In the dark (part two)

Posted on January 31, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Blog, Blogging, Fun, Humour, Life, Mystery, Short story, Very short story4 Comments

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It’s been suggested that I carry on with this, so I will try…

I closed the front door and reached for the light switch. Nothing, the house was in darkness. My partner was not about. I used my phone to light the livingroom while I tried to find the fuse box. But when I checked none of the fuses had tripped.

I tried the light at the other end of the room, but it was the same. Normally we leave a table lamp on if we go out, but this was off too?!

What was going on? The room was freezing and dark, the curtain was open on the side window of the house so a glimmer of sodium street light trickled in.

I walked past the barometer. The pressure had dropped. The snow was starting to drift past the window again. I could see snow flakes falling silhouetted by the street light.

I realised that I still had not heard my partner. I moved back to the front door and opened it. Any foot prints on the pavement had been covered by the drifting snow. What next? I walked through the kitchen to the back door. It was locked and the key was still it. Even so I opened the door to look out. I was not surprised to see a cats eyes reflecting back at me, there are always stray cats hanging around for hand outs.

But the eyes looking back at me looked larger than normal, bright gold, glinting. Perhaps a fox? I slowly closed the door, not daring to take my eyes off the steady gaze until it was locked shut.

Feeling dizzy and worried I used the light from my phone to climb the stairs. Thinking all the time that maybe I should have knocked on my neighbours door? The memory of people walking upstairs in horror films also crept into my mind.

“Hello” “you’re home early” my partners voice came from a chair by the window …..

(I’m not carrying on with this tonight, leaving it as a bit of a cliffhanger).

La Traviata

Posted on January 31, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Fun, La traviata, Life, Music, Opera, Placido Domingo, Royal opera House4 Comments

I’ve never seen live opera, but I just came back from seeing Giuseppe Verdi’s La Traviata at our local cinema – broadcast from the Royal Opera House .

The cast included

Ermonela Jaho as ViolettaValery.

Charles Castronovo as Alfredo Germont.

Placido Domingo as Georgia Germont.

The story tells the fortune of Violetta and Alfredo. Violetta is a Parisian courtesan. Alfredo is introduced to her at a party and they fall in love. Violetta has been suffering from tuberculosis and they decide to move to a country house where Alfredo can look after her.

Alfredo doesn’t know that Violetta is selling her possessions so they can afford pay their bills. When he finds out he goes off to Paris to try and raise funds himself.

In the meantime Giorgio, Alfredo’s father, arrives and asks Violetta to leave his son because his daughter is due to marry. Alfredo’s affair with Violetta would cause scandle and prevent the marriage. She begs the father to comfort his son when she has left. Then when Alfredo returns she asks him to promise he will always love her. She leaves the house and sends him a note to say she had gone.

Alfredo goes to Paris to try and find Violetta. He goes to a lavish party and gambles. Violetta and a baron who is involved with her arrive. Alfredo beats him at cards. Alfredo asks Violetta to come back to the country with him but she says no, so he throws his winnings at her and tells her that is to pay her back for the money she has spent. He has a duel with the Baron who is injured. Alfredo leaves Paris.

In the final act Violetta is dying of tuberculosis in a run down house in Paris. She sends her maid to watch the carnival and in the meantime reads a letter which Giorgio has sent her. It tells her that he has told the truth to his son and that Alfredo is coming to see her. Then her maid returns with Alfredo, she is ecstatic and suddenly feels much better but then collapses and dies in Alfredo’s arms.

The music is gorgeous, swooping, life affirming. I cannot explain how superb the singing was. Seeing Placido Domingo singing as the father Giorgio was wonderful. There was so much character and warmth in his voice. Charles Castronovo sang with gentleness and love. He was tender and fierce in turn as Alfredo. But above all Ermonela Jaho’s Violetta was outstanding, excellent. She not only sang the part beautifully but her acting was so intense.

I am so glad that I went. If there is another performance I will go again.

Yellow bowl.

Posted on January 29, 2019January 29, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Acrylic on canvas, Art, Colour, Fun, Humour, Painting, Poem, Random rhyme, Tired, Yellow, Yellow bowl2 Comments

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Since I did so many posts about Blue I thought I would write a random poem about yellow. ….

Yellow bowl,

full of custard,

Bananas

Yellow bandana.

Rifle through my brain…

Yellow ochre,

yellow belly,

Lemon yellow.

Polka dot bikini.

Cadmium yellow..

Corn on the cob

Belishia beacon,

Beaches of golden yellow sand,

Yellow wands of willow,

Yellow cotton pillow

case…

Painted yellow face?

Hello yellow jello

no need to bellow…

Yellow….

I was going to include an American politician in this but thought better of it….

Books

Posted on January 27, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Books, Fun, Humorous writing, Humour, Poem, Poetry, WritingLeave a comment

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Book avalanche ….

I once had one book.

That wasn’t enough,

Then I had two

One too few?

So I got three

Which I read in a tree.

Soon I had four

How many more?

Five or six, a feast

No seven at least,

Enough for a shelf?

