Bench Marks

Continuing the story of the ‘Bench of Gratitude’ Installation at West Dean College.

As I sat on the bench and looked out across the park, the focus of my gaze became the clump of trees in the middle distance.Dan, our tutor, would come round and chat with each of us about what we were creating. He asked if I was thinking of creating something under those trees to link to two places. Hmm … I wandered up there to have a look.

Near to the trees and just behind them is an installation by Andy Goldsworthy ( whom I have found inspiring for a very long time). It is a chalk boulder, surrounded by small chalk stones. You can just see a white dot under the branches of the clump.

This is a photo of the Chalk Boulder I took in December 2021 when I went on a Helen Turner, Wabi Sabi art course.

I picked up a small chalk stone and went back under the clump of trees to look back towards the bench and ponder the next step.

As I stood there it became clear to me that a) I did not want to create something under these trees and b) I could invite others to add to what I was doing at the bench if they would like to.

I do love creative collaboration.

When I got back to the bench, I still had the piece of chalk in my hand and wrote MEMORY        GRATITUDE       CONNECTION

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IVAOM: moss on a plate

A Valentines Day present for my daughter and her family.

The big heart shaped stones were found by Little Miss M, in the stream near my house a few years ago, the others have been sitting in my ‘heart-shaped stones’ collection on my bathroom windowsil. The moss and catkins are from my garden.

I am still experimenting with moss-on-a-plate arrangements and when I saw these little stained glass trees on the Not on Amazon (I do not buy from Amazon) page on Facebook ….. well of course I had to get them.

They are made by an independent UK artist, TaylaMadeGlass

This is not an Ad, I like to support small independent businesses, the link is in case you would like to find out more.

I am joining in with Cathy and her hugely enjoyable In a Vase on Monday meme.

Cathy has made a moss-on-a-plate for the garden and that is my next mission.

Silent Sunday

Silent Sunday

Short stay in Cumbria

After visiting Cathy’s garden, the next day I drove another two and a half hours to visit a friend from school days who lives in Cumbria.

The weather had turned cloudy. On the first afternoon we walked at Leighton Moss and the next day walked along a nearby canal.

The decommissioned canal is now a haven for wildlife and a fun feature to have at the end of the garden.

Not quite sure of the purpose of this stone construction, which was at the top of the bank going up to the canal.

but obviously I enjoyed finding this little collection outside a farm gate

and I have a soft spot for old, rural post boxes (I wonder how long they will be in operation for)

and roadside plant stands

Then we walked along an estuary and up through the woods to get a view of the hills and mountains of the Lake District, which were just peeping through the November skies

A happy time reconnecting with an old friend and seeing a very different landscape.

Next day I was off to Harrogate to the Knitting and Stitching Show!

I am very excited about telling you all about it – it was FANTASTIC!

A few Blissful Days by the Sea.

Spending time by the ocean restores my spirits like nothing else can.

I went to Newquay with two friends – we have holidayed together before many times, so we know it works. This was a special birthday treat for one of us, spent in a very special place.

The video was taken on our balcony and the round room at the end was our sitting room with 360 degree views – it was spectacular.

We walked, we ate delicious meals, we did a mind-scrambling jigsaw together, we danced to 60s and 70s tunes, we read, we watched the surfers and the golfers below, we relaxed, we laughed and breathed in all that ozone.

lunch at Lewinnick

I hope you too can soak up some holiday vibes from the photos – put on a bit of Elvis, the Stones, the Beatles and the Proclaimers and you will be right there with us!

Would you like to live here?

look at the salt water swimming pool

On the walk home: a bench with lichen and rusty bits!

on the beach we found thousands of these magical remains of By-the-Wind-Sailors

a type of jellyfish, but so much more than that

we watched the stormsand drank coffee in the cosy Seaspray Beach Cafe

and every day a rainbow!

it was magic!

Silly Saturday: Zoom

The Shelbys are having a Zoom meeting ……..  now don’t all talk at once!

Coronavirus has hit Shelbyville

None of the residents wanted to get ill

It was with some resistance

They had to social distance

Yet they found they could communicate still!

