New paintings and regular art updates.
I don’t know how old this poster is, it was my hubby’s. It says “Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested.” Francis Bacon.
I think hubby got this before we met, in the 1970’s when he was at college. He always loved books and probably 3/4 of our books were his. We both had an eclectic taste in books. I need to declutter, but they are all old friends. X
I was sitting in the library and looked out the window. I noticed the trees were still bare. Then I saw the shape of the canopy over the front door. It suddenly looked like a rabbits head. The letter Y at the end of library looks like a rabbits ears. I thought back to making shadow puppets on the wall, it’s so strange, a bit of Pareidolia?
Lighting detail on the ceiling of Hanley Library, Stoke-on-Trent. I love the design. We were singing “this little light of mine” at a monthly choir practice and it really chimed that the image went so well with the music. It’s as if the sun is encouraging people to read and to use the library to enjoy all sorts of experiences.
This morning the neighbour was hammering again but I ignored him, I had an appointment with the optician. I decided to walk the few hundred yards as want to try and get a bit fitter. As it was it took me about 25 minutes to walk 800 yards…. I’m just getting more unsteady and it’s a vicious circle of pain and shaking with the Parkinsons.
To the opticians, as I thought my cataracts are getting worse, he agreed, but that at least means I might be able to get one eye operated on.
I picked up a few groceries on the way home, enough for one bag. I needed some vegetables and porridge. Then home slowly in the sunshine.
When I got in I decided to pay for my garden waste collection. I tried ringing the council but got automatic voice messages explaining that I would have to pay online and no one would personally take my call. After feeling frustrated I decided to text my local councillor. That’s hit and miss as I have to spell check everything because I don’t always hit the right keys. This was asking if I could ring another number and get a real person!
Finally I tried the council number again. I chose a different option and a man answered. He put me through to the waste department and I got a real person, a woman to speak to. She asked if I could get a relative to pay, but one is dead, another lives 80 or 90 miles away and the other one is abroad. I could go down to the library she said. I explained I had already been to town and was tired out (my car was blocked in or perhaps I could have driven). Eventually it got through to her that I wasn’t going to be able to do it so after speaking to a manager she took the payment over the phone. Looking back I could have been nicer but I was tired and flustered. I she told me to use my key pad on my phone to type in some numbers and I didn’t realise she meant the phone keypad, I was looking for a qwerty keyboard! I did apologise for taking up her time.
So then I fell asleep and dozed for a while. It’s taken me a while to get this down on my phone keypad. I don’t normally have the energy to do so much in one day, my feet and ankles ache and I’m feeling a bit grumpy!
Tonight’s choir practice was a monthly event, based at Hanley Library in Stoke on Trent. I almost missed it because of my car problems but friends gave me a lift. It was due to be the last practice but the librarian has got extra funding for an extra 3 months. X
We sing various songs including north American Indian, south African and Maori pieces as well as traditional English songs, sometime we tackle Welsh songs like Canon Lan. We had a cheerful evening, I even tried to play the kazoo. It’s good to socialise and singing is good for mental health and memory.
Books. I have so many, I counted them once and when I got to 1000 I gave up.
Many were my hubbys, trains, planes and bicycles, autobiographies, war and history. Stories about Rommel or Rome. My books are science fiction or fact, mysteries, art and illustration. We shared a love of JRR Tolkien and Ursula K Le’Guin and other writers such as Terry Pratchett. All our books are intermingled, it’s hard to see where ones obsession ends and the other starts.
Books are a library, some I’ve read over and over again, sometimes overnight, finishing the last page as the sun rises. Others I’ve savoured over months. Some bored me, but I still wanted to finish them.
But now? Can I let some go, like puppies to a new home? I might never read them. If anyone knows of a book charity for schools let me know?
I’m glad Esther posted this prompt, it’s made me think about things.
Someone spotted the type of car this is. I posted it on my previous post. But it’s not my car.
You can use a free picture library here that will provide you with a free image. I use it when I don’t want to share information that identifies specific details about me. I know that people can do reverse image checks and get your details. I don’t think that’s a good idea. I trust WordPress more than some other sites but even so it’s a risk to share stuff that people could use against you. That’s why I don’t share pet and family names either. I’m not being rude, just careful. X
Wire woven mobiles in my window. The first thing I look at in the morning. One was to celebrate my hubbys 65th birthday, the other Ygdrasil, the tree at the centre of the world was a gift from my friend. I wonder if there will be any more?
Wire weaving is a brilliant skill, I think my friend was featured as a maker on one of the TV sales shows a few years ago. This sort of work takes agility and dexterity.
Creative people deserve recognition and support. In a world where councils, running short of money, are going to close art galleries and libraries, I wonder what people are meant to do to learn and enjoy the arts? Maybe the richest 20 MEN in the world should share some of their wealth more, even if we go back to Victorian values like philanthropy. Art is in our DNA it needs preserving!
Where do you fit them?
Nooks and crannies
Squeeze in gaps
Force them onto shelves
Net them to prevent collapse.
Gabions of books
Insulating walls
A bookworm super highway
North to West, East to South
A myriad of subjects
Choose a favourite book!
I missed choir last night so I was pleased to go to a brand new one tonight! It’s monthly on the third Wednesday of the month in a local library. They have got funding to run a choir for at least a year. My friends from the Boat Band, who run other choirs in Stoke on Trent were leading it.
It was a cold and frosty night but 16 people turned up! Three of us were choir members but the rest were new to singing and wanted to see what it was like. We learnt by repeating phrases and didn’t use sheet music and it was…. Amazing,
We managed to sing in two parts, then three, we managed to sing low and high harmonies. By the end of the evening everyone was buzzing, we even thought of giving the group a name! Me? I loved it. I hope it gathers force and keeps going X
Mallaband-Brown