Someone left the paint out in the rain ...

So I painted a lion in one of the last services before lockdown, and added layers of chalk at home one night while doing a social distancing ‘cake church’ with Mike and the Fuzzies. I wasn’t sure how much I liked it but sat with it for a while. 

Then I sat wondering when it would rain. The weather during lockdown has been fabulous. Perfect for children to walk home from school in and here we are, all home-based. I knew that when it did rain I was going to shove this gauche-and-hairspray-fixed-chalk lion outside to let something performance art style to happen. 

So today my ever thoughtful lion spent the day on the front lawn (away from the dog) until after my home made cheese and onion pie dinner. 

I found him remarkably intact and quite fresh looking with much of the brown shades removed. Incase you are wondering, the canvas is stretched curtain off-cut onto a pre made frame, up cycling. 

I’m not sure what I’ll do with him next. Watch this space! 

Making designer cushions home-ed style! 1

The last day of August is as rainy as ever .... So having spotted some expensive designer wildlife cushions on line we decide to make our own. Only better!

Using Flickr as inspiration each of us chose a different animal and despite the grey day, the window still worked as a light box ...

Mary has been in a meerkat phase for quite sometime now... Waxy coloured pencils are being used to trace the basic shapes. Topsy the cat can be seen clearly not helping ...

We are working on pieces of toile that have been washed and pressed, using acrylic paints. Most of us used them like watercolour but Matty has applied much of hers quite thickly ...

Mary doenst think she is good at painting! She is going to do the eyes in fabric pastel! That's the next step once these all dry.

I painted a familiar pet ...

Clean up time while the paint dries!

spring rain ...

using the stickers and instructions in our potato growers kit, we made this lovely rain gauge ...

and then it rained ... sorry about that ...



following our pipeworks from last year, we had a repair done to the cement on the patio, and of course we had to leave our mark. our hands looked great after the rain had filled them too ...



i like this time of year, the light is brighter, the days longer and things are growing ... soon i hope to see a shoot from one of our aforementioned potatoes ...

All about saturday ...

see? up close i am very, very pretty ....
Originally uploaded by RaggyRat

Another dark, wet, raining day to make photography difficult ... Cleo the cat was born on thursday evening but i have not been able to take her out for some fun shots. the poor cat has been stuck in for days!

Never mind, here she is, with more pics of her on flickr too.
I got a new bike on tuesday and today Lousie and i cycled into town. She thought the huge new bike was steves, Then later she said, no i didn't! Steve had the buggy and we all got really caught out, as it had looked like a super bright day... down came the rain on all of us and the buggy had its hoods removed, never mind the rain cover!

Steve ran home with the buggy while louise and i popped into Wilkos and i got a collar for Cleo, which was fun, a bit like having a real cat. Of course there's Louises cat too so we actually have 2.

Back home we all needed a towel down and some dry clothes and i shivvered for ages. Even after my hot tea.

In the afternoon i worked on the Blenny who got his top fin completed and sewn in and i got stabbed a few times. Louise made a card for Les and alison who are moving abroad to do methodist ministry elsewhere and i am sad to see Les leaving but so pleased he baptised our children. i have great photos and also a lovely one of him and alison. We popped into their afternoon tea type do between baby tea time and bed time and it was scarey just how many grey heads stared at us, just for having twins, and we got asked hundreds of questions. i think people suspect us of telling lies when they tell us the babies are identical and we say they are not! Poor louise always gets asked if she helps her mummy.

Les Baptising all our girls last november, Daisy, Matty and Louise ...

This evening i almost finnished a new lampshade for Louises room. About time too, this house is full of original or 1970's features. You will have enjoyed some of our wallpaper of course ...

Sunday school today... and a bit of sun!