Tag: Staffordshire

Who to invite?

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If you could host a dinner and anyone you invite was sure to come, who would you invite?

I would invite all my artist friends from over the years. Plus all my family. I would go to the Leopard Hotel in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent. It would be fully restored (it was destroyed in a fire) and all my murals would still be there.

We would chat about the old days, and what they had been doing. Find out about where they had lived after I lost touch with them. I would lay on a good meal for them depending on what food they liked. I don’t remember what they used to eat? How could I after 40 years or more in some cases… But to know their life has gone well and hopefully they have been successful.

Who wouldn’t I invite? Famous people. I would be in awe and unable to talk. Can it be possible to meet someone who is important and speak with them at their level? I just don’t know.

Questions like this trouble my imagination. It’s wonderful to think of great people, but I would be too nervous and shy!

Earthquake, what Earthquake?

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Richter scale

/ˈrɪktə/

noun

GEOLOGY

  1. a numerical scale for expressing the magnitude of an earthquake on the basis of seismograph oscillations. The more destructive earthquakes typically have magnitudes between about 5.5 and 8.9; it is a logarithmic scale and a difference of one represents an approximate thirtyfold difference in magnitude.

Last night around 8pm there was a small earthquake near Tean in Staffordshire. It registered 3.3 on the richter scale, and houses near to it felt a jolt and their windows rattled.

My friend just asked if we felt anything? No, we didn’t feel a thing. We probably get more shaking from traffic driving past our house. Apparently the UK gets about a thousand earthquake s or tremors a year, and most are only 1 or 2 on the richter scale (or 30 or 900? times smaller). So although 3.3 is high in the UK it’s not bad. I think we may have had a 5 a few years ago.

I couldn’t find an image to use so I drew a ‘geological’ abstract instead, trying to draw something like a fracture or fault moving in the rocks below us….

Willows pattern plate (Thai food)

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Willow pattern

I haven’t got the hang of social media food posting. I either take photos of the plates before I get the food or after I’ve eaten it!

We’ve just been for a birthday meal at Sawadee Thai taste in Stoke. It’s becoming a redular thing. Tonight we had starters of athai fishcakes and spare ribs, then red duck curry and jasmine rice. We used to have more food but I’m trying to be good as its all too nice but too filling! Plus I had some mango and pineapple pieces for afters. Full up and sleepy now…

Fox and cubs?

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I may be wrong, but I think this plants colloquial name is Fox and Cubs? I think you get a main flower then a number of smaller flowers around it. I’ve seen it growing as a weed, with dandelion style seed heads? But I may be completely wrong and it could be a different plant entirely? If anyone knows please tell me. I think we saw these plants at the Dorothy Clive garden last year when we visited in the summer.

Thundery downpours

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Current lightning over us. It’s gone dark and rumbly above us. Although the main storms seem to be swirling around Congleton and Stone tonight. The map is from Blitzortung.org and I hope I’m not breaching their copyright. I can hardly see its gone so dark, cumulus clouds boiling above us. I’m glad we live at the bottom of the hill, I think we are less likely to get hit! God’s certainly moving a lot of furniture!

Steam punk morris dancer

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We went to Etruria canal festival today. It was a brilliant sunny day, huge crowds (that made me anxious) (I still haven’t learnt to feel safe again after the pandemic). But there was lots to see and some incredible exhibits. There were hawks and snakes and a puppet theatre which made huge insect puppets. Lots about climate change and Morris dancers too! The industrial museum was open for free to the public and there was a massive queue for the cafe. B’arts were involved in a lot of the work and Etruria Artists had a stall there using clay to create objects children could take home with them. @ladybirdsu had her little caravan there and was running a little print workshop. You could print on cards that have wild flower seeds pressed into the paper. You literally plant them to grow wild flowers…

Overall it was an enjoyable experience, although I did tear up for a while. Something set me off and I needed a hug. Life can sometimes jump out on you when you’re not looking and hit you between the eyes!

Anyway, the photo is of a lovely steam punk, (I think he’s with the Doomsday Morris who were performing at the festival).

Alliums

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Alliums are part of the onion family and are grown for their spiky round flower heads in purples and reds.

This display was at the Dorothy Clive garden a week ago. I think the leaves are from a different plant that was growing below the allium stems. I think if we go back in a few weeks a completely different set of flowers will have opened up. If you are in Staffordshire I would recommend a visit. The garden is down a country road and is on a sloping hill. Lovely on a summers day.

I wish our garden was sunnier but we planted a lot of trees soon after moving in and now the garden resembles a jungle. Still that must be good for our carbon footprint.

Legacy?

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Lost mural of Burslem Riot that was destroyed in a fire

My legacy is my art. I have painted for years. I hope that someone wants them when I’ve gone.

I was involved in painting several murals over my time as an artist, but sadly most of them have been destroyed in one way or another. I painted a mural in the stairwell of the Unemployment action centre in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent just after I finished college. Then we found the building was going to be demolished. So myself and a friend got permission to go in and take photos. Unfortunately the photographs came back blank. The film had not been attached to the spool and was not exposed!

Then I painted some murals with a council art group. Over a few weeks we worked on a school canteen (alien/ sci-fi landscape) a ward at a hospital (images of Stoke-on-Trent to aid elderly patients memories), and a memorial for the 1914 to 18 war. All of these were demolished.

Finally I did twelve murals at the Leopard Hotel in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent. This took me the good part of two years on and off. The painting above was a mural I did of the Burslem riot of 1842? I researched it and a lot of the characters were based on local Burlem residents and people who worked at or frequented the Leopard. All of the murals were destroyed in a fire that burnt down the hotel.

I have also painted scenery for the local pantomime and Mystery plays, but I don’t know what has happened to them.

What is the legacy you want to leave behind?

So if this isn’t my legacy what is? All the paintings and artwork I have created over the years since I was a child. Not all of them still exist. Art turns out to be quite ephemeral in some ways. But I’ve sold enough that, if no one wants the ones I still have, the rest have gone to new owners. Even if they were to appear in charity shops, I hope that some do find good homes.

Rode hall bluebells

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We finally got the weather for our walk around the grounds of Rode Hall. It was lovely, calming and peaceful. I know it’s strange, but I wondered where the musical backing track was….. But there was beautiful birdsong.

This was the last day of the actual bluebell walks, but they are obviously still there for a little while. There is a Rode Hall website and I’m sure there will be details available for visits there.