The sun does shine in Wales

This photo marks the moment when our holiday nearly went horribly wrong.
As is so often the case the distance created by passage of time has transformed it into our dinner party tale of ha,ha,ha,
The beautiful stallion facing the camera had been getting increasingly bolshy in defence of his little group of mares and foals.
Funny how you don't register that through a camera lens!
A stallion approaching at speed through a camera lens gets the old heart rate up let me tell you.
Got both the dog's dander up too.
There was a flurry, barking, lunging, hooves raised and a less than graceful retreat.
No one got hurt.
No body contact at all either equine, canine or human but nerves were definitely frayed.
Adrenaline?
It was like Niagra falls.
Phew!
So off we meandered.....looking back......over the shoulder.....many times...occasionally hastening our pace.
At a safe distance we regrouped and reviewed our position. The stallion and and his entourage now blocked our path back to our starting point.
Not good. Not good at all.
Long story short:- at the end of a pleasantly tiring and exhaustingly hot day we were forced to walk considerably out of our way to get back to our car. And.....when we got there......this is what we found......this is why we now find it so funny.....

Our car was one of three in the car park and the only one surrounded by the horses. That foal was actually nibbling my tyre.
Daphne Du Maurier's 'Birds' came to mind.
But the rest of the holiday.....well....

Three cliffs bay was beautiful but the busiest beach that we visited. See how busy. I mean this fisherman was busy...right?

This beach had been busy because these are not our footprints.

Now this isn't busy.
This is hectic. This is wave chasing.


This is a shell thingy shaped like a brain.

After all the busyness we needed this tranquil location.

The view from our holiday cottage across the village green was of much interest to our border collie.

As was the view from the moor down to the village pub which serve really good food. Yay!

An early morning walk up to the moor to exercise the dogs and undo some of the indulgence in the pub the night before brought us to this little light struck beauty.

Let me just draw your attention to the beach attire of this season.......duvet/ dress and wellies. You mark my words it will be in Vogue any day now.

The beaches were really the most fabulous.
Even Hairy Herbert Senior was suitably stunned.
Like Arnie; we will be back.

Idleness

My mission this week, should I choose to accept it, is to be idle.
Yeah baby!
This week's course material is simply a call to idleness. And, as I am currently on holiday it should be a doddle.








The dogs seem to have settled to idleness quite nicely in this lovely sun filled holiday cottage. A good race around on a vast and empty beach helped them find their way.




My first beach find was beautifully covered in barnacles when I spied it. Turns out are they were not robust enough to survive a journey in my hand bag.......disintegrated.
Much like the accretions that were clinging invisibly to me......those fell away and were carried off on the salty breeze. My insides and my outsides relaxed and softened in the warmth of the sun and I felt myself restored by the blue sky and turquoise sea.








Sufficiently restored and stirred to get out my paints and play, idly of course.




And it did feel very idle. We are not watching the clock. Not eating 3 square meals a day. Our days are not defined in any way.




I leave these materials out and we eat whatever we fancy when we fancy in amongst the colourful chaos.




I am very blessed with a beloved who takes me just as I am.




So blessed by his patience.
When I found an albatross skeleton on the beach ( either an albatross or pterodactyl, not sure, it was huge) I did actually listen to his reasons why taking the, not completely finished rotting, skull with me was not necessarily an altogether bright idea. I think he may have had a point.
It was awesome though.
If you like that sort of thing.




I am liking idleness.
Like there was ever any doubt that I would!




Idleness leaves gaps, space between thought and activity where you can hear those things that are usually drowned out by busyness.




You can really hear yourself think. And blow me you can really hear what it is that you have to say back.




Fruitful!

More things to do with a duvet cover

Or.....wearing a duvet cover and loving it!
Now, I like to think that I have style.
Quite what that style is defies description much of the time.




There exists in me remnants of the girl who took pride in a tartan sleeved, Bay City Rollers crombie.
For any readers who do not parlez that lingo just accept it was a fashion "must have" that existed briefly,a long, long time ago.
It has to be said,for a particular, small group of pre and pubescent girls that probably had no dress sense but did care about what they wore.
And somehow in the intervening years I went from that to this picture above.
It took the attrition of green issues, the increasing desire for post menopausal comfort, the sheer delight in doing it for oneself, and the open mouthed horror at the price tag of £80,in a bijoux boutique,for a simple shift dress to get here. But, here I am.

