Sunday 30 October 2011

Aaaah....that's better!

Ah....this is my cheeky baby grandson, Joseph, his cute little face has managed to make me smile! :-) I would love to add photos of my other two grandchildren but my daughter does not really like their photos online...maybe I can find photos where you cannot tell it is them. Anyway my youngest son and daughter-in-law don't mind so at least you can see little JJ!

Still sick.....

Thought I was on the mend.....and back it comes.....again, and again, and again. Feeling very fed up with feeling sick now. Will have to do something to cheer up this "sorry for me" little blog......better watch this space....

Friday 28 October 2011

Feeling melancholy I think....

"There was a little girl who had a little curl right in the middle of her forehead, and when she was good, she was very very good, and when she was bad she was horrid." My lovely sister, Yvonne, used to recite this to me when I was small. She was 11 years older than me so I can guess why....

And here's one more.....

This is an interesting one. I drew her once before...not sure if I put her here on Dancing Daisies or not but originally I drew her and simply added paint in two places. I did her all in pencil but gave her blue eyes and a scarlet tatoo on her arm. That one was done for a mixed media scavenger hunt on Freeing Your Wings www.freeingyourwings.ning.com but when I added the blue eyes I smudged the paint onto her neck. It really upset me as I was so pleased with my drawing up to that point. Well it has always bugged me so I drew her again, intending for her to be just the same although this time I left out the blue eyes and the tatoo. Funny thing though isn't it? Again the drawing herself took on the expression she wanted to have. To me she looks just slightly nervous whereas her pre-decessor looked more confident...or maybe that bit more determined...whereas this young lady looks more unsure of herself. That how it seems to me anyway. When I think about it, I would have been feeling anxious when I drew this one above as I was still feeling upset that I had messed up the first one. Well....maybe I have too vivid an imagination....but here is the original....what do you think?

A recent journal page....

Still lying here feeling sorry for myself....but at least am able to sit up and faff about a bit on the computer for a while. So...thought I would add a few of my recent journal pages as I am supposed to add my paintings to this blog....most of the time I look at them and think "ooooh....well maybe not...." but that's not the spirit really is it?! :-) Anyway here is one I did do recently...
I couldn't do much more with this one as the paper was not watercolour paper and wouldn't take any more shading but I quite liked her really. I really love the way you can paint a face and actually get the sort of personality you envisage for your "person" into the face somehow. Then sometimes the faces decide for themselves what they want to express .... have you noticed that? It makes me smile when this happens, makes me think that there is something else at work in the "ether" when I am painting. Sometimes I don't have a set idea on the sort of personality I want to shine through but somehow it always happens. I see it start to take shape as I am drawing. I think this is something to do with what could be going on in my subconscious at the time. I truly believe that art, that is making your own art, is a way of healing and so....if something needs to come out, why shouldn't it come out in your work? Often healing can take place in very mysterious ways. I look at this little face and I feel something "ping" deep inside of me. I didn't intend her to look so sad but she does. There has to be some sort of connection somewhere. Anyway she is one who did decide for herself what she wanted to "say" when she was painted. Faces on paintings always speak to us somehow don't they? Of course they don't necessarily say the same things to each of us....again.....that makes me wonder what else is going on ....out there in the ether!

Sorry ..... been very poorly!


Sorry I haven't been around for a week or so....I have been really poorly with a horrid sickness bug and am still unwell. Be back as soon as I can. x

Tuesday 18 October 2011

Introducing a new website with a big heart - Pink Chillies!





I would love to introduce you to two new friends of mine who I have met through another very good friend of mine. Above .... meet .... Aditi (she's the pink one) and Etana! :-) Shall I explain? :-)

A good friend of mine, Lucy, has recently set up a new company with her friend Suse. Their company is called PINK CHILLIES .... www.pinkchillies.co.uk Lucy is also a highly respected Tarot reader and has also recently set up the Brighton Centre of Spirituality.

