New paintings and regular art updates.
Actually my small 2022 crop.
I only put in a couple of small plants this year so we have had about 8 or 10 tomatoes this year. I just haven’t had the heart. Then this appeared on my Facebook memories and I’m amazed at the sunshine. This last few weeks have been a succession of grey, wet days, Atlantic lows storming in with chill winds. According to the weather forecast September might be slightly better. I’d like something summery please, not too hot, not to cold. X
It’s cold in our house today- on a grey overcast bank holiday Sunday. I was having a rest on our sofa, but woke up to a cold shiver down my spine. This is British Summertime so what do I expect? I’ve lived long enough to see snow in June. So this is nothing. It’s just I don’t want to put the heating on. Cost of living and all that!
So what do I do? Add extra layers, curl up and keep out of draughts. Have a hot cup of tea or coffee. I don’t think I will see steam rising! It’s not quite as cold as that, but I’m…. brrrrr… Cold… I’ll try and get a cat to sit on me x
A butterfly sunbathes on top of the fence. I couldn’t get a decent photo because it was too far away. It looks more like a speckled leaf. The edge looks like a wrinkled and twisted old dry oak leaf. There are plenty of flowers lower down on the fence for it to collect nectar as it sips from them.
I imagine it was trying to warm up as we have had lots of cold and damp days recently.
Talking about insects there was a Huge bumblebee in the bathroom yesterday. I tried to get it out, I couldn’t reach up to the window so opened the bathroom door and in the end opened the back door as well and it just flew out into the sunshine. It was good to see two different pollenating insects in the garden on the same day.
Lavender, lovely flower, place for bees to sip and feed. Likes hot and dry conditions. The aromatic oils create a delightful scent. Growing in fields of purple and green. Row upon row of beautiful flowers. People still make little bags of lavender flowers to sit under their pillows and help with sleep.
I have tried to grow it but it’s too damp and shady in our garden. I might grow a small plant, but it never flourishes like these plants in the photo.
I remember having a rockery at my childhood home. I think we had lavender growing in pockets of soil in it. It thrived in hot summers when the sun was baking hot.
I was painting a backdrop for the final penkhull mystery play before the pandemic. It’s unlikely the plays will be continued, people get older or move on. The children who used to be involved are growing up. I don’t feel able to do anything like this any more. I can do some things but I shake too much to get delicate work like this done. At least I have memories. Willow pattern design I made up.
Oh the tension! The game is on. I’m watching but not watching. In other words I’ve got the TV on but I’ve got my eyes closed, or I’m looking away. Bitten nails, nervous gulps. It’s only tennis!
Andy Murray is currently on centre court against Stephanos Tsitipas. They are one set all. Murray might get a break point in a minute. He did it! But can he keep it up? He’s old, but mature, but he’s up against an excellent player.
I only tend to watch Wimbledon, and that’s because it’s on free to air TV, I can’t be bothered or afford cable or satellite TV. And then I only watch certain matches. If I start watching and the match goes the wrong way, I will turn the TV over. I don’t want to jinx the play!
This game is probably going to go onto 11pm and then be finished tomorrow, so that’s another hour of knuckle biting!
A few weeks late because I couldn’t afford them earlier. Some of the trailing plants got damaged in their transport in the back of our car. I would like to get a few small colourful plants to dot around the yard and make it more colourful. I will see what cheap plants I can get locally.
These cheer me up. I know they will last well into autumn, and looking out the window on a cold damp day brings up my mood. X
Beautiful pink fingers
Reach for the sky
Magnificent Magnolia
Giving me joy
Seen on a warm day
In early May
Life changes quickly
Soon they will die
Then the leaves come
Shade the ground
Summer has arrived then.
Wait for spring
To come again.
An ancient song…
Summer is icumen in
Lhud-e sing cuckoo
Groweth seed and bloweth mead
And springs the wood-e noo
Sing cuckoo
Ew-e bleateth after lamb
Low th after calv-e coo
Bullock starteth
Buck-e parteth
Merry sing cuckoo
Cuckoo cuckoo
Well sing-est thou
Cuckoo, nay stop thou never noo
(Foot/Burden)
Sing cu-ckoo noo sing cuckoo
This is an ancient summer song from England. It’s rustic words are a real tongue twister to sing. Our choir tackle it at this time of year. I tend to sing the burden because it’s a simple repeating line. You need good breathing though because it runs along below the main song and usually starts before and ends after the rest of the choir. We sing the music as a round, normally four groups for the tune singing summer is icumen in.. Summer is icumen in.. One group after the other. The foot/Burden group is usually split into two groups of two and start Sing Cu-ckoo… Sing Cu-ckoo…. Over and over.
As a side note, the first time I saw the song was in the film ‘the Green Man’ with Edward Woodward. The villagers sing this after he is captured as a sacrifice. I always get a little chill down my spine when we sing it! You can probably find it on YouTube…..
For years I painted the scenery for the Penkhull Mystery plays. This one was about the river Trent starting near Stoke on Trent and travelling towards Hull. Each year I would do one or two large sections of painting. The show would start rehearsals in March? And be on in July for one day only on the village green. I miss those days. The excitement as we prepared and made things. Brilliantly directed by Greg Stevens. And organised by him and Kate Barfield. It had everything. Music, acting, tragedy, comedy. Plus morris and molly dancing, a bower of song, a Maypole dance, eukelali players and choirs. I don’t suppose we will do it again?
Thanks to my friend Tim for the photo.
Mallaband-Brown