Mom’s first car

Posted on August 19, 2026August 19, 2026 Posted in Memories, UncategorizedTagged Car, Life, low cc, Memory, Radiator, Robin reliant, small engine, Snow, three wheels1 Comment

Mom was the driver in our family. She drove a Robin reliant 3 wheeler car. Fibre glass body. Me and my sisters would squeeze in it with her and sometimes my gran too. The three wheeler struggled with hills because it only had a very low cc engine. It was hard to drive in snow because the front wheel would have to push it’s way through fresh snow… Eek

One day on a very long steep hill l remember it boiled dry dragging 5 of us and our combined weight upwards. I remember a hot day and wondering how we would get home. Luckily mom found a house and they brought a watering can of water down to refill the radiator.

BTW Robin reliants got the nickname “Plastic pigs”!

Eclipse drawing

Posted on August 17, 2026August 18, 2026 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged artistic, ArtRage app, Doodle, Eclipse drawing, Life, Moon, Sketching, Sun, Sunset1 Comment

Tried to do a sketch of the partial eclipse using Artrage app. It’s using digital pens and tools which replicate things like soft pastels or brush marks.

The image is not based on a real picture, but is more of a doodle. X

Sun pattern

Posted on August 12, 2026 Posted in Memories, UncategorizedTagged cast shadow, crescent sun images, Life, Light, Moon, partial eclipse, Plants, Shadows, Sun1 Comment

Crescent patterns of light caused by today’s partial eclipse. Sunlight through leaves made the shadows act like camera obscura images. I couldn’t get out to see it safely but had heard of this method of viewing it, approx 7.10pm.the UK. 12.8.26.

Reddest

Posted on August 11, 2026 Posted in Memories, UncategorizedTagged Bag, brush, Colour, Fire, hammered, Heat, imitation, Life, Poem, Poetry, Poppy, Red1 Comment

Red bag and brush

Imitating a poppy.

I love you scarlet

The colour of lipstick.

Too hot to handle

Not cool but hot

Flamed and fierce

Like glowing lava

Starting to radiate.

Furnace cherry

Ready to be hammered

Into dragon shapes.

It rained

Posted on August 4, 2026 Posted in Memories, UncategorizedTagged Centigrade, Clouds, Dark, dry, Garden, hear, Hot, Life, pattering, Rain, sweating, WindowsLeave a comment

Only for ten minutes, but the sky was cloudy, then darkened. I could HEAR it pattering against the windows, and when I went to the back door the noise was sublime. There were even puddles!

This is nothing, we have not had rain for weeks and it has been above 30°C in some parts of the country for over a month.

Now I’ve just finished the washing up and I’m drenched with sweat. It’s still warm and extremely humid. I’m so tired.

Goodnight.

Red

Posted on August 3, 2026 Posted in Memories, UncategorizedTagged Abstract, Bag, Berries, Blood, brush, Colours, Flowers, Life, Poem, Poetry, Red, shades, Sunset, TonesLeave a comment

Red flower

Red bag

Red brush

Red blood,

Red paint

Shades and tones

Scarlet poppy

Crimson lake

Sunset cerise

Carmine rose

Ruby jewel

Cherry lipstick…

So vibrant

Blushes and berries

Heat is rising,

Bring me Green…

Rain

Posted on July 31, 2026July 31, 2026 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Climate change, critical situation, Drought, dry, England, Hot, Life, Mimsmere, Rain, Wales, wildfires1 Comment

Yesterday it rained for the first time in a month. It didn’t last long. My cat came in a bit damp, so I looked outside and there were droplets of water on leaves.

England and Wales are officially in drought conditions. A major Nature Reserve at Mimsmere was destroyed by fire. Whole parts of it that supported rare species of plants and animals are gone.

But big companies want drilling for oil, digging for coal, while European countries are ablaze and Canada boreal forest is threatened.

Listen to the world, not politicians, bankers and industrialists.

The copse on the hill

Posted on July 30, 2026 Posted in Memories, Sketching, UncategorizedTagged biro sketch, Clouds, copse, Drought, Illustration, Life, Poem, Poetry, Rain, sleepy valley, Storm, Trees1 Comment

The copse on the hill.
High Trees
An ancient site.
Clouds scud – fly by
A Storm will blow,
And rouse the world.
Sleepy valleys,
Shaded by darkening clouds, ~
Let it rain, wind blow
Bring relief
From drought.

My pain

Posted on July 24, 2026 Posted in Memories, UncategorizedTagged History, Hope, Life, Me, Memories, Mental health, Pain, Sadness, stoicism, Time14 Comments

Today, after years I finally wrote down a lot of the bad things that have happened to me over the years. I’ve held it deep down and rarely shared it because, stiff upper lip, you just get on with it. People call me stoic, well I have been like this for over 60 years. I’m only saying now because I need to prove it to someone. Taken all day to write it all down. Do I feel better? Don’t know. I think I’ve still got some hope left.

Baskets

Posted on July 19, 2026July 19, 2026 Posted in Memories, UncategorizedTagged Flowers, Friends, Garden, Gardening, Hanging baskets, Life, Memories, small farm, Water, yearly project2 Comments

I’m trying hard to keep my hanging baskets alive. They are on a shady fence which is good, but one in particular is in full sun and is getting rather crispy. Also I bought a few small extra plants but they outgrew their pots so a friend and her son came over to help today to repot them into containers. Some of them were a bit wonky so I tried to straighten them up. That was hard work. Even putting the bin out exhausts me.

Anyway the photo is of one of them. Bought just over a month ago from a small farm and really filled out. I’m using washing up water and some bottles of water to keep them going. Might rain next week… Cropped off the dried out bits.

I do this every year, but this year was a bit much, I will see what happens next year x

Mallaband-Brown

Tag: Life