Dog drawing

Sketch I did of a friends dog. He’s a cross between a Husky and a Spaniel. He looks like a giant Corgi, because his legs are a little short in relationship to his body and he has a curly tail. He’s a real personality and is called Rassie or Rasputin. He’s very handsome and dark grey and white. I drew the outline when we met him on the back of an envelope then redid it and added shading at home.

Got mini canvases!

I went and got some mini canvases today (small matchbox sized) I’m going to paint a few of them but I may do some on Saturday at the exhibition. It will help keep me occupied….

I haven’t been able to do many craft fairs this year so this is a bit of an opportunity to share my work. I haven’t decided what paintings I will be showing. I’ve got too many!

Missiles over Ukraine

Russia fired 70 missiles at Ukraine today. 51 were shot down, but 19 got through. One hit a maternity block of a hospital (over 700 medical facilities have been hit during the war). A one day old baby was killed. This is evil.

Electricity has been cut to most of the country and fresh water supplies are running low. A later attack on Kyiv killed at least four people. War does no good, it just makes peoples lives horrible.

Why are the people of Ukraine being hurt like this. Why is Russias president Putin making these people suffer.

It’s over one hundred years since the end of the First World War, the ‘war to end all wars’ and yet throughout the world men continue to wage war on mem women and children. Iranians are beaten and tortured for not wearing headscarves. Other countries treat their populations badly or attack neighbours. Surely it is time to stop fighting. We are humans that should treat others with humanity and the world as the precious planet that is being harmed by humans too.

Blue rose

Digital drawing done about ten years ago. I just came across this and it brings back memories of challenges I used to do on a now closed website called Sketchfu. The site was overwhelmed by art and Young people writing stories. The site owners couldn’t keep up with all the activity and a few of us users were asked to moderate the site. Eventually they stopped working on the site and the moderators were no longer able to contact them. The site was taken down, but many people downloaded their images, like this one, before it closed.

Botheration!

We went out this afternoon because I really need to get some tiny canvases to paint some new minature paintings for the exhibition and craft sale on Saturday. We didn’t rush out. I thought if we got to the shop before five we would be OK. We actually got through the traffic and arrived at 3.50pm. The place was already closed! They close at 4pm! I must get there in the morning otherwise I won’t have much time (no pun intended) to get things done. Oh well, Tempus Fugit!

13 % battery

Now it’s 12%, why does the battery power drop so fast when it gets to 15%? It’s annoying, I want to write more but the charge is now 11%. Maybe it’s time for a new battery. I sometimes stand in the kitchen with my phone on charge, it’s quite cold in there so I don’t think I will tonight. I will just write this and stop for the night. Anyway it’s a strange and insignificant thing to write about. But I have had this phone for about four years. I don’t change them every five minutes like some people. I can’t afford to and also it’s a waste of resources. Whoops! 10%, goodnight!

101 days of gratitude

I keep drawing and writing

Thinking of good not bad

Calms me down and settles me

Changes thoughts from sad.

Every day three things

Grateful for help from hubby

Happy traffic lights stayed green

That I only have a cold not covid

That you can be happy again.

So 101 days of gratitudes

Not room 101 and gloom

I’ll keep this diary of positives

To balance bad and good.

Birds again.

Whether or not its the time if year, I’m seeing far less birds in the garden now than I did a few years ago. We always had a flock of house sparrows flitting in and out of the hedge, and blackbirds and a Robin and bluetits. Maybe some have migrated for the year. I must get some more bird food. Now the weather is getting colder they all need more support.

Cold, will it snow?

The skies have cleared and the rain has stopped, the temperature has fallen without the clouds holding the warmth in. In some places its due to be foggy and frosty. November had been unseasonably warm. My hanging baskets have literally hung on, with flowers and leaves surviving and the odd bee bumbling around. Now though I’ve actually put the heating on, I also had the oven on to cook yes (might as well heat the house and cook food at the same time.

A national newspaper has reported we should be having six inches of snow, but the real weather forecast is for the temperature to rise again slightly.

In amidst all of this the Ecological Cop27 meeting has just gone back on some of its resolutions to reduce global warming. Major oil and gas producers have pushed for natural gas not to be treated as a greenhouse gas! I’m not sure of the whole story as I only heard a bit on the news, but I think it’s despicable that vested interests can be allowed to harm humanities future because they want their profits.

In the meantime I will continue to plant trees and try and do my bit to reduce my carbon footprint.