The Wedding...

Was FANTASTIC!

It does not seem 18 months ago that Mike whisked Elsa away after she returned from Afghanistan and proposed (announcement here, no Benta I didn't wear a hat lol) on top of a mountain (quick flash of ring and mountain here!)

We travelled up to Scotland last week to see the happy couple tie the knot in a beautiful ceremony at Comlongan Castle.

Mike's brother Mark, Dad and Mum.

The Bride entering the Great Hall on the arm of her brother Chris having climbed three stories of a very narrow spiral staircase in that dress!  

A reading by Mark to his brother and bride. (And a view of the back of the dress!)

Chris and his lovely girlfriend Sian in the gardens.

The Best Man Owen looking rather dashing, Elsa, Mike and Maid of Honour Cat who did a fabulous job of nerve calming.  In fact both Owen and Cat could probably make a good living of how to do this, they were both great! 

John and I with Bride and Groom.

We thought this painting was a portrait of Ben, Cat's partner, and John was just showing that he can do a very good monkey grump too.

We girls together.

And, as yet, the only professional photo out there!  So looking forward to seeing the rest of them!!

Just one of those days when everything clicked into place.  

Have a wonderful life together my lovelies! 

xxx

.

Well Done Gregory!

We've had a couple of those strange weeks where we've been doing lots, but nothing seems to have been done!  However!! That said I have found my outfit for the wedding, and all the bits that go with it, and we have had the Bridal Weekend which was so fantastic.  It was lovely being pampered, well fed and shop until we couldn't carry any more! Everything seems to be going along the right course, including the last minute panics that are expected from a Bride-to-be!  Having to reassure your daughter that her wedding dress is not going to fly down the M6 on it's own having escaped out of the car window is interesting.  Elsa can tell you to the minute when the wedding is, she is so excited, but it's about 2 and a bit weeks.  Ish.  lol.

I've also had one of these.

Other than that we have had the annual county craft show and I was asked to enter the Champion of Champions as my necklace blogged here won last year's trophy.  A previous year's trophy winner has to be entered with another, new piece in the same category so I put it in with the Jurassic neck-piece here and, though I didn't win the C of C I did win a gold Work of Outstanding Merit.  I wouldn't have like to have been the judge as all the work was super and all so very different from needlework, weaving, painting,  photography etc.  It must have been a nightmare to chose!  The big trophy went to a lovely stitched box of chocolates by Sally Silk that were very life like!

I also entered Laurel and Gregory in the Toys section. Laurel won the Silver and Gregory won gold and the section trophy.  Very pleased, and so is he.

I've managed a little stitch work with some free embroidery on little panels.  I have then mounted them onto some of the paper I made and then onto stretched canvas.  I've just started some hand stitching around the edge to marry it all together.

We've been having a few confidence issues with Ellie so she has been having special training including sniffer dog work!  It's great fun!  She can sniff out a lavender scented toy from a selection of boxes easily and she is learning to cope with other dogs around her that are not 'her' family very well.

We're are now going to settle down to catch up with the day's Olympics and light the fire, I wish it were warm!!!

Have a great week.

Tawny Owl

The first painting I ever sold was of a Tawny and I painted it when I was 12.  This is probably the only other one I've done!  I seem to be running out of steam with the pastels now though, this has taken an age to finish and I'm starting to overwork it so I'm leaving it.

Barn Owl

I must be on a roll!

10 x 13 inches pastel pencil on Senellier paper.

Kingfisher

I've put the last finishing touches to a painting I started at a Nina Squires group meet a couple of weeks ago.

10 x 14 inches pastel on Senellier paper.

Courses, Courses!

I have had a few courses so far this year.  After finishing the C&G I've added a acrylic painting course with Flora Bowley, a couple of courses with Sally Jean and yesterday I spent with Sarah Ross-Thompson.

The Flora Bowley course I became very frustrated with.  It's all online and they make all the videos in HD.  Now I know I struggle with online videos here because of our internet, it even takes half an hour or so to let a two minute YouTube stream in, but I really for the life of me can't see the importance of HD on a computer screen anyway let alone one that, for me at least, literally takes days to download.  I gave up in the end and I'm still waiting for the book I was promised to arrive.  I'm sure it will but all the good intentions and directions this course was supposed to invoke went right out the window on about week three. 

The Sally Jean course was another online one.  I haven't done any soldering for years and wanted a refresh.  She was fun and informative and I now have a whole stack of glass, copper tape and solder to make use of and I am scouting about for items to put to use.  It is the sort of thing you need to set up for a long session so when I have quite a few things I will set too.

