or illness. Still over 250,000 steps is not bad going for someone who was basically sedentary before that. Yes I was doing a few walks a week , but I think doing this has helped enormously. X

I am a lightweight!

Posted on March 10, 2021 Posted in UncategorizedTagged #100daywalkingchallenge, Busy, car repair, College, Exercise, Friends, Life, online forms, Short walk, Support, Tired, WalkingLeave a comment

After days of walking decent distances the last two have been a bit of a disappointment. Yesterday I walked uphill though, and got my heart points in. Today it was only because I had to deliver the car to the garage for repairs and walk home via a cafe for a takeaway breakfast, go and help a friend with an online form because she was struggling with filling it in, and this evening going shopping in the local supermarket to collect essentials like milk and bread. During the day I also took part in a lecture that overran somewhat and was busy trying to catch up with household tasks. I have got to do a couple of observational drawings to catch up my weekly quota. I will try and post the results of them later. Still got to wash the shopping (yes I do that) and consider working on an editorial illustration that we have to create for college thus week. But now I’m sitting down with the cat on my lap. Might have a quick nap!

Mallaband-Brown

Tag: Friends