Well....this new company is a business venture with a big heart! A big heart especially for the endangered species of our struggling planet. I think it is best to use their own words from the website to introduce them properly to you ....

"What is Pink Chillies?

Here at Pink Chillies we LOVE elephants. Every single gorgeous bit of them! It is our love of elephants (and nature in general) that lead to the creation of Pink Chillies.

Pink Chillies is a company of three, a company that is growing organically which is more important to us than going for the big sell. We want to raise awareness but not make it an obligation – we want to bring something fun and unique to you that will also connect you to the issues we want to help. Something that is irresistibly cute - that you can cuddle, collect and never forget.

Our idea is not a new one but perhaps one of the few to focus on elephants and hopefully raise some awareness to the challenges and threats not only facing elephants, but also the other animals in our growing Pink Chillies family. Because of this, we donate 10% of the profit from sale of our products to charity. The charities we support do great work in supporting these animals and tackling the challenges and threats facing them and their habitats.

Our plush toys (which are on their way) are beautiful and reflect the essence of the animals. Each animal is named and the name has significance, for example our Indian Elephant is named ‘Aditi’, which means Earth. Our African Elephant is named ‘Etana’, which means Strong. Etana is strong and protective of Aditi and as the range evolves, the sense of family and support will grow with it. Look out for our new elephants and their friends, many of which are being created as we speak!

Help us to spread the word by telling your friends and family about Pink Chillies, you can also find us on Facebook and Twitter.

Best wishes

The Pink Chillies Team x"

The website has been live for just a couple of months and I know that they are currently in busy negotiations with various parties to build Pink Chillies up and bring in lots of exciting new merchandise. I have seen the second prototype of Aditi (above... and had a nice cuddle with her......she is a sweetie!) and seen their lovely stock. It is great! So I would just like to give them a boost from a friend and introduce them to you all here on my blog. Please do take a look at their site and let your friends know about it too.

Wishing you all the luck in the world Lucy and Suse!

Monday 17 October 2011

A poem for Autumn

Autumn is my time

I love it.

Not for me the fierce

Glare of summer.

Give me autumn

And I will give you thanks.



The moment starts when

The leaves begin to fall

One moment they are

Green and holding fast

Then without warning

They are turning

Golden, red and brown

And are at our feet



Glorious to jump in

Leaves

Don’t you agree?

This is a joy that should

Never be confined to

The young.

Try it.

Shuffle through some

Tomorrow

Jump in them

If you still can!

Thursday 13 October 2011

Scavenger Hunt


On my "Ning" site "Freeing Your Wings" we have a few groups to which we add a new theme monthly. One is the "Mixed Media Scavenger Hunt" and we get a great mix of artwork and writing. Each month we use six words that have to be incorporated into the piece. This is my contribution for October. Our words were: CRESCENT, WORDS, BLUE, LIGHT,PEACE, EXPRESSION.

Tuesday 11 October 2011

Ashes to Snow


I was looking through the many videos that people on my "Freeing Your Wings" site have contributied over the past couple of years last week. I came upon this one, originally posted by a friend in Macedonia (Anamarija). I had forgotten about it but as soon as I saw it I remembered how stunningly beautiful it was. It is an incredible production. It is part of an exhibition which travelled the world and is a 'Flying Elephants' production. There are several more from the same exhibition ob Youtube if you enjoy this one. I cannot imagine anyone would not enjoy it.....but make sure you are sitting somewhere really quiet and mellow before you click on 'play.'

Sunday 9 October 2011

Knitting news!


I wonder if the little boys who knitted for the war effort back in the 1940's could ever have visualised that their grandsons would be taking up knitting for relaxation purposes some 70 years later?

In today's Independent on Sunday, there is a report that knitting is basically the new meditation for men even as burly and macho as Laurence Fishbourne and Russell Crowe. Whether that is stretching the truth just a little, the article was not sure but all in all I loved reading this article and can only say good for them. Are we women coming just one step further into our own? The rage for women knitting seriously again started well over a decade ago now but it seems that some of our more "aware" of the male species have realised that the gentle repetition of the click clacking knitting needles does indeed offer them a quiet space to sit and reflect and quite simply relax.

