Reading

Posted on December 10, 2021December 13, 2021 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Bibliophile, Book, Childhood, Dog, Life, Memory, Old Yeller, rabies, Reading, Stories, Story, Time2 Comments

A friend here, @stoneronarollercoaster just asked what book got people into reading as a child.

I remember reading Myths and Legends books from quite early on. The story of Pandora box for instance. I remember them when I was about eight or nine. And when I was older I liked the Nancy Drew Mysteries then Agatha Christie stories.

But the main book that got me was when I was about ten I read ‘Old Yeller’ a book that shocked me as it was about a dog that had caught rabies. I remember it was very sad and made me really aware of death. I’ve never read it again. Maybe I should. I’ve been a bibliophile ever since.

Omicron, oh dear

Posted on December 7, 2021 Posted in UncategorizedTagged avoidance, Caution, Choir, Covid, Depression, Fears, how long, Life, omicron, Safety, Thinking, Time, Worry2 Comments

I don’t have the Omicron version of Covid, I did a lateral flow test. But things are getting to me. Mentally I feel run down, fed up, worried, scared even. I don’t want to go out or see people. I missed a few things recently because I’m keeping myself to myself. But I know I’m getting worse. Recent health issues have made me feel more isolated and it’s almost too easy to hide away. Seeing people walking round shops without masks also puts me off….

I will wait and see what happens, but I do think that old addage about discretion is the better part of valour (is that right) might be the phrase that describes how I feel.

Three hours sleep

Posted on December 7, 2021December 13, 2021 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Bottle ovens, Dawn, Insomnia, Night, Painting, Poem, Poetry, Sleeping, Time, TiredLeave a comment

Go to bed

Lie down

Stay awake

Close your eyes

Calm your thoughts

Calm them again

Think of something else

Reinvent the wheel

Remember another problem

Count sheep….

Count goats

Daylight

Dawn…

Sleep….

Wake up after three hours

Repeat…..

Aragorn

Posted on December 6, 2021December 6, 2021 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged Art, Digital drawing, Film, film actor, Life, Lord of the Rings, Memory, mustangs, Sketchfu, Sketching, TimeLeave a comment

One of my old digital drawings on a now defunct website called Sketchfu. I drew it when the Lord of the Rings came out. I have forgotten the actor who played him although I know Orlando Bloom played Legolas. I know the actor also played a long distance horse rider in a film about a horse that races over the Sahara. The horse wasn’t pure blood but one of Americas wild mustang horses. I can’t remember the film name! My memory is getting full of holes….

Westport Lake

Posted on December 5, 2021 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Derelict, Industrial archaeology, Industrial heritage, Longport, Stoke-on trent, Time, Waiting room gallery, Walking, Westport lake, wild fowlLeave a comment

While we were at the Waiting Room gallery in Longport we decided to go for a walk round the lake. The local council has bought in parking charges at the lake (I’m not sure if they have started taking money yet), but rather than driving there we left our car on the street and walked a few hundred yards along the canal to the lake.

As you walk along you see the sad dereliction of the industrial heritage of Stoke-on-Trent. Buildings that used to use the canals for transport are falling to rack and ruin. Firms buy them up then instead of restoring them and perhaps nurturing the buildings and creating museums or even apartments like they have in Manchester or Birmingham, let them fall down or burn down!

Leaving the sad buildings behind, we walked along the canal towpath to the lake. We bought a bag of bird food and fed the wild fowl around the lake. Worryingly we did see a Canada goose with what looked like mucus hanging from its beak. There is bird flu in the country which is very harmful to the birds. Once round the lake and then back along the canal. A good walk.

Found, tiny skull

Posted on December 2, 2021 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Image, Memories, Photo, Picture, sellotape, Skull, Still life, Time, tiny skullLeave a comment

I placed this skull inside a roll of sellotape to give an idea of scale. It’s sitting on an A6 sketchbook. I think we found it on a walk about ten years ago. I think it’s a rodents skull but the jaw is missing. I have it in my office room and use it when I want to do a still life (death)… A memento mori?

What is death, what happens when we die. To be left as just the bones. Oh sorry, getting a bit maudlin.

I am quite lost

Posted on December 1, 2021 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged confiding, Friends, gloom, Help, Life, Memory, Pattern, Sketching, Support, Thinking, Time, Winter, World2 Comments

My mind is a bit muddled at the moment. I am dealing with lots of ‘stuff’ and I feel overwhelming worry that I won’t get back on track. My life physically has been bothering me and I’m waiting for an appointment to try and find answers. I’m dealing with things for myself, my family and friends, and because I can put a good case for things I don’t mind helping. But when you persue various options and each one closes down it gets more and more frustrating. I wish I could herd cats, work out the best thing for us. I had to ask for help recently, and that was difficult. I’m a proud person and I don’t like to think I can’t cope. But you know those straws that broke the camels back? I think they are building up. Maybe I need to hibernate and look after myself, but turning away from others is not in my nature.

More snow

Posted on December 1, 2021December 1, 2021 Posted in UncategorizedTagged carbon footprint, Cold, Heating, Life, Poem, Poetry, Snow, Time, Weather, WinterLeave a comment

More snow due.

My nose? Blue!

If heating on

Money will be gone.

Winds a beast

From the north east

Cats have coats

So they’re warm as toast!

So wearing layers

To be lower payers.

One way to reduce

Carbon footprint use.

February dragons

Posted on November 28, 2021 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged #bandofsketchers, Art, art block, Artists block, Depression, Life, Pandemic, Sketching, Thinking, TimeLeave a comment

Looking back at my sketchbook I found this from February this year. I think I was going put more then. Going for walks and not exactly seeing people but socialising more.

Then I pulled a calf muscle and it really knocked me back. I am seeing a lot less people and turning into a recluse. My walking consists of going to the shops a couple of times a day. This weekend I actually went to my art group meeting. I was trying to finish a dog painting and I used it as an excuse to get out the house and do some art. I think that has helped me break out a bit. My mojo needs to be released again!

A short walk at last

Posted on November 25, 2021 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Breeze, Clouds, cold day, Dogs, Friendly, Photo, Steps, Sunset, Time, View, Walking6 Comments

Today, for the first time in about three months I walked around the top of our hill (I drove up as I’m still nervous of putting pressure on my calf muscles).

It still had a little uphill section at the end (we walked downhill at the start). But I managed OK. I’d decided to go out early, before the sun set, and the sky still had some colour in it when we got down to the area of school playing fields that spread down into the Trent Valley.

On the walk we saw two dog walkers, one with a French bulldog and a Staffordshire bull terrier, the other with two beautiful golden retrievers. Both pairs of dogs wanted a fuss so that delayed us getting to see the sunset. It was only a couple of thousand steps but as I had already walked into town and back I at least got my 5000 steps in. On a cold breezy day it was good to blow the cobwebs away at last.

Mallaband-Brown

Tag: Time