BROOD

BROOD

Eggs have been decorated in the Ukraine for thousands of years, first with Pagan designs which were believed to have special powers. They were sometimes buried in fields to help bring in a good crop or put on the roof of a house to protect it from fire. When Christianity was brought to the Ukraine in 998AD., Christians adopted Pagan symbols, including eggs. The Pysanka is the most widely known of the various types of Easter eggs in the Ukraine and the art of decorating Pysanky has been handed down from mother to daughter for many generations. Each pattern has a special meaning. Flowers symbolise love and charity and lines encircling the egg represent eternity. White is for purity, red for happiness and black for remembrance.

Thank You Alberta

FOR ALBERTA: A FIREFLOWER ANGEL

Through her blog Amusing Muses, Alberta shares her glorious and uplifting artworks and Creative journaling, accompanied by beautiful music. Her blog dazzles with colourful creativity and her energy is infectious. So, I'm deeply honoured that she has chosen me as one of eight artists to receive the Creativ Blog award. When I began this blog in January, it took me a day to pluck up the courage to make a post and another day to put together two sentences to accompany my artwork - I was THAT afraid of what others would think! It is because of the kindness of creative spirits like Alberta that I am slowly finding the courage to express myself once more after several years of thinking that I'd never be creative again. Here's what the originators of the award have said: "This blog invests and believes in the PROXIMITY-nearness in space, time and relationships. These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement! Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers! Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this clever-written text into the body of their award."

Here are the names of the other blogs chosen by Alberta. They are all well worth taking time to visit and enjoy:
Artiphy the Heart
What's Up Roc
Bluebirds Living In The Meadow
Bulles Dores
Green Weeds
It Must Be Mice
Tumblefish Studio

and last, but not least, for those who have not yet vistited:
Amusing Muses

Make A Moo Or Two: Jigsaw Pieces

IF ONLY I COULD FIND THE MISSING PIECES
MAYBE I WOULD WORK OUT WHERE MY LIFE IS GOING

This week's Make A Moo Or Two challenge is to incorporate one or more jigsaw pieces into a Moo. Mine are from an incomplete vintage wooden puzzle, produced (probably in the 1950s) by the Great Western Railway Company, hence the title, originally meant as a light-hearted joke. It wasn't my intention to create something so sombre, but the Moo does reflect my feelings over last Christmas, just before I began this blog, so I'm happy to present it as a piece of miniature Art journaling and it's good to reflect how far I've come. The photograph was taken in about 1965 and the sullen expression on my face belies memories of a very jolly day trip to Rhyl or Weston-Super-Mare. These are places in Wales and Somerset where Black Country folk used to take their children for a day out. This was in the Olden Times when young people could still be kept reasonably amused by simple things, such as prodding their spades into dead jelly fish found on the beach. Had our mum and dad only ever taken us to Weston, we would have been expert Jellyfish vivisectionists but totally oblivious to the fact that going to the seaside actually involved seeing the sea, as the tide was always out by the time our Gliderways coach arrived there and invariably, didn't come back in until just after we had left.

Theme Thursday - Flowers

GROW!

This week's Theme Thursday challenge subject is flowers. My contribution is in Moo card format.

Credits: papers an

Fille d'un tambourin

FILLE D'UN TAMBOURIN

Sadly, I don't know the identity of the young woman. I have two portraits of her wearing carnival costume, taken by a photographer named Mrs. Holmes, one (dated 1896) at her studio at 4, Park Street, Lytham and the other at the Studio of Davis and Sons, also in Lytham.

Who Knows Where The Time Goes?

NOSTALGIE
Across the evening sky, all the birds are leaving
But how can they know it's time for them to go?
Before the winter fire, I will still be dreaming
I have no thought of time

For who knows where the time goes?
Who knows where the time goes?

Sad, deserted shore, your fickle friends are leaving
Ah, but then you know it's time for them to go
But I will still be here, I have no thought of leaving
I do not count the time
For who knows where the time goes?
Who knows where the time goes?
And I am not alone while my love is near me
I know it will be so until it's time to go
So come the storms of winter and then the birds in spring again
I do not fear the time

For who knows how my love grows?
And who knows where the time goes?

Who Knows Where The Time Goes: Sandy Denny

This week's Mixed Media Monday theme was Time.

For Christina

FOR CHRISTINA - NOW SHE IS FLYING WITH THE ANGELS

I've been working with some photographs taken last week in the beautiful churchyard at Painswick in Gloucestershire. This image began life as exterior shot of a stained glass window.