I wish I could…

What’s a secret skill or ability you have or wish you had?

Play chess better. I don’t understand how people can work out several moves ahead. I only know the basics, I learnt from playing against my father as a child. But I don’t know how to castle and I rarely play. I don’t know where our chess set and board are.

When I watched a film about chess players in the 1970’s I was amazed and impressed by them. But they were protégés and must have had some sort of mathematical minds so that they understood the game in great depth. Then of course computers were introduced which started to beat humans. So I would like the ability to beat a computer like Deep Blue. An ambition I’m sure I will never have!

Questions?

I’ve started doing the daily prompts on here but I can’t help wondering about giving away information. I’m not the most interesting person in the world, and I don’t want to share stuff that could allow me to be scammed. So I don’t share per names, or relatives names. If anyone did get into my pages they would find I have a separate password for everything. Capital letters, numbers, symbols, long words. So password protected is real in my case.

I do talk about my past life sometimes, but it will be vague, and I try not to identify with definite dates.

The prompts are questions, which I’m not sure I like to answer, and yet they make me think of things that I would not necessarily write about otherwise.

Bench view

I wonder how long it will take for the leaves to come on these trees in the park. Then the view of the horizon will be covered for another six months. The hills in the distance will be gone. My hubby, sitting on the bench before me will be in shade during the morning and in light in the afternoon.

The clouds will drop their rain and the leaves of the trees unfold. Every day they will take in sunlight, until the temperature drops and the light levels fall. Then the wind will blow and the leaves, that have now rurned to brown and orange, will fly from the trees and uncover the view again…

Farewell feathery frost

I just found this photo and remembered the morning I sat in my car and saw these spectacular frosty fronds inside the windscreen. I think it was when the heater in the car was broken. It was a few years ago. I don’t think we have had such a cold spell in a few years. Yes it gets cold, but not this cold. It’s due to get cold again this weekend, a few snow showers, maybe some rain.

I remember when I was a child having frosts like this on the inside of our bedroom windows, Jack Frost really did visit in those days. We even had snow in June one year. We had been on the train and when the sky turned orange grey and the snow fell. But that was fifty years ago. Times change.

Portal

Step through the portal and walk into another time, another continent perhaps?

That was the challenge she faced one night on the way home from visiting friends. The dark was split by a hole or tunnel glowing with blue white light and paved with what appeared to be stone. A gentle voice emanated from the apparition. ‘Choose your destiny’ it whispered, ‘travel in the fourth dimension to wherever you wish’.

She thought about it. Gift or curse?, ‘One Question’, she asked. ‘Can I return back to here, to now?’ ‘I cannot answer your question’ said the voice. ‘That would depend on if this time continuum continues in its present condition’.

‘Nah!’ she said, ‘not a chance’, and walked away…

Need to catch up

#bandofsketchers?

What’s happened? I’ve been ill again and I haven’t had the energy or will to draw. I’m behind on these prompts. I have ideas but the sketchpad is across the room and I can’t make myself go and pick it up. I think I’m a bit overwhelmed. I don’t think the cold, wet, grey weather we have been having has helped. Shivering and shaking is not conducive to drawing and sketching. Oh I must not moan, but sometimes you just get stuck. Bad mood and memories don’t help, I guess I’m a bit blocked in my creativity. Sunshine might help.

X

Seven years

Seven years ago I created this. I can’t remember exactly how. But it just popped up on my Facebook memories. It’s definitely my style, pattern and colours. I do love the idea of creating something like this, completely abstract using some elements from nature. I don’t know if there are enough pixels to make it work as a print. I’m not sure how many dpi it is.

Sleepy and cold

It was very cold last night so I left the central heating on low. The sky had cleared and I think it was down to – 6°C last night. I was reading in bed, propped up under my moon nightlight, but I was sleepy. Suddenly Thud! The book had fallen on the floor and I had woken with a crick in my neck. I was cold and achy. The moon was clear and bright up in the sky, shining in through the window. Apparently last night there was a 20°C difference between the the coldest place in the UK, about – 16°C and the highest 4°C, so we were about a middling temperature.

Then I thought about anybody in an unheated house, or who are stuck outside in a tent or on the streets. What about them? I was in an old bed, in an old house, but I am so much luckier than a lot of people. Why is there such inequality?

So what’s happening?

What is one question you hate to be asked? Explain.

Don’t you hate it when you are watching a film or programme and someone comes in the room and asks what has been happening. You don’t want to have to reply but you know you are going to have to. It’s halfway through the programme and one person has died, another one is being blamed. A third is actually responsible. How to explain while trying to continue watching? Sometimes a grunt works. Other times a full explanation is required.

The worst thing is when it is you asking the question, and you know you are not going to get any sort of an answer that makes sense.

Silver Sliver?

When you sit all day feeling ill with a sore throat and a cough what do you do? I draw wobbly sketches! Play with filters, add colours, use metallic pens. Play with words. I think since I’ve been doing Esther Chilton’s blog challenges (limericks and five word challenges) it’s made me think more about words and how they work. It’s also taking part in #bandofsketchers prompts which gives me the chance to illustrate different ideas. Yes it is just a minor, wobbly, not very clear sketch, and I have put it through digital filters. But it keeps my mind busy and takes it off other thoughts, like feeling too sorry for myself. I think I experience flow, that feeling of time passing without you noticing, and being in the ‘now’? X