Storm Francis

Posted on August 25, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Blogging, Blowing a gale, Gale force, Life, Rain, Storm, Trees, Water, Weather, Wet, Wind2 Comments

The storm has been winding round our house all day. Trees bending, wind moaning through the gap in our badly sealed kitchen window. Gusts over 50 miles an hour. The fence is collapsing, the hanging baskets are skittering about, too heavy to take down from their brackets. I will wait and see what damage results from the storm. Meanwhile its blowing across the whole country, an unusually low pressure system for this time of year is tearing at the leaves on the trees. There will be trees blown over, heavy seas, gusting winds. Not fit for man or dog! Torrential rain falling and flooding towns and villages. Not fun. X

Apples

Posted on August 25, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Apple, Blogging, Eden, Fruit, Life, Photo, Royal galaLeave a comment

Tasty apple for lunch. There is also a saying, an apple a day keeps the doctor away. But why an apple in Eden? The Bible was written in the countries like Judaea which were roman provinces. The tree of life did not have a specific fruit. It didn’t say what it was in the bible. The fruit didn’t get named until later. So Apples are not evil (never thought they were). Of course you then have stories like Snow white who bit a poisoned apple and could only be revived by the kiss of a Prince. But that wasn’t the apples fault! Anyway there are lots of varieties of apples, this one was a Royal gala which was very tasty.

Now email problems!

Posted on August 25, 2020August 25, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Annoyed, Blogging, Changes, Email, Frustrated, Irritated, Life, Why?Leave a comment

Had an email this morning. Because my email is in someone else’s platform I have to download an app or something so it still works in a few weeks. Why? Because I’ve chosen to run the email address this way I’m not bombarded with adverts and junk. I don’t want to lose my email address so I guess I must comply. But it’s irritating. Why can’t they leave things alone. If you can’t email me soon you will know why!

Tea set

Posted on August 24, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Antiques, China, China clay, Clay, Design, Life, Pottery, Tea set4 Comments

Bone China tea set my friend is getting rid of. I’m going to try and find someone who wants it. I think another friend will have it.

Bone China was manufactured by potters who wanted to find a substitute for porcelain that came from China. It took several years to find a formula that produced thin, strong, translucent pots. It contained clay from the China clay quarries in Cornwall, calcined bone and flint (heated and ground to break them down into a fine powder). The bone gives off phosphorus which adds to the strength of the bone china. You end up with a material half way between pottery and glass. This fine white china was then beautifully decorated with hand painted flowers, fruit and landscapes.

I’m sure there is far more to say on this subject. But that’s enough for now.

Fish patterns,

Posted on August 24, 2020August 24, 2020 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged Art, Blogging, Design, Drawing, Fish, Handwriting, Life, Pattern, Permanent markers, SketchLeave a comment

Fish drawing in permanent inks. Patterns in the water, scale patterns on the fish. I left the edges blank but I think it might look better if I add more or crop the image closer in. I do know I have a style of drawing. When you move your hands it follows a certain pattern, I sometimes try and fight the way I do things, but if I imagine something it usually comes out similar each time. Faces generally look left, three quarter faces look towards the right. Horses heads look left. I think it’s because I’m right handed? Maybe it is because I draw left to right, the same as writing?

Tree spirits

Posted on August 23, 2020August 23, 2020 Posted in Fine Art, UncategorizedTagged Acrylic on canvas, Art, Autumn, Colour, Design, Faces, Life, Painting, People, Spirits, Tree spiritsLeave a comment

Acrylic on canvas

I keep finding old photos of paintings that I have done over the years. This was called tree spirits and went to a lovely couple who had fallen in love with it. Those that follow my blog know I love pattern and shapes. My favourite shape is the spiral. I don’t know why… But curving round and twisting, leaves shading the faces. I want to do more like this.

So you want to read the paper hooman?

Posted on August 23, 2020August 23, 2020 Posted in Cat, UncategorizedTagged Black and white cat, Cat, Claws, Fun, Humour, Life, Newspaper, Photo, Poem, PoetryLeave a comment

Don’t dare think you can read this

Tis mine not yours I say!

Tis my bed and I’ll lie on it

So just you go away!

I’ll not let hooman near it,

My claws are sharp and curved.

My comfort is important.

No I’ll not be moved today!

(she got off and walked away!)

Open and Closed

Posted on August 23, 2020August 23, 2020 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged #uskstoke, Colours, Drawing, Fish bottle, Flower, Gardening, Gladiolus, Houseplants, Life, Plant, Snapped by wind2 Comments

Poor Galdiolus stalk got snapped off in the wind. So I rescued it and put it in an empty fish shaped bottle in some water. Today’s challenge was open and closed so I think the open and closed flowers fit with the prompt. I’ve added the fence and flowers in the background. Using pencil for the sky and trellis. A few hanging baskets and houseplants finish the drawing.

Spiders

Posted on August 23, 2020August 23, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Cat, Chase, Environment, Life, Nature, Scuttle, Spider, Webs10 Comments

Spiders, you love them or hate them… Or like me you accept them but don’t like them scuttling across the floor!

Our spiders have disappeared to be replaced by long legged ones that seem to make cobwebs not proper webs. I should not be arachnophobic but I don’t like these new ones…. However one of my cats loves them, chases them, and eats them. Yuk!

So keep yourself safe. Give spiders room, try and find a balance with nature x

My mural of Molly Leigh

Posted on August 23, 2020August 23, 2020 Posted in Fine Art, UncategorizedTagged Art, Back room, Burslem, Closed, Life, molly leigh, Mural, Painting, Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent, The Leopard Hotel, WitchLeave a comment

Molly Leigh was said to be the Burslem witch. She lived in a small cottage, a photo of which I based this picture on. There are no photos of her so I tried to find a painting of an elderly woman from about that time and chose a picture of a French peasant by Theodore Gericault as an inspiration. The plants in the background are meant to be foxgloves and different herbs in a garden I imagined to be full of things you could use for remedies. I didn’t find much out about her life, except she is meant to be buried in a local church yard with the grave orientated East West, instead of the normal North South way. We went for a walk and ended up in the graveyard, only to get told off by someone from the church who kept getting people messing about round Mollys grave. When we explained we were on a photo walk of Burslem and we didn’t want to do any strange rituals he was OK. The painting is set on a night of the full moon and I tried to make the sky atmospheric and spooky. I’m sorry people won’t be able to see my murals in the Leopard anymore. No doubt they will be painted over or removed.

Mallaband-Brown

Tag: Life