On Another Planet

Jack's Dragon

2009-03-06T03:36:00.000-08:00

Here is Jack's scary dragon, which shows Pokemon influences and gaming influences. He made it in woodwork. He likes drawing these little creatures and wants to be a games designer when he grows up:)

Two Things Hot/Cold

2009-02-07T11:38:00.000-08:00

Hot Snowdrop

O my snowdrop

The snow clouds loom

Green shots defiant

A hardy bloom

In my back garden

You made your stance

First in the country

The world happenchance

The cold, the snow

You braved the lot

O my snowdrop

You are hot

Moving

2009-01-29T10:43:00.000-08:00

Our first snowdrop.

I can report that I have been filling up my week with various activities. Most mornings and afternoons have now been accounted for by various courses, all free, which I have enjoyed thoroughly.

I have also thinking about getting back into Higher Education. I enjoyed doing my degree, lurking in the library and socialising with the mature students, so have applied for this workshop on creative writing at Hull Uni which starts in April. I find that once you get the discipline of writing assignments it has a knock-on effect and you are prompted into writing and reading more generally. I really need the threat of a deadline to get anything done.

I attended a course yesterday among some rather interesting and unusual people. I would like to write about this online. However, for some reason I now crave anonymity so I am moving to Freewebs where I am going to write a daily blog on my activities (copying Irene's successful format) while still commenting on all the old favourites here.

Two Things Plastic/Paper

2009-01-18T04:53:00.000-08:00

An origami dinosaur - plastic paper

paper plastic

Two Things Challenge Paper/Plastic

2009-01-17T12:07:00.001-08:00

The top photo I think sums up the generational divide between my kids and me- I am always surrounded by paper; books, newspapers, and you can see a pile of papers to the left of this picture abandoned by me. On photos I am never more than a foot away from reading matter of the paper variety, except of course while swimming, or going on country walks in wild places, though even then I usually like to have a leaflet to peruse at various intervals in my pocket.

To the right is the plastic, the new technology favoured by my kids (though they are quite literate), the Wii console, and they are usually found huddled around this screen or similar.

These are photos from Eleanor's birthday last year and show all the paper and plastic wrappings, which Eleanor and Holly Dolly later recycled into little houses. They probably enjoyed this part of the day best of all:)

Enjoying Life

2009-01-17T01:52:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd better do something about the library fines (£30 last year). The problem is I use libraries all over and the books get forgotten about and left in piles of our books.

I decided to return a book by Martin Amis to Gypsyville library. I was going to jog there with my ipod but it needed charging so, naughtily, I borrowed Jack's. At the present time I usually listen to George Thorogood and The Destroyers, but I found that Jack is really onto the hard stuff, and a lot of ACDC is to be found on his ipod.

I like ACDC - they do what they do very well. Perfection in a heavy metal band. Jack has got the latest album of the rockers, who are now past the first flush of youth. I was watching their latest video on You Tube and I notice that, while they remain supremely energetic, the camera does not pan too closely to their faces lol

I challenge anyone not to feel very alive while running listening to 'Back in Black' on the ipod, though admittedly I was only on my way to pay a library fine, so hardly the epitomy of wild living LOL Scamp does this thing whereby he runs very closely and quickly past me so he is in front again and heralding the way.

Eleanor is now a published author - along with a lot of her classmates.

Mark made some soup from 'the River Cottage Cookbook', and I watched 'Duel'. The ipod had been returned to its rightful owner and Eleanor was guarding it on the rug, though I kept sneaking over to nick it, and, on occasions she turned to find me on the with the stolen ipod earpieces attached to my ears as if by magic LOL

Watched 'Duel' and enjoyed this. Lots of weird, alienating camera angles, obviously still influencing films now. I thought, this really, really good, and sure enough it was directed by Stephen Spielburg. I thought some of the music sounded familar (Jaws), and the film exploited the way cars and trucks can look like sinister people.

Enjoying the Snow

2009-01-10T08:00:00.000-08:00

Our Christmas Tree

2008-12-25T15:06:00.000-08:00

Best Friends

2008-12-07T10:22:00.000-08:00

Just going through my files to find a photo for the Two Things, and I came across this one, which I really love. It was Eleanor's birthday last year, and shows Eleanor and Holly.

Two Things Joint/Venture

2008-12-07T02:23:00.000-08:00

I took this picture last month in Filey. Someone has parked a car just like ours next to it, even down to the dog grill in the back.

I thought this was appropriate as it is a Landrover, rover, venture.....lol

I saw these lambs venturing onto a graveyard on the North York Moors. It looks like they are looking for a way down.....

Two Things Green/Yellow

2008-11-23T12:38:00.000-08:00

Here is our snowman, and, of all the coincidences, we have put a green and yellow hat on him....lol

Snow on Beverley Westwood

2008-11-23T04:37:00.000-08:00

We go here a lot and today it was covered in snow.

You can see Beverley Minster in the background.

John at Typos.Daylight.Fate has done two lovely digital art pieces based on these photos.

My Schedule

2008-11-20T12:10:00.000-08:00

I notice Irene is going on a schedule, and I think this is a very good idea.

I am trying to do something similar. I have a large diary which I use to plan my year. I was looking at ones in past years and they are full of detail and things which I was doing, but this year's is virtually blank which is not good so my aim for the rest of this year is to get it full of daily activities for myself.

