The colors of Ireland

While in Ireland this past summer I had wanted to complete some watercolors. I did manage to get one done, and now it's framed and on my wall, so I'd like to share it with anyone who would like to look.
  Annes Grove was a mini castle, where I stayed for one week. I had a wonderful day painting this watercolor. It has been a long time sense I had done any painting of this nature, but, as you can see one doesn't forget how. I love the way it turned out, and I wish I had time to do others while there. As it is I came home with so many pictures I will do more this winter. I don't keep all my paintings, and less are framed, but this one is special. It's about 81/2" x 11", so it's not overly large.  A nice size for framing.

How far ahead....

Do you plan? I seem to always be at least four or five projects {and most of the time a lot more than that} ahead of myself. The list for next spring has already began to grow, and what I would like to do this winter doesn't need mentioning. It's already quite long.
  So how do you handle your lists? Don't keep one? Ignore it once it's made? Get started with the best of intentions, but end up not doing much? Welll..... procrastination is the worse enemy of getting things done. I don't have that problem, as I don't waste time procrastinating about anything. I do spend time problem solving. Big difference.
  So for you who do have that problem, it's easy to get around it.
  Pick one thing, anything you are really interested in, and work on it.
Don't think about the rest, just think about that one thing. It might help to divide up the tasks to complete the project and assign yourself days/dates to have that one part finished by. Make it simple. The easier the better to start, as it will encourage you to complete that task and move on to the next.
  The feeling one gets from completing something is the best encouragement to getting other things done. So try your hand at completing something.... not working on it.
  You might surprise yourself.

Finding the Silver lining

For sometime now I have been getting "glimmering", of new ideas and designs and a few whole new directions to go in. Then it dawned on me, why I am happiest when I'm creating. At that time, in that space, I don't need anyone else's approval. What I make or create, is only responsive to me. What I like or how I like something to look, I have the say on what is used and what is discarded. I don't need a bunch of people sitting around telling me what looks best, and that frees me to be as creative as I can be. And then, as I do like to share what I create, if others enjoy it, than all good, and wonderful. If they don't, then they can go and do their thing.
   It reminds me of the one year at a craft sale I was at, watching two little old ladies walking around, and "judging" what they saw. Mostly they were telling each other, "Oh I can go home and make that." But what would you like to bet they never did?
  The art of being creative, be it simple, or involved, is something special, not to be ignored or put down. Shared... yes every time we open our "door" to show someone what we have made, created, or designed, and each persons creation is unique and special.
  I find it very distasteful when one person takes over, and then tells the others {be it openly or in private emails} to ignore what someone has done because it's not correct or whatever terminology she cares to use. But what that boils down to is control, crowd mentality, destroying the creative spirit. All I can say is shame on you, if your guilty of this and far worse, trying to "kill" off your competition so you won't have to compete. Where this will leave you eventually is stagnate, uncreative, and lacking in forward thinking and involvement in new skills, as well as being just plain behind the times.
  I've seen what people become when they have no-one to challenge their thinking process. It becomes very one sided. You don't have to agree with the other person, but for pity sake, are you so desperate you have to resort to such tactics?
  I'm not in business, nor do I plan on ever being in business. What time I have left is for sharing what I have learned, gleaned, or created, and that is my right, no matter what you have to say.
  If others follow your suit, then they can miss out on whatever I can share from a life time of learning, and creating as well, and I'm not sorry about that as I think they are sheep following a goat. Someday, they just might wish they had been a bit less... stupid. Sorry but you call a spade a spade.
  Anyway, when next someone tries to share something with you, be a bit more open. And look a little closer at what is offered. It's called "finding the silver lining".

STONEHENGE

Last but not least on this day's tour was Stonehenge. I really did walk among the stones. You couldn't touch them, but there I was non the less, standing where I never thought I would ever stand. Right in the middle of the stones, and then I was all around the center, taking pictures. Many had other people in them because we were allowed in 23 at a time for 25 minutes. But I did manage to get many shots with no-one in them. I have over 100 pictures, so again I can't, and wouldn't anyway, share all of them as this turned out to be very personal for me. I felt a deep resonance within the stone circle, that even now I can still feel. I will be forever glad I was able to make this tour. So if they tell you, or someone says, I wasn't there..... Here are the pictures to prove I was.
  We were there at sunset, and it had been raining part of the day. The wind was blowing and it was cold out there. But it was worth it.

The Roman Baths

After I sprinted down to meet up with the group, I found I had time to see the baths myself, so I took off and went through the roman baths.
What follows are pictures of the baths {not all of them of course, just to many to show you all of them}. I went around the top part first then dropped down to the lower level, with rooms showing uncovered parts of the old roman baths, pools etc.

These are a model of what it would have looked like back went it was built.

These pictures are of the cathedral there in Bath.

Me in front of the main door.

From here we went to a little village called Laecock.

Marionette

  While in france I had bought a little marionette doll but when I had looked later it was the wrong one. I just received in the mail the correct one and this is Puss & Boots. The one I had bought. It is porcelain and really cute. Although I can't read a word of french, someday I'll have to translate what the enclosed paper has to say.