In a Vase in December

Brigthening up the grey December days, these are flowers from the pelargoniums I brought in from the garden at the end of October. They are flowering again.

They sit colourfully in the vase with Euonymous.

The backdrop is my current crochet work-in-progress. The Amanzi throw by Jen Tyler.

Worked in Stylecraft Special DK and a 4.5mm hook.

Joining in with Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.

and Cee’s FOTD

 

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Sawdust Hearts

The Dorsetshire Regiment, commemorated in this vintage heart, on loan to the exhibition.

So moving, the unsold hearts representing the unaccounted for casualties of war.

So much creativity – so much emotion – so beautifully created – so beautifully curated.

I am glad to have been part of this amazing project.

And still I find it hard to write about.

I only knew about the project through Cathy’s blog. Cathy has written a brilliant post about the exhibition – you can read it by clicking on this link.

You can also go to the Sawdust Hearts Website to find out more

and can see a video about the exhibition here with Helen Birmingham talking you through a virtual tour of the Hearts.

Thank you to Cathy for the picture of Helen below, signing my book for me.

This is the heart Helen decorated

Which was part of a previous exhibiton of 100 hearts, the inspiration for the 1,568 Hearts.

I was intrigued by number 1000, I’d love to know the thinking behind this one

But the one with barbed wire at the top of the post is my favourite for the way it simply sums up so much.

The Exhibition ended on 30th November.

We have had an email from Helen to say that the hearts have been packed away and she is taking a much needed break until the New Year. Helen hints at the possibility of another event that will include the hearts. I do hope that happens as even though there were over 4,000 visitors in Scarborough, the project deserves a wider audience.

 

Randy’s Silly Saturday, Oh Deer!

Randy was now in disgrace

At Christmas he got ‘off his face’

Whilst pulling Santa’s sleigh

He went the wrong way

He was lurching all over the place

 

He’d been partaking of too many beers

Which isn’t good for reindeers

Turning up for work plastered

Could only lead to disaster

As it affected the way that he steers

 

He is hoping to go back to work

He promised that he will no longer shirk

With his lopsided antler

He can expect plenty of banter

As he looks a bit of a berk!

 

photo by Sandra Dorey

poem by Judy E. Martin

 

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In August I found this forlorn looking reindeer leaning outside a house in a neighbouring village. I sent the photo to Judy and hey presto – she’s done it again.

Stocking filler anyone? Here is a link to Judy’s book ‘Rhymes of the Times’.

Hope you have a touch of Silliness in your Saturday.

Dalby Forest 2: The Nissen Hut

Ever since seeing Cathy’s post about Rachel Whiteread’s, I was looking forward to seeing it. Cathy’s post sparked off a lively and forthright debate about what her readers thought of it and whether it is indeed ‘Art’, if you follow the link you can go to the comments and see what we all had to say about it.

I am a fan of Rachel Whiteread and her work, you can see other posts I’ve written about it, here, here , here and here.

It’s not easy to sum up why I relate to her work, but I think it is about the way she gives the small, seemingly trivial aspects of human activity, construction and development a monumental quality. She uses real objects that show the marks of time and use and sets them in a monotone, permanent structure that gives us a chance to explore the details in a new way, and think about the hands that created the original structure and all that it connects to.

To me this is a war memorial that does not speak of the military, hierarchy or grand gestures, this commemorates Peter Nissen, the man who designed a pracitcal solution to a required need, during the First World War. The sculpture remembers the men who constructed it and lived in it and it connects us to those who constructed other Nissen huts over decades and all the different uses they have been put to. This one also commemorates the men who worked for the forestry and planted the forest it sits within. It commemorates time passing with the flaws and evidence of decay. It is the only permanent public piece in Britain of this, our most successful living female sculptor, it relates to all her other works throughout the world.

Making art is not only about making something that looks nice. If it causes one to think about things in a different way it has done its job. Without knowing the story of this sculpture it would be difficult to appreciate what on earth it is doing in the forest.

That is the same for most art – if we don’t want to discover more about it, we can just walk on by, but taking time to discover the story is, for me, an enriching, thought provoking and sometimes emotional experience.

Here is a link to a short video about this sculpture

an article about the sculptor’s family connection,  her grandfather was a conscientious objector.

Not everyone will see it in the same way and all views are valid. Some of the locals were very much against it. I’d love to know what you think.

So that is the ‘deep and meaningful’ bit – now for a bit of silliness

In Cathy’s original post she wondered if the Nissen Hut would attract graffitti,  and Tialys’s comment prompted this quickly scrawled temporary bit of graffitti.

We was

and you can see a few more pics on this post of Cathy’s.

As we left it was getting dark and the sculpture took on a quiet ghostly glow through the trees

 

Glitz

Our last Photographic Monthly Meet Up of 2018!

Thank so much to everyone who has joined in – it has been FUN to see your entries and the stories that go with them.

I was thinking, I don’t have any glitz nowadays, but then I remembered the dressing up box where my old clothes now reside.

This is a party dress I had when I was 14 (1966/7!) with a reversble middle panel,  the other side is black.

sadly the zips no longer work, but I loved that dress and have just not been able to throw it away……

then there is all my ancient festival gear

I do love these shawls, but what to do with them now?

And my son’s Christmas tree – I’m so glad to see the snowflakes I made for the boys last year, up there in the tree

and a decoration that has been made by Little Bro out of the bottom of a plastic bottle

What glitz do you have in your life at this time of year?

Leave your link in the comments so we can come over and enjoy the glamour and the glitz.

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Next month – in fact next year, each month for the whole of 2019 we have WINDOWS!

Brightening up a Dull Day

All from my garden: Pheasant Berries, Kaffir Lily, Achillea, Phygelia and Marigold.

I was having a clear out and came across this amazing quartz crystal I bought many years ago in my hippy dippy days!

Joining Cathy for In a Vase on Monday.

 

Silent Sunday