Inspiring Words-Light

Lots of my photos are related to playing with light-I love that blurry effect of light as a camera moves-on purpose or by accident. I love times of day where the light is special-sunrise and sunset. One of the best exhibitions I ever saw at the Tate Modern was this one-amazing and awe inspiring, creating the sun in a building. I had fun blurring these little tealights by moving my camera up and down, side to side and around. In the middle is a little wax coated block person that went quite well with the buildings.

Pretty lamps, Christmas lights, lantern parades-all beautiful.

Someone after my own heart is moving into the bungalow. They have a pile of boxes to unpack but have got out the lamp and the fairy lights first, as these seem more important than anything else.

Rainbows-nature playing with light!

Fun, fun, fun!

Lovely light quotes-

"Moonlight is sculpture." ~Nathaniel Hawthorne

"You can't have a light without a dark to stick it in."~Arlo Guthrie

"There are two ways of spreading light; to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it."
~Edith Wharton

"People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in their true beauty is revealed only if there is light from within."
~Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

"The sun is nature's Prozac." ~Astrid Alauda

"Ideas are to literature what light is to painting."-Paul Bourget

"We see light, not dark. But it is in the dark that we feel goblins and ghosts."- Rex Brandt
Visit Yiota for more inspiring words.

Words of Inspiration-Colour

Colour-another obvious one maybe, like nature, but it does inspire me! Visual stimulation in the form of delicious colour is what I crave and love. I have favourites-that often come in pairs-turquiose and vermillion, turquoise and brown, violet and yellow-green. I love colour names that I had in paint tins when I was young-Rose Madder, Burnt Umber, Sienna, Ultramarine. Such evocative names. When I am looking at colours I like, it is a kind of satisfaction comparable to drinking or eating-but only certain kinds of food-a crisp apple or a sweet plum. The word delicious often comes to mind when I think about colour, and I like the way some colour names are linked to food-lemon yellow, chocolate, coffee, orange, salmon pink, peach, cream, plum, mint green. My favourite part of painting is mixing the colours-and finding those strange colours that I didn't set out to make but which just happened. So much variety. So many combinations.

One last thing-when I googled colour earlier I found this-a fascinating guide to html and colour.

Oh well, enough rattling on for tonight. I have a kitten to play with! Visit Yiota for more inspiring words.

Kitten update-things are going unbelievably well! At one point this evening all three cats were lined up at the food bowls. At another point the kitten jumped within centimetres of Tiger who only gave her a bad look, didn't even hiss. At the moment all three are being quiet and relaxed at various points around the sitting room. I still cannot decide on a name-Toffee and Alice both occurred to me tonight. Andy poo pooed Toffee but looked interested in Alice. Earlier he suggested Buster! I think it might be Alice.

Inspiring Words-Nature

Nature-all around, free, beautiful and inspiring, what could be better? Today was Forest School day, and I love the way the children are so excited to collect what is basically a basket of twigs, dirt and dead leaves. Welcome to my world kids!

Lovely nature quotes....
The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature.
Anne Frank

Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you.
Frank Lloyd Wright

Nature will bear the closest inspection. She invites us to lay our eye level with her smallest leaf, and take an insect view of its plain.
Henry David Thoreau

Let children walk with Nature, let them see the beautiful blendings and communions of death and life, their joyous inseparable unity, as taught in woods and meadows, plains and mountains and streams of our blessed star, and they will learn that death is stingless indeed, and as beautiful as life.
John Muir

There is nothing pleasanter than spading when the ground is soft and damp.
John Steinbeck

The day I see a leaf is a marvel of a day.
Kenneth Patton

There is a way that nature speaks, that land speaks. Most of the time we are simply not patient enough, quiet enough, to pay attention to the story.
Linda Hogan

Yiota is posting her words of inspiration all this week.

Inspiring Words Week

I am joining Yiota, of Shells, Bells, Flowers and Showers this week, in her posting of words of inspiration. My word for today is 'miniature'. I have always had a fascination for tiny things, and have vast collections of them to prove it. Luckily as they are so small you can fit a vast collection into a shoebox. Dolls fall into the miniature category, and so I took a number of pictures of Tiny Doll, (by Beth Robinson) in a new room on the shelves, to illustrate my word. The car and furniture are from my favourite online rummage store, eBay, and are the perfect size for her, so I have created a miniature minimalist bedroom in one of the shelf sections. She looks a little out of place but maybe she will get used to it.

I wonder what book she is reading, to have scary dreams like this!

Tiny wooden dolls with a tiny wooden house.

