Graffitti Challenge

This is the picture we've been given for this weeks Challenge

on the Digital Whispers site.

I had absolutely no idea what to do with it! It's not my sort of 'Art.'

Finally I decided to use the picture as background, digitally manipulated the artwork

and turned it into a modern day Panda painting!

The finished result made me smile anyway.

Perhaps it's the Panda!

New Home

At last I got to see my sister's new bungalow! She picked me up at 11am. yesterday and we drove over with the car packed with more 'stuff'. It's not quite an hours' drive from me, it's situated in a lovely Broadland village, on a quiet road and with fields behind her.
Her SIL was still busily painting when we arrived and the house smelled clean, I love the smell of a freshly painted room.
Most of the carpets have been laid, the cooker installed and it is looking beautiful. She is having some new curtains and the aubergine colour scheme in the sitting room is beautiful.
Moving day is June 9th. so won't be long now.
I could happily live there myself.......

Around the World

Sea Horses

Night Time Rose

My Great Grandchildren

School photos were never like this in my day. These were taken at Play school and they even include younger siblings. Aren't they just great? Or am I really biased?

Second Fiddle

Sir George Solti, the famous Conductor. was once asked which he thought was the most difficult instrument to play.

He said that in his opinion it must be the second fiddle, as they were certainly the most difficult to recruit.
It was usually easy to get first violins but a second fiddle with great enthusiasm was hard to find.

Then he added a really telling thought.....
'Most of us find it very difficult to play second fiddle. If, on the other hand, all the second fiddles in an orchestra stopped playing, we would really be well and truly sunk.'

I'm not really asleep...I'm just thinking....

Can you do this...?

Little Librarians

Bluebird

Good Maxims

Good maxims for work, colleagues and for how we live our lives at home.....

We listen more than we talk.
We smile more than we frown.
We think 'we' more than 'me'.
We agree more than disagree.
We compliment more than we criticise.
We laugh more than we cry.
We do more than we don't.
We act more than we react.
We save more than we squander.
We work more than we whine.

These informal 'rules' give good results and happy relations.

Another page for Helen

We're coming to the end of Helen's photographs now. I have already made her a photo Album on ArtsCow and then comes the big job of getting them in order.

May Faire

Well it started off dry but then it rained and rained but still people came, wrapped up in macs, wellies and umbrellas. Lots of visitors as well as local people, we had a wonderful day, lots of fun and laughter. I did well with my Treasure Map and the lady next to me had brought a Bagatelle Board. The competition between sons and fathers, brothers and sisters was hilarious to watch, with much shouting and cheering, all to see who had got the highest score. I think it was such a refreshing change from computer games, the kids had probably never seen one and the parents went back to childhood.

They were busy all day with refreshments, my daughter turned up at lunchtime to do her stint of washing up. Everyone went out with bags and armfuls of books, bric-a-brac and goodies. The Cake stall was groaning with mouthwatering sponges, fruit loaves and delicious looking offerings and of course was the first to have a complete sell-out.

I couldn't keep my eyes open by 9 o'clock last night!

Himself took a phone call from France to say Son and DIL had arrived safely. That's good news.

Art Creations Friday

                              This is my effort for the Art Creations Friday Challenge 76

                                                                 Back to School

And this is the picture supplied

Saint Dorothy

My work

Miraculous

This is a picture of a rock formation near a lake in Burma . The photo can

only be taken on a specific day once a year when the sun rays touch the rocks at a certain angle.



 
 
Tilt your head to the left and then look at it again.
 
Here's what you see....
 

Isn't that just something!!

 
 

Well tomorrow is our May Faire at the Chapel. I am going this afternoon to help set things up. We have had loads of gifts, books and bric-a-brac given and tomorrow I know we shall have an abundance of tasty home made cakes and goodies.
I shall set up my little Treasure Map and sit there from 10am till 4pm. in my wheelchair. My daughter has to work in the morning but she will come along at 2pm. to lend a hand wherever needed.
All we want now are people with pennies to spend!!

My dear Coz has at last said Goodbye to his little car. It has served him like a faithful friend but sadly has come to the end of the road, so to speak. I'm sure very soon he will find something so he is mobile again.

Helen is back from her little jaunt and I missed doing her pages last week. So yesterday she sent a few more pics and I worked on them last night. I think we are just about there. All we need now is a Title and Introduction and sort out the order........

At midnight last night my son and DIL set off for France with a loaded car as usual. It's quite a drive once they are over the Channel but they share the driving. He told me yesterday he's packed and only needed some clean underwear, a couple of T shirts and a couple of pairs of jeans. He cannot understand that his wife has to take a large suitcase of clothes which she might not wear, and in spite of having a load of clothes sitting in the apartment already!
I would have thought by now he'd have a little more understanding of how women think..........

Just a Thought

For You......

