Eclipse

Posted on April 7, 2024April 7, 2024 Posted in Memories, UncategorizedTagged blinded, Burning, Danger, Eclipse, Looking, Memory, Moon, retina, Sun, totality, warning2 Comments

There is due to be an eclipse in North America tomorrow and some strange things are being written by people about it. Anyone would think it had never happened before, when it’s a regular astronomical phenomenon.

We’ve had a couple in the UK over the last few decades and nothing bad happened, no ending of the world, no real catastrophes (except maybe Brexit!).

But humans are good at seeing portents. They tie religion to events and make up stories to fit the events. Centuries ago we could not predict the occurrence of eclipses and thought that things like dragons were swallowing the sun.

Some tips for viewing eclipses:

I viewed an eclipse in the UK in the 1990s by looking at its reflection in my car window as I had no viewing goggles. You can also see its reflection in water. And if you make a small hole in card or paper you can see multiple crescent moon shaped patterns on the surface it’s projected onto. (explanations of how to do this can be found on the net,) Remember DO NOT LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN! Even approaching totality when the moon is covering the majority of the sun you can damage your sight. You can be blinded by the light from the sun including ultraviolet light that can burn your retina without you feeling it.

So many things

Posted on April 6, 2024 Posted in Memories, UncategorizedTagged Destination, Lost, Memory, Missing him, Sadness, the end of an era, Thought, visiting places2 Comments

We sat and planned places to go. He wanted to go to the East coast and Scotland. I wanted to go to Devon and the Lake district. We thought over the next few years we would visit places like Cardiff or the Angel of the North.

It would be our big adventure. The time would be set aside, we would get cat sitters and take a few days away. Not months, but enough to explore places.

What was stopping us? I was nervous of driving long distances after developing shakes a couple of years ago. He didn’t drive because of his anxiety. But I’d hoped that I would have a diagnosis and get better. I would have loved to go to those places.

But things happened, Covid came and went, trains were unreliable, neither of us liked coaches, we preferred the freedom of our car. In the last year though we drove less than 500 miles. We stuck to places we knew and enjoyed.

Why am I mentioning this? Watching TV, seeing a destination that I might still visit, but without him? What’s the point? He was my partner, life time companion, friend, and I want him back!

Tree sketch

Posted on April 2, 2024 Posted in Fine Art, Memories, Sketching, UncategorizedTagged 20 years ago, Drawing, Memory, oaks, Sketchbook, Sketching, soft pencil, Trees2 Comments

Twenty years ago I sketched these trees. I think they were probably oaks, a little old and tattered. I’d love to go back and see if they are still there, if only I could remember where they were!

I used to do far more pencil sketching. Maybe I should get a soft 6B pencil and start drawing again.

Missing cat?

Posted on March 29, 2024 Posted in Cat, Memories, UncategorizedTagged anxious, Black and white cat, Cat, Memory, Silence, Thinking, Tuxedo cat, Whistle, WorryLeave a comment

Where’s he gone? I’ve whistled and shouted him. He was around this morning. He’s probably asleep somewhere. I’ll have to put some food out for him and the other two… Or get some catnip out to attract him. I’m getting worried but I think it’ll be OK. It’s just that feeling of missing something, a silence when you expect noise. I don’t want to lose anything else at the moment. I haven’t heard from a friend recently and I get the same feeling. I’m over thinking probably. Easy to let things get to me. But I don’t want a prodigal cat. X

Science

Posted on March 27, 2024 Posted in Memories, UncategorizedTagged Astrobiology, big bang, Chemistry, dailyprompt, dailyprompt-1890, hard, Memory, Programme, Science, TimeLeave a comment

What’s something most people don’t understand?

Science is hard, it is very difficult to understand or often to explain. I think the world is split into people who get science and those that do not.

I don’t know if you have to have a particular brain? I found science hard, and being a girl didn’t push myself forward in classes. The boys always had their hands up shouting me sir, me! Answering the teachers questions.

