Tag: dailyprompt

#676 theoldmortuary ponders.

On By theoldmortuary.designIn Bobbing, SerendipityLeave a comment

How are you feeling right now?

How would you feel if you had just been swimming among  shoals of fish with hundreds of sea birds feasting on the fish and a pod of dolphins breaching just yards from your swim zone.

Doing that with the best group of bobbing buddies on a Friday morning is just one of the loveliest moments that life can unexpectedly deliver.

For a couple of days now there have been a lot of fish in our little bay on the edge of Plymouth Sound. Coupled with super high tides and the arrival of a pod of dolphins it has been like living in a wildlife documentary. The cries of the seagulls and the twinkle of fish scales in the water made our morning bob very magical. How am I feeling right now?

Blessed by the serendipity of nature. Swimming with Dolphins…

Somewhere out there there are 8 dolphins…

Millions of fish. Hundreds of Seabirds .Nine bobbers including Coach who couldn’t believe quite how lucky we are to swim in such a fascinating place.

# 675theoldmortuary ponders

On By theoldmortuary.designIn art, Serendipity1 Comment

What daily habit do you do that improves your quality of life?

©theoldmortuary

A little bit of creativity goes a long way if I can find a space for it every day . Sometimes it is nothing more than some photo manipulation. Other days a whole painting emerges. I also consider blog writing to be both creative and life enhancing. I have spent the last week in the company of 12 other artists at a group event called Open Studios. There is so much to learn from creative people.

The other interesting and fascinating aspect of a shared public space is the chosen soundtrack of the Arts space we are using. I have heard some wonderful, and previously unknown to me, artists who have already transitioned onto my home play list. All of which leads me rather ponderously to my conclusion that learning or experiencing something new every day hugely improves my quality of life.

©theoldmortuary

#674 theoldmortuary ponders

On By theoldmortuary.designIn Serendipity1 Comment

What do you listen to while you work?

I am in the middle of an exhibition so I have no choice in the soundtrack of my work. In many respects I am so far out of my comfort zone auraly and yet I couldn’t be happier.

The exhibition is in a cool space. 200 year old military buildings that are Grade 1 listed. The cafe/ exhibition space has been beautifully rethought with a huge glass wall.

Each artist has a work space opposite the glass.

And we have areas where absolute bargains are being sold.

But this blog is about what I am listening to while I work and talk to the visiting public. Yesterday’s big discovery was Dope Lemon.

What a voice the lead singer has. So for today I am lost in this fabulous band.

Home

#673 theoldmortuary ponders.

On By theoldmortuary.designIn pondering, Serendipity1 Comment

What’s your favorite time of day?

Curiously my favourite time of day is around 2am. A time that I usually sleep through, but years of  the madness of 24 hour shifts gave me a huge respect for that hour of quietude when, with luck, the previous days work has been caught up with and the dip of 3am is yet to happen.

Now the only thing that gets my attention at 2 am is a dog or dogs who need to visit the back yard. Even my occasional insomnia never kicks in until 3 am. So favourite time of day, I love you but I really don’t need to be awake to appreciate your merit.

#670 theoldmortuary ponders

On By theoldmortuary.designIn art, Serendipity2 Comments

What motivates you?

I have a butterfly mind, unusually I can easily harness my butterfly when needed but like a parachute my mind works better when it is open. My motivations are sometimes opposing to one another.

Here is my list.

1. Kindness and care to those around me.

2. Deadlines.

3. Serendipity. Nothing is more inspirational than the unexpected.

4.Procrastination. or creative preparations as I often label it.

5. Concaternation.

6. Lifelong learning from all of the above.

Today I am on the final phase of, 4- Procrastination. I have an exhibition opening tomorrow. And yet there are still 2 solid hours of Studio tidying before I can hit , 2- Deadline.

The butterfly above was, 3- Serendipity when a stencil fell on an old watercolour doodle.

The 2 hours of studio tidying could have started 3 hours ago. I could already be at Deadline, but no, Procrastination was in full active mode.

I checked in with some of those I care about.

I walked the dogs, luxuriously in the sun.

I went back to the sea for a swim.

I wrote this blog.

Every one of those things will make today more productive and motivated. And that is Concaternation at its finest.