Companies such as John Lewis and the handknitting company Rowan estimate that there has been a massive increase in the numbers of men buying up the yarn and needles and it is definitely becoming a new and thriving market! It was great to read that a very cool 50 year old David Wishingsky,who runs a tea room not far away from me in East Sussex, has actually started up a knitting group in his cafe. David has recognised the therapeutic effects of picking up his needles and there is a great photo of him sitting knitting next to his table laid out for tea, complete with teapot in a pink tea cosy! Brilliant stuff!

Friday 7 October 2011

Blue..............


Here it is....isn't it just stunning. I could see from the link it is called "Spiritual Journey" but again I couldn't see the artist....but will look for it later so I can add it.
Anyway I can't say how much I love it. I find it mesmerising. Apart from the glorious blueness of it, the eyes are so incredible and the ways/he is holding the beads....fabulous. Again such an emotive painting. Hope you like it too.

I so love this painting!


Isn't this a wonderful painting?! I found it yesterday just "googling" around for pictures for Freeing Your Wings. Actually I found this and another which I just fell in love with and will post that one later.

I can't always find the link to the painters when I find pictures in this way (ie through Google Images) so I feel bad about not being able to acknowledge who painted this. I shall try and find out.

Just great though isn't it? I always love images whether drawings, paintings or sculptures which reflect so much feeling in the way the body is depicted. There is so much "story" in them. I love the colours in this too. Tabulous.

Monday 3 October 2011

Special friends - Special day!


And here they are...our friends Adi and Lou Baxter! Congratulations and lots of love to you two very lovely people. I am so happy to be one of your friends.

A special celebration!



Here is the "Cupcake Wedding Cake" made by family and friends (me included!) for our friends Adrian and Lou on their wedding day last Saturday, 1st October. There are even cakes made by Lou's five year old niece and nephew....you might be able to spot them in there! Anyway.....what a lovely sight they made. I was really happy to help Lou's mum, Carol, arrange the cake display early on the wedding morning. It was so wonderful to see all those little cakes, all so different, yet all made with so much love. They were certainly a talking piece. I remember when Lou asked me to be one of her cupcake team back in January. Her vision was all homemade and all different and she was so right. Somehow they are on a completely different level to a professional display of "all the same and perfect". These were all the same and perfect in a different way....all made with love for a very lovely couple. Lou and Adi met about 6 years ago and just after they met Adi was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. Their first couple of years together were full of fear and pain and to see them now, having come through all that together, was very special. I know from my own experience, that sharing that particular journey, will only have made them stronger and brought them closer. They are off on the honeymoon of a lifetime in three weeks....to Australia in a camper van for three weeks of magic I am sure!

Sunday 2 October 2011

Dance like......



"Dance like no one is watching, love like you'll never be hurt,sing like no one is listening,and live like it's heaven on earth."

Music overload and dancing the night away!

So sorry.....just realised that my "background music" plays at the same time as the little videos I have been adding. I need to sort that out....can't remember without searching how to remove the music player.....please bear with me as I will find the way!

I danced the night away last night at our friends' wedding. Didn't think I still had it in me. I always loved dancing just on my own when younger but over the past few years, never go anywhere to do it anymore. In the summer we went to a friends' party in their garden and I just lost all my confidence. I knew I hadn't danced since I got ill back in 2002. That evening my friends finally pulled me up to join them but I still felt sort of odd and felt so sad that I used never to feel self conscious about dancing on my own.

Last night though, for some reason, I was shy no more and just joined in. I managed to drag my husband Benn on the floor to join me eventually but I had been dancing on my own on and off for about 3 hours before that! Anyway it was great, I did not feel 63 at all and jumped up and down with the best of them to some great songs, waving my arms in the air!!