Tag: Memories

Blurry photo

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It would have been our anniversary today. We lived together for years before we married. I painted him when I was about 20 and he still sits in this painting looking out at me. I did a lot of drawings and portraits of him over the years, I am glad there are visible memories of him.

What will happen when I go? Who knows what my relatives will want to do with all my art? Will a local museum take them, or will they just get skipped? I don’t know, I won’t be here but I would like to have some recognition. The trouble is I’m very eclectic, I paint for my self in these images. Ah well, more questions…

Random photos,

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My friend often sends me photos on WhatsApp. I don’t know what is going to pop up in my messages until they appear. This time he sent me a series of pictures from Saltaire Food festival. Saltaire is near Bradford in Yorkshire. It’s got small, stone built terraced houses, mostly a living room and small kitchen and two bedrooms and a bathroom. I think they filmed the new version of “The Railway Children ” movie there.

At the end of summer it puts on a great market full of food stalls from all over the world. We went a few years ago and discovered Churos from Spain. Like a mixture of sponge fingers and doughnuts crossed with each other. We tried curries and paella. There was a giant lobster balloon. It was very busy when we went. If you are in the area it’s worth a visit.

Worried about him

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Stressed! My old cat went out while I was shopping, I realised he was not around and I’ve just been calling him for an hour. I left the back door wide open, I kept whistling, it cuts through traffic noise. I also put messages on WhatsApp and got lots of support – one person even offered to come to look for him, he is not eating much except cat soups and drinking a lot of water. It’s such a worrying time.

I thought he was in the garden but its very overgrown and if I went out looking for him I could easily fall over. BUT thank goodness… He’s back! I feel like the boy who cried wolf!

Glasses

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I keep reaching for my glasses even though I no longer need them!

Is this muscle memory or cognitive dissonance? For 58 years the first thing I have done in the morning is reach for my glasses.. My face feels empty now. Like going out without a coat on. Most things are very clear but because one eye wanders I have to consciously focus to reduce double vision. I will need reading glasses and possibly distance ones too but at a lot smaller diopter (strength). In the meantime I’m nervous of going outside. I don’t fancy wind blown eyeballs!

Owl and pussycat

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Looking at random things in the house. On my bookcase upstairs these two friends. I think I put them together because they remind me of Edward Lears poem.

The owl and the pussycat went to sea in a beautiful pea green boat.

They took some honey and plenty of money wrapped up in a five pound note…..

Which is the female and which is the male? I don’t know, is it important? I don’t  remember the full poem and I often get it mixed up with Lewis Carrolls Jabberwocky poem.

It’s amazing what pops up in your memory when you see things. I have a good visual memory and that helps when I’m painting. I often talk to myself if I’m trying to remember what something looks like or how it’s put together. X

Long day

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My upstairs stairs window.

My life had been quiet during the last few weeks. Long boring days, my ivy has been growing and I can trace it’s growth in my memory, almost like watching paint dry. I need to get someone in to help.

My brain was frazzled by the heat and now it’s getting cold I’m more interested in keeping warm and cozy. The cats keep me company, either on my lap or on the bed. The last three days have been worse, the skin on my legs is sore and I’m starting a course of antibiotics tomorrow. I think I have a temperature. I’ve been too stationary with not being able to drive so I think I need bucking up a bit. I’ll try and do a bit of walking tomorrow. Fingers crossed I’ll feel more myself soon. X

I don’t know

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Where did your name come from?

When I was little I thought Mal-la-band meant the bad band in French. I convinced myself that it meant the bad band. Although that perhaps would have read “La  band mal?”

I imagined myself as a part of a band of pirates, sailing the seven seas, looking for buried treasure and adventure.

Mal and Mer mixed up in my mind, I was quite young and I also thought it meant a bad sea or stormy sea.

As I learnt to spell my name I became aware that other children were taking the micky out of me. There was a type of margarine called “Blueband” and guess what exciting word kids in my school would call me? Yeah, you got it.

But when I got married I kept my original surname along with my hubbys. I didn’t want to lose it. I’m attached.

And it’s meaning? I don’t want to know. I just like my ideas.

Ten?

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What are your top ten favorite movies?

How to choose ten movies?

I can’t imagine putting these in any order,  and they won’t be profound or too subtle. I’m a sucker for weepy films, but I like interesting ones too.

1, Always, a fire fighter crashes his plane and dies, then haunts his girlfriend as she finds a new love.

2. Close encounters of the third kind. Friendly aliens arrive on Earth and one man gets to go off with them.

3. The theory of everything. The story of the life of Sir Stephen Hawking.

4.Its a beautiful life. The tale of how a man’s life was changed for the better, and how Clarence earned his wings!

5. Harvey. Where is that giant white rabbit?

6. How to train your dragon. The original animated film of the book by Cresdida Cowell.

7. The sound of music, a nunnery, a governess, love and escape from the Nazis.

8. Ring of bright water. A story of otters, watched as a child.

9. Hidden figures, the story of how 3 African American women were working for NASA. They were deeply involved in the Moon landings and beyond.

10. Lawrence of Arabia. I saw it years ago and fell in love with Peter O’Toole.

That was quite painless. Tomorrow I might choose differently.

Bird

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I’ve suddenly got back  to drawing on our bandofsketchers group. I lost confidence with my health issues and problems with my eyesight. I didn’t feel the same way about the challenges and so let it slip.

But I saw what my friends are doing and decided to have another go. This bird comes under the prompt ‘new’. I decided to do something in a new style in Artrage. I hope you like it.