Lunch in the mist

Posted on November 19, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Countryside, Food, Pub, Public house, Red cow, Restaurant, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trent, View, WerringtonLeave a comment

I just wrote a blog post about taking my sister out to lunch at the Red Cow at Werrington, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire. But I fell asleep and pressed the wrong button, so the description and information disappeared!

I was trying to say the view from the restaurant is wonderful and the food was great. Hot, tasty, delicious.

The leaves that are remaining on the trees are sparkling with copper, gold and bronze, the fields are still green.

Anyway I’m posting this now because I’ve dozed off again three times already.

Reflected

Posted on September 9, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Blogging, Cafe, Mirrors, Reflections, Trentham, Trentham Gardens, ViewLeave a comment

When I’m typing on my phone I take my glasses off to see the screen. So when I took this photo I didn’t realise I was looking at my reflection, I thought we were in a much bigger room with a view through to windows at the far end. It was only when I zoomed in that I realised the blurred figures in the image are me and my hubby! It’s funny how the eyes can be fooled. It’s a cafe in the shopping village at Trentham Gardens.

Figurehead

Posted on August 2, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Holiday, Hot, Life, Llandudno, Orme head, Posiedon, R&BT cafe, Sea, Sea must, Sea view, Sketch, Toll road, Urban sketch, ViewLeave a comment

I was startled to meet this figurehead at R&B T cafe on the toll road around the Great Orme today. He’s a ships figure head and the cafe owner said he is victorian. Most figureheads are female so he is unusual. He doesn’t have a name so I suggested Posiedon.

I did a drawing of him and the owner liked it so much he asked me for it. He’s going to get it framed. So all I have is a photo of the figurehead and my drawing, and of course a nice memory.

To find the cafe you take the Toll Road from the ski centre side of the Great Orme mountain. The marine drive takes you around the base of the mountain. There are sea views across to Anglesey, and Conwy and Conwy Castle. Today though it was very misty. There was not much of a view just a haze as we looked out from the cafe’s viewing platform. (Which is up some steps at the back of the cafe.)

To paint or draw the view.

Posted on July 31, 2019July 31, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Buildings, Possible drawing, Possible painting, Rain, Sun, View, Walls, Weather2 Comments

Sometimes seaside towns are all pastel colours, peaches and primrose yellows or burnt orange and duck egg blues. But sometimes only the frontages are painted, I guess because people don’t have the money to paint the backs, or the weather is generally too bad and it wipes the colour away, washes the walls and the sun bleaches the buildings.

I think I might paint the view but add bright colours? Or I could stick with a muted palette. I have a sketchbook and I’m armed with a marker pen. Will see how I feel in the morning.

View of Trentham lake.

Posted on July 21, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Acrylic on canvas, Art, Design, Landscape, Painting, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trent, Trentham, Trentham Lake, ViewLeave a comment

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This is a few years old but I painted it while I was up on top of the hill by Trentham monument. It’s looking back towards the potteries with Trentham lake in the middle ground, obscured to some extent by the trees on the hill. I’m not that good at landscapes (this is acrylic on canvas). I guess it’s in my own style but it’s a little bit splodgy.

Anyway the reason for posting this is to inspire myself to do a few more. Perhaps we can get out into the open air this week and take some photos to work from.

Yesterday at Westport lake

Posted on July 17, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Biro, Drawing, Landscape, Longport, Sketch, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trent, View, Westport lakeLeave a comment

It’s hot, I’m tired, I can’t sleep. I got a bit burned in the sun yesterday while I was drawing at Westport lake. These are just quick biro sketches on a Crawford and Black A4 130gsm cartridge paper sketch pad. Excuse the setting I don’t have many bright areas in the house that are shadow free so I ended up propping them up on the gas oven. Ah the joys of photography at 3am! Night all!

Moon and Jupiter

Posted on July 7, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Branches, Crescent, Jupiter, Life, Moon, Photo, Sun, Trees, View, WinterLeave a comment

Well you could barely see them really, but a few months ago , in winter, one dawn I saw the crescent moon and the planet Jupiter. The planet was up on a diagonal from the curve of the moon. Like a parachute blowing out of control in a strong wind, canopy downward and the planet swinging up and away into the morning sky. The branches made it hard to see, hard to locate, and as the wind was blowing the view was obstructed by the swaying trees. Most of the time the planet would be visible and the moon not and then vice versa.

So why am I telling you this? Because I spotted the photo and I wanted to practice describing it. I’ve mostly spoken about the Moon and Jupiter, not about the surroundings. The horizon. Is hidden by the line of shop roofs and tree branches. The sky has lightened but the sun is not up. The position of the sun (down and to the left) is indicated by the illumination on the moon (trust me it was a crescent curved downwards to the left). So that’s it. Not a story, a description.

Homesick

Posted on July 5, 2019July 5, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Google maps, Home, Homesick, Life, Map, Memories, Moving on, Sad, ViewLeave a comment

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I moved away from home 40 years ago. I was going to college and I got in to the polytechnic I attended. I completed my qualification and met my partner who became my hubby. We stayed here and although I went “home” for visits I never went back to the town I was born in properly, I mean permanently.

That was OK, but then my parent died and my sister who had lived there all her life decided to move away to another town. Now when I feel homesick I can’t drive there. It would be too odd to park outside. Would the new owners be aware I was there? Would it seem like stalking? I dont think I could do it. But what I do sometimes do is look on Google maps. I used to use the figure Icon and look at the house as if I was in the street. Obviously it’s not photographed every year but I noted changes in the drive and trees that have been removed. Now Google maps only shows me a view from the air. I used to use the roadside version so I could pretend to drive home. At least I have good memories but I do miss my old Home. X

View

Posted on June 25, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Design, Environment, Garden, Life, Plants, Trees, View, WindowLeave a comment

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Looked out of a friends window at the weekend. I decided to take a photo. I love the delicate frame with thin wooden sections to allow more light in. Shrubs and perennials surround a neat lawn. Mature trees grow up on the boundaries of the property. The large spiky leaved plant is Gunnera I think.

I’d like such a beautiful view (apart from the cars). I would love such a beautiful house. It will never happen though. I could never afford anything like this, but I can dream.

Cucumber plant

Posted on May 30, 2019May 30, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Blogging, Cast iron cat, Cucumber plant, Humour, Life, Photo, Plant, Possible painting, View, WindowledgeLeave a comment

this baby cucumber plant I’ve got growing on the kitchen windowsill seems to be tickling the cast iron cats ear! It’s been inside because it’s been too cold to plant it out. It’s barely had any water and yet it’s putting out flowers. The courgette plants that I had outside have been ravaged by slugs, but thus little beauty will have to go out before the kitchen resembles the little shop of horrors.

I like this image, the shadow of the wind-chime in the window is cast on the wall on the right hand side, and the slightly angry cat balances it up. Yes.. I’m thinking of painting it. All the other plants contrast with it. Taken at 2.30am so the dark windows and reflections would be a challenge. I have just the right long thin canvas for it……

I hope it survives – I had to use washing up liquid on the Pepper plant just a bit further along the windowledge today as it was covered in aphids and I won’t use pesticides. Right enough writing x

Mallaband-Brown

Tag: View