Tag: Life

Hot chocolate

Posted on Posted in UncategorizedTagged , , , , , , , , , 2 Comments
From Capabilitea Café

My sister and I went to have a cup of hot chocolate and some cake at the Capabilitea Cafe at Trentham Gardens, in Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire, this afternoon. It was lovely to get out after spending at least two weeks in the house with this dreadful virus. We were going to have a savory meal but I was tempted by this “the works” hot chocolate.

The sun was low on the horizon when I finally got out. It’s bad this time of year and it was hard to drive the couple of miles there. I’m glad I had my sister with me, she helped me blow up my car tyres and had to point out where the disabled parking spaces were on the Trentham village car park. We had a little wander so I could try and stretch my legs. I managed 1657 steps today, which is more than I’ve done in weeks (that’s in fits and starts, I have to stop and browse (take a rest), every so often). But I escaped from the house at last !

Dawn branches

Posted on Posted in Memories, UncategorizedTagged , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Dawns coming a little earlier everyday. It’s almost a month since the shortest day in the Northern Hemisphere (getting dark slightly earlier in the South).

I only really feel the year has turned when there’s still a bit of light in the sky at 5pm. I remember work days when I would go to the work in the dark and home in the dark.  I’m just waiting, hoping for sunlight and warmth.

Comet

Posted on Posted in UncategorizedTagged , , , , , , , Leave a comment

There is a Facebook post saying there is a really bright big comet that will appear in the sky tonight. I do get annoyed with these sort of posts because they are so illogical.

I decided to reply: If it was in the sky we would have seen it coming. It wouldn’t just appear. It might be travelling at a few hundreds or thousands of miles an hour but it wouldn’t appear instantaneously. There is a comet called Atlas (not sure of the full name) that is in the southern sky after recently passing the sun. It’s only a low visability comet and is starting to fly out of the solar system. Visible with binoculars just before sunrise. Gradually dimming as it becomes more distant.

Heart

Posted on Posted in UncategorizedTagged , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

‘I still keep seeing hearts, and it makes me feel like smiling when I do’, she said.

It was over a year since he’d gone, she realised, and things had been hard. They hadn’t discussed anything, it was so unexpected.

About a week after he had died she found a pink, heart shaped petal on her pillow, she had left the window open for some fresh air and it had just appeared, probably on a gust of wind.

She spoke to her sister again. ‘it seems to happen about once a week, I will spot a heart shape somewhere. Daft things like a bubble in the bread was a little heart, heart shaped crisps, presents with them as decorations, stones on the beach, it just keeps happening’.

She remembered the heart shaped cloud that had floated over the house for an hour, just above his shed. Above where he had worked on his bikes and train sets. She knew he was still with her, keeping an eye on her. Maybe one day they would be back together.

An AI filter business

Posted on Posted in UncategorizedTagged , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment

Come up with a crazy business idea.

I’m getting irritated about seeing silly AI spoofs coming up on my social media feed. Most of them are about aliens or apocalyptic situations. Or non scientific ideas wrapped up in fakery to mislead people so my idea ™ (©) for a business would be an app to block them. Just press the button for a small charge and all fake AI and CGI would be removed from your feed, I think it might be an award winning idea.

Tree across the road

Posted on Posted in Memories, Sketching, UncategorizedTagged , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

The tree across the road a few years ago. Covered in ivy. This was drawn for an old #bandofsketchers prompt. The prompt was ivy.

I haven’t been doing these challenges for a few months. I think I ought to try again. It seems a shame that I stopped but life has been getting me down. Art is a great cure for sadness I think. I’ll try again soon.

Stray cat?

Posted on Posted in Cat, UncategorizedTagged , , , , , , , , 4 Comments

This week has been really cold. Last night it was minus 19 °C in Altnagar in the Northern Highlands of Scotland. I was  below zero here.

A couple of cats, a ginger and this black and white cat have started sneaking in. Last night both popped in for food, but this one came and sat down in the living room, all the while being stared at (but seemingly accepted) by my own cats.

I managed to take a photo of this boy cat, and put a post on our local lost and found cats page. I have had people offering to check it’s microchip but it must have gone out in the night.

Anyway at least I’m offering a warm space during this cold weather. I’ll have a chat with my vets on Monday. X

Longshore drift…

Posted on Posted in MemoriesTagged , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Someone asked a question on Facebook about posts sticking up through a beach in lines.

I have a relative at the coast and had wondered the same thing myself. I asked and found out that they were used to slow something called longshore drift. It’s where over time tides moving along the coast shift sands sideways. Groynes (boards) between the posts held the sand back and stopped the beach being washed away.