Garden Centre blues

Posted on February 1, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Cold, Garden, Garden Centre, Hot chocolate, Sky, View, WinterLeave a comment

Inside the garden centre cafe, looking out over the Trent valley. A little patch of blue amid the grey clouds. The cafe lights reflected on the window are causing the two white patches.

We walked round and bought bird food a planter and some seeds for chrysanthemums, geraniums and other flowers to put in later in the year.

Most of the outside area was taped off with striped tape, a bit like a massive crime scene. This was a concrete area covered in ice and snow.

After a hot chocolate and a coffee we came back out into the freezing cold air and a low sun slanting it’s brilliant rays through the trees. You have to be an optimist if you do gardening. Looking forward to growth and new life. Thinking about opportunities for trying to grow new plants and exotic fruits.

I’m back home in the warm now. But going back out in the cold soon……

In the dark (part one)

Posted on January 30, 2019January 31, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Blogging, Driving, Ice, Journey, Life, Not exciting, Reflections, Short story, Snow, Very short story, Winter, Work7 Comments

As we came out of choir group tonight it was cold and icy. The snow that had fallen earlier had turned from slush on the car park to hard ridges and furrows and ice.

I walked across to the car, managing not to slip. The car started reassuringly. The cold air from the heater took a few minutes to warm up. Then the screen started to demist. A car flew past in the dark. It’s headlights were not switched on so I flashed mine to try and get their attention.

I carefully drove off the car park and onto the road. Luckily it was wet but not slippery. The gritter lorries had clearly been past. Up to the traffic lights, turn right. Now I was on the main road, safe for a moment to drive at normal speed. But I live in a hill so I wanted to park up facing downhill. The only way to do that was to drive up the other side of the hill But I had a plan. Drive halfway up then take a short, flat, side road through the housing estate to get to my street half way down the hill. .. Well I got to the side road, and it was covered in a thick icy snowy layer. Solid, slippery. A steep slope to one side. I dropped into a lower gear. I did not want to slide across the road, on black ice. Keeping to the centre of the road, I drove at the slowest pace I could. Parked cars on either side made me fear hitting their wing mirrors. Nothing happened. My car slid and glided past, slowly and gently. My heart was thudding and I felt my neck tensing. Half way. A road bisecting my slippery route…. Anything coming fast up the hill and I would not have been able to stop safely. Now the road started to twist and turn. The slope increasingly downhill. The grip between the tyres and the asphalt was reducing. I applied the breaks gently. Close to the hill where I had to turn down onto my street. Nothing coming. The snow transformed into moisture, salted and defrosted. Slow turn. Almost in slow motion. It was too dark to see any frosty patches. So I carefully drove down hill in first gear. I got home slightly shaken.

I got my partner to read this. He said “it’s a bit boring” which is honest.

Another window

Posted on January 23, 2019January 23, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Life, shadow, Silhouette, Spode, Sunlight, Window, WinterLeave a comment

Another inspiration. I may do a painting of this. The fresh colours of a winter sky against the dark silhouette of the room.

A low sun makes for startling shadows and highlights. Sometimes overwhelming brilliance can burn out even the darkest tones.

I should try and take more pictures!

Ice

Posted on January 19, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Colour, Ice, Jack Frost, L ifem cold, Pattern, Photo, Poem, Poetry, WinterLeave a comment

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Ice like feathers,

ice like blood,

ice poured over the bonnet of a car.

Jack Frosts finger nails have skittered across

Leaving their trail of frozen air.

Ice leaps over

ice slips on,

Ice is strong till it is fractured.

Warm air makes ice wet, clammy, then it melts.

Jack Frost,

Dream maker,

gone.

We have snow

Posted on January 18, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Chilly, Cold, Gulf stream, Mild, Snow, Weather, Winter6 Comments

But don’t get excited! It’s wet and about an inch deep. But something we were going to tonight has been cancelled because of it.

Meanwhile over in Europe this week the snow fell so heavily that roofs have collapsed and people have been killed in avalanches.

