How do you unwind after a demanding day?
Sometimes I just let difficult days take their own course. A series of awkwardnesses and challenges during a day is the prompt we all need to rethink things . Demanding days are just that. Facing up to the reality of the challenge, accepting it and searching for a resolution, even an imperfect one just moves the whole thing a few steps forward. With just a slightly different perspective and a cup of tea ( or coffee) things look different.
How do you use social media?
Hmm, how do I use Social Media. Or does it use me? The latter is almost certainly true. This advert pops up everywhere I go online.
But as a Social Media content manager for a series of Arts organisations and now a Sports Club, I am unable to boast, loftily, that I have nothing to do with Social Media. Social Media evolves quickly, using it effectively, rather than the other way around keeps me on my toes. I publish my personal blog on two platforms. I keep up with people and places that interest me. The weather in Kent for instance.
Facebook keeps me in touch with paintings that I have sold and social events I have enjoyed with memory features.
Sometimes Social Media lets me know the sad things in life like the death or illness of friends, colleagues or celebrities.
Today is the nine year anniversary of a job leaving me, rather than the other way round. The Heart Hospital in Marylebone closed and all the staff either moved to Barts in the City of London or moved to different places of their choice.
I’m not sure me and a job have ever parted company quite so elegantly before or since.
Social Media lets me share jokes with friends.
How do I use Social Media. In a way that I feel comfortable with.
Another morning and another empty beach. Lola’s tolerance, was about 10 minutes, Hugo’s infinite.
I’m with Hugo on this one. Sunshine + beach+book, me, or + seaweed, him, is too good an opportunity to miss. Lola didn’t even bother with a swim today.
But blue skies, that is quite the game-changer. Now here is a blog that changes direction. Unexpectedly a second beach 30 minutes away appeared on the daily schedule.
A beach visit with two of their favourite people.
A beach where Lola is fully engaged for over an hour!
The rain stopped, and the sun came up so we packed up the van and had a night away in Tintagel. It’s not just humans exhausted by our long winter/spring of rainfall. The countryside looks wrecked and any farm animals’ lucky enough to have a dry patch of field are muddy from the boggy areas . Things are going to need a few more days of sunshine and dry weather before Spring can properly assert itself. The South West Coastal path is a treacherous, slippery place to walk right now but just doing a little bit to get a view like this was lovely.
Rainwater pouring down cliffs from the fields above illuminated rocks beautifully. I love this picture because it looks badly photoshopped.
Mosses have had a very good winter.
Soon enough this part of Cornwall will be buzzing with tourists, which is vital to the local economy but yesterday there was a gentler buzz of local(ish) people just getting out into the fresh air unencumbered by wet weather clothing. Everyone wearing smiles in honour of a dry day. My day peaked with some discarded fishing gear.
Beyond nature I found a new Saint. Not one of the big hitters in Saintliness, it seems, but a popular woman locally with a church and a village hall. A quick google fails to find any evidence of her good works, just three churches that venerate her.
Her name, St Materiana, works well with our contemporary consumerist society perhaps she is ripe for a rebrand.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Materiana
https://www.celticglory.com/spiritual/materiana-church-minster-cornwall
” Materiana, my darling what is it you actually did to become a saint”
” Oh, I understand. You were an influencer. Oh well done “
What are 5 everyday things that bring you happiness?
I couldn’t possibly narrow this down to only 5 but anarchic nature always makes me smile. I went to a really popular beach at low tide yesterday. It was completely empty so the dogs could be giddy without me paying them too much attention while I rested on the concrete side of the sea pool.
The sea batters this pool twice a day at high tide. The pool is soon to be renovated; tiny holes are appearing in the concrete and nature just jumps right in and fills the holes. The hole, which is about the size of a large coat button is home to Rough Winkles, Periwinkle Hermit Crabs and baby Barnacles. All lurking near the high tide area.
One of my paintings, of urban tarmac, was all about tree roots disrupting the sleek lines of the pedestrian paths in Dulwich Park, London.
And finally, of my 5 every day things that bring me pleasure, are more tree roots. Here in Sham Shui Po, Hong Kong, they are both anarchic and conforming at the same time.
K is for Kathleen the 16th Storm to hit home in the UK in this Storm season.
Kathleen arrives in these parts tomorrow. Only the second time since naming began that Britain has achieved a 16th-named storm. I only became fully engaged with storms when I took up regular sea swimming or ‘ bobbing’ as it is known in these parts. Living on a small peninsular has made me ‘tuned in’ to the weather in a way that I have never quite been before. I have recently, in the last couple of years taken to painting the sensation of the storm. This year I have been concentrating on printing so have missed out on all the storms since Agnes, in early October.
