Small Stones 4

My word for October was commit.  I think I am sticking with this word for November too and so I am hoping I can commit to writing a small stone each day.


What is a small stone?

A small stone is a short piece of writing that precisely captures a fully-engaged moment.

Why write small stones?

When we translate something we’ve seen or experienced into words, it is necessary to pay more attention than we usually would. A few minutes of mindful attention (even once a day) helps us to engage with the world in all its beauty.

My knitting resting in the sun

flowing with colour and pattern

Bamboo needles, waiting for hands

to play a song

If you want to find out more about small stones, visit here Mindful Writing Tool: small stones.

Visit my friend's blog Tara Leaver, she is creating beautiful word art with stones she finds on the beach.

Small Stones 2

Blazing fire, orange glow

Weaving magic in Autumn's throe

Toasting toes, fireside bliss

Small Stones 1

Love my lemon slice
A floating mandala
A loving cup.

Clingfilm Art

This week over at the creative spark e-course, we have been playing with collage and  creating texture with gesso and acrylics, covering it with clingfilm and then smooching the paint around.  My  first attempt looked like this, I don't think I was generous enough with the gesso or the paint!

Getting more liberal with gesso and paint and then adding a little texture with sgraffito, my second attempt looked like this:

I have been continuing with the blind contour drawings as I really enjoy this process, I feel this is the best feather I have drawn so far and the words are taken from a Jonas Gerard video I watched about his creative process which is really fun to watch.

Sunny Day

It's been a warm and sunny day here and I decided to go on an extra long dog walk to soak up the sun, absorb some vitamin D and help Jasper burn of a few pounds as he seems to be "filling out" recently :)

Here are some pictures of my walk today:

Jasper having a paddle - I like the purple sunflare to the right of the photo!

A walk home via Witch Wood - love the outline of the trees

Sycamore Leaf - I used a filter on this to make it stand out and the areas of the leaf which had been nibbled turned out blue which I quite liked!

I used this picture of a leaf as inspiration for a pencil and water colour pencil drawing for today's assignment in Creative Spark, an e-course which started this last week  run by Tara Leaver who I met at an art retreat a couple of years ago.

I must admit it feels good to be putting pencil to paper again, it's been a long time!

Big Love

I went to see Fleetwood Mac at the MEN arena this week, a once in a lifetime opportunity to see a band I have listened to for many years with great admiration.  All of the band are in there 60's and here is a  clip I found on you tube of Lyndsey Buckingham (aged 63) playing at the MEN this week with  the track Big Love taken from the Tango In the Night album.

Sunday Baking

I had a few over ripe bananas hanging around the kitchen, each time I looked at them I thought to myself that I must make some banana bread.  When others pointed out the bananas were past their best as I said "they are perfect for making banana bread". So, the thoughts and the talk blended into Sunday morning baking action:

Mash two bananas

Mix butter & sugar together, add a couple of eggs and blend, fold in sifted flour with a dash of baking power and then add bananas

Pour mixture into a 2 Ibs loaf tin, top with sliced banana and a sprinkle of sugar, then bake!

Ta-Dah! - Yummy banana bread

A Walking Challenge

The inspiration for my walking challenge is a bit of a long story, perhaps too long for a blog post.  It never ceases to amaze me the connection we make with people in the on-line world, and I feel particularly lucky to have made a friend from the Joy Up Tribe who is currently walking the Via Francigena, the name of an ancient road and pilgrim route running from France To Rome, though it is usually considered to have its starting point much further away, in Canterbury.  The route passes through England, France, Switzerland and Italy.  In mediaeval times it was an important road and pilgrimage route for those wishing to visit the  Holy See and the tombs of the apostles Peter and Paul.

I got to know Kym just as she was making the final preparations to begin her pilgrimage, and there was something about her journey which really resonated with me and it was through an email conversation I had with my coach that the idea of me doing some kind of my own walking alongside Kym was born. So, the intention has been set to walk the Lancaster Canal (in stages) and last weekend was the start of my first leg of the journey.

The Lancaster Canal starts at the Preston terminus and ends in Tewitfield (Kendal), most of the canal runs through open countryside except where it runs through the City of Lancaster and is 42 miles along.

So here my walking challenge started here:

 There were many pretty gardens with decking over looking the canal:

Graffiti to be found on some of the bridges:

Reminders of the cotton years - Tulketh Mill, built at the height of Preston's cotton years but then lost its way as the old industry declined. With Carphone Warehouse taking over the mill in recent years, however, the old mill has taken on a new lease of life, having found a brand new role for the 21st century.

As the canal gently meanded it's way out of Preston, I was greeted with  pleasant countryside, with plenty of sheep and cattle grazing in the fields:

Plenty of wildlife to observe and enjoy:

Heron

 

Cute little white duck

I'm not sure how long I had been walking before I came across a stretch of canal which was very familiar to me at Salwick, this part of the canal is beautiful :

My walking companion Jasper waits ahead

Soaking up the beautiful energy from the trees

At this particular part of the canal, there are long-term moorings, this boat was all stocked up for winter with wood piled up on the tow-path:

Some boat owners have a sense of humour:

I planned to stop my journey at Brock and I knew I wasn't too far away when I got my first view of the Bowland Fells dark and brooding:

This particular boat name made me chuckle as I knew I would be on my own cloud wine when I got home:

 

Bridge 47 is where the first leg of my journey ended (approx 13 miles from the Preston Terminus)

The Green Man Bridge

I felt a sense of achievement having completed this first part of my canal journey, it's the longest I have ever walked with just myself and my dog for company, and although this journey is nothing compared to the pilgrimage that Kym is currently undertaking, I was still proud and I had a happy heart.

In her poem, Pilgrims Blessing, Macrina Widerkehr writes, "May the weather that's important be the weather of your heart."