TAKE A WORD

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Wishing all my bloggy friends a HAPPY and HEALTHY 2015 and hoping it's everything you are wishing for!

Credit to BethRimmer and CAJoline.

THE THREE MUSES

PHOTO PLAY

Following a very harrowing few days for these two very special girls, a trip to the seaside was the order of the day.  We visited the sites, enjoyed a fish and chip lunch, ate ice cream, dawdled along the prom and then, just before we set off for home, they wanted to dip their toes in the sea.  And why not! As I watched them enjoying the experience I saw in my mind's eye the beautiful memory that moment would always be.  But it never would have evoked the same magic had it not been transformed itself!

Thank you for looking.

Update ..

Following his cardiac surgery Matthew is home and doing very well.  Thank you, my bloggy friends, for your good wishes and kind words.  :D

Thank You ...

A special thank you to Marie and Bev who can always be depended upon to pick up the batten.  :D


        Wishing you all a very happy and healthy 2015.

A RARE VISIT FROM MABEL

 

Hi folks, just a quick note to let you know you probably won't hear much from me over the next week or so because our son Matthew is to undergo major cardiac surgery tomorrow.

However, whilst I'm away Mabel has insisted on stepping into the breach and has answered Marie's  call for a theme of WINTER at Take a Word this week!  She even favoured me with a sprinkling of the white stuff.

 

Take care!

THE THREE MUSES

If you look through a Gothic window there's no telling what you'll see. Something vintage perhaps.

Created for the Three Muses challenge where this week we're  taking inspiration from a Vintage Gothic Arch theme.

Credit to KerstenFrank and OnsidianDawn.

Thank you for looking.

WINTER SUNSHINE

I'm not a fan of November.   It's misty, murky, damp and miserable and I have to keep reminding myself that December will be along shortly promising bright, crisp, cold days full of light.  So when December arrived last week it was time to be out and about.  We chose a trip to the east coast.  Scarborough or Whitby - either would be a treat.  But Whitby won in the end.

As we came in over the top of the Yorkshire moors we spied Whitby below and we knew we were in for a lovely day.

The sun was shining, so the day was bright and full of light, and the sea was calm enough to capture almost perfect reflections.  I had two cameras with me and I made full use of both until the batteries gave up.

The Abbey on top of the cliff ... it gets nearer to the edge every time we visit.

Then there was a little bit of drama.  As we were peering over the sea wall the lifeboat was launched .. off to rescue a small boat in difficulties.   It was almost out of frame before I could capture it on camera.  The little boat was brought safely back to harbour.

Then it was time to make our way home across the Yorkshire moors where someone, a few years ago, thought it would be amusing to 'trim up' one of the pine trees by the side of the road in full Christmas style.  It WAS amusing and on this trip we counted seven fully laden 'Christmas' trees all ready for the  festive season.

TAKE A WORD

We have ANGEL as our word for inspiration at TAKE A WORD this week and  that reminded me of the girl I saw a week last Tuesday looking for all the world a little bit worse for wear and I thought  .. is that a fallen angel?  Perhaps it was or perhaps she was only taking a breather before catching up with her friends at the next cocktail bar!  Who knows.

Credit to SharingTubes, Starscoldnight (DA) and RubyBlossom.

Thank you for looking.

THE THREE MUSES

WHIRLS and SWIRLS are required this week at the Three Muses so I looked for a girl in a swirly whirly hat.  Ta Dah!

Credit to SharingTubes.

Thank you for looking.

TAKE A WORD

WHEN IS A DOOR NOT A DOOR  .. WHEN IT'S AJAR!

I think that's the first riddle I ever remember being asked as a child - and I didn't 'get' it.   A jar is a jar is a jar .. surely!  The subtleties of imagery were still to develop in my childish brain. 

Anyway it obviously hung around in my subconscious because here it is now - sort of!  :D

Created for the TAKE A WORD challenge where this week our word for inspiration is DOOR.

Credit to HolliewoodStudio.

Thanks for looking.