With my twelfth….

Once I had forty

I felt rather naughty.

Just a few more

Came through the door…

Once I read paperbacks

Now I’m on hardbacks,

My addiction is growing,

The books they are flowing.

Trying to count ’em

How can I stop them?

Over one Thousand?…..

No space for me and

My cats.. .

Pastel workshop

Posted on January 26, 2019January 26, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, art workshop, beer, Blending, brewing, Design, Drawing, Fun, Humour, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Orme Art group, Pastels14 Comments

I was going to have a quiet day today. But I got up and there was a bit of a disaster in our kitchen. My hubby had decided to brew some beer. But he had added some extra sugar to the brew. Then he has put the bung in upside down. Beer had turned into volcano. Half the brew was all over the kitchen. It had hit the ceiling, there were puddles of ale on the cupboard tops, it was all over the cooker. Basically half the kitchen has been inundated with beer….

After about an hour of cleaning up I decided to go to the pastel workshop with the Orme art group. Basically to escape! The workshop was run by Sandra Orme (no relation).

It’s difficult to describe what we learnt, it was complicated. I’ve added a few photos of the two pictures I did. First you lay down colours in soft pastel on fine toothed pastel paper. Once you have enough pastel on you blend them together, then build up layers using smaller more intricate marks, gradually blending and adding. Sometimes only lightly pressing on the pastel, other times blending more. The direction of the marks can make a difference to how it looks. You can use the edge of your hands, your palms, your fingers or blending tools (like a brush but with the bristles replaced with a rubber tip).

Im pleased with the results. I’m even thinking of getting them framed….

An error has occured

Posted on January 25, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Computers, Errors, Fun, Humour, Life, Poem, PoetryLeave a comment

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An error has occurred:

With your words
With your mind,
With your computer,

An error has iccured:

With your link
With your ink,
With your printer,

An errer has inccured:

With your font,
With your print,
Its too faint.

An irritation has infected:

With your mind,
What you find
Computer error!!!

Shadows and light

Posted on January 25, 2019January 25, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Blogging, Blue, Fun, Learning, Painting, Painting with acrylics, ShadowsLeave a comment

Sorry about the quality of the picture. But this was a painting I did a couple of years ago at the Orme Art group.

It was a still life set up by members of the group which we all worked on. Shadows were cast in two or three directions so it was a challenge to work out how to depict them.

Also the glass vase threw a coloured blue shadow with the ripples shimmering on the wall.

I’m not sure if I got the scale of each object right. The vase must have been really big or the teapot very small?

One problem with looking closely is that you can look at each object and not always the whole. That’d why it’s important to literally and metaphorically take a step back to check.

Mussel shell.

Posted on January 25, 2019January 25, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Blogging, Fun, Humour, Internet, Mother of pearl, Poem, She'll6 Comments

Lots of things inspire me. The mother of pearl colours in a mussel shell interested me. Could it grow a pearl? Is it only oysters that grow them?

Mussel shell, mussel shell

Is a pearl growing there?

Does the grit you spit

Make a sand orb that shines?

Mussel shell, what muscle makes you

Grow a seed of shiny

Mother of pearl?

You are clamming up on me!

Bit of a makeover

Posted on January 22, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Blog, Blogging, Change, Changes, Computer, Design, Facebook, Fun, Instagram, Learning, Life, Painting, Reflections, Social media, Twitter2 Comments

Things are changing on planet Mallaband-Brown so you might notice a few tweaks here and there thanks to my friend Mike from @staffsdesign.

I wanted to update my social media and make it easier for people to follow me. Being an artist has made me a lot happier and nows the time to try and make it work.

I didn’t realise amalgamating all my Web pages and sites would be so complicated and I’m so pleased to have had someone to sort everything out.

This is also a test to see whether it posts to my new Facebook page.

You should be able to follow me on the Internet at @mallabandbrown !

Panto rehearsal

Posted on January 20, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Acting, Fun, Humour, Maid Marion, Panto, Panto in February, Pantomime, Penkhull, Robin Hood, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trentLeave a comment

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Help! The pantomime is getting closer “oh no its not!” it’s on in a month “oh yes it is!” and we are supposed to be word perfect and know the songs and dances… “oh no we don’t!”

Well last Fridays rehearsal was cancelled due to snow and this week a couple of the main cast were away or had injured themselves so some parts had to be read in. There are lots of things to remember for the whole cast. Like when to come back on stage for a crucial part of a song which we all missed! I don’t know how long 16 bars is! It’s a case if standing around muttering rhubarb rhubarb (to pretend we are talking) while the main characters act out the story.

It is funny (honest) but it’s hard to describe. It’s good that one of the cast has actually written and I’d directing it. She’s so clever to do it. Plus organising over 20 children. I don’t know where she gets the energy.

I won’t tell you all the story, but Robin falls for Marion, some Goons cause mayhem on behalf of the Sheriff of Penkhull who is cleverer than Prince John. Marion is Scottish and the panto has her travelling to her home land. However all ends well. …