New paintings and regular art updates.
I can’t get over the last months drawing challenge so I’ve started a drawing a day in a circle for November.
The first one was just a car outside our house. Not very exciting. What I think I will do is post the pictures every week or so rather than individual ones.
This made me laugh though, my hubby likes having cool feet. He probably won’t wear shoes till December. I think he’s odd but it’s his choice.
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You know the inkblot test? Rorschach test? Why does this photo remind me of rabbits doing a Morris dance? Or laying the drums?
Photo of the sunrise about a month ago I think, with overgrown hedge and trees.
I can see ears, eyes, mouth and nose. Mind you I’ve always seen patterns in wallpaper. Sometimes I see a splodge and from then on I can’t get away from the image of Marge Simpsons blue bin, or a horse rearing…. Why? I don’t know.
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Norman my white nosed reindeer…. 
Norman is hoping to be a stand in Reindeer at Christmas. He’s wants to be an understudy for Santa’s team.
He says that he’s waited five hundred years for the chance and his nose has turned white with age. He’s wearing his favourite stripey woolley jumper and has borrowed a set of Santa’s braces to keep his trousers up. He feels the cold at the North Pole because of his age.
Norman almost went out in 1960 when Dasher had a pulled hamstring from dashing and crashing about, but he missed out when a reindeer called Snowy took Dashers’ place.
Norman says his sense of direction can let him down. He once flew to the South Pole by mistake but did make friends with the King Penguins down there. He now takes a blow up globe and a compass with him so that he can find his way around the world.
Norman has a month to prove himself so he can go on this year’s Christmas run.
The fingernails were split and bleeding, the hand ended at a severed wrist. Gradually it crawled across the floor, searching for something? Lifting the pretty throw draped across the sofa it scuttled underneath…
The camera panned out. The narrator whispering….. Now the female waits, it is mating season. She is a lone zombie hand, she can release pheromones….
Then… And here they are, five smaller hands, distinguished by not wearing nail varnish……
In the spring, the narrator said, there could be fingers…..
Photo of Jodrell Bank Observatory I took in 2011.
See that star up there?
That’s a planet Galileo saw.
See the dots across its face?
Moons that circle it apace.
Moving further into space,
Stars and gas, nebulae like lace.
Gazing further, higher, far
Supernovae, neutron star.
Galaxies fly apart so fast
Hubbles constant, Doppler’s haste.
Black holes tug at other worlds,
Gravity wells where stars are hurled.
Big bang was expanding
Dark matter we’re not understanding..
Cosmic microwave background energy.
Look out from our earth observatory.
All hallows eve. The night before all saints day, Halloween. October 31st. Tomorrow…
It was almost midnight. The moon was about half full, gliding in and out from behind the clouds. Smoke from an early November 5th bonfire drifted across the woodland. A mist was forming and swirling around the trees.
Why am I doing this? She thought for the thousandth time. Why do I want to be a Witch? It was all very strange. The recruitment, in a cafe! What did they think they were, spies?
Next to her stood her best friend, Gerry, she was slightly older and into Wiccan ideas, she had persuaded her to come along. Come on, whispered Gerry. It’s almost midnight.
They followed a short path through the trees. Their bare legs scratched and nettled. Not far now. They came out into a wide open space, a gap in the trees. One Oak sapling grew at the centre of the clearing. A crude rock alter lay in front of it. The clearing was full of women in black dresses and capes, holding broomsticks and with the traditional conical hats on their heads. She started to laugh. This was ridicuous. She shivered, all she and Gerry were wearing were dark cloaks like those of the women in front of her. What am I bloody well doing…..
Come forward, a tall woman ordered them. Kneel. Put your heads on the altar.
What? She struggled so two women grabbed her and pushed her down. She felt the slab of rock cold against her cheek.
People danced and a fire flickered, out of the corner of her eye she saw the leaves falling like snow from the trees although there was no wind or breeze.
She heard cackling laughter and the tall woman sat astride her broomstick. It lifted! Slowly the woman rose, all the while maniacal laughter flying from her mouth. Twice round the clearing. The witches gradually stepped forward and surrounded the two women at the altar.
The tall woman landed next to them.
You have both passed the test, she said. You are now witches. I salute you.
Would you like a Sloe Gin with tonic and ice ?
Filters. How many? I think about five in my vacuum cleaner. All of them get blocked up. So when you come to clean them out you have to clear each one. Having long hair and cats doesn’t help. Our old cleaner was a lot more efficient and needed less maintenance. I guess the twists and turns dust has to follow through the machine, causes the blockages, like blood clots in a branching venous system. Not to mention… Hubby’s socks that get left in odd places and cause more problems! Argh!
When my hubby makes bread,
It’s like an alien invasion.
It’s like the film ‘the blob’
Expanding
Contracting,
Overflowing.
The flour is everywhere,
Brown and white
Two packets of yeast,
Half on the floor.
The biggest pan,
The hottest oven.
Rising up to the ceiling,
Growing like a balloon.
Cooked
Nice with marmalade.
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Have you heard of Panto? Or better known as Pantomime?
No? It’s something that goes on here in the UK around Christmas time.
Usually seen in a theatre it consists of brightly coloured sets, with brightly clothed people, messing about, telling an adventurous story while telling awful jokes and singing contemporary songs.
We do this in Penkhull, but for the at two years someone from the group has written the panto/pantomime, rather than buying in a script.
We started rehearsing last week. Lots of people who have done it before, greatful to get a couple of lines and be able to play act again. Most modern pantos seem to have commercial sponsorship, but in our case we just mention local shops. We don’t have advertisements in the panto, unless it’s jokey ones in the programme.
This time we are doing Aladdin. Set to open for four performances (too many for’s?) in February 2020, so the cast can take Christmas off!
Oh yes we can!
He’s big and bold,
Not nasty, but determined.
If he wants,
he will take your chair.
He will make fun of you,
Nip your nose
Play with your hair
Chase balloons.
Happy.
That’s what he is….
Mallaband-Brown