25.7.23s #bandofsketchers prompt was doorway. I’m going to try and catch up with the recent prompts, been a bit busy lately. This doorway sketch is based on a doorway at Rode Hall that I took a photo of a few weeks ago.
Doorway
Tag: Life
1st time…
For the first time on my blog I had someone leave a rude comment on one of my posts today! They actually told me to ‘f’ off. First I was astonished that I had offended someone so much that they felt this way. Then I wondered how an innocuous and supportive post could elicit that reaction? Is it because I’m a woman and I’m daring to express an opinion? But the person referred to me as male. And as I just use my surname why would they know my gender?
Eventually I logged it as Spam and didn’t actually report the blogger. I just wanted the comment gone. Perhaps I should have done. If I’m being trolled how many others are being too? I will see if it happens again. I spent years moderating websites so it didn’t upset me. It’s just childish. And unusual for Jetpack /WordPress. X
Gatepost?
Stone gatepost, in the shape of a pine cone. Covered in moss as it sits under the trees in the damp gloom. Where is the other one? I don’t know, didn’t see it? There is a path that runs past it to a tall tower. This is pierced by several square holes in its upper third and is labelled as the dovecote at Ford Green Hall.
The weather has been damp and gloomy for all of July so I don’t know what condition the gatepost would normally be in, but it looks spectacularly spooky at the moment. Walking along that path in autumn could be quite unnerving. X
Afternoon views
A few views of where I set up to paint along side a family, gran, mother and daughter who were all painting. I really enjoyed the company. It’s good to be finally involved with other artists. We were at the top of the slope looking down at the Hall. Other people arrived and some went on to paint the lovely garden. I’ll post a few more photos later.
Ford Green Roof
Watercolour painting done today, mostly of the roof of Ford Green Hall. I started over to one side so it’s a bit squashed up on the left. I was just finishing as the rain started to come down so we went inside the cafe there for a brew and a cake.
This was a plein aire (spelling?) with the Orme Art Group. Our last session until we start up again in September.
I really enjoyed being out in the fresh air, although there was a noisy motorbike (2 stroke) zooming around and being very annoying. Ford Green Hall was built in the 15th century. Brilliant place to visit and there is a nature reserve at the back.
Heron on the bank
Blurry photo of a heron chilling out on the canal bank today. It leant forward a few times and looked into the murky brown water but then resumed it’s original position again. I guess it must have seen a fish.
We have previously seen people magnet fishing in the canal, they said they sometimes find things, but nothing valuable. Is a shopping trolley or bike frame worth it? I guess you can weigh things in for scrap. In the meantime I hope the heron got his dinner!
Cheese oatcakes
Lunch today
Cheese on oatcakes
Yummy tubes
Of oaty goodness.
Made of batter
Made with oats
On a griddle
Served sizzling hot
Melted cheese
And hp sauce
Make a snack
Or a meal.
Delicious with jam too
Staffordshire oatcakes
For me or you!
Ouchee!
The car door was caught by the wind.. And slammed into my leg! Luckily I was wearing trousers, not a skirt, but then I felt a wet trickle running down the outside of my leg. The door had cut through my skin despite not cutting the trouser cloth. I got inside and cleaned up the wound as well as I could. Hubby bathed it and was going to put a plaster on it but the wound, though shallow, was about the size of a twenty pence piece. Luckily I found something clean to use as a dressing. I put pressure on the wound to stop the bleeding. I’ve got the dressing held in place with plasters, so hopefully I won’t need to go to the doctors on Monday. I’m not going to A&E on a Saturday.
Etruria Inustrial museum today
In the check office at Etruria Industrial museum. There was an interesting video being shown.
We went and watched a half hour video compilation by ( I think) Ray Johnson. The film was showing areas in and around Etruria and Shelton. These included the old Potteries loop line that ran through Etruria, Shelton, Hanley, and Cobridge. The line up to Shelton bar, which was the steel works was so steep it had to have special four cylinder 0-6-0 steam engines to take ore and coal up the steep slope from Kidsgrove up to the Steel works. A lot of the film showed the working conditions there with temperature s in the blast furnace area between 1500 and 2000 °C!
The film also showed how much work was done by steam engines. Apparently there was 50 miles of track in the steel works. Not only did they make steel, but they supplied the gas works next door with coal gas that was converted into ‘town gas’, that used to be stored in the old gasometers next door. The film also showed coal being dug from the ground. It also the coal being used to power the flint mill. It showed the crushing of bone and flint at the Flint mill that was produced by the Princess beam engine at Etruria. A very informative video.
Nowhere!
If you won two free plane tickets, where would you go?
I might donate them to a family that need hospital treatment abroad, but I won’t be using them!
I do not want to fly, or more accurately I don’t want to crash. So I make excuses, it’s not good for my carbon footprint, Also, who needs to travel thousands of miles? The majority of the world can be seen on screens.
I recently saw a marvellous cruise to Antarctica advertised on TV, presumably you have to fly to catch the ship. But why? The cost must be exorbitant. And what are we doing tramping around pristine environments! You see the world burning and you think I want to add to 5ue temperature? Nah! Not me!
Millions of people fly each year, but until we are able to harness solar energy to power them I think I’ll give it a miss. Does anyone remember the flight of the Gossamer Albatross? Look it up!
Mallaband-Brown 