I rarely reblog – this is only my second time in seven hundred posts. Regular readers may have noticed Laurie Graves’s insightful and unfailingly supportive remarks in my blog’s comments section. Laurie, a talented writer, is offering us the chance to download the first two ebooks in her Great Library Series of YA fantasy novels free of charge on Amazon until March 14th 2020. Continue reading “March Giveaway: Two Free E-books from Hinterlands Press”
2020 Photo Challenge: Textures
HeyJude has invited us to share a picture of something wuff with something smooth.
Hellebore Hybrids: How Doubles Evolve
Although we think of hellebores as having petals, technically they are sepals, which accounts for their flowers’ longevity. This single hellebore is one of my favourites I’ve seen this year. Continue reading “Hellebore Hybrids: How Doubles Evolve”
Vertical Form (St Ives) By Barbara Hepworth With Reflections
I do like this picture, although it has as many accidental elements as purposeful ones: layers, patterns, textural contrasts and red herrings.
Although I lined the sculpture up reasonably well with the r/h edge of the frame, the reflections make it look all catawampus. That doesn’t just allow me to use the word my sweetheart taught me (we would say ‘skew whiff’) but it also makes the picture seem more abstract. That seems fitting.
I tried cropping closer, but prefer the picture with the distractions in. They have an unsettling effect and they provide context for a bronze sculpture that has St Ives in its name.
I suspect the reflections of the houses humanise the bronze more than if the clean lines of a gallery were behind it. The sculpture seems to gaze out, watchfully or wistfully.
The colour combination is muted – natural stone, grey, plus a languid take on the traditional blue and white that symbolises Cornwall – helping the gleaming sculpture hold its own visually in the gallimaufry. Continue reading “Vertical Form (St Ives) By Barbara Hepworth With Reflections”
Stone In The Northern English Landscape
Today’s post is a celebration of stone. I’ve grown up seeing it used for buildings, country walls, and paths and miss it when I spend time in places where it is not so readily available. Stone is ancient and helpful: it softens, steadies, anchors.
My first stone bridge has pedigree. It’s one that the Brontë family used to cross the river across from the waterfall on the path that leads over the moor from Haworth to Top Withens. Actually the original bridge was swept away in a flood and this is a replacement, made to a similar design. Continue reading “Stone In The Northern English Landscape”
Crocus paschei and Iris Seeds
A fine pot of the spring flowering, pale lilac, species crocus, Crocus paschei, was exhibited at the Iris reticulata show by Sue Bedwell, taking first place in its class.
The flowers have a distinctive yellow throat and orange stamens. These ones had luminous petals with delicate veining, but the flowers can sometimes be a darker shade of lilac. Continue reading “Crocus paschei and Iris Seeds”
Blog
If you’ve landed here in search of my blog you’re in (roughly) the right place. Thanks for being here – I hope you’ll have time to linger, have some fun, and come back often.
Click here to see my most recent posts.
Those who already know how to find their way around might like to skip the rest of this post.
By scrolling around, you’ll find ways to explore earlier posts, including some of the most popular ones. If you’re looking for something specific, use the search box. It is towards the top of the right hand column if you’re viewing this full screen or down towards the bottom if your device presents this page as a single column.
The words in rectangles below the search box are frequently used tags. These are a quick way to search posts by topic. Click on any that takes your fancy.
If you’re here to see roses, there are lots on my site. Use this link.
This post has been repurposed from my original note to let regular readers know I was changing my blog’s theme. The encouraging comments below relate to that.
Susan Rushton 