 

All of them had the Zoom App installed

So during lockdown they wouldn’t feel ignored

They could chat every day

Sing songs, dance and play

No chance of them getting bored!

 

At 9 every day it’s keep fit

With the Aliens it’s become quite a hit

With their yoga and gym

They keep themselves trim

They are not the type to just sit!

 

Maggie and Shelma miss going to town

All the shops they love have closed down

But the girls are not stopping

They now do internet shopping

They’re the most glamourous Shelbys around!

 

Sandy misses Shelma whom he dated

His love for her is unabated

He keeps the romance blooming

With lots of daily Zooming

Most of it is very X-Rated!

 

poem by Judy E. Martin

photo by Sandra Dorey

There might be some of you who have not met the Shelbys before, here are a few links

Meet Maggie, the Pole Dancer      Maggie    More Maggie    Meet the Family        Meet Shelma      Shelma and Sandy       Sandy

It feels so good to team up with Judy once again. She is a frontline worker as a nurse and I am full of admiration for her. I was delighted when she said she could find the time to create one of her fabulous poems to go with the photo.

Many thanks for the work you do Judy and thank you so very much for sharing your humour and poetry with us.

 

 

Little Altars at Home

Anyone who has been reading this blog for a while will know how much I loathe housework, but these are strange times! Today found me actually wanting to give the bathroom a thorough going over!

As I was putting things back on the windowsill, I realised that every item has a special memory or significance to me.

Left to right:

There is an Umbrella plant, that I grew from a root cutting given to me by a dear friend who I see only rarely nowadays. She is currently staying somewhere in deepest India, unable to return home due to the transport system in that country being under lockdown. The glass bowl it sits in, has been with me since I got married in 1972, nothing special, not beautiful, but it has become an old familiar friend.

In a little pot next to it are some honeysuckle cuttings, waiting to see if they grow roots, so that I can give some little plants to my daughter as requested.

The fish shaped little dish holds a bumble bee that sadly died in my bathroom, I know Little Miss M (7) would love to see it, so I am keeping it for when she is able to come into my house again.

The clay dolphin was made by Miss E when she was about 8. I took her to some wonderful sculpture and stone-carving worshops when she was being homeschooled.

I bought the brass incense burner with the Ohm symbol when I was travelling in 1994 and visiting Buddhist communities all round the world – such powerful memories. It reminds me of chanting in the echoing valleys of the Himalaya Mountains.

The scallop shell was given to me by my neighbour, who is a diver, and brings me yummy scallops in the summer. The shells it holds all come from the beaches of my beloved Pembrokeshire, collected on my month in a treehouse by the sea.

Sea glass, collected on my local beaches, in times gone by.

A collection of tiny white pebbles – there is something so beautiful about them.

The twisted piece of wire with beads: this was a spiral Christmas decoration I had been making with my grandchildren

One of them sat in the bathroom, and after the twins came to stay – I found this one had been just too tempting to resist – I rather like the resulting tiny wire sculpture.

The jam jar has more honeysuckle cuttings,

and the shell on the right was given to me by my Mum when I was a teenager.

A whole lot of family, friends and memories on that tiny windowsill.

Do you have similar little collections about the house?

Silent Sunday

Forde Abbey Windows

Hellooo!!

Here we are on the first Tuesday of the Month , our Monthly Meet-up Photo Challenge, with another collection of WINDOW photographs. To join in please leave a link to your photos in the comments. Your photos can be any interpretation of the subject, and can be your latest photos or archive photos and posts – all welcome.

Forde Abbey on the Somerset/Dorset border in the south of England is the perfect place if you are looking for a collection of windows to photograph. Join them on Instagram to see some wonderful photos of the gardens.

The photos above are the windows to the Orangery, we couldn’t go in in February, but peeped through the windows to see the citrus trees inside

I hope we will be able to wander through this space later in the year when the house is open for viewing.

Til then we had the outside views to enjoy.

But we could go into the Chapel where, behind the Rood Screen, there was a delicate tree flowering in the window – is that a Mimosa?

but this Window at the other end of the Chapel stole the show

especially with that blue sky beaming through.

I’m looking forward to seeing the windows you have spied this month.

