Today

Posted on September 21, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Butter Cross, Entertainment, Fun, Guildhall, Humour, Life, Mayor, Mock mayor, Newcastle-under-Lyme, PerformanceLeave a comment

Belly dancers at the Heritage weekend at Newcastle-under-Lyme today. This was after the Mock mayor ceremony which went really well considering I was wearing a large white wig and it has the effect of turning me into some sort of old English sheepdog! I delivered my speech on the steps of Newcastle-under-Lymes’ Butter Cross, which is outside the Guildhall. After we had done the performance we walked around the Lancaster building on the other side of the cross. We had to process and I started saying Good Afternoon in a posh voice to everyone to keep up the character of the Mayor. Returning to the Butter Cross we had photos taken with the real mayor. They might follow if they are not too embarrassing.

Mock Mayor

Posted on September 19, 2019September 19, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Ceremony, Fun, Guildhall, Humour, Life, Mock mayor, Newcastle-under-Lyme, StaffordshireLeave a comment

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In Victorian times Newcastle-under-Lyme was a rotten Borough. The citizens of the town decided to choose their own Mock Mayor and Mayoress. There is a famous painting in the Brampton museum and art gallery depicting the scene. A man stands on the market cross steps with a wooden staff and a horse tail switch. His wife is falling off a donkey. Mace bearers with cabbages on sticks are in his retinue. The town crier and other mock officials officiate.

So me and my hubby were asked to join in and have ended up being chosen to play the mayor and mayoress parts. Then we found out the mayoress was played by a man! So I had to find a dress to fit him. The thing is he suffers badly from anxiety so he took a lot of persuading. The thing in its favour is that he enjoys acting. It takes his mind off the anxiety. It’s because he’s laying a character. It’s hard to explain. If he is just being himself his anxiety is through the roof. But as long as things go OK when he’s acting he’s OK. If I am not there he can’t do things… Anyway that’s just how things are.

The Ceremony recreation is on Saturday. I’m hoping I don’t fall off the steps, fluff my lines, forget where to stand, plus support hubby…… Eek!

Today at the BCB

Posted on September 18, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Artistic pottery, British ceramic biennial, Ceramics, Life, Pottery, September and October, Stoke, Stoke-on trentLeave a comment

Too much to see! There were many interesting and beautiful pieces at the BCB (British Ceramic Biennial) being held in Spode over the next four weeks, ending I think on 14 October. The BCB sees the China Halls at Kingsway Stoke taken over and turned into a massive gallery to showcase ceramics, with hands on experiences making solid flat back figures and more abstract work.

There is also access from the Eleanora Street entrance of Spode. Useful to know if the car park in front of the building is full.

It’s great to see this asset being used and bringing much needed visitors into Stoke Town centre.

No doubt I will post more photos later…

Thank you Martha❤️

Posted on September 18, 2019September 18, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged A baby duck listens to thunder, Biography, Book, China, History, I am a writer yes I am, Interesting, Life, Martha Kennedy, Teaching English as a foreign language, WordPress, World5 Comments

Look what’s arrived! The new book by Martha Kennedy. All the way from the states. I can’t tell you how excited I am to read it. Its about her life teaching English at South China Teacher’s University in Guangzhou in 82/83.

I’ve been reading excerpts from it in her blog, ‘I am a writer, yes I am’ on WordPress and I’m really looking forward to it. (If I can get it back of my hubby who just snaffled it!)

An old one…

Posted on September 17, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Acrylic on canvas, Brain, Design, Face, Life, Memory, Painting, Portrait, ThoughtLeave a comment

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This painting is a few years old, and I think it led to my green man painting. I tried to ain’t something that was about ‘mind’, the squiggles and orange splotches are meant to be like synapses, and flashes of electricity. If the nerve fibres in your brain we’re stretched out they would cover a huge area. The brain is convoluted and folded which increases the interconnection of brain cells. The more convoluted and complex the brain, the more intelligence seems to be the rule. There are probably research papers about it and there may be information on Wikipedia.

