Still missing the sea

Posted on June 4, 2021June 4, 2021 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Beach, bucket and spade, Crab, Memories, Sea, Seaside, Shells, Sunlight, Thoughts, Time7 Comments

Sunshine, a stick of rock, sandy beach, bucket and spade to make sandcastles. The cool feeling of wet sand as you wiggle your toes in it…or the hard ridges of sand rippled by shallow water. Memories of collected shells, long thin razor shells, cockle shells, mussels, spirals and smooth. So many types.

All these memories were made on various holidays and day trips to beaches, looking out over the sea, walking through seaweed that littered beaches, sand flies and sand hoppers.

Remembering catching various trains, some of them were steam trains. Watching the countryside fly by, a river running on one side of the train, then the other. The train running past the caravan site we stayed at.

Sunshine, rain, home made cooking in the caravan on a tiny stove. Sleeping on a bed made of boards and cushions where the table had stood. Gas mantles that hissed when mom lit the lights at night.

The tiny crab that escaped from my plastic bucket and spade and hid in my shoe… And it’s pincers snapping on my little toe!

Memories and the wish to make more. Missing the seaside.

Walking again

Posted on February 5, 2021 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Dreaming, Exercise, Fish and chips, Life, pebbles, Sand, Seaside, She'll, stick of rock, WalkingLeave a comment

Up the hill round the corner, down the other side, urban jungle, walking through terraced houses and past the church. Over into a housing estate… It might be good to go further, but I’m not allowed.

I still want to walk along a beach, water lapping the shore. The sound of water trickling through pebbles, sand and shells.

Buying sticks of rock, fish and chips, a drink of bitter shandy. Seagulls trying to steal your ice-cream.

I can dream!

Thought I’d warm Bernie up!

Posted on January 22, 2021 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Bernie, Life, Meme, mittens, Photo, Seaside, SillyLeave a comment

I just thought he looked so cold! Hope no one is offended. I hope you think this is funny xxx

Manorbier Castle

Posted on November 15, 2020 Posted in Fine Art, UncategorizedTagged Acrylic on canvas, Beauty, Castle, Coast, Day trip, Fun, Holiday, Manorbier Castle, Painting, Seaside, South West Wales, Visit, WalesLeave a comment

Painted a few years ago while we were on holiday in Pembrokeshire, South West Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿.

I ppainted this while we were staying in a caravan in Pembrokeshire, I’d decided to take paints and a canvas for a change (I usually just take a sketch book or watercolours). I did some sketches of the castle but used a guide book for the castle to find an image to work from.

Manorbier is still in private ownership (a lot of places are now owned by the National Trust and other charities). Its really close to the coast, you can walk down a valley to the sea and if you look back you can see the castle up on a hill on the left and the church tower of the village on a hill on the right.

If you ever go to South West Wales it’s worth a visit……

Sea images

Posted on September 8, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Blue, Fun, Layout app, Photo, Picture, Seaside, Sorry, West Country, Which oneLeave a comment

Which do you prefer? I’ve used a friends photo and duplicated it as it was a interesting image. These are a couple of the resulting ‘layouts’. I do not intend to use these for anything other than an example, so I hope my friend will forgive me. If there is a problem I will delete the photo or use a stock photo to create a similar effect.

Trees

Posted on August 28, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Digital drawing, Moorland, Moors, Mountains, Roots, Sculpted, Seaside, Sketch, Trees1 Comment

The roots of trees penetrate the ground, anchoring the tree in place. Sometimes in windy conditions a tree can be shaped. Especially if there is a prevailing wind, like at the coast, where the wind blows mostly in one direction. Then the tree is sculpted and sometimes stunted, growing horizontal, pushed inwards towards the land. Like someone’s long hair blown back by the wind. Wild looking. The same can happen on high moors and mountains. Shaped and transformed.

January sky

Posted on August 25, 2020August 25, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Blogging, Caravan site, coach trip, Life, Memory, Mountains, Photo, Sea, Seaside, Sky, SnowdoniaLeave a comment

And January sea, up in North Wales. Wide views looking far away to the Snowdonia range of mountains. How I miss driving along the A55 west, climbing past Chester and Queensferry. Then coming out high above Prestatyn and Rhyl, looking over to the mountains. Swooping down the road to St Asaph, then right over the flat ground towards the coast. I first saw that view when I was about ten or eleven when we took a coach trip to a caravan park near Rhyl. I remember catching a crab on the beach and putting it in my plastic bucket. The crab crawled out and nipped my toe when I put my shoe on in the morning.

We were at the back of the caravan site where the trains from Chester raced past on their way to the station. Holidays were walking along the back and paddling in the sea. Collecting razor shells and other classic shell type shells (still don’t know what they are called), strange how a single view of the sea can drag up so many memories.

Wishing I was on holiday.

Posted on July 29, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Bed and breakfast, Gulls, Holiday, Need rest, Sea breeze, Seaside, Shattered, Thinking, Tired2 Comments

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A little bed and breakfast, or a caravan, somewhere quiet where I can hear gulls calling early in the morning. The smell of salt air and the sound of crashing or gurgling waves. I’m not bothered which.

Waking up to sea breezes, maybe opening the door to a beach view. Somewhere to chill. Feel less stressed.

Going to bed as the moon rises, looking out at dark skies glinting with stars. Maybe a small glass of wine.

Oh, I would just would love to safely get away from it all. Lockdown and life are getting me down.

Red arrows at Rhyl

Posted on July 23, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Auto giro, Blogging, Helicopter, Planes, Red arrows, Rhyl, Sea, Seaside, Sun, Tides, Wales, WeatherLeave a comment

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In August last year we were at Rhyl watching the red arrows flying over the sea, with THOUSANDS of people watching the show on the seafront.

The thought of warm Welsh sea breezes really makes me sad that I can’t go there at the moment.

I remember seeing something like a helicopter, an auto giro I think it was called? And an air and sea rescue helicopter. There were all sorts of different planes doing aerobatics.

The thing is though, I could live without the planes, and the crowds. I just wish I could go and look at the sea again, with its constantly changing waves. To see white horses as the wind whips up the waves. Or a flat calm with blue ripples.

The town must have suffered because of the lockdown. How are people coping? A little town on the North Wales coast, where most of the income is raised from holidays and tourism.

But the sea, that’s what calls me. Great storms, gentle tides, boats and ships, but mainly sea.

On the easel today

Posted on June 29, 2020June 29, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Acrylic on canvas, Art, End of block, Fun, Hard work, Hokusai, Incentive to paint, New ideas, Sea theme, Seascape, Seaside, What next?, Works in progressLeave a comment

My artistic block seems to have ended with a sea theme now emerging.

These are works in progress. The latest is an homage to the famous japanese artist Hokusai. Based on one of his most famous works The Wave. Mount Fuji is sitting calmly, surrounded by a stormy sea. I’ve left the boats out as this is a small canvas and I’m struggling with the breaking wave. It is not going to be an accurate copy as I say. More a homage.

So why can I suddenly paint again? I think all the art work and drawing in doing might have helped. But I think it’s the thought of having a craft stall this Saturday that I’ve been invited to display my work at. I’m hoping things will be safe enough to do it. If not I will have some new art to display somewhere else.

Mallaband-Brown

Tag: Seaside