Until a storm arrives I never really know if it will take human form or be an abstract force.
But whichever sort of storm it is, my grubby ‘weather’ tin of colours is available.
Which brings me to today’s random question.
What job would you do for free?
Maybe I could be a storm P.R/ Artist. Give them some character before they arrive, elevate their good points and downplay their obnoxious behaviours. In fantasy land I could be flown to meet them when they first hit British land. Do a quick sketch in the way that notorious criminals are sketched in court*
Then rather than only being identified only by their trail of destruction, a storm could also present a more benign face to the world. People might be more motivated to forgive a storm that empties their dustbin in the street if the storm could be considered elegant or well-dressed. Quirky even.
* In British courts no photography is permitted. Special Court artists are employed by news agencies to depict the main characters in a trial for illustrating the events in court in print, television or digital media.There are four professional courtroom sketch artists in total: Priscilla Coleman, Siân Frances, Julia Quenzler and Elizabeth Cook. All four artists are self-taught.
A marvelous art blog exists called Making a Mark. Below is their article about Court Artists.
https://makingamark.blogspot.com/2022/05/how-court-artist-works.html?m=1
Isn’t it deliciously mad that such a career exists. Being a storm artist seems almost normal in comparison. But how long would I do it for free?
Maybe a nanosecond or forever, art is like that. There is nothing like the moment when somebody buys a piece or original art. In my head I flip and cartwheel like an Olympic gymnast. It is not the reason I create but goodness me it is a wonderful feeling when it happens.Storm artist, free until someone pays me!
I realise my * is in the wrong place, my blog my rules.
For anyone who loves great art writing, this Facebook page is the Make a Mark resource I discovered today.
https://www.facebook.com/makingamark2
Written by a Katherine not a Kathleen, wouldn’t that have been a delicious closed circle.
P.s it’s not just me.
How would you improve your community?
Which of my communities should I improve? Or are they all better off without my tinkering?
All communities are improved with positive engagement. That is what I try to bring to any community I am part of. Sometimes I feel guilt that I am not doing enough but guilt is just fine in manageable doses. Resentment is the worm that destroys things. Now I am semi-retired I give resentment very little time, it is a sign I should step away. Not always possible when you are in the clutches of paid employment. When employed I used resentment as a rocket fuel to move me on, sometimes that move was more of a slow burn but at least I felt in control.
During a WhatsApp exchange this morning I called myself a nonfluencer. The exact opposite of the trendier, more sassy, flashy influencer that is the goal of so many people and communication technology currently.
Sometimes all a community needs is more nonfluencers, who turn up and do. Until they can’t. Joining and leaving can both be good for any community. Staying too long is the problem.
So how would I improve any community I was part of? Stay while I was able to be useful and recognise when the time is right to leave.
The four days of the Easter Break, have slipped away. So much texture in four days. Most of it weather-related. Unlike Christmas there is not a big build-up nor enough left over food to sustain us for a few weeks. We were a small family gathering this year. Only four adults to indulge. Only four humans to dodge snow, torrential rain, and traffic to find the occasional sunbeam.
Sometimes the sunbeams were metaphorical. Dodging into a pub to avoid the rain and playing card games, or finding an unintentional embellished egg.
Family favourite food.
And the last Hot Cross Bun.
And for once, April Fools Day without getting caught by clever, witty friends.
Onward into April…
What are your morning rituals? What does the first hour of your day look like?
The first hour of my day looks a lot like the picture above. Until the tea ritual, blog ritual and coffee ritual have been performed. These three regulars can all be compressed into half an hour or extended to an hour and a half. There are side rituals like loading the dishwasher or washing machine. Today in particular I need to be alert to April Fools Day jokes. I am a gullible soul and I have friends who are very adept pranksters. Last year I called at their home on April 1st. As I pulled at their door bell it came off in my hand. I harrumphed at once again being caught out and took their doorbell home with me as a punishment.
Only to discover that I had broken their 100-year-old doorbell mechanism.
I am having nothing to do with them today.
Easter morning and the sun wakes us up. Some chocolate eggs have appeared and we have some wallpapering to do. The perfect Easter job with perfect rewards.
A small person will be very happy in her jungle room when she gets back from her holidays.
Taking our rewards as the sun slips away and is replaced by rain. One more day of the Easter holidays to go. Fingers crossed for good weather. But not holding my breath.
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