Just a few of the pieces from Sally Jean practice.  I have plans...!

And the lovely Sarah Ross-Thompson we met during the Dorset Art Weeks. 

We liked her work so much in fact we bought a couple of prints, not like us because we usually avoid the word 'print' preferring to buy an original.  The collagraph prints are totally different though where there is a very limited print run and, because of the inking process, each one is individual.  

Yesterday was spent in a huge heap of stuff and glue learning different ways of creating depth of tone where plastic, shiny items (parcel tape, PVA) would resist the ink and print as white and absorbent, ridged items (scrim fabrics, scratches) would hold the ink and print as dark.  There is plenty to read about on her website.

One of our late babies sitting outside my studio window.  They've all become very used to us in there now and really don't take any notice so we can be very, very close to the birds.  It really is quite wonderful.

And the little boxes...

 All snuggled up in layers and layers of threads ready to be transformed. 


And the sun has come out on St Swithin's day!! There were one or two drops earlier but we're hoping Mother will ignore them and take into account She has already done more than 40 days and 40 nights worth of rain!! 

Fire Garden at Stonehenge.

Last night we went to Stonehenge to see the Fire Garden which is a part of the Cultural Olympiad. 

As well as being quite a sight to see the two amazing bits were we were allowed into and among the stones and yes, those are real flames and fire and it was hot and we were all trusted to not hurt ourselves!  

Fantastic.

Hector has a little Steampunk.

Really pleased with his little watch part goggles and fob watch and his three piece Harris Tweed suit. 

I wish I could take decent photos!  Don't forget you can click them bigger.  

All Clear, a Finish and a Start

The past few weeks I've had the works done, numerous blood tests, ECG's, CT scans etc.  We've done our fill of hospitals and doctors now thank you very much.  Final results through last night and all good for the serious stuff just another week of blood pressure taking and hopefully that will be coming down too.  All migraine headaches under control, I just have to mainly watch the Aspartame content in foods!  Nasty stuff.

I did tinker a little and finally used the ammonite halves I had for ages.  I think it's finished but something is niggling me!  I did want to put a dangle of some sort in the gap but...  We will live with it a while and see. 

  

And now for something completely different.

See, not what you thought. 

I am starting to think towards the Dorset Art Weeks in 2014.  A long way off you may think but I would like to have a 'stock' of items to work on and I need to start some-when!

Brooklands Again

I have been a little unwell over the past few weeks but we did manage to do to this years Brooklands meet over the weekend of 16th and 17th June.  This year we concentrated on the Double 12 and will more than likely be entering next year with Winnie our 108 which can be seen at last years event here.

Of course there are old cars...

 Old bikes...

Old aircraft...

Hybrids. This Rolls Royce had a Merlin engine in it.  It made the most fantastic noise!

A little bit of fashion awareness going on for the Vintage Village.

 John with his contemporary 'wanna have' car of the '60's, Lotus Cortina.

A few of our friends readying for the Double 12.  

The hill climb stage.

Regrouping in the Brooklands banking for some control tests.

Geoff with a little more enthusiasm than most!

This very early little car didn't have reverse but added 3 manpower to it's few horsepower.

John about to play in the SLS AMG, this time the new roadster soft top rather than the gullwing.  He ends up with forehead bruises climbing in and out of that one!

It was a great weekend despite the few problems I was having with headaches and we're really looking forward to next years event!

A Great Long Weekend

All last and this coming week is Dorset Art Weeks.  It's the largest open studios event in the UK with over 800 participants showing their work around the county.  We've had a lovely time visiting quite a few, and making the odd purchase.  In fact I've been so inspired by it all I've decided to join the group and will, hopefully, have a bit of a show in two years time (it's biennial).  I asked a friend last night if she would be willing to show her paintings with me and she agreed so I won't be alone at least!  At last I have a focus! I'm really looking forward to it.  Perhaps I can now put into practise all the things I have been putting off doing whilst C&Ging.

We haven't done too much for the Jubilee but last night we did have a beacon lighting at the trig point above our valley.  A good bit of beer and BBQ beforehand, a huge fire that lit up the sky along with five others we could see in the distance, a mass singing of God Save the Queen, several spectacular firework displays in the larger venues like Salisbury and Poole and, not to be outdone of course, Mother Nature had her own beautiful beacon lighting up the sky.

I hope you've had a great time celebrating the Jubilee too!