THE THREE MUSES

STARING AT THE MOON

We have SILHOUETTE as our theme at the Three Muses this week ... and that reminded me of what I saw from my bedroom window one night last week.  When I came to my senses I realised we were all three staring at the Moon!

Credit to SharingTubes, KerstenFrank and Tamari.

Thank you for looking.

TAKE A WORD

We are taking ORGANICS as our word for inspiration this week at TAKE A WORD and that reminded me of the strange scene I saw the other week when we were in the Scottish Highlands.  There, sitting on a mushroom, was a girl.  There was a bicycle near by so I'm thinking she was taking a well earned rest before she carried on further up the mountain.

Credit to Sharing Tubes.

Thank you for looking.

THE SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS - GLENCOE

 

 As promised here's a flavour of our recent holiday in the Scottish Highlands.  Following an eight hour drive we arrived at our destination of Glencoe.  The directions from the cottage owner were a little out so we found ourselves piling out of the car at a lovely little house with a notice pinned to its gate asking us to close the gate to keep the deer out of the garden.  Metal gates ... the directions said wooden gates!!!

A second scrutinizing of the directions and we saw we should be 200 yards further along and on the other side of the road.  Yes, there were the wooden gates and as soon as the herd of highland cattle were through their own wooden gate the way was clear to find our way to our own home from home.

You'll see the house in a moment but first just feast your eyes on the views we were luckily enough to have from that cottage perched high on a hill overlooking the mountain range known as Bidean nam Bian : with its nine peeks and three corries.   It's the same view in a range of weather conditions.  Oh wow!

We unpacked, lit the open fire, ate dinner and drank the bottle of complimentary wine kindly left by the owner and looked forward to the following day when we would start our little adventure.

Next morning a five minute walk brought us to the beautiful, quaint and picturesque village of Glencoe and from  there we set off on the first of many walks.

Along woodland paths, over little streams and out into the majesty of wonderful Scottish pine forests and mountains.  Oh joy!  My camera was white hot!  :D

A different walk on a different day took us to a small lake with a mirror still surface.   It was created by a Canadian man for his Canadian wife to remind her of home.   We spent hours there taking in the views and making heavy use of our cameras.  The photo below of the lake shows the Pap of Glencoe mirrored in its depths.  Beautiful.

Though our trip to Loch Ness was less successful .... it rained and rained and rained.  Ah well!

 

The Pap of Glencoe

Loch Leven flows out to the sea

The banks of Loch Leven

An Torr with water cascading from its summit

A derelict house with trees growing through its roof.  We daydreamed as we walked about rebuilding it and living there. 

Mmmmm I thought these were poisonous!

Tree mosses cover the branches of many trees in this very wet part of the UK

A dark and moody Loch Ness!

THE THREE MUSES

TIME ON YOUR HANDS

We are illustrating a TIME QUOTE this week at the Three Muses and this one is mine!

Credit to Orchidee's for the watch brushes whilst the hands are free to use.

Thank you for looking.

TAKE A WORD

Watch out MONA is about this week at Take a Word.  I was dreading where she would turn up this time but having seen Miss Insubstantial on my blog a couple of weeks ago she demanded to be measured for the outfit.  What could I do? 

Credit to Sharing Tubes and to JoesSistah.

Thank you for looking.

THE THREE MUSES

ENJOY THE FLIGHT

We have WHITE SPACE as our theme at the Three Muses this week and that reminded me of my new neighbour, who is of a 'theatrical' nature.  She sings sweet songs and  dances so daintily I expect  to see her take flight!! 

Credit to Simka.

Thank you for looking.

TAKE A WORD

We have PINK as our word for inspiration this week at Take a Word.  I love PINK but I'm not too good at making art with it ... but I got there in the end!

Credit to CAJoline and Kubivet.

Thank you for looking.

Photos from my holiday in Scotland to follow later in the week.

DIGITALMANIA

INSUBSTANTIAL

Created for the Digitalmania challenge where this week we're taking inspiration from the work of Alberto Seveso.

Credits can be found at Digitalmania.

Thank you for looking.