And yet I eventually found I loved science. I used to watch a BBC programme called Horizon which had a great many subjects from Chemistry to Astrobiology, to the Big Bang as subjects of hourly shows. Suddenly my interest was piqued. I started to understand things and got more aware of science and it’s ramifications.

I also loved the Sky at Night, a monthly astronomy programme, it’s only short, 20 minutes, but really interesting. And then children’s programmes used to be informative, including the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures. I remember seeing one about magnetic levitation of trains, it was a lecture by Professor Eric Laithwaite. Wonderful.

So my take from this is that you might not like science, but give it a chance, it helps you understand the world..

Ginger cat

Posted on March 25, 2024 Posted in Cat, Fine Art, Memories, UncategorizedTagged Acrylic on canvas, Cat, Fine Art, Floral, ginger cat, Memory, Painting, Stray cat, WindowsillLeave a comment

I painted this ginger cat a few years ago. He’s based on a stray that moved in with us for a while. He would sit on a windowsill and stare out at the garden. I decided to make his view a bit more floral, and almost Mediterranean.

Unfortunately we had to rehome him because he would fight with our other cats and ended up with an abscess in his paw. I spoke to the vets and they agreed to find him a good home. I hope he was happy and it was sad to say goodbye to him.

I don’t

Posted on March 25, 2024 Posted in Memories, UncategorizedTagged ambition, dailyprompt, dailyprompt-1888, Life, Memory, Poem, Poetry, Prompt, Stress, TimeLeave a comment

How often do you say “no” to things that would interfere with your goals?

Look at the sky, it’s blue,

I love that wonderful hue

I could ignore it

Pass it by

Be driven hard

Ambition charged

But then I’d miss the best of life

While dealing with the anxious strife

No time to stop and stare they say

Is not, for life a good way.

Try not to stress

Though I confess

I walk on sometimes

And miss sunshines.

Koish

Posted on March 25, 2024March 25, 2024 Posted in Fine Art, Memories, UncategorizedTagged Acrylic on canvas, Art, distortion, Fine Art, Fish, Koi, Memory, Painting, Reflection, Water2 Comments

Koi carp I pay a few years ago, it was part of my recent exhibition. I thought it was worth showing on its own here. I love painting reflections and the way some parts of the painting can be seen through so you can see the fish. Other things include the distortion of the window bars in the water. Acrylic on canvas.

Breezy

Posted on March 23, 2024 Posted in Memories, UncategorizedTagged Breeze, dailyprompt, dailyprompt-1886, Flying, Kite, kite festival, Memory, Time, Weather, WindyLeave a comment

What is your favorite type of weather?

Kite flying on a breezy day, enough breeze to lift the silk or nylon covered structure up into the air.

We went to a kite flying festival in Wales years ago. I had made a kite out of bamboo tied together with melamine silver plastic taped to it. I’d painted a Japanese symbol on it, I can’t remember what it was (this is about thirty years ago).

It wasn’t just breezy, it was very windy, and most kite flyers had decided not to bother. But I tied a tail onto my kite and tried to fly it. It wasn’t very happy so we added a plastic carrier bag! Then it flew, horizontally, just above the beach, but it flew. I was so proud!

The next day there was a gentle breeze, I took off the bag and the kite rose high into the air. I have always loved kite flying weather since then.

My Geography teacher

Posted on March 22, 2024 Posted in Memories, UncategorizedTagged dailyprompt, dailyprompt-1885, geo politics, Geography, Influence, Learning, Memory, School, teacherLeave a comment

Who was your most influential teacher? Why?

My geography teacher influenced me a great deal. I can’t remember his name and I gave up geography when I had to choose my subjects for my exams. I couldn’t carry on because the lessons clashed with art which was always going to be my main subject.

The reason for the influential effect was the thoughtfulness of the teacher. We learnt a broad range of things from the crops some countries grew, to vulcanism, plate tectonics, details of maps, and lots of other information. The lessons were interesting, the teacher got our attention. He explained things clearly, he was patient and understanding. We got an insight into the geo politics of the world.

I wish I could remember his name but despite my poor memory I think he was most influential.

Mallaband-Brown

Tag: Memory