My grandad

Posted on October 27, 2024 Posted in Fine Art, Memories, UncategorizedTagged artistic, Carpenter, Chapel, Church, dailyprompt, dailyprompt-2104, gene, grandad, Life, lucky, MemoryLeave a comment

Describe a family member.

My grandfather was a carpenter. I don’t remember meeting him as I think he died when I was quite young.

He was very skilled and made the lych gate (roofed gateway in front of a church) at the entrance to the local parish church. He also carved the altar rail at the main Methodist Chapel in the town. I imagine he must have been well respected. We also have some wardrobes he made clad in beautiful walnut veneers.

Hearing about him encouraged me to do art. I was told that creativity skips a generation and that I was lucky to have that artistic gene. I also found out I had an artistic cousin that wasn’t allowed to be an artist because her family was short of money, so she ended up working in a factory. I hope she eventually pursued a creative course in life. I feel lucky to have had such an artistic grandfather.

Aberfan disaster

Posted on October 24, 2024 Posted in Memories, UncategorizedTagged aberfan, dailyprompt, dailyprompt-2099, Death, Frightened, Life, Memory, Sad, spoil heap, YoungLeave a comment

What major historical events do you remember?

The Aberfan disaster was the catastrophic collapse of a colliery spoil tip on 21 October 1966. The tip had been created on a mountain slope above the Welsh village of Aberfan, near Merthyr Tydfil, and overlaid a natural spring. (Wikipedia)

I was very young and I remember coming downstairs and hearing the evening news on the television. What upset me the most was that the children that died were my age. It scared and upset me. School children were buried below the collapsed spoil heap. I was very frightening.

Imagined aurora

Posted on October 13, 2024 Posted in Memories, Sketching, UncategorizedTagged Art, Aurora, Colours, Drawing, Green, Life, magnetic field, Memory, Pink, Sketching2 Comments

Still obsessed by not seeing the main auroras so I tried to imagine them and their spectacular colours. When you look at the incredible photos people have taken my rendition isn’t very exciting but I would have liked to see more than I did. Auroras are charged particles that follow the Earth’s magnetic field down to the poles. Without that magnetic shield we would be exposed to the radiation of space that would slowly deplete our atmosphere. Our magnetism is caused by Earth’s rotating molten core. Life on Earth is protected by it. Mars, a smaller planet has no magnetism and has lost its atmosphere because of this .

Being a doctor

Posted on October 8, 2024 Posted in Fine Art, Memories, UncategorizedTagged Art, career, dailyprompt, dailyprompt-2086, Doctor, Life, Memory, Painting, Thinking2 Comments

What’s something you would attempt if you were guaranteed not to fail.

I would have to be 40 years younger, have the education to be able to train for the length of time required. I guess it would also be good to come from a well off family. If those things had been my reality I might have liked to be a doctor. I enjoy helping people and trying to solve their problems. That’s why I like these prompts, it means I can think of alternative career paths, or different outcomes.

But to be honest I’m quite happy with my life as it has panned out. I’ve always been an artist, whatever job I’ve had. I’ve painted and created, used my imagination. I might not be famous but a lot of people have bought my work and also commissioned me to paint things for them. I’m just glad I’ve had the freedom to do that.

Crocosmia Lucifloria in bud

Posted on October 8, 2024 Posted in Memories, UncategorizedTagged Crocosmia Lucifloria, Gardening, Green, Life, Memory, Poem, Poetry, Red, Shade, SunshineLeave a comment

Summer photo, a couple of years old

The red and green spark off each other

Scarlet red shines in the garden

Drifts of arching flowers in the bed.

Sunlight needed to keep them growing

Shade stopped them in their tracks.

Gone now, the memory of them still cheers.

Swimming a mile

Posted on October 8, 2024October 8, 2024 Posted in Memories, UncategorizedTagged a mile, breast stroke, dailyprompt, dailyprompt-2085, Exercise, Life, Memory, Swimming13 Comments

What was the hardest personal goal you’ve set for yourself?

When I was fitter I used to swim. I’m not fast but have stamina so I gradually built up the distance I could swim. My preferred goal was breast stroke.

I found out that a mile was about 40 lengths of the pool so I set a goal to see if I could do it. I slowly built up the numbers, I was limited by the time it was taking me to finish it but after about two or three months I managed it. I have to say I never swam that distance again!

Going

Posted on October 8, 2024 Posted in Uncategorized, MemoriesTagged Time, Memory, Gardening, Plants, Hanging baskets, Life, Bulbs, wilted, winter pansiesLeave a comment

These were my plants in summer, now they are starting to wilt. I will be sad when they are gone. I want to time travel to next summer till the next lot of flowers can be planted. I might get some winter flowering pansies to cheer the yard up in the meantime.

I’ve bought loads of bulbs to put in the big garden for winter/spring. Somehow I need to get them planted.

Cry

Posted on October 6, 2024 Posted in Memories, UncategorizedTagged dailyprompt, dailyprompt-2082, Hope, Loss, Memory, Poem, Poetry, Survival, ThinkingLeave a comment

What would you do if you lost all your possessions?

What would I do if I lost it all?

Cry for lost memories

Weep for my tranklements

Sigh for my paintings

Scream for my cats

But remember them all

The good times

The joy that they gave

And try to make a new start

A way to cope

Seeking for comfort

Hoping for help.

Loss can destroy

But hope can strengthen

Survival would be my goal.

Losing photos

Posted on October 6, 2024 Posted in Memories, UncategorizedTagged Chimney, Factory, frustration, Lost, Memory, Mixed up, Optimised, Photo, Pictures, TimeLeave a comment

I decided to optimise my photos as I haven’t done it for a while. Now it looks like 50% of my photos were taken today. Plus they are all mixed up. If I go back a few hundred they were suddenly taken in March. I wish it wouldn’t do that, I’ve been searching for something for half an hour because I wanted to share it? Can I find it? No, so I just decided to post a photo of an old factory from a few months ago. And great to see an undemolished chimney.

Voting

Posted on October 4, 2024 Posted in Memories, UncategorizedTagged Change, CND, College, dailyprompt, dailyprompt-2081, Memory, Mrs Thatcher, tories, Voting5 Comments

What’s a topic or issue about which you’ve changed your mind?

I voted when I was 19 and followed the family, we were tories, I wanted to see a woman prime minister. I had not left home and had no idea what the real life was about. Then I went to college. An eye opener. I had to live in an old house with no fire, just an open coal fire. The toilet was outside, I showered at the college, I realised that this was not unusual, people had to manage.

Most of my friends were caring, thoughtful and Labour voters. One was in CND, this was the era of protests against Cruise missiles. I saw what Thatchers laws were doing to people. You could see the rich getting richer, the poor, poorer. It was the era of the Yuppie. What can I say? I had to change. I’m glad I did.

My conclusion about this.? My family had held me in one way of thinking. Reality changed my mind. Don’t be afraid to think.

Mallaband-Brown

Tag: Memory