Month: Oct 2026

#1521 theoldmortuary ponders.

On By Juliet CornellIn autumn, Bobbing, Urban Jungle, Yardening1 Comment

What’s a moment in your life that made you feel truly alive?

Waking up in the morning, needing a wee and a cup of tea and having the good fortune to be able to achieve both with ease. I have no need for fireworks or sequins to feel alive. Just being it is enough.

Our yard has largely been put to bed for the winter but last night she was quite gorgeous for an October night . The studio light was on, the washing was drying on the line and the sculptural plants were being sculptural throwing extravagant shadows onto the laundry. Everything has sprung back from being baked to a crisp in the hottest summer on record. The yard is feeling truly alive too.

Boring as it may be, but October the second was a day of being truly alive. Something I will always be until I am not.

I went swimming with some of the bobbers, the sun was out, the tide was high and really very bouncy.

The water was warmish and swirled us around like grubby clothes in a washing machine. One of those days when it was tempting to stay in too long.

One of those days of many moments of feeling truly alive.

#1520 theoldmortuary ponders

On By Juliet CornellIn Meddled Photography X Watercolour, Serendipity1 Comment

Part of the pleasure of swimming with these old wooden boats last week was watching their resting bones change character as the tide rose up around them. The higher the tide the more swimming could be done, considerably closer to them. They looked like lumbering sea creatures suddenly freed by the buoyancy of water

With the help of my travelling art box I was able to transform them.

Although as the setting is my home office at the Tennis Club before a swim in home territory it seemed too good a chance not to relocate a sea creature into Tranquility Bay.

Which would have been quite the shock for my swimming companions, Julia and Tim who can just be seen swimming between the sea creatures tail and spine.

#1519 theoldmortuary ponders.

On By Juliet CornellIn autumn1 Comment

So long September. There was a lot of different arty strands pulling together in September. I just created a quick grid to remind myself of the many ways my head and hands were pushing different ideas. There was also a fiendishly long and ultimately, unsuccessful,proposal to bid for a grant for a year long art project. I suppose I can say my words failed me. Althoug there is every chance my maths failed me as there was also a budget to set.

September was also a holiday and yesterday we bade the month farewell with lunch on a farm, where we ate food that had all the colour of my September paintings and photographs.

September has also set quite the workload for October. There are fantastical sea creatures to be created out of discarded wooden ships.

And, as always in October, pumpkins and probably Storm Maidens and Men. Busy days ahead @theoldmortuary.

Clearly without any common denominator beyond me. September had a colour scheme all of its own.