New paintings and regular art updates.
It doesn’t look much but I wanted to use up some blackberries and I also wanted to get some vitamin C. I rolled up the blackberries in the Staffordshire Oatcakes. I added a sprinkle of sweetener that I cook with. Then I drizzled honey and lemon juice over the top and heated them in the microwave for a couple of minutes. Topped with half a tub of lemon mousse which needed using up. I’m used to Oatcakes with savoury fillings like cheese but these were sweet and tasty!
Christmas lights switch on up at St Thomas’s Church, penkhull.
There was a fair crowd as we, the panto cast, and junior cast members stepped outside to sing in the choir. The wind was blowing coldly up over the hill. The Lord mayor lit the lights and the tree and we sang many traditional carols including Silent Night and Hark the Herald Angels sing, which are both favourites of mine.
Penkhull village brass band were playing up a storm, and Father Christmas mingled with the crowds.
One thought as we sat there was how cold it was. An hour sitting on a plastic chair, starting to shiver and shake. Makes you wonder how homeless people cope. How do they survive. In this season if goodwill to all men, let’s have some real goodwill to all men and women!
PS sorry about the photos, it was difficult to take photos. Had to concentrate on singing….
X
It doesn’t get more spectacular, looking out over the mere as the sun set, changing from orange and blue to a peach and rosy purple. It was a long day but enjoyable.
It’s interesting that on Mars the sky is red with dust in the daytime, then the sun sets and the sky turns blue.
I live on the wrong side of the hill so that I don’t get to see sunsets very often. It was lovely to see this.
X
This is a shop just over the road from the waiting room gallery. They sell ancient and modern chimneys, teapots, pottery and other collectables. Today they had a craft fair and they had a lot more stalls than us. Including lovely jewellery, art, fabric, illustrations and mulled wine and minced pies..! They also had santa Claus. I’m amazed that anyone came over and bought from us.
Urban Sketchers, Stoke-on-Trent had a get together and drew pictures of what was happening and what the place looked like. Unfortunately my photos had a reddish shade to them. I’ve tried to correct it on photo editor but it didn’t really work. I want to post better photos but I ve lost my sketchbook
X
One thing that did happen was that there were great clouds of smoke drifting across the road just up from the waiting room gallery. I went to look what was happening, fire was burning in a big pile of rubbish and palettes just across the canal from me. This was at the rear of the Price and Kensington pottery factory in Longport next to the bottle kiln there.
The fire was burning rapidly so I rang the fire brigade. They said they had already had a call and were on the way…
A funny thing, I posted this to Facebook and had a strange response, apparently there are fires there all the time, they are just burning rubbish. Why had I bothered to call? My answer. The fire was quite big, the smoke drifting across the road was as thick as gig. I drive up there quite a lot now at weekends and I’ve never seen this. Finally it was burning next to a caravan and a car.. It needed reporting.
Long day again, but it was good to see new people, a lot of the purchases of my tiny paintings were children asking their parents to buy them pictures of angels and snowmen that I’d done.
There were printing, stamp designs for Christmas paper, and Christmas ornament making workshops at the waiting room gallery. Everyone seemed to have fun.
There was also Walnut cake, Lemon drizzle cake and scones to delight the customers.
Yes, all in all, a good weekend.
X
What a long day, and when I got to the Waiting room gallery for the craft fair today, I realised I’d left my phone at home.
Not good when you like to blog. There were beautiful frosty images of hoar frost on leaves, I could not photograph. Lots of ornaments and cards made by people visiting the free print and crafting workshops. These were very successful and a lot of people enjoyed the experience.
I just tried to blog about it, but I’m so tired I’m falling asleep as I type. I would write more but can’t keep my eyes open.
I typed two or three paragraphs that have disappeared because I just hit the delete key…. Argh!
Help! After a day painting I called in at the waiting room gallery to set up my craft stall for the weekend. I didn’t remember to take a photo, so this is from the previous weekends stall. I’ve added more Christmassy pictures to it.
So if you happen to be in Longport, Stoke-on-Trent, this weekend you might like to come along. You could also visit a Middleport pottery show and Cherished Chimneys in Longport.
Grey day on the canal,
Leaves float,
Cygnets shelter from the rain.
Boats huddle near the bridge,
Wrapped in old tarpaulins.
Smoke drifts up from stoves
that sit below the water levels.
Tea kettles boil and whistle,
Stained hands make a brew,
wiping off excess oil on grubby teacloths.
Leaves create mosaics of moist greens and browns.
Trees splinter into the sky,
Bursting like fireworks
But wet black,
No sparkle
Just grey, wet, dank…
And beautiful.
If you are in Longport on Saturday or Sunday (30th November, 1st December,) why not call round to the Waiting Room gallery. They are holding Christmas workshops and I will be there with my stall. I’m still doing new tiny paintings for decorations on your Christmas tree, or small paintings, with lots of ideas.
Might see you there?
X
Mallaband-Brown