#679 theoldmortuary ponders

On By theoldmortuary.designIn Serendipity, Words1 Comment

What’s your favorite word?

I have so many favourite words that it would be too hard to choose one, but I do have a word that my mum loved to use in her frequent work rants.

Audacity.

I love that in my mind it can be both positive and negative.

Willingness to take bold risks is a fabulously empowering thing. Bold is not stupid or dangerous.

In my mums work world women took bold, audacious risks, always for the benefit of other women. Bold risks because they ignored rules and regulations to better improve the services and experience of their exclusively female patients.

Men in senior positions often had the audacity to question and try to control the decisions made by these women for women. This was always the subject of her regular work based rants, always down the phone to people hidden and anonymous to me.

Somehow Audacity is a really precious word, one that I never feel quite able to use in its negative tense with anything like the accuracy of my highly indignant mother. Could I ever be cross, at her near-nuclear levels?

On the positive,though, I love it. Audaciousness is very much something I respect in almost every aspect of my life.

Audaciously I am using a completely unrelated image for this blog. The audacity of it!

#678 theoldmortuary ponders

On By theoldmortuary.designIn CornwallLeave a comment

What are you doing this evening?

Just over half way through my day I have no idea what I might be doing this evening. Apart from delivering art to a gallery my day has been a series of unscheduled events. Trying to photograph this apple core was more of a challenge than you might think. Over the weekend this apple sculpture made of apples has artistically diminished to an apple core. The fragrance in the sunny courtyard is the fragrance of early autumn.

Delivering art to this particular gallery is an enhanced pleasure on a day like today. But the welcome of apples and sunshine made it extra special.

By a great piece of design the poster for the exhibition mirrors the colours of the apples.

What a lovely feeling to just drop some art off and have no responsibility for the curating or organisation. However familiar I am with these surroundings the architecture never fails to charm me.

But today I was surprised by a piece of abstract planting in one of the courtyards. Almost Sci-fi with these purple Aeonium.

So what am I up to this evening, beyond some early bobbing I still have no idea. But if anything fascinating crops up perhaps I will mention it tomorrow. But returning to daytime activities , my fellow artist Debs did get a good shot of the apple core.

#677 theoldmortuary ponders

On By theoldmortuary.designIn Pangolins, ponderingLeave a comment

Another day of prepping for an art exhibition. This time at a local National Trust property. You might think that having prepped recently for an Open Studio event I would be pretty well organised. But every exhibition has different criteria, different commission and often different hanging requirements. Of course this wouldn’t be an arty blog without some procrastination. Today productivity was my procrastinator of choice. Before I could allow myself to get the art organised I felt it to be essential to get all the home chores done. Dipping into my stored works is another form of procrastination, some of them will never see the glitz and glamour of a gallery. I’m not sure my Pangolin painting will ever be one that I can sell, but every time I go through my paintings file, his sleepy eye catches my attention. I’ve always loved Pangolins and painted this sleepy fellow when scientists were trying to find an animal who might have passed Covid-,19 on to humans.

Blogging was the subject of an extraordinarily dull repetitive dream last night. No matter how often I woke myself up I kept slipping back into it. It was such a boring subject, I could never have written such a thing. Better to miss a day than inflict complete tedium onto the blogosphere. On a positive I find myself with all exhibition admin done and all the domestic admin completed half way through the day. That feels like procrastination is a good thing.

#676 theoldmortuary ponders

On By theoldmortuary.designIn SerendipityLeave a comment

Describe your ideal week.

An ideal week starts slowly, not perhaps as slowly as this inquisitive snail gliding gently over a National Trust scanning machine. Yesterday we witnessed a poignant but inanimate event. A large pebble was tossed onto a bank of pebbles by the rough incoming tide. On impact, at our feet,a crack appeared in the pebble and it immediately divided into two parts. How many thousands of years has that pebble been at the mercy of the powerful waves of North Cornwall. How long has it been one pebble not two?

Now a pebble is a pebble, but seeing the smooth palm sized pebble crack and fall apart in front of us just felt immeasurably sad. The next wave would part them forever. Both halves were quickly popped in my pocket. They will no longer be tossed in Cornish waves but will peacefully rest together in my Devon yard. The week is starting very slowly.

#675 theoldmortuary ponders

On By theoldmortuary.designIn Beach Life, dog walks, Serendipity, Van LifeLeave a comment

We went in search of an offshore breeze yesterday and found ourselves at Godrevy at Gwithian Towans on the north coast of Cornwall. The September Heatwave made a large rockpool the perfect spot for a skinny dip.

Our evening location was very acceptable in every way.

The evening dog walk was very slow and in places the sun was setting in just the right spot.

Ponies are used to keep the sand dunes healthy,but in true pony style my photo is dreadful.

A long time ago I used to photograph Jazz musicians as an occasional money making hobby. I did a lot of Jazz photography , I only occasionally made any money. It is extraordinarily difficult to take a flattering photograph of Jazz musicians, but that was a huge part of the pleasure. Sometimes hobbies are meant to be difficult. I was moderately successful and musicians can be fascinating people. Ponies on the other hand are equally difficult to take a flattering photograph, not particularly entertaining on a conversational level and would never put a hoof in their pockets no matter how good the photograph was. I’m not really certain why I pondered off to my photography past. Maybe while pondering off, I should ponder off on this skinny dipping habit. I’ve been doing it all my life. The Swimmer, a Burt Lancaster film, was the inspiration and yet at no time was Burt naked. I think he just inspired me to swim when the moment presents itself. Unlike Bert, my random acts of swimming never confront me with reflections of poor choices or relationship failures. If a black and white film on a Sunday is your thing I can recommend it.