Silent Sunday

Silly Saturday with Birdy

Birdy had such a handsome face

In flight he was elegance and grace

As he rested on the beach

He heard a loud screech

Sid Seagull flicked sand in his face.

 

Sid was loud and uncouth

And strutted with the arrogance of youth

Swinging his hips

And gorging on chips

He teased Birdy for being long in the tooth!

 

Birdy challenged Sid to a race

The seagull laughed in his face

With my youth and my size

I’ll easily take first prize

But his boasting was sadly misplaced!

 

As Birdy flew high in the sky

Sid regretted pecking that meat pie

With all the chips and the bread

He felt as heavy as lead

He couldn’t leave the ground if he tried!

 

Birdy was not one to boast

He won doing what he loved most

Flying along with the breeze

Above the crystal blue seas

He loved his life on the coast.

 

Poem by Judy E. Martin

 

Birdy McBirdface hopped in for a brief bit of silliness ……..

Judy’s poem resonates with me as we have a real problem with gulls swooping down to scoff any food you might have about your person and pestering you if you sit on the harbour wall with a juicy handful of fish and chips.

Happy Saturday!

 

Beach Body

Linking with my cheerful cheeky playmate, Judy Martin,  for another Silly Saturday

 

Some are baggy and saggy

Some are perky and pert

Some are tiny little gnat bites

Some so big that they hurt!

 

Some are flabby and floppy

Some are bouncy double Ds

Some are wrinkled and crinkled

Some hang down to the knees!

 

Some are always kept covered

Some are all over YouTube

Have you guessed what these are yet?

Yes!     A nice pair of boobs!

~

 

Poem by Judy Martin

Pebble Art by Sandra Dorey

Inspired by artist Amy Gear and one of the photos she posted in Instagram

We have something a little more risky for you next Saturday!

You have been warned! 😉

Edit:

Judy’s blog is, most deservably, up for an Award and I’m delighted to say so is Wild Daffodil – pop over to Sasha’a Blog and have a look to see all the different categories. You might see one of your favourite blogs there and give them a vote!

 

 

Silly Saturday

I met this guy on Branscombe Beach last weekend, any ideas what his name could be?

He looks like he might be emerging from his underground home to see who’s about.

I think he might be related to this chap who lives in the Lost Gardens of Heligan

I don’t know his name either.

Joining in with Cee’s Oddball Challenge

Monthly Meet-Up: Scale

Here we are again. Helloooooo! How has your photographic month been? I’ve had a great time in the recent snow and ice, in the delightful village of Branscombe, Devon. I stayed in a little self-catering flat, called Nestlecombe, in the Square that I have no hesitation in recommending.

In the bitter cold wind I went down to the beach to see if I could get some inspiration for our subject this month. I do love to see stone-balancing, and you can see some beautiful examples if you look at the Genteel Giant’s photographs on Instagram. My sisters met him on Newgale beach when we were staying there in January, I was back at the holiday let crocheting at the time, so didn’t get to see him, but love his work.

It was far too windy to try stone balancing but I played around with scale a bit.

The sea was scarily fierce and with the tide coming in, it nearly caught me out whilst I was picking up the plastics on the strand line (hence the poem)

I tried in vain to catch the power and the scale – the pictures look tame in comparison with the experience.

We are such tiny creatures who do well to respect nature’s power

 

 

high tide

strong winds

fierce waves

~

death is only a trip away

~

 

Please leave a link to your photos of SCALE in the comments below. Can’t wait to see them!

You can see the whole year of subjects on my Photo Challenge Page.

Next month’s subject is

YELLOW

 

 

In a Bowl on Monday

As seen in a hotel.

I love the simplicity of this for a winter arrangement.

Pop over to Cathy’s to see what she has in her Vase this week.

 

Silly Saturday with Shelma

Shelma was going out on a date

So excited she just couldn’t wait

She was looking her best

In her January Sales dress

The evening was going to be great

~

Sandy lit Shelma’s fuse

She loved his winkle picker shoes

It brightened her mood

To be with such a cool dude

He banished her January blues!

~

They wanted to paint the town red

But painted the beach blue instead

A moonlit walk along the sand

Strolling together hand in hand

Anticipating what lay ahead.

