His hat

Macro shot of part of my hubbys flat cap from a few years ago.

It’s another one of the photos I found in Facebook memories. It reminds me of how he used to dress. More like a Lancashire farmer than someone living in a modern town. With a tweed jacket and old working mens trousers or jeans. A plaid shirt and boots or black leather shoes. His hair was usually escaping from under that flat cap. He sometimes got called the mad professor because his hairstyle was much like Einstein’s or other times curly when what was left of his hair was uncovered.

A big man, strong. He loved cycling and science. He knew such a lot of things but was often troubled. Bad memories of childhood. Our partnership was of mutual support. Mutual love. I remember his cheeky grin and the twinkle of mischief in his eyes.

Yes this photo bought back many memories.

Terry

Ten year old sketch. I used to like drawing people when we went out to the local pub, or to visit friends. It’s just an easy and quick way of keeping my hand in for drawing portraits.

There are groups you can join on the Internet to draw portraits of each other but I always forget its on until it’s over and I hardly go anywhere anymore.

Coat on chair

Woollen tweed coat, maybe Harris tweed? The wool woven on a Scottish Island into multicoloured flecks that look brown at a distance. Tweed was often dyed with natural dies, for example onion skins to make yellow or heather and lichens. Then steeped in a mordant to ‘fix’ the dye. A mordant is a chemical that prevents the dye running if the cloth gets wet. Urine was often used. It used to be collected from residents for the process.

Tweeds are very insulating, they can absorb a lot of rain water but still keep you warm. The sheeps wool is very useful for making materials like felt too for caps and hats.

Panto hat

This large papier mache hat was made for out pantomime a few years ago, it was about a meter wide. Painted to look like an old Spode pottery design. With roman or grecian patterns round the cup. I wish we could be certain that the pantomime we are rehearsing at the moment. This is a photo I found on my phone because I’m trying to clear off some of them to make more space, but I’m keeping this one.

Sitting listening…

_20191010_171054

It’s quite cool today, so after going out for lunch, then coming back and doing a bit of gardening I’ve come into the relative warm (about 18.5°C) and I’m sitting listening to the Radio.

I’ve decided to try and keep the heating off as much as I can. It’s getting expensive and it’s not that cold yet.

It’s grey and showery outside. We had to cut the hedge back because our neighbours need access on the path round to their back yard and it runs past our garden. The trouble is one set of shears handle is coming loose and is held on with gaffer tape! When you cut branches with them they bend inwards so you can’t always get a good purchase on the twigs.

So anyway, the hat in the drawing was given to me by a friend when it was raining last week. I meant to take it back but forgot. Just dumped it on the pile of books by the front door.

X

A hat full of stones

_20190803_160425

You daft ‘aipath! What you doin’ collectin’ stones in yer at?

I wanted em fer th’garden. Twill make a nice dressin’ ont top of the pots.

Yer an owd idiot Mon! Yer ed’s full o’ gravel dust now don’t yer know?

Yer ed’ must be rattlin’ like an old stone path being walked on, yer numpty.

Oo you callin’ a numpty? If tha’dud na like me, why dids’t tha marry me?

Becowse I luved yer. An thays the  truth o’it.

Trying to write in some sort of dialect. Apologies for it.