I am in the lucky position of not needing to work for money now, though in the past I had to. My last job finished three years ago, which I had for a year. It was very hard work, but I enjoyed it, biked there and back, and was exhausted at the end of the day. I actually wanted to leave as they wanted me to work weekends, when Mark was trialing, but I said I couldn't, so they actually made an exception for me because I was a good worker. A feather to my cap!

The time when I was happiest, and I think everyone is happy, is when they are being busy and useful and going all-out for a cause. I was happy when I was bringing up my kids, but now they don't need so much attention, and have lives and friends of their own, I just aimlessly walk the dog and read the paper and do a little desultory housework.

I have started a little volunteer work in Scope, and am going for an interview in Hull for more volunteer work. My aim is to get every waking minute of the day filled with activity. In the past I used to get up in the morning and jog round the park, so I have started to do that again. I had to stop jogging because old Tess couldn't keep up anymore, but now I can start doing that again.
I need to find a cause and get busy. It's all about getting out into the real world again.

Our fireplace

2008-11-19T11:16:00.000-08:00

Here is the view from the sofa. Usually the flowers (bought for me by Mark) are in the fireplace, but here I've got the best of both worlds.

I love lying on the sofa with this view while I'm watching the TV.

Two Things Bent/Straight

2008-11-19T07:03:00.000-08:00

This is who I thought of for bent/straight, and here is quite a good picture, as he has his leg bent but is standing straight.

I really like Russell Brand, and have just been reading my 'Booky Wook' on holiday. This gentleman dresses very campy, but by all accounts is not gay.

Two Things Saturday/Sunday

2008-11-09T13:32:00.000-08:00

Here is a pub possibly on a Saturday evening, the busiest time for pubs.

'A good local pub has much in common with a church, except that a pub is warmer, and there's more conversation' William Blake

This is a memorable quotation which I actually saw on the wall of a pub somewhere, so I have rather cheekily put a vicar outside this particular 'church', though he probably will not being preaching a Sunday sermon here but having a good pint.

A Real Fire

2008-11-04T02:58:00.000-08:00

Here is our fireplace. It is a place where all are drawn to the warmth. I love sitting in front of this, and so does Scamp, our cat Fluffy and a little house mouse who has come to join them, sitting, as you see, in perfect peace and harmony.

Two Things Shapes/Textures

2008-11-02T08:50:00.000-08:00

We were in Filey earlier this week (us on the pavement) and walked down this Victorian crescent, built when resorts like this were at their prime. You could just imagine the ladies promenading, their crinolines rustling.

Here is a picture of a ghostly Victorian lady in her silky dress and lacy bonnet (texture), set against the shapes of the buildings.

Halloween Photos

2008-10-31T14:47:00.000-07:00

Applying the fake blood.

Gruesome action as Scamp looks on.

Shoulder barging at Filey. We went to Filey yesterday as Mark had the day off.

Top photos Hull Fair. I went with Eleanor and Holly the other week. I could have taken some excellent photos of the rides with Eleanor and Holly on them, but, as is the way with these things, I only had a chance to take this picture before the battery ran out lol

I've cracked it!

2008-10-31T08:25:00.001-07:00

Here is my first digital artwork. It is inspired by Diane Clancy's Animals in Flowers, and is a picture of Tessa among the flowers on the Common, where she often roamed. This is the only picture of Tess to hand, and I will do a proper one of her when I find one.

Happy Halloween

2008-10-31T01:40:00.000-07:00

This is Eleanor and Holly last year, going trick or treating.

She is going with Jack, Alex and Stozza tonight as a lady vampire with lots of makeup like Morticia Adams, and Alex is coming round today and I am taking pictures so watch this space. Jack's outfit is a black woolly hat pulled over his head.

Nice photos digitalised

2008-10-23T05:51:00.000-07:00

Nice pics all. A few of my husband Mark. I cannot emphasise enough his good qualities. In fact, some members of my family have taken to calling him 'Saint Mark'.

I like doing this. I just need to work out a way of getting the photos larger which I will do eventually but if you click to enlarge you get the full effect. They do look like paintings.

Eleanor's New Glasses

2008-10-23T01:22:00.000-07:00

These are Eleanor's new glasses. She wears them all the time, even at bedtime. She only takes them off when she absolutely has to.

She is very vain about them and here is a picture I discovered on my new camera which she had taken herself.

Her previous glasses were all light pink, chosen by me, which did not swamp her face and were but these are glasses which make a bold statement about being a glasses wearer and being proud of it.

Holiday Snaps in 'Paint and Ink'

2008-10-22T08:31:00.001-07:00

More playing about with the Serif.

I am really pleased with these, and may do them properly tomorrow after scanning the photos at the library on my dogwalk.

I have loads of great pictures of my kids all over Britain, but am worried about the safety aspect of putting them on a blog. This sort of thing is ideal because you are just left with iconic images.

Top photo - playing air guitar with nets at Durdle Door, Dorset.

Second - Mark and the kids at the Jurassic Coast.

Third - Kids at Portmeirion in Wales where they filmed 'The Prisoner'.

Digitalis

2008-10-21T11:57:00.000-07:00

I am quite pleased about this. I have been dipping my toes in the waters of digital art. I have had the Serif programme for about six months, and today I started to use it. I have been cutting out shapes, and tomorrow I may superimpose a shape onto a background lol

It has a function which changes photos into different painting styles, a few of which are here.

I thought the Love/ Bird egret Dancing Swan lake was a quite good idea but let down by the presentation, but it they has the 'professional' touch, and looks like it has been done in paint and ink.