Whilst on holiday

We were staying a little bit south of Canterbury when we were on holiday the other week. One of the days we headed to the Cathedral to explore. Here’s an amazing sculpture outside of the Cathedral.

Canterbury War Horse. :
To commemorate the centenary of the end of The First World War, created by students and staff from Canterbury School of Visual Arts at Canterbury College.

And then just a photo of the horse in the field next to our cottage.

Something on Saturday

Treasure 9

This is a very special treasure. I showed it on Remembrance Day, but it is worth putting it on the Treasure list.

A poppy from the installation at the Tower of London. We didn’t get to see the spectacle, but the images on TV and internet really stick with you.

From the website:
Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red

The major art installation Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red at the Tower of London, marked one hundred years since the first full day of Britain's involvement in the First World War. Created by artists Paul Cummins and Tom Piper, 888,246 ceramic poppies progressively filled the Tower's famous moat between 17 July and 11 November 2014. Each poppy represented a British military fatality during the war.
(Video from Tower of London website.)

I like Thankful Thursday

Phewww! I really, really like that I can work on the computer without getting nauseous!
I have a collection of photos I have been holding back for I like Thursday. Being the type of post that wants several photos, I just wasn't managing to face the computer for them.
I like to resize my photos so it doesn't take up so much room in the random place where blogger stores them. And not so much data for viewers to download. But, so far, I haven't worked out how to do this on my phone. I take pretty much all of my photos on the phone now.

Besides that, I like that I can do a bit of word processing to get my posts just right, without going insane with the way that it is either Very small, or it jumps around on my phone when I try it. Tada! Lots of sorting done at a size I can manage!

So... for today.
When I went for my glasses the other day, I saw this lovely lady in Princess Square.

This week is half-term. In Bracknell town centre they have set up a Fantasy Fairy Trail. I don't know what else was involved, but I loved this lady sculpted in greenery. I didn't touch her, so I don't know if it was real shrubbery (isn't that a fun word?) or not. Either way, I think it is cool.

As you know, I like Amaryllis flowers. This one was given to me by a friend at Christmas.

It has been amazing. This is the 3rd flower shoot!

Since I missed posting after Valentines day, you can see them this week.
I like how Thoughtful the Thoughtful Man is...
Dark red roses... ✔️

Card and chocolates...✔️

heart-shaped microwave heating pad ✔️✔️ Hurrah! Great for the neck when it is causing a headache.

I like it when I 'see things' that are unexpected. Such as a face in the minute steak I cooked for our Valentines Day meal.

Meet the man in the meat!

As usual, check out more of the other likes from the links on LeeAnna's blog.

I like Thankful Thursday

On Monday, I had a cataract surgery on my right eye. 😵Depending the result, I will update this to let you know how I am! I need to give it a few days rest, so I am setting this up to post without me.

I like K+S! Last Thursday I went to the Knitting and Stitching Show with my friend. I did take a lot of photos, but many of them weren't intended to go on the Internet.

However, I always like to see what the fashion students at Kings Ely have made. Quite a bit of theatre about them, but interesting anyway.

Sometimes you can just see what technique they were focusing on or what unit of study.

But most of them have a good grasp of how to make something work 3D - which is really what garments are because they have to go round the 3D moving shape which is the body.

And here is a detail of the work of Natalya Aikens that was in the SAQA Gallery "Concrete and Grasslands". I really like her work!

Natalya works a lot with repurposed materials, often plastics built up and stitched with images of New York buildings or bridges, but this piece is one from her St. Petersburg series that repurposes old laces to make a wonderful image of one of the crumbling buildings of St. Petersburg, Russia where she was born.

and of course, when my brain is on inspiration or art alert, I like what I see with a different view.

Quick photo of these braces (or whatever) spotted through the open door on the Picadilly Line. We were on the way to the show. I like the pattern they make.

So, hopefully my eye will be rested for next week. Apologies if I am unable to post.
But either way, today or any other Thursday you can see more I likes via the links at LeeAnna's blog.

In the long back garden

While we were in Dorset, we took the Steam Train to Swanage.

Here is a story...
Holly was so funny. When she runs out in our back garden to be sure the magpie isn't landing or to see if any cats have got in, she doesn't exactly bark. She kind of does a hoarse  "hooff hooff" as she runs around sniffing through the fence and the back gate.
In the long back garden at the cottage, you could hear the chuff, chuff of the steam train heading out on it's journey from the station to Swanage or to Wareham. You could even hear the toot as it sounded at different times of the day.
The first evening, when Holly heard the chuff, chuff of the steam train; she ran out in the garden vigorously saying, "hooff hooff" "hooff hooff"!  Well, if something was hooffing that loudly, she sure didn't want it getting near her people!

