August's photo link up party!

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August's photos and words

It is 8.45pm and I am only just starting my post- jeesh - what has happened to this month ? it feels to have been both full and fast and now suddenly - I've remembered to do the photo hunt.... and I know I have not got all the photos (so need to do a little archival research!)

MARK

A special evening walk, a glorious sunset, evening picnic alongside our favourite piece of the Leeds-Liverpool canal. Then, as we were returning - I spotted this sign. Perfect!

DUCK/S

A quick snap from June, as I hurried across the road into Kettlewell. Every year they celebrate with a scarecrow festival and a duck race on the river and as you enter the village - this little sign joyfully tells you that you have arrived!

WINDOW

July this year, another evening picnic - a common occurrence - often the only time that we have time - throw a quiche in the oven, fill the flask with hot water, take tea and milk, walking boots and camera and head for the hills. If it is warm enough, dry enough, light enough, we eat outside and if there is time - we walk a bit. If, like the evening in the photo - the wind is too cold for comfort, we eat in the car.  This particular evening definitely had a brisk breeze - cutting and sharp, even the sheep decided to use the car for shelter. The ewes and lambs all ducked out of the wind on the lea side.

ARM

Some times I do wonder on the words I choose. I was going to give myself a severe talking too when I was looking for an 'arm' then suddenly yesterday, as we were out I spotted this, Himself knows I take photos of strange things however even he was bemused when I took this one!

STRAW

A balmy August holiday from 2014. 

My own choice.

This was my most difficult to do - I wanted to share so many photos - this last month has been full of art. Commissions, sales, fayres and exhibitions and quietly quietly my work is selling. The first half of the year was very quiet - a lot of my arty friends had the same down time - some of us almost despairing (well, I certainly did) to the point of shutting the studio door and walking away for quite a few weeks. But, recently - for most of us, it is looking up :)

It is now 11.24pm and I better stop - I need to sort out the link up - hope you all had a happy, busy month xxx

Random Monday

*I walked 1.87 miles yesterday - some of you may nod in approval, most will go Huh? really?, that is not far..... well it is not .... until I tell you that I was in my garden. Gardening.....

*My coastal crochet blankie is DEFINITELY on the nautical side. The colours are the most obvious give away, as it the name.....  However, it is the tidal effect on the rows that really confirms it. The tide comes in.... as each row is added, then it rushes out (frog frog frog frog). The tidal motion of my blankie is becoming almost as regular as the real one....

*I had to make 'bribe' scones to keep the wolves at the door happy while the fruit cake cooled enough to cut. The wolves then ate that too ...

*I think Autumn has returned. Summer has wimped out and wandered off.

*I am going to put the kettle on - fancy a brew? I am making the most of a lovely quiet house before cracking on with some work** (no - blogging is not work but I allow myself the pleasure of a mug of coffee and a bit of blog hopping and commenting first thing in the morning)

Hope your Monday is gentle and kind and Autumn lets the sun shine a little more this week (please) xx


**well, I say work - it more like this....

1. do my sketch of the day challenge, 
2. contact a local newspaper - see if we can get our art weekend in their 'what's happening' page
3. measure up slate and sketch out a pony's face for a commission enquiry,
4. Walk Moss,
5. Wrestle with a publishing programme on my laptop, I need to convert a newsletter into an email format which is proving to a be a little trickier than I imagined,
6. Drink coffee/tea,
7. Paint fea...................shhhhhh secret! Will show these some time - promise, just not yet :D
8. Mock up a photoshoot we have coming up this week for another magazine interview as part of the art weekend.

There will be more things as the day bumbles along - there usually is :D

What a tease

Ooh August you are a cheeky little number - what glorious blue skies after that torrential rain.

What a lovely walk we had on Wednesday, Youngest, Moss and I

The sounds and colours were wonderful.

Thursday proved to have a gentle warmth and despite the stiff breeze

was lovely to be out.

This time, Eldest and I were out with dog and camera. 

So very glad we were! 

My boys - now men - are a pleasure to have around!

Happy Friday 

and good weekend walking

xxxxxx

In which I mutter tut tut at August...

August - what do you think you are playing at?
Surely my memories of warm, languid holiday weather has not been misplaced?
So why, dear August have we had to light the fire?

Oh August, you have, I have to admit, teased us with the odd warm day, delicious and welcome.

Or delighted us with clear blue (decidedly autumnal) skies.

And amazed us with stupendous sunsets.

Yesterday you invited us to play outside,

so we did.

Paint pots and brushes and mugs of tea at the ready.... 

then and the crucial moment - you let it rain.

 There was such a dashing and collecting and saving of things before they got wet.

August, I am sure I heard you snigger.

Bad form August.

tut tut

When what I should be doing is ...

Been an up and down sort of day - but I am ok with it.

For a few weeks now, I have been getting reading for a show (along with a group of fellow arties) and today a couple of us plus Himself and Youngest went to the show grounds to set up our stands - we had a total of 11 tables between us and plenty of bunting, signs, banners and balloons to hang.

I dashed out in between heavy showers, loading the car, carrying paintings and sculptures and generally getting ready when I got the call to head to the grounds to set up.

Brollies at the ready and wellies on - we set off. The four of us, plus some lovely helpers from the show committee decked out our part of the marquee with jolly bunting and balloons and with the help of mugs of tea we soon set up. (Listening all the time at the torrential rain on the marquee roof).

We slid off the field and wished each other a happy evening......

Once home I carried on labelling and pricing up my art, wrapping them and generally getting ready for Sunday. 

And it rained. And rained. And rained....

Then, around 9pm, the call came - the show had been cancelled - the field was so drenched that the larger vehicles had sunk to their axles and had to be pulled off - this was the final straw - days of rain, marquee staff refusing to work, slipping and sliding and generally getting soaked .... I am not surprised.

Any hoo - tomorrow morning, we are going back to take it all down. 

The weather is promised to be reasonable. Tomorrow.

Sunday musings

The funny thing about walking - it is hard work.

However, the rewards out weigh the effort required.  The miles, as they pass beneath your feet, seem to help leave behind irks and irritants (you do have to factor in persistent flies who follow you as you trudge up a sunny hill side. They gaily flit around your hot face and crash into your ears or eyes and generally are annoying).

Then there is that hot airless pocket that needs wading through as you walk alongside the hill face followed by a blessed relief as you reach a point where the cooler air begins to move.

That feeling you get, when, once you have sat down and the view is laid out before you, that feeling of relief, of enjoyment, of quiet contemplation - does wonders for the soul.

It gives you the chance to allow the landscape wash over you, absorb you, refresh you. Your eyes drink in the different levels, the contrast of shadow and sun laden fields, the far pale shades of the horizon and the closer sharper greens and browns of the moorland fields dotted with sheep.

The sounds around you are of nature and not man - the sky lark, the curlew, the lapwing.  The distant continuous questioning and responding sheep bleats as ewe and lap separate and reunite across large grazing fields.  The breeze whispering past your ear, the tumble of water on rock, the swish of grass and rustle of leaves as the wind - hot and languid - lazily swirls over the landscape.

The exquisite pleasure of removing warm boots off warm feet and feeling your toes breathe! Or, even more delightful - lowering them into the stream.

So, yes, a plod, a puff and rather warm - but necessary, cathartic and so very good.

Hope you had a good weekend too x