Would I lie to you....

From red to blue.
Tho something that I notice is that the 'grumpy red' of my previous post had a stillness to it that the 'blue calm' does not.
So it would appear - I lie!



But, I was feeling calm and very happy when I did this in the early morning, 30 minute , pre work, arty slots.



There may be an element of crowing in this post.....please forgive it.
It is just me being cheer leader to myself lest I forget what I can achieve in a week alongside using " the skills that pay the bills".
Oh, I should add, when I also forgo cooking, cleaning, TV watching ( no pain there in football season), and laying in bed till the very last minute.


These journal pages were a response to a comment about the "blue calm" being reminiscent of willow patterned china. And also a vehicle for me to use the hexagonal lid to a cheese-spread pot that was languishing, squeaky clean, on the draining board.


Et voila! Willow patterned patchwork to hold the patchwork of my thoughts.


The week began with the love notes postcard project. Never having participated in any form of art swap I was a little.....anxious.
So I stuck with what I know and collaged a card.


The words were prompted by ' begin each day.....'
I can only hope that the recipient will have as much pleasure in getting it as I did in making it. Another occasion when my inner 5 year old let rip.


I had to take this photo.
My dog and I communicate telepathically and he clearly was saying 'ere this is me best side, go on, take me photo'
He might also have said ' tummy in...*!!*s out' but a plane went over and I lost the signal for a bit.
Deranged!? Moi?
Of course.


The dusty muppet again. Woken from his nap by me hanging the two dresses that I have been hemming on the wall to photograph.
His patience knows no bounds.

Melancholy baby.

I have made discoveries.
Two to be exact.
It transpires that I am a melancholy bird.
I knew that.
Mostly I resist it, because from melancholy to morose is hardly a leap, it is just an itty bitty step. One that I take all too often, all too easily.
F.Y.I an easy typo to make leads you to Morse.......the inspector.....who was morose.
I made that particular typo in a forum this week where the link between depression and art making was discussed.

Munch. May not have been a happy chappy, guessing this was on a good day.

Now, I have me ups and I have me downs.
 I have known heartache as have we all.
And there is an artistic fuel to be found in the sadnesses we experience to be sure.
But, just how far do you take it?
Keep it real.
Don't be fake.
Advice worth heeding. Clearly advice many have taken.
And I commend all those who are out of any closet or prison that they were once in but I said in one of my very first posts that I believe what the world needs is more light not more darkness. Sharing the darkness can be very healthy, can be very good I can't deny that but I don't want to do it.

Van Gogh, he had his ups and downs.

 There is something febrile in his painting.

 Standing before one, I cried. I will love him forever simply because he could do that.

So in a way this is a preemptive apology for all those times that my work is tinged by sadness, or darkness.
Bless you Frances for the reassurance that you find my blog humorous....although you didn't sound too sure that you were supposed to!
I am greatly relieved that you do.

My second discovery was more the confirmation that less is often more.
And then I completely threw that lesson out of the window and made myself an enchanted necklace inspired by the weeks activities on the days of enchantment course.



Also course led was the creation of an enchanted space the focus of which was this lovely piece of art by Holly Sierra on Etsy



And looking further at symbols....my personal ones; I rediscovered the ironing board. Symbolically.



Long story, probably boring story, short ; it reminds me to keep personal boundaries and to not let my energy seep away where I do not wish seepage to occur.



Just to contradict my sunshiny little self I am going to admit that I got angry this week and.....and.......I did a whole episode of grumpy.
But the thing I learned from doing some journal pages about the who and the why and the where and unfair of it all is that I like to make pretty. Even with the ugly.



Not too sure if that is healthy. I have a psychoanalyst friend who could probably get much mileage out of that. But, I have my fingers in my ears...la,la,la,la,la.



This pinky splodged affair is me letting my inner 5 year old out to play with paints. Intuitive drawing was the remit. Face splittingly smiley fun was the result.
I hope your face splits with a smile, that grumpy stays underground with the other dwarves and and that your inner 5 year old gets out to play with whatever floats your boat. Xxxxx