Strange witch sculpture

I made this at an art group today. It’s quite odd but we had dried leaves and twigs and bits of greenery and wool. The black curved piece at the back is a large dried leaf meant to be a cape. I thought the piece of wood looked like a face and body, the two forward sticks are meant to be arms, one is holding a stick. The blue wool round the base is meant to be water which witches are not supposed to be able to cross. The greenery is meant to be being whipped about by her forceful spells.

We were making Faery related objects for an art project and walk that is on tomorrow at Spode there were lots of other objects being made. Most of them held together by hot glue.

Cats

What animals make the best/worst pets?

Cats are fun

Cats are free spirits

Sometimes they love you

Sometimes they fight you

They won’t take tablets

They will eat your food

If you turn your back

If you leave a morsel

Will steal your chair

Will hide in mysterious places

Appearing at odd times

Appearing when you least expect it

Get lost when they are due at the vets

Get tangled up in your feet

Have their means of communicating

Have to have their own way!

Gymnastics

What Olympic sports do you enjoy watching the most?

Watching gymnastics over the years reminds me of Olga Korbut and Nadia Comaneci with their virtually perfect performances at the Olympics. Oh how I wished I could twist and turn my body like them! My abilities were more along the lines of running and cycling. But I always to watched them on TV and I have continued to follow the gymnastics ever since.

It’s not just the female gymnasts, the men are brilliant too. The competitions are different, with apparatus based on the physiques of the male and female body. Balance, poise, strength and flexibility all are important to these athletes.

Looking forward to Paris 2024.

April fools day

The Peak Wildlife Park posted a prank on Facebook today. It reported that some of their Humbolt Penguins had taken flight today and if anyone saw one or found them in their garden they should report it to the park (to check their migratory habits?).

Of course Penguins don’t fly, (and they don’t migrate either as far as I know, but I added that bit), so it was obviously an April Fools joke, but it’s nice and gentle, not rude or unkind. I remember an old one on TV when they reported that the spaghetti trees were being harvested and another one on a children’s TV programme about dehydrated water!

I haven’t seen many jokes today but I liked one about flat pack Easter eggs from IKEA, (chocolate bars), may your April Fools day be fun!

Peak Wildlife Park is at Winkhill, Leek ST13 7QR, UK. Details can be found on Google.

Shot in the dark?

Just back from a quiz

I’ve just been out to a fundraising evening that was to support athletes who will be competing in the Special Olympics for the  United kingdom.

It was fun, with cryptic questions to identify local place names “angry bird” was Heron Cross for instance.

The most difficult one was a percentage guessing game. These were the set called “a shot in the dark” . One question was what percentage of people of the Earth’s Population has ever been on a plane? I think the answer was 6%? There was a lot of debate in our team. You could get 3 points if you got the exact answer and 1 if you came within 5%. We did quite well and our team came third which for a group of strangers was pretty good.

I really enjoyed it and I’d like to do it again. I’d forgotten how much I like quizzes and how competitive I can be!

Spend more time with my cats

What do you wish you could do more every day?

Get up in the morning with my cats

They are running around like bats

I mean silly rushing

Each one pushing

The boundaries of reason

But it’s the spring season

Jumping about then resting

And they’re always questing

To find a nook and cranny

To hide in like a canny

Cat, ready to pounce

Or at least flounce

Off in a huff

Which can be rough

To their friendly mate

Who’s left in a state

Of shock

After a sock

In the face with a paw

When they were calm before

Getting all het up

When they meet up

On the bed

They sort of see red

And chase

Yes that’s the case!

Hi jinks

When a claw sinks

In your nose

But it’s fun I suppose!

Treat

Ice-cream Sundae at the Quarter restaurant at the Spode Site, Stoke on Trent today. I have to say this was a huge amount of ice cream. I felt really naughty, but I’d had some good news so I treated myself to it.

I’d called in at my studio to collect paintings that sold during my Retrospective exhibition. I’d met up with a friend and we decided to go for tea. It was lovely to see her and to chat for a couple of hours. It had been a few months since we last got together and it was good just to have a laugh for a change. Things have been difficult but I  just had a glimmer of hope today.