And just like that the final tidy is complete, let the artwork commence.

Extra #688 theoldmortuary ponders

On By theoldmortuary.designIn blogging, Serendipity1 Comment

https://theoldmortuary.design/

What do you enjoy most about writing?

Writing my blog is possibly the most joyful thing about writing. There is something calming and meditative about writing daily and finding a positive in the often mundane pattern of normal life.

A tiny percentage of my life makes it into the blog. The blog is repetitive and often has fairly dull subject matter. But writing daily for several years now has taught me to look for nuggets of interest and pleasure in everything I do.

#688 theoldmortuary ponders.

On By theoldmortuary.designIn Home, Serendipity3 Comments

What do you love about where you live?

What do I love about where I live? Where I live gives me my little fix of zen just five minutes walk from my front door. All of my life the coast has been my fixer of woes. I have never lived more than two hours from the coast. So always accessible easily. For two years that accesibility has been a five minute walk.

But I am a picky coast lover. I really dislike seaside tat. Garish shops and arcades, horrible mini fairgrounds, crazy golf, the list is extensive.

What I love about my current location is that for centuries it has been a key maritime military defence area and has been protected from typical coastal development. Only fairly recently completely accessible to the public there are walks and a park that overlooks the sea with not one bit of traditional seaside tackiness.

All of the bright colours in this blog are provided by my early morning dog walk.

It is not just me that loves the peace snd simplicity of our early morning walk.

Hugo and Lola are dogged in their quest for tranquility.

Why do I love where I live? Because this locationion suits me very well.

#686 theoldmortuary ponders.

On By theoldmortuary.designIn pondering, SerendipityLeave a comment

Happiness is my commonest positive emotion. It is my default setting. I have recently been made aware that I rarely show ecstatic emotion. I laugh a huge amount and do genuinely take great joy from many things. But I am not sure I know how to express the increased level of joy life brings me when my regular happiness levels get a boost. Misery or worry are also less obvious to other people, for me the indicator is insomnia. If my happiness quota most days were a colour it would be a variety of shades of orange. Extreme happiness would be yellows and crossness, irritation, sadness or anger would be many shades of red. Perhaps I need to show more yellow and some red instead of occupying a mostly orange mindspace.  Always something to learn, always room for improvement. Perhaps a little blue or green should be added into my outwardly projected emotional serving.

What positive emotion do you feel most often?

#683 theoldmortuary ponders

On By theoldmortuary.designIn Serendipity1 Comment

What brings you peace?

Nothing specific brings me peace but I find that peace often just finds me, sometimes in unexpected moments. This morning the Oosterschelde set sail from Plymouth on a two year voyage to replicate the journey of Charles Darwin.Who sailed from Plymouth on Beagle 200 years ago on the journey that inspired his work The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection

https://maritime-executive.com/article/200-years-after-darwin-tall-ship-recreates-hms-beagle-s-famed-voyage

Seeing a Tall Ship up close is very impressive. As she slipped anchor to sail the world I felt a tiny stab of sadness.

But then seeing her sail by and gently raising her sails there was a moment of quietude and graceful momentum.

But soon enough the boat, that was so large and imposing in the harbour started to lose significance in Plymouth Sound.

And in moments was lost in the low lying sea mist that was further out . Peace came gently, just watching a tall ship quietly slip into invisibility

#681 theoldmortuary ponders

On By theoldmortuary.designIn Serendipity1 Comment

If you were going to open up a shop, what would you sell?

I really don’t have the skillset to open a shop but I know absolutely what it would be and what it would sell. Books… Cakes… Coffee… Art…

It would be in the old waiting room of a railway station and would flex as the day/days progress. Early in the morning I would sell coffee and croissants to commuters. By 10 am the cakes of the  day would be delivered and people who wanted books and a place to  gather would start to come in. The sun is always out and people sit outside overlooking trains or countryside. By 5pm the book browsers are gone. Some evenings in the month cooks rent my fabulous kitchen and create ‘Pop-up’ events. Similarly poets, musicians and comedians rent the space to perform intimate gigs to knowledgable audiences.

My space would be a community hub and by owning it I would meet eclectic and fascinating people every day. My idea of perfection.