Sparks

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Sparks flew up into the night, blooming like a flower as he threw her old books onto the bonfire. He thought back over the last few hours. Finding her asleep on the bed, the sun slanting through the curtains. He’d left her to rest.

She’d come into the kitchen for coffee but barely noticed him. Just muttering fine when he asked he if she was OK.

She put the radio on, one of those inane poppy channels he hated. Started a little jigging dance. She seemed happier now, so he asked again how she was? OK she responded. Then she looked at him, a long stare. Who was that woman you were with last night? she said.

He knew he would have to answer. But not now, not yet. He hadn’t decided what to do.

Cat got your tongue she said?

Now it was night, the books were making sparks. He threw her record collection onto the bonfire.

She always asked too many questions he thought as he walked back into the house.

Painting upside down.

Sometimes it’s hard to see whether something looks right in a painting. Then I try turning it upside down. It really does give you a different perspective. In the case of the painting I’m doing it also allows me to get closer to the top of the picture as I’ve got it propped up on a chair.

Eyesight is another problem. If I’m staring at my phone looking at the image it’s hard for my eyes to accommodate (called presbyopia) where the lenses in your eyes get stiffer as you get older, so they don’t focus as well.

I’m now starting to paint the cracks in the window frame paint. I may come back to the clouds (thanks Martha, a bit of finger painting helped).

I’ve rotated the photo back to the vertical on my camera so I can look at it without moving the canvas. Eventually I will turn it back the right way so I can paint the bottom half. It’s going to take a while…..

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View of Plymouth sound.

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This was a painting I did a few years ago. I think it’s from Bovisand Bay looking out over Plymouth sound across to Cornwall. I wish I could go back. I live the place. It’s just the cost and the length of the drive. I want to just have one whole week somewhere nice. We’ll we will see. Perhaps I will sell some paintings, enough to go there. X

Drinks

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I’m not able to drink caffeine or sugar so it’s a pain having to try and find decaff coffee and tea or soft drinks other than water and soda. If I ask for a diet drink in a cafe or restaurant I get offered diet Coca-Cola, ( which contains caffeine) or tonic water that isn’t sugar free.

Look at a bottle of soft drink and it usually has the sugar in grams on it, say its 7.1g. But that’s per 100ml. But often the amount of liquid in the bottle is 250 or 500ml, so you have to multiply up. So 7.1g is 17.8 in a 250ml bottle and a whopping 35.6g in a 500ml bottle. Some have more! That’s lots of spoons of sugar. Why don’t they do more drinks with sweeteners? Then you get energy drinks with glucose. Is it any wonder there is an epidemic of people with diabetes. And guess what? If you drink too many carbonated drinks they can affect your stomach. 

I guess I shall have to stick to water.

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What Spode means to me.

Series of photos taken at Spode today, 13.8.19. I will select one or more image to paint. The idea is to paint industrial archeology and also sky. Some include reflections and sights through to windows on the other side of a building. Many have clouds reflected in them….

I also did close-ups of things like hooks and taps and an old pair of rubber gloves.

Which is your favourite if any?

Not watching TV

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I realise that I spend a lot of time on this phone and not watching TV, although I do sometimes listen to it. There is a programme on about Hyenas at the moment.

So what do I do? Blog obviously, but also look at Facebook and Instagram and all those things. So I’m still sitting, but with a stiff neck and shoulders from hunching over this flipping phone!

I’m old enough not to have had a phone in the house. Then when we did it was on a table in the hall. It was big and green I think I remember. A base with a dial on it, you had to twirl the numbers to dial. Then a cradle at the top with two prongs sticking up. When you dropped the receiver on the prongs it ended the call. The receiver was a curved bar with a mouthpiece at one end and a microphone to speak in at the other end. It was attached to the body of the phone with a curled wire. Eventually phone went push button, then mobiles came in….. Its a different world!

Coincidence

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I was playing with the masks you can use on Facebook and found one that turned you into a tiger. Then I decided to see how my face would look with one side mirrored. It looked interesting.

Today I was out at a traction engine rally. I had to take a photo of the big cat that was part of its decoration. I think he’s a lion.

But the image reminded me of something. Especially around the eyes…. I feel like saying Snap!