New paintings and regular art updates.
Gracie sniff stick ,
Bite stick,
Fight stick
Chew it,
Subdue it,
Ignore it…..
That’s exactly what she did. We used to have a cat toy tied to the stick but she pulled that off. The stick has been sitting there, patiently, minding it’s own business. So of course I decided to tease Gracie. She immediately Sniffed it and batted it with her paws. Then she started chewing the tip so I moved it away. As soon as it was still again she ignored it…. So I wrote this poem just for fun.
It happened again, people parking in front of our house, not leaving a space for me to park. It’s residents parking only, for people who live here. But that doesn’t stop others parking there.
So what? They pay road tax don’t they? But sometimes the vehicle will stay there for days. .. and I have shopping to carry home, sometimes very heavy. Or I have to park halfway up the hill and take someone else’s space. This weekend was really bad. I had been out to a couple of events and I was really tired. I struggled to find a space to park and really wanted to block the cars in that are not from the street, or even, (and I never would ), scratch their paintwork.
I know its wrong, but its parking rage because my space has been invaded. I need to calm down. But it does wind me up!
I did these cards about a year ago. I had taken photos in a friends house because she wanted some home made cards.
If you would like to do something similar all you need I’d a thin black ink pen and acrylic paints thinned down to watercolour consistency. They work as well as watercolours and it saves having to find them out from whatever cupboard I’ve got them in!
I basically drew outlines then filled them in with the paints.
I’ve only done a few more of these. Maybe I will paint more in future.
Sing high, sing low, sing medium
No sound evokes emotions as much as song.
Sing sweet, sing dry, sing rich.
Music stills hearts and makes them soar.
Sing soft, sing deep, sing life,
Happiness and sorrow can be drawn out.
Sing loud, sing quiet, sing laughter.
Your life, your heart, your dream.
I’ve been out all day singing at workshops with various tutors. Then in the evening 16 choirs were involved in a concert to raise money for three charities.
The day started early at a local theatre, groups went off to various changing rooms, bars and the auditorium to learn new songs and vocal techniques. In the same way as artists have different styles so do musicians. The first workshop I attended was called “joy” and it was joyful and bonkers. Fast cheery tunes and ” jazz hands”, it woke us up and some of us even threatened to join the teachers choir. The second workshop I went to was called “raise your voice” and helped us to harmonise and listen to each other while we learnt two folk songs.
In the afternoon around 400 of us.. Yes that many, learned a new song written specially for the day. Based on “let your little light shine” the lyrics were written by a local poet and music by a local musician. The result was filmed this evening when we sang it at the end of the concert.
It should be going on YouTube.
Each choir also sang one or two songs. Some of the singers were in 3 and even 4 of the choirs so they were busy.
We had a satisfying day and I think everyone should be proud of what they did.
Feathers, bold, blues new,
Trees and lamps, float above,
Mirror wings , fly out phantom birds.
Swoop over head, peck at the sky.
Field of blue, arching inwards,
Nearer than infinity, but far.
Find your reflection, on the wind,
Life eternal, changing, clouds scattered.
It’s been suggested that I carry on with this, so I will try…
I closed the front door and reached for the light switch. Nothing, the house was in darkness. My partner was not about. I used my phone to light the livingroom while I tried to find the fuse box. But when I checked none of the fuses had tripped.
I tried the light at the other end of the room, but it was the same. Normally we leave a table lamp on if we go out, but this was off too?!
What was going on? The room was freezing and dark, the curtain was open on the side window of the house so a glimmer of sodium street light trickled in.
I walked past the barometer. The pressure had dropped. The snow was starting to drift past the window again. I could see snow flakes falling silhouetted by the street light.
I realised that I still had not heard my partner. I moved back to the front door and opened it. Any foot prints on the pavement had been covered by the drifting snow. What next? I walked through the kitchen to the back door. It was locked and the key was still it. Even so I opened the door to look out. I was not surprised to see a cats eyes reflecting back at me, there are always stray cats hanging around for hand outs.
But the eyes looking back at me looked larger than normal, bright gold, glinting. Perhaps a fox? I slowly closed the door, not daring to take my eyes off the steady gaze until it was locked shut.
Feeling dizzy and worried I used the light from my phone to climb the stairs. Thinking all the time that maybe I should have knocked on my neighbours door? The memory of people walking upstairs in horror films also crept into my mind.
“Hello” “you’re home early” my partners voice came from a chair by the window …..
(I’m not carrying on with this tonight, leaving it as a bit of a cliffhanger).
I’ve never seen live opera, but I just came back from seeing Giuseppe Verdi’s La Traviata at our local cinema – broadcast from the Royal Opera House .
The cast included
Ermonela Jaho as ViolettaValery.
Charles Castronovo as Alfredo Germont.
Placido Domingo as Georgia Germont.