A tiny interior I made.

A flock of miniature sheep crossing a bridge in Lewisham, which Linda Sue's sheep sculpture reminded me of. The bridge is in Ladywell and I really like the building in the background. A woman, who's name I can't remember, was granted the freedom of the borough, which gave her the right to drive her sheep over this bridge, which she did! I might have to do some research to remember the facts as it is some years since I made this.

Miniature toy cars from the Vintage Fair last weekend.

More Kitten News

In only three days the cats have come so far! I am so proud of them! Lily is more settled about the kitten than Tiger, but Tiger is getting there. We have gone from a shaking kitten, and cats who would not look at her-they knew I was holding her but would not look up-to all being in the same room together. Lily actually relaxed enough to go to sleep on the other end of the sofa from where the kitten was. I think the breakthrough came yesterday as the kitten was so desperate to get out of her little room and have a play that she forgot her fear. The other two just watched her. Lily and her have sniffed noses three times! Lily almost seems to be a bit defensive of her when Tiger seems upset and growls. At least I think that is what is happening!I let Tiger sneak into the kitten's room and snaffle some special biscuits-I thought this might make her happy. Not sure if it worked or not! Thanks for all the comments on names. I still can't decide though! Off to the vets in about half an hour for her injections and worming. She is asleep on my lap at the moment.

Shadows and Ghosts

Little kitten enjoying a sunlit cuddle. We still do not have a name for her. A few ideas are Yoda, Rabbit(me), Lugsy(Andy), (all ear related) and Lupin(Andy's Aunty Maggie) I think I like Lupin best so far. Any good ideas welcome(Thanks Sally-but it isn't going to be Keith!)

Miss Havisham is finished. I added quite a thick layer of wax. I was going to use gold leaf but once the wax was on I changed my mind. I like the ghostly and misty appearance the wax adds to it.

This is what happens to a cardigan when the sleeve gets caught up in the door of the washing machine. Remarkably it wasn't ripped. Or even very stretched. On Saturday we went to the Hammersmith Lyric Theatre to see Ghost Stories. (Review) (I like the name 'shade' for ghost-so there is a shadow link there somewhere) It was brilliant! I was a bit apprehensive after the very scary write up and the warnings not to see it if you are of a nervous disposition. It was scary but deliciously so. Really well done.

This picture is from google street view. There are lots of shadows in it I notice!

We passed BBC Television Centre on our journey to Hammersmith.

Wood Lane station. I love the names of London places-Hammersmith, Wood Lane-they sound so poetic and rural.

This morning was bright sunlight and very good for shadows around the house. I have a feeling I may have posted pictures of my fridge magnets before. They are on the boiler as my fridge is too busy pretending to be a cupboard to trifle with such things.

Kitchen towel shadows.

Late night snack crumb shadows. It took us an hour and a half to get home! The Jubilee line was not running or it would have been a much quicker affair.

Violets-not really on the lawn-more a case of they are the lawn.

Paper and cloth doily shadows. Visit Hey Harriet for more shadows from around the world.

Things From Today

This is the new member of the household! I have no excuse such as she was a stray and needed a home. I just overheard a parent at school talking about how she had a kitten left that needed a home. I just wanted a little tiny kitten! I have only ever adopted strays and they have always been grown up. Tiger and Lily were six months so they were still big kittens then. I love my cats and did not want to upset them so have gone through a bit of worry and have been reading websites that made me think I had made a terrible decision. Selfishly though, it didn't stop me. Fingers crossed it has gone really well so far today. Little kitten is in the back room which is warm and cosy and has a view of the garden. The other two must be able to smell her but don't seem remotely bothered. I have been making lots of fuss of them too today just in case!

Isn't she lovely? She has really big ears and a little white tummy and paws. She is really affectionate and playful. Today we have played with a piece of string a lot. There is room for me to sit on the floor so I have had a peaceful few hours playing and fussing the kitten whilst reading my book. That is the way to spend a day! I did do some work-half of what I might have got done but that was more than I expected, and sometimes other things are just more important. We are considering what to call her but there is no rush-it will come to us I suppose!

Other sights today-from a quick trip to the craft shop this morning. The massed ranks of chicks waiting for someone to craft them into an Easter creation.

Beautiful silks.

I love the thread display but it makes me feel nervous when it comes to deciding which colour?! They look so gorgeous all together that decisions are hard. Luckily thread was not the purpose of my trip today. I wondered if I would be apprehended by a member of staff suspecting me of industrial espionage but nothing so exciting happened!