~

poem by Judy E. Martin

shell art by Sandra Dorey

 

 

What lies ahead for this couple I wonder, any ideas?

Will it be calm seas or stormy waters?

Judy and I have enjoyed teaming up again this week. I do love her take on things, pop across to Judy’s Blog to read more of her delightfully beguiling work.

Did you know you CAN still buy Winkle-Picker shoes? I’ll be looking out for them now.

I recently found the pebbles that my grandchildren children had drawn on last Summer, lurking in the bottom of a bag. They had obviously been lying in wait, ready for an appearance in a ‘Silly Saturday’ or two.

 

Yoga with Aliens #sillysaturday

This yoga is really quite good

Sometimes it’s been misunderstood

When feeling depressed

Or when life gets you stressed

It can help to lighten your mood

It can make you look and feel great

Helps you focus and concentrate

The different types of positions

Help some medical conditions

There’s even one for the prostate!

Those earthlings have got it all sussed

This yoga lark is a must

You don’t have to be wealthy

To keep yourself healthy

With a body strong and robust.

poem by Judy E. Martin

pebble picture  by Sandra Dorey

 

Feeling stressed in the build up to Christmas?

The Aliens are back with a bit of timely advice. They have had a rethink about yoga and are limbering up to get fit and ready for the excesses of the festive season.

Judy and I have joined forces again to bring you another pebble and shell Silly Saturday.

I hope you manage to fit in a bit of silliness this Saturday.

I will be taking Big Bro and Little Bro to watch their Dad, number one son, play hockey. I spent many years on the side lines watching first my brother and husband, then my children play various sports, so it will be a trip down memory lane – it is going to be verrrrrrrry cold though, so I’m not sure how long we will last. I’m taking drawing supplies in case we spend most of the time in the club house.

 

 

Do The Monster Mash

On the scariest night of the year

The Halloween Disco was here

The Shelleys so cool

Dressed as ghosties and ghouls,

Looking rather scary and weird

 

Thriller got them up on the floor

Monster Mash had them begging for more,

Bewitched went down well

As did Bat out of Hell

And they danced as never before.

 

poem by Judy E. Martin

assemblage art by  Sandra Dorey

background painting by Master R aged 8

 

Are you all ready for Halloween? The Shelleys are and at the Dee-I-esS-Cee-O!

Dancing to Bobby Pickett’s 1962 Monster Hit

 

Silly Saturday!

Joining in with the Daily Post: Ghoulish

Silly Saturday: Meet Pete

Hi Everybody, I’m Pebble Pete

The cheeriest chap you could hope to meet

The beach is where I spend my days

With my crew I like to play

We often meet up on the shore

For fun and games, never getting bored

Riding on the waves in the clear blue sea

You’ll find the Stone and the Shell family

I will introduce you to everyone

So you can join in with our fun

Whether in the sea or on the sand

I want to welcome you to Seaside Land!

 

poem by Judy E. Martin

photo by Sandra Dorey

 

Welcome to another Silly Saturday!

I just LOVE working/playing/creating with Judy. I sent her the photo of a pebble and she not only created a fabulous fun poem but gave him the perfect name. I’m always excited to see what Judy does with the images I send her.

Judy and I have been thinking about creating a little ebook of our characters and we thought Pete was just the right character to introduce the Stones and the Shelleys and possibly take up the role of narrator, we’ll have to see where he takes us.

AND

Hot off the press

The first batch of cards have been printed!

They are blank inside and all come individually packed with an envelope.

What is it about seeing ones work in print – it’s thrilling!!!

The guy who prints the cards hadn’t read the poems at first as he gets so many to do, but as he was checking through the proof he read them and just couldn’t stop giggling – he was still laughing as he was telling me how funny he thought it was. Lovely to get such a spontaneous reaction.

The cards will be appearing in my Etsy shop soon.

You, my lovely Daffodil followers, can have them a little cheaper at mates’ rates if you send me a message via the Contact Me Page.

I do hope you are having a wonderfully Silly Saturday – if you are doing anything Silly, I’d love to hear about it!   😀