Sun’s up

Sunlight through leaves, making patterns on the kitchen wall. It would be brighter but the wall is painted a pale apple green. When there was a partial eclipse a few years ago the light hitting the wall turned into increasing crescent moon shapes as the Moon passed in front of the Sun. This time of year, before the autumn sets in, there is a lot of shade from the trees in the garden. The pear tree is casting most of the shade on the wall, and a few pears have started to fall as the morning temperature reduces. I can almost feel a chill in the air this morning.

Soon it will be the vernal? Equinox, when the day and night time are in balance in the Northern (and also Southern) Hemispheres of the Earth. That is when both day and night are exactly 12 hours long. Soon the days here will shorten, whilst they grow longer in the south. I hope the nights are not too cold, I would like the leaves to stay on the trees as long as possible. I always feel sad when they become skeletal in the winter and the long wait till spring comes round again drags on. I miss my flowers as they wilt and fade, and I find it harder to motivate myself in the dark days of winter. But that is a while away yet, so I will enjoy what is left of the summer while I can.

Green peppers?

These were green when I put them in the fridge a week ago. Most of the pack still are, but these look like they have caught fire! I hope they won’t be too hot, I’ve incorporated them into a curry. The plate is Burleigh ware from Middleport pottery in Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire. The photo cheered me up because of the bright colours.

Green, red, white and black cat.

Happy cat. I decided to play with using a black and white filter then adding texture and then a flood fill of red and green. I think it is similar in an Andy Warhol image (though I make no claim of having the same sort of skills as him) I just think it shows how digital filters now can quickly change an image that would have required skills such as black and white photography and screen printing in the past.

Magic money tree?

A money plant on our windowledge that has become very contorted. The wizard and black owl in a magic hat below it seem appropriate because they represent magic. There are glass paperweights next to them which I also think look quite magical. I could paint it, not sure, it maybe looks like an illustration from a children’s book….

Dog

Met a lady with this beautiful girl today. Its a shitzu crossed with another dog, but I’m afraid I can’t remember what that was. Such a nice natured dog, she was interested, intelligent, listened to her owner. Was friendly. Had no ‘snappiness’ even when the singer who was entertaining us had a crackling microphone which disturbed his own dog. I think she’s really pretty and asked permission to take a photo. This might turn into a painting.

A bar in Falmouth

While we were down in Falmouth we called in a bar for a drink. The prices were rather expensive so we only had one drink each. We only went in because they were offering 10% off some drinks for Falmouth University students. But that turned out to be for bottles of champagne, rising from £36 a bottle to over £100! That was the cost of one ersin staying at the hotel. We couldn’t afford that so we had a ‘sangria’ at £5 a glass! Even that was pricey and we all agreed it didn’t look like the normal recipe but the drinks were refreshing after the long degree ceremony we had just come from.

Feed me!

Teasle

I posted this photo on Facebook last week and someone wrote ‘Feed me Seymour!’

I guess it does look a bit like the plant in the film ‘Little Shop of Horrors’! It’s strange how life imitates art, or vice versa. Photo of teasel, taken outside the forge at Etruria Industrial Museum on the Trent and Mersey canal in Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire.

Bottle experiment

When the milk bottles on my kitchen counter started to multiply I asked hubby to put them out for the milkman. He didn’t, so I asked again tonight (our house is directly on the street so if we put them out on a non delivery night they get knocked or kicked over). This time he did it, but not before I took this photo from above and processed it through the photodirector app on my phone. I think it makes an interesting picture. Daily chores can be fun!