Where there is pain, may you have peace and mercy.
Where there is self-doubting, may you have new confidence.
Where there is tiredness or exhaustion, may you have understanding, patience and renewed strength.
Where there is fear, may you have love and fresh courage.

More..So Tired....

Every day....

Every day is a fresh beginning;
Lighten my soul to the glad refrain.
In spite of old sorrows
And older sinning,
Troubles forecasted
And possible pain,
Take heart with the day and begin again.

Susan Coolidge wrote this in 1835.

Rosie

Forget-me-not

Earlier generations were much more disciplined and tidiness was one of the things that meant so much. Our grandmother's rule was -A place for everything and everything in its place.

Some old ideas still apply in todays world. How about this notice....?

 If you open it, close it.
If you turn it on, turn it off.
 If you unlock it, lock it up.
If you break it, admit it.
 If you borrow it, return it.
If you move it, put it back.
 If you make a mess, clean it up.

More...So Tired

I made this picture yesterday, a gorgeous Flapper from the 1920's.

Be careful

This is not scripture but I find it is something we should always  remember...........


Be careful of your thoughts, for your thoughts become your words

Be careful of your words, for your words become your actions

Be careful of your actions, for your actions become your habits

Be careful of your habits, for your habits become your character

Be careful of your character, for your character becomes your destiny!

So tired....

It's cooler today. Suits me fine. I am just back from the dentist. Hard to keep your mouth open for an hour, unable to speak and difficult to swallow. It was unpleasant but worth it as I now have a lovely looking new tooth in the front so I can smile freely at all and sundry! LOL!

The garden is looking lovely. Himself works very hard at it and everyone who calls comments on how nice it is. I have three miniature fruit trees in the front garden; a pear, an apple and a crabapple. The two apples have been full of blossom so we'll have lots of fruit. The apple and pear seem to fruit alternate years and this year it is the turn of the apple. We had lots of pears last year. Wonderful considering they are not very old.

The Choisya is decked out like a bride's headdress; the clematis has clawed all over the side wall and is bursting with blossoms. The Canary Bird rose has looked wonderful but has now gone over, she'll have a second blooming later. My Weigela is a gorgeous dark red, the lilac is in full bloom and it lifts my heart to see nature's glory.

There is a new advert on TV, a squashy stuffed polar bear sitting in the freezer, advertising Bird's Eye peas and another I haven't seen yet with Bears in the Motel.
I hear that since Pinky's Election failure, he is thinking of opening his own Agency to manage Bears in Ads!!
He's been browsing glossy brochures of Time Shares and Bentley motor cars and has taken to wearing a trilby......

What will he come up with next I wonder............

Challenge

For Kimmie's first challenge on Digital Whispers Blog she has given Hollywood as a subject and supplied some images to use, we are to use at least 4 of the 5 images. This is what I came up with. Great fun!

New work

I don’t believe that God put us on this earth to be ordinary. ~ Lou Holtz


and.....

The ordinary arts we practice every day at home are of more importance to the soul than their simplicity might suggest. ~ Thomas More

I don't believe any of us are 'ordinary'. We are all unique, different, full of varied ideas and imagination, some good, some bad and it's up to all of us to do the best with what we have...........

I did another page for the Movement Challenge,

this time a flamenco dancer.

Cartwheels

I could do cartwheels forever and ever!
Build a kingdom out of sand
Write my name above the rainbow
Ride my bike across foreign lands.

I could climb my mashed potato
Knock down Indians propelling peas
Turn my Yorkshire puds to caverns
Ride fish fingers upon the seas.

I could gather up the stars at bedtime
Go explore the milky way
Share my tea with alien monsters
Back in bed by break of day.

And I could do cartwheels forever and ever
Build a kingdom out of sand
Write my name above the rainbow
Ride my bike across foreign lands.

Louise Bish

A budding Marilyn?

Just Dance!!

Lists

I have lots to do this week so I've resorted to List making. I always find if things start to get on top of me a List in your hands is the ideal thing. You can cross off a job when it's completed and you can then actually see your progress. When everything in your mind seems chaotic a List brings back some semblance of order and you can progress fairly seamlessly from one task to another.
I love Lists!!

I still haven't got the prizes for my Treasure Map and all these things culminate in the Chapel Sale on Saturday......

Move House?

My sister in Oz says she is going to move house to Houston, Texas and when she's there she's going to set fire to her house.....

She says she's going to make sure it's a big fire as she wants them all to come.....

Just for fun

I did these yesterday. I found the 20's image of the woman, she had some sort of statue on the table which I removed and replaced with the crystal ball. What on earth she was doing in the original pic is anybody's guess.
And of course the 50's was my era. Happy memories.....

Latest Challenge

This was the picture for the Challenge. The subject was Movement.

I am not entirely happy with my result but I posted it anyway.