However, it was quite different when she was inside the big hooffing machine! She dived under the table when it started chuffing to head out of the station to Swanage. Unfortunately her back end was in the aisle, but still! So, we got her underneath properly and she stuck close to her 'dad'.

So, that was the story to get to the point where I show photos we took of the headland by 'Old Harry'. We didn't walk out there, but on the promenade in the opposite direction and along the path near a public garden where it had more shade.  Swanage has a lovely beach, but the tide was right in, and the one beach with a bit of space didn't allow dogs.

We were far enough along the other side of the curve the harbour made, to be able to see the chalk cliff and with zoom get a photo of the area around the stacks which make up what is called 'Old Harry and his wife'.

In the backgarden there were some lovely flowers. One section seemed to be planted specifically for the bees.
Love in a Mist

Purple Cranesbill (of the pelargonium family?)

pink Sweet William - (I had only seen red and white ones before)

White yarrow (Not cow parsley/Queen Anne's Lace, I don't think.)

I just wanted to take a photo looking at them from the same height. I had seen photos like that on a gardening show. I like the little touch of purple from another flower.

Thankful on Friday instead.

Lots going on right now. It might seem odd, but some days it is a bit too much to add to coping levels for the day by turning on the computer.

Anyway, I like that the new physio I have been referred to, who is meant to help me with leg pain and mobility, looks to be prepared to really help and not just want me to 'manage the pain'.

and that going to hospital means I could pick up some more books in the bookshop and going to the library means even more!

I like I have had some time to work on some clothes for me. One I cut out is an eyelet lace, which will have white underlining.

I love the thatched cottage we stayed in when we were in Dorset on holiday the other week.

Our bit is on the right. The left side is where the owner of our self-catering cottage lived.

The whole street had houses with climbing roses up and over the door.

I really liked that it was amazingly sunny and warm enough to read at any number of spots in the garden there.

and that there were signs which said I should be there.

I love that Dorset has a Dragon drinking water.

I like castle ruins and finding out the story about them.

Corfe Castle ruins

The wheels worked really well, but I didn't go up to the castle. Normally that would be one of the first things I would do. But, this time I decided to listen to reports from the Thoughtful Man and his dog.

hot and tired

This was at a cafe in a little courtyard. Every time we walked past the entrance on our way here or there, Holly decided we should go down there. Even though there was no real reward for her. We did eat there 3 days and saw the model village there on one day. We called it Holly's dinner place.

More holiday photos on another day.

Also, during these past few weeks...
 I very much like that my Fly Me to the Moon piece 'Moonlight Groovin' has been used in publicity for that gallery by the organisers of the Festival of Quilts.

and that my Ramshackle Suburbs will be part of the Fine Art Quilts Masters.

and that it is still a bit of a secret because they only used the detail photo for the publicity. People have to go to the gallery to actually see the whole of it...unless they follow my blog. But still, a little photo on a blog and standing in front of a piece nearly 2metres by 1.10 metres, two very different experiences.

Check out more likes from the others taking part...links on LeeAnna's blog.

Something on Saturday

As we were in Filey last week, I didn't post a cow.
But, I took a photo of an interesting one!

Cow 24

I said to my son. This is a bit confusing. It is dressed in a waistcoat and tie like a bull, but has udders.

He laughed at me...Nevermind that it is a cow standing up eating an ice cream.

Oh, yeah. small point.

And for today.

Cow 25

A Beswick Ayreshire Calf

Ok. this is spooky. I just did a Google search just to find out the breed of this calf and discover it is worth some money! Depending on who wants it. Hmm.
It was produced til late 70's. Perhaps I picked it up at a jumble sale or something? Or someone else did and gave it to me. I can't remember.

And some of my others show up on the search, too. I need to look at their tummies. I only knew this was Beswick when I went to take the photo.

Well, there we are!

Already 1 week!

My screen shots from last week.

I love the ones with the silhouettes of the tops of the buildings.

on the train journey today

Attention to detail

Positive and negative

a little matter of fences

or 'Woodin fence'?

Glad they left it! The bit on the right looks like a poodle head.

Magna Carta Legacy quilts

As I said yesterday, accompanying the quilts with the story of King John and the Magna Carta, were quilts depicting people through the years who were leading figures in the field of human rights. These are called the Legacy Quilts.
You can read more about the quilts and the making of them at the Magna Carta Quilt website.

Again I apologise for the photo quality because of the very bright lighting coming from the window. Better photos can be seen at the above link.

The quilts are currently on display at the IQA show in Houston.