Britain is situated in the Atlantic ocean in the gulf stream. We only rarely have a lot of snow so we are a bit out of practice with it. No one puts snow chains on car tyres, we don’t possess snow shoes, and the only time skis are worn is when people go up to the (mainly) Scottish mountains in the middle of winter.

Anyway an inch of snow is the most we have had so far this year. If it’s pretty in the morning I will take better photos.

Waiting for Spring..

Posted on January 12, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Design, Digital drawing, Poem, Poetry, Spring, WinterLeave a comment

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It’s barely winter, and I’m waiting for Spring.

The snow hasn’t fallen yet, I’m waiting for Spring.

The skies are grey, waiting for Spring.

Snow drops awaken, for Spring.

Daffodils flower in Spring

Winter Solstice

Posted on December 21, 2018 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Cold, Darkness, Light and dark, Solstice, Sunlight, Waiting for the sun, Winter2 Comments

Dark continues to increase during the winter until two thirds of the way through December.

Today is the shortest day, the 21st this year. The least sunlight, the cold drifts in under the doors. Subtle shades of black cover the sky. The dawn seems a long way away. Lights twinkle through chilled air and a steady drizzle drives into every crevice, making clothes damp and uncomfortable.

That dark is such a contrast to 6 months ago when the temperature soared to over 30 degrees and the sun had barely set before it sprang back up again. Bathing in heat then, we now sit in yellowed gloom from cheap low energy light bulbs. Colours are washed out, paint seems hard to differentiate from colour to colour.

Is it any wonder that northern lands cling to the classic religions that celebrate their most important ceremonies at this time of year.

Wassail and messiahs meld into a grand charge against the darkness. Dragging us forward into the new year and the return of the Sun.

Where do you start…?

Posted on November 25, 2018November 25, 2018 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Abstract, Acrylic on canvas, Design, Face, Frost woman, Green man, Leaves Autumn, Winter2 Comments

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This is a painting called frost woman I think. I started doing it as a demonstration at the exhibition. Someone said she didn’t know how I do it. How do I get things looking right so quickly and someone else said she would need to spend ages working out a design. But I admire both of their work. I guess we are all different. I love patterns and work well with them. And yet struggle with other things. I’m not neat, I don’t really do clean straight lines. I’m often messy, my eyesight isn’t what it was and I don’t think my concentration is as good as it used to be.

But I love painting.

Cold

Posted on October 21, 2018 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Artrage oils, Chill, Cold, Digital drawing, Frost, Poem, Poetry, Wind, WinterLeave a comment

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Blue and cold, chill my bones,

Snow falls sifted like icing sugar.

Whorls of wind taking heat away.

to where? Icy fingertips frosted nose,

Ankles and feet lumped with shivers,

Cooled heels , cold arms, breath softly turned to cold fog.

Heating is on but not making a dent in the chilly room.

Yesterday was glorious, brilliant, sunny.

Now I need thermal clothes to encapsulate me.

It may not warm till spring, when suns return heralds warmth.

Till then, head down, under duvet, I try and stay warm.

Winter begins in Autumns arms.

Snow

Posted on August 1, 2018August 1, 2018 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Cold, Earth, Life, Poetry, Snow, Winter6 Comments

IMG_20180801_223026_651 something cool on a hot evening…

❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄

Snow

Falling ice in slivers,

Mass of shakes and shivers.

The cold, blue white, icicle,

Rain turned soft, showy, beautiful.

All flakes are different they say,

None have the same symmetry. ..

Hexagonal, six sided

Wind and air embroidered.

Vast blizzard made of tiny stars devine

of silvered sheen, your shape defined.

Snow.

Cold.

White.

Feathered.

Chilling…..

Mallaband-Brown

Tag: Winter

Garden Centre blues

In the dark (part one)

Another window

Ice

We have snow

Waiting for Spring..

Winter Solstice

Where do you start…?

Cold

Snow