The Swimmer https://g.co/kgs/PBZYyR

My parents thought my obsession with the film and the act of skinny dipping was a little odd but as true people of the 70’s did nothing to stop me.

And so it continues unchecked and so far I have never been caught out in any way.

Meanwhile back to Godrevy and the lighthouse.

#674 theoldmortuary ponders

On By theoldmortuary.designIn Bobbing, Serendipity1 Comment

How do you relax?

It is no surprise to any regular @theoldmortuary blog reader that over the last 3 years my relaxation comes from swimming in the sea with ‘The Bobbers’. No one is more surprised than me to say this. If I were writing this blog in 2020 my answer would almost certainly have been reading or listening to music. In Ocrober 2020 four and then five of us started swimming regularly in the sea at Firestone Bay. That number has swelled to 21 as of yesterday.

What started as an immune system boosting, cold dip, for one bobber has become a fellowship of swimmers and Coach. There is nothing official about us, just a Whatsapp group where times of ‘Bobs’ are called. The Whatsapp group messages rarely stick at just a tide time and weather prediction. Our Bobbing friendships have similarly become intertwined, interesting and most importantly supportive.

Sometimes in the past, pre 2020, I knew that if life was tripping me up, with too much to do or think about then a couple of hours in a good book would set me right. Not so much now. Even in the depth of winter I know that a dip in Firestone Bay or another cold alternative is exactly what I need. Developing an eclectic and supportive group of ‘bobbing’ friends has also been life changing and life affirming. People who I would never have met in any other way have been brought together by a shared interest in getting chilly on the coastal edge of Plymouth Sound.

In fairness to ‘ Bobbing’ it does do a lot more than relax. This blog could equally have asked all of the following questions and I would have written something similar.

Where do you laugh the most ?

Where can you always get advice?

Where do your maddest conversations happen?

Where can you always get a hug?

Where do you enjoy biscuits the most?

7 Bobbers Bobbing

#673 theoldmortuary ponders

On By theoldmortuary.designIn art, SerendipityLeave a comment

Sometimes landscapes make me want  to lay down and be part of it. Mossy boulders are particularly enticing and, of course, particularly uncomfortable in reality.

Today I felt the urge to paint a fantasy glade with a mossy boulder.

It has a long way to go but I already know the painted boulder would be a comfortable place to rest and the glade is becoming more fantastical by the brushstoke.

Green is my Friday colour.

#672 theoldmortuary ponders

On By theoldmortuary.designIn pondering, Serendipity1 Comment

Are you holding a grudge? About?

Sometimes one of these Jetpack prompts really is a pause for thought.

Do I hold a grudge?

No. I do, however, have a mental filing system of harms done, both great and pathetic.

I use this filing system to learn by experience.

Anybody, myself especially can cause harm to another inadvertently or unintentionally. If I am made aware I certainly try to not repeat my bad behaviour.

But the sad fact is that there are many people in the world who set out to cause harm to others. These people are best avoided. This is not bearing a grudge but just a sensible precaution.

If I held grudges, specifically compared to my mental filing system, I think I am creative enough to consider revenge as an art form worthy of quite a lot of thought and planning. I suspect my revenge would be malignant,served cold but with deadly accuracy. The drawer just slamming shut is so much easier for me to live with.

The mental filing system permits a much more subtle and less harmful act to all. If someone has more than one harmful item in their drawer of my mental filing system then there is a risk that their drawer may be closed forever. Minor characters with no redeeming features have their drawer shut and locked with relative ease. People who are more important, or are of greater interest to me certainly can keep their drawer open longer, maybe forever, even though, of course, their harms can often cut deeper.Best not depend on that though, nothing in the filing system is guaranteed. I hold the only master key.

rhdr

So Grudges- no thank you

A nice tidy filing system of harms, or learning events. Yes please.

#671 theoldmortuary ponders

On By theoldmortuary.designIn Bobbing, SerendipityLeave a comment

It was the sort of day to be beside the sea yesterday. Lovely hot weather with a bit of a breeze. Saharan dust in the atmosphere made for a pink sunset, coupled with a favourable tide in the evening I chose to swim in the dark sea of dusk.

Although this looks blissfully peaceful there was an annoying drone flying overhead. The drone operator may have felt irritated by me bobbing about when all they wanted was an empty bay. The sea had been full all day of people making use of our hot September weather and my isolated dip was just good timing. There were plenty of people still in the water 15 minutes before when I walked the dogs. There was also some live music coming from the Tennis Club that overlooks the bay. It is just too bad that we didn’t have good weather when the evenings were longer and we had friends and family to fill them with. Regardless, an evening swim was very relaxing. The water was crystal clear and beautifully black, mind clearing in the best possible way.

#670 theoldmortuary ponders

On By theoldmortuary.designIn Books1 Comment

Book clubs are funny things. A well run one will push readers out of their comfort zones. I did not enjoy this book at all, but as so often happens it made me think, and because of that I may remember it more effectively than all the books that I have really enjoyed that have come my way via my bookclub.

Part of me is still a little angry that an accomplished female composer and singer would be depicted in such a way by a contemporaneous artist in the 17th Century. The link below is far more erudite than I could ever be about her and this painting.

https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/barbara-strozzi/

But it is hard to look at this portrait and not think that this is a woman who has been around the block a few times and sometimes taken her pleasure in the alleyways between the blocks. Hard not to see the exposed breast or her grasp of the neck of her instrument.

Male composers of the time with equally vibrant private lives are all, without fail represented in a reverant and respectful style. Just google 17th century male composers. No wardrobe malfunctions for them.

The book further created this ranty blog because in the narrative the protagonist was in search of a woman who looked like this portrait. Not a clever, accomplished musician. He wanted a woman who could fuel his fantasy in a more fleshed out way.

Reading! It makes you think