A Facebook page…

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I’ve come across a page recently on Facebook called ” terrible art in charity shops”. I’ve been mesmerised by it. I have seen some truly odd images, and some that are not too bad. I’m astounded at what people put on the page. I guess some of the pictures are sold so people can reuse the frames.

After half an hour of scrolling down I had to stop. I think the page is not meant to be unkind, more a gentle humour and hopefully witty remarks.

As someone who had a work put into a charity shop, but then had it bought by someone who really liked it, I guess I can see both sides of the discussion.

X

What a long day

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I’ve felt better.

I got up early this morning because we were due to drive up to Yorkshire to visit a friend. But I felt lousy. My hubby has had a bad cough and sore throat. Well now I’ve got it too.

No chance of driving all that way, we were going to visit Fountains Abbey, but I guess I will have to wait until I’m better and we can book to go again.

Life is topsy turvey. Everything is mixed up now. I had planned to do things but it feels like I am being held back. Ah well that’s life.

Goodnight x

All grown up

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Occasionally my friend posts a photo of the male cats that she had from us when they were kittens. It’s two years since they left and they certainly have grown. They look a lot like their mother. They seem to be very close to each other.

To be honest I would love to visit and see them but they are a bit too far away.

Anyway I pinched this photo to remind me if them. Hope you like it.

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Why do I write and what am I writing?

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It struck me that my writing is as mixed up as my painting and art. I’m interested in poetry and short stories, documenting life and writing about esoteric stuff like why the earth isn’t flat.

I sometimes ramble on around similar subjects, then get bored and throw something else into the mix – like writing about bread making, or my cats and garden.

I have a lot of thoughts flowing round in my head. I didn’t ask for them to be there.  I’m irritated when Sci-fi shows have sound in the vacuum of space, or someone tells a lie about something that is clearly not true.

I was talking to my hubby about this earlier. I do not want to be different, I was going to write “normal” but perhaps I am. Maybe writers are those people that stick to a specific narrative or genre? Or maybe not. I know I don’t do much research about things, most of my writing is imagined or recollected from books and TV programmes.

I started out thinking it would be purely an art blog, a way of selling my paintings, but it’s morphed. I write mors here than anywhere else and I hope it doesn’t get snatched away. I never check how much content I’m creating. It just flows….. And I was once asked why I don’t have adverts… I don’t like them! I keep seeing photos of lemons, or some green gunk that clears up skin problems…. No, sorry, I’m not happy to sell it….

Busy in the garden

Most weekends I’ve been busy recently with other things, but I decided to get out and plant up tomatoes in the grow bags and added some pepper plants ( which had sadly been partly munched by slugs). We don’t use any pesticides or herbicides so everything just keeps growing and we seem to have lots of bees round the cotoneaster flowers. We saw a couple of butterflies too. There is a bare patch where we are having a summer house put in soon. Then I can get some clematis growing over the fence.

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Blurry shot of a bee on the cotoneaster plant. Its covered in tiny flowers so very attractive to them.

Dawn colours

DSC_1912_optimized I’m thinking of painting a bright sky, filled with violets and pinks, ochre and brownish reds. Showing the sun rising behind clouds, leaves and telephone wires framing the dawn.

I’m wondering how to mix the colours so they glow? Should I use golds and silvers to enhance it.

I’m thinking of painting the world anew. Rich colours exploding in the morning light.

Tyres

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Photo of an old painted sign on Hartshill Road, Stoke on Trent.

I noticed it as we were walking down Hartshill and heading for Stoke. The paint is peeling and will be gone in a few years, but it clings on.

Part of an old industrial heritage in the city of Stoke-on-Trent which is gradually decaying.

Some places rejoice in their heritage. Manchester turned old warehouses into loft apartments. The Black Country museum in Dudley in the West Midlands has rebuilt old Victorian houses and workshops to create a living museum.

Somehow Stoke-on-Trent has got left behind. Yes there are glimmers of growth, but old houses get knocked down and are either not rebuilt, or when they are, are too expensive for people to buy.

I’m not completely sad about the place, it is unique, but it needs looking after, the people caring for, and caring about this wonderful city.

Australian kestrel. Wip.

I’m having fun painting this Australian kestrel.

About half way through. I went out to paint with some artists called the Orme art group. Today was a self development day which means you could paint and draw what you want. I had seen the photo of the kestrel my friend in Australia had taken. I asked her if I could paint it and she said yes. It’s quite difficult but I’m getting there.

X apparently it’s a Nankeen kestrel at Woolangong Harbour.