The story tells the fortune of Violetta and Alfredo. Violetta is a Parisian courtesan. Alfredo is introduced to her at a party and they fall in love. Violetta has been suffering from tuberculosis and they decide to move to a country house where Alfredo can look after her.
Alfredo doesn’t know that Violetta is selling her possessions so they can afford pay their bills. When he finds out he goes off to Paris to try and raise funds himself.
In the meantime Giorgio, Alfredo’s father, arrives and asks Violetta to leave his son because his daughter is due to marry. Alfredo’s affair with Violetta would cause scandle and prevent the marriage. She begs the father to comfort his son when she has left. Then when Alfredo returns she asks him to promise he will always love her. She leaves the house and sends him a note to say she had gone.
Alfredo goes to Paris to try and find Violetta. He goes to a lavish party and gambles. Violetta and a baron who is involved with her arrive. Alfredo beats him at cards. Alfredo asks Violetta to come back to the country with him but she says no, so he throws his winnings at her and tells her that is to pay her back for the money she has spent. He has a duel with the Baron who is injured. Alfredo leaves Paris.
In the final act Violetta is dying of tuberculosis in a run down house in Paris. She sends her maid to watch the carnival and in the meantime reads a letter which Giorgio has sent her. It tells her that he has told the truth to his son and that Alfredo is coming to see her. Then her maid returns with Alfredo, she is ecstatic and suddenly feels much better but then collapses and dies in Alfredo’s arms.
The music is gorgeous, swooping, life affirming. I cannot explain how superb the singing was. Seeing Placido Domingo singing as the father Giorgio was wonderful. There was so much character and warmth in his voice. Charles Castronovo sang with gentleness and love. He was tender and fierce in turn as Alfredo. But above all Ermonela Jaho’s Violetta was outstanding, excellent. She not only sang the part beautifully but her acting was so intense.
I am so glad that I went. If there is another performance I will go again.
X
As we came out of choir group tonight it was cold and icy. The snow that had fallen earlier had turned from slush on the car park to hard ridges and furrows and ice.
I walked across to the car, managing not to slip. The car started reassuringly. The cold air from the heater took a few minutes to warm up. Then the screen started to demist. A car flew past in the dark. It’s headlights were not switched on so I flashed mine to try and get their attention.
I carefully drove off the car park and onto the road. Luckily it was wet but not slippery. The gritter lorries had clearly been past. Up to the traffic lights, turn right. Now I was on the main road, safe for a moment to drive at normal speed. But I live in a hill so I wanted to park up facing downhill. The only way to do that was to drive up the other side of the hill But I had a plan. Drive halfway up then take a short, flat, side road through the housing estate to get to my street half way down the hill. .. Well I got to the side road, and it was covered in a thick icy snowy layer. Solid, slippery. A steep slope to one side. I dropped into a lower gear. I did not want to slide across the road, on black ice. Keeping to the centre of the road, I drove at the slowest pace I could. Parked cars on either side made me fear hitting their wing mirrors. Nothing happened. My car slid and glided past, slowly and gently. My heart was thudding and I felt my neck tensing. Half way. A road bisecting my slippery route…. Anything coming fast up the hill and I would not have been able to stop safely. Now the road started to twist and turn. The slope increasingly downhill. The grip between the tyres and the asphalt was reducing. I applied the breaks gently. Close to the hill where I had to turn down onto my street. Nothing coming. The snow transformed into moisture, salted and defrosted. Slow turn. Almost in slow motion. It was too dark to see any frosty patches. So I carefully drove down hill in first gear. I got home slightly shaken.
I got my partner to read this. He said “it’s a bit boring” which is honest.
This is a drawing of a railway line plan my husband drew in 1969 when he was about 16. He has always loved railways and was on the last steam train to leave Manchester Victoria station to Rochdale in 1968. He tells me this was a Stanier black 5 steam engine 460 (which means 4 leading wheels, 6 driving wheels and no trailing wheels).
He actually made the minature railway layout , including bushes and trees, a signal box and a station building and railway tracks on Triang 00 guage.
He had a Jinty 060 number 47606 3F class, an 040 diesel and a GWR single, Lord of the Isles. I guess any railway enthusiasts out there will understand this, but others won’t.
A Jinty was a nickname for a particular type of engine that did shunting, banking, pilot duties and local freight. This was a small type of engine which had a short wheelbase and could get round curves easily. It was designed by Sir John Fowler.
47606 is just its running number which identifies it. 3F means its power classification (3 freight).
040 diesel is a small dock shunter used by the sea or rivers to carry freight from ships.
A GWR single has a 422 wheel configuration. It’s classed as XP, (express) and could travel at 80 Miles an hour. It could pull up to 400 tons of passanger coaches ( 6 coaches including the guard’s van).
He has so much knowledge but its locked up in his mind. when I asked him it all came out, how do people learn all this stuff!?
Mallaband-Brown