THE THREE MUSES

It's TAKE FRIGHT at the Three Muses this week .. and I thought a perfect opportunity to introduce you to the Queen of Under Earth!  Quite a fright but nothing a little make up wouldn't remedy.

Forgive me if I don't get around to commenting on your work this week it's because I will be swanning off to the Highlands of Scotland for a week, where hopefully there will be much eating, drinking, walking and pampering going on.  :D

Credit to Marta Van Eck and Sharing Tubes.

Thank you for looking.

TAKE A WORD

We have VINTAGE as our word for inspiration this week at TAKE A WORD and that reminded me of this beautiful photograph I spied at a flea market last week.  I wonder who she was and what was making her smile so happily?

Nope, that's a wicked lie, I didn't find it at a flea market, this is all credit to Itkupilli.

Thank you for looking.

THE THREE MUSES

DRESS UP

We have SHADES OF BLUE as our theme at the Three Muses this week and who doesn't love shades of blue!

Credit to Bluesse and JoesSistah.

Thank you for looking.

TAKE A WORD

YES DEAR!

We have MASCULINE  as our word for inspiration at TAKE A WORD this week and so off I went to search my stash for a suitable man!  Then I found him (and her) and knew my Muse would do the rest.  And so she did!

Credit to Pixel Music for the labels, the girl and the postage.  The remainder of the images are copyright free to use.

Thank you for looking.

DIGITALMANIA

 

Across at Digitalmania this week Marie has challenged us to take inspiration from the work of LK PERRELLA.   This one is inspired by her two page spread art journals.

Credit to SharingTubes and HolliewoodStudio.

Thank you for looking.

THE THREE MUSES

SOLITUDE

It's the PRINTED WORD at the Three Muses this week and that reminded me of the joy we often find in words!

Credits go to Sharing Tubes.

Thank you for looking.

TAKE A WORD

ALTERNATIVE TRAVEL

Marie has chosen UMBRELLA as our word for inspiration this week at TAKE A WORD and that reminded me of  the one I saw sailing majestically across the sky a week last Tuesday morning.   Yes ... as true as I sit here there it was sailing silently past Big Ben.   Well, if I'm honest there were two brollies really,  the one impersonating a boat and the one which I can only guess was used to shade the 'gentleman' from inclement weather.   The 'boat' was spilling water as it travelled and that's what caused everyone walking along the embankment to be using their brolly .... I expect they thought it was raining.

I mention all this because it occurred to me there are so many good uses for an umbrella if only we give it enough thought!

Credit to HoneyDesigns and Bluesse (Deviant art).

Thank you for looking.

THE THREE MUSES

 

IT'S ALL A GAME

We are taking GAME BOARDS as our inspiration at the Three Muses this week and I thought you might be interested in this game I have tucked away for a rainy day!  What can I say!

Credit to JoesSistah for the basis of the background and to NumbBumm for the clouds (they are great clouds and I use them all the time).  The remainder is dis n dat from my stash.

Thank you for looking.

TAKE A WORD

 

We have INSECTS as our word for inspiration at Take a Word this week and that reminded me of the haunting song I heard from my window the other night.  It was dark when I peeped out but I saw there the strangest girl I have seen for a long time ... she appeared to be calling the spiders to her .... in preparation for Halloween I imagine.  A bit early in my opinion.

Credit to CAJoline for the most part though one or two pieces of free to use clipart were also used.  My own textures were used for layering and blending.

Thank you for looking.

HAPPINESS IS ......

HAPPINESS IS A BOX OF CHOCOLATES 

For this vintage beauty it's chocolate at least!  Me, it's the smell of new mown grass, children playing, a bowl of geraniums reflected in a dark wood surface, a walk in the sunshine, wild flowers, solitude, boats bobbing - waves gently caressing their underbellies,  blank sheets of paper, remembered childhood games,  old friends,  the smells from primary school (plasticine, chalk and poster paints) oh and chocolate, of course ... and so, so much more .....

Credit to PaperMoonsKits for the gorgeous array of chocolate, the vintage beauty is in the public domain and the fonts are Times New Omen and Cooper Std.

Thank you for looking.