Back to the painting. I can’t remember whether the face was taken from a photo……. But the eyes look quite real? What I must do is start creating new paintings again…

Urban sketchers, on the roof.

Posted on September 16, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Drawing, Fun, Life, On the roof, Pot bank Hotel, Sketching, Spode site, Staffordshire, Stoke, Stoke-on trent, Urban Sketchers, View from aboveLeave a comment

I almost missed this today. We were invited up to the bridal suite in the Potbank Hotel to draw the views from the top room. The windows look out over the Spode factory roofs and beyond….

By the time I got there I was very late. I only had 45 minutes to draw. So I drew the view with the iconic Spode chimney first, looking out over Stoke Minster and part of the town hall. Then in the last 15 minutes I drew the cupola? of a building, its prominent as you look over Stoke. Turns out its an old co-op building. I only found out because as I was leaving I bumped into another urban sketcher who had not been able to get there in time. She had done research into what it was.

I might not have done as much as I wanted but it was fun. I would like to go back and do more.

Blue green yellow… and a bit of orange.

Posted on September 15, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Blue, Colour wheel, Colours, Green, Life, Light, Photo, Window, YellowLeave a comment

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Have you noticed a theme? There are yellows, blues and greens floating around my last few posts. Maybe I’m heading towards spring colours to avoid the start of autumn turning into the drab greys of winter.

Two of these pieces of glass are replacements for the bright yellow bowl that the cats broke, let’s see how long they last!

I’d like to go back in time sometimes. There are so many things in the world that are going wrong. We don’t need to live in interesting times x.

Random poem

Posted on September 15, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Fresh, Gardening, Gold, Life, Papaver, Plant, Poem, Poetry, Poppy, Sunny, Welsh poppy, YellowLeave a comment

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About a random photo…

Yellow gold,

Spun sunshine

Fresh greens

Like limes

Flowers like crumpled paper.

Lemon yellow

Papaver Hibernica?

Welsh poppy

Red drained to orange and yellow.

High in windblown meadows,

Summer in your petals

Giving your celtic roots

Room to roam.

Cat food

Posted on September 12, 2019September 12, 2019 Posted in Cat, UncategorizedTagged Allergies, Cat, Cat Food, Chicken flavour, Fussy eaters, Life, Pets, vetsLeave a comment

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Problem : my cats only eat one sort of cat food, and only one flavour – chicken. A few weeks ago we went to the shop where we get it from, they only had a couple of bags and a sign saying it was being discontinued?!

I asked what I could do? Order it on line they suggested. So I went onto a pet supermarket online shop today… No chicken flavour, only turkey or fish?

My cats are fussy eaters (did I say?) so what do I do? In a panic I rang the vets. The reason why a lot of manufacturers are stopping chicken is because DOGS have been found to be allergic to the flavour! My cats are not dogs. They are going to try and find me some suitable alternative. I hope the cats agree.

Planet with water vapour.

Posted on September 11, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Astronomy, Atmosphere, Blogging, Learning, Life, Planets, Science, Solar system, Water vapourLeave a comment

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On the news tonight. A planet about twice the size of Earth has been found with water vapour in its atmosphere. Its around 100 light years away. Apparently its within the ‘goldilocks’ area around its star so its temperature is between 0°C and 40°C. It would be amazing if there was life there. The latest science is now looking for chemical traces in planetary atmospheres to look for the possibility of life on other planets.

I think the first extra solar planet was found in 1984? Since then about four thousand have been found. There are Hot Jupiter’s that orbit their stars closer than the orbit of Mercury in our solar system. There are cold Jupiter’s, there are also planets like Earth with surfaces that are covered in lava because they are close to their stars. And then there are terrestrial (rocky) planets that are more like the ones in our system.

One thing is certain, there are more planets out there than we know!

Mallaband-Brown

Tag: Life