June 30th I've done it, and even in this searing heat it felt good! (I am not talking about 'Swingfields' the swingers festival on this weekend in Bristol; although frankly, it was only yesterday the BBC we're telling us there was no crumpet in the UK due to the CO2 shortage? see the above pic). No. I actually finally tackled the button holes on the merino wool; hand woven, Traveller Tartan waistcoat I've made. I've spent weeks fearing the holes; due to the fact that my sewing machine came with a really complicated looking button hole attachment, and I'd lost the instructions. Today I though sod it; I'll just make them the old fashioned way, and I'm pleased with the outcome. I think the 'transit van wheel' buttons really top it off. (See pic below). I am now the proud own of the world's first Traveller Tartan waistcoat, it is no longer a wait coat! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ June 29th I really fancied going to Joe Rush's opening of his exhibiton of drawings tonight (see link above), but an old dog has had his way.Owning an old Terrier is like having a baby again. He constantly emits unpleasant smells. He was disobedient before; but now he is deaf too, so any kind of instruction is ignored. Last night he woke me up at 1 o clock scratching the cats milk bowl constantly; (he's always scratched his bowls to draw attention to what he wants, he's not allowed milk but sometimes he pinches the cat's milk). Then he woke me at 2 o clock barking to go out for a wee. I got up and let him out, then when I had managed to get back to sleep he woke me at 6 o clock to let him out for a wee again. I've taken him to the vets and he's had blood tests but the vet says there's nothing wrong with him he's just getting old. In a way it was good being woken at 6 o clock as this meant I was outside at 7 o clock hand sawing a wall cupboard before the sun got too hot. It fitted nicely into the spot that I had bought it for. (It was a bargain on Facebook Marketplace). Those knobs though? Who on earth would make a mahogany display cupboard and then attach gold coloured plastic knobs? Wrong; wrong, wrong. Needless to say, I will not entertain disgusting knobs in my Showmans Wagon!. So I replaced them with some crystal ones and they looked so much better. I've also loaded it with my Special Brew shot glasses too. With the heat we've had today and the doggy induced sleep deprivation, I just didn't have the energy to drive to Bruton where Joe Rush's Art Exhibition Opening Night was happening. You could say tonight I'm just too dog tired! Oh yeah, and I tweeted Bucks Fizz who are in Ibiza for Radio 2's Sound of the 80's weekend. I told them to get back to the UK immediately 'cos we need their Fizz as the country's running out of CO2. (Although Brillo the Border Terrier seems to have his own constant supply of gas!).... multitalented artist if you want to follow me?.... (Latest Twitter update :- No reply; I guess they're "making their minds up"? June 28th Whilst listening to Madeleine Albright on the Jeremy Vine show on Radio 2 today, I noticed a bit of graffiti scratched onto the inner wall of my ex-prison wagon, studio wall. I must say the clue is in the name 'All bright', because Madeleine was a 'shining' example of how a Politician should be in this day and age. She spoke about fascists and nazi's and how she believes there has been a shift in world thinking. How she is determined to seek to maintain Freedom of Speech, love and understanding of your fellow man, non-discrimination etc etc. The piece of graffiti that I noticed was the word FREEDOM. (see above pic). It seemed quite poignant that I would notice that word when she was talking about freedom and all it entails. I wondered what the prisoner was like who wrote this word? For all I know it could have been a Nelson Mandela or a Braveheart type character? Maybe one of the Birmingham Six, or some other wrongly convicted man?. But then again, maybe it was just a wrong 'un? I should have been watching what I was doing instead of imagining who scratched the word into the wall, because it was at this point I missed the hole I had cut into the sand to pour the molten silver into. Fortunately it just went on the outer area of sand and I had to start all over again. (note to self don't read other notes when holding a crucible full of molten metal) --------------------------------- June 27th It's hot and I'm melting! (It's not me that's melting, well it kind of is too?...er, maybe I should put a video up,...but it's a gas and it's too hot to handle :-) (more to follow tomorrow )..... ------------------------------------- June 26th It's like a jungle out there, the plants are growing furiously. My jewellery workshop is starting to get absorbed by nature, (see above pic) I'm expecting Dr. Livingstone to make an appearance any day. When the weather is scorchio I enjoy working in my ex-prison wagon studio as it is really well insulated and keeps lovely and cool. It's always interesting reading the graffiti that has been scratched into the walls too, Gaz 4 Ju 4 Eva type of thing. I've started to paint the outside so that it blends in with the surroundings nicely, I don't like the original white. A couple of helicopters and a light aircraft flew over and I think they must have been rubber necking, as for a little while it appeared like they were going to have a close shave as their paths crossed . (See the red arrows- not the Red Arrows aerobatic display team, the red arrows on the pic). (Click on the above link to read about the Red Arrows Stunt Team) No Glow worms today either I just had an 'earworm'. It must have been because it was such a gorgeous day, that I couldn't stop singing Sugar Town by Nancy Sinatra. Listen to it at you own risk on the YouTube link below. I can't guarantee you won't have it as an 'earworm' too, as it's pretty infectious! June 25th It's funny how even when I am in the longest days of the year, I still feel like there are not enough hours in the day. Today I worked until dusk and then went for a little walk in the nature reserve next door to look for Glow worms. Normally on this monday in June I would be starting to pack down everything from a week long stay at Glastonbury Festival. My return from this glorious event is usually uplifted by the thought that there may be Glow worms when I get back to site. On tonight's meander though, nothing was spotted. None of the familiar little green glows. I can only assume that maybe because the roses and flowers are later this year, then maybe the glow worms are too?. I had to chuckle when I looked at the UK Glow worm survey page and they were complaining that people had reported seeing fireflies, when infact they were laser projections. (see above link). Some years there are loads of the females, (as it is the females that glow a bioluminescent green to attract the males) basking in the moonlight flashing their 'come and get it boys' glow. So many that we tend to call it the Green light District! ------------------------------------ June 24th The weather has been glorious once again today. It was a great day for playing in sand and casting spells. (Spells ?, sorry I meant shells!). I decided it was time to start melting some of my bits of scrap silver and doing a bit of sand casting. (see above pic). I'd been keeping some shells I'd come across with a nice texture, that I though may look good cast in silver. I wasn't disappointed either. I was very happy with the end product. I hardly had to move a 'mussel' to make them too!. (Though I am 'Conch'ous that I should be 'Naughty-less'). -------------------------------------- June 23rd As in the picture above; and to quote Arnold Schwarzenegger, "I'll bee back".......... (Tomorrow). (Actually the photo might not be a bee, but maybe a fly of some sort? Let me know if you can identify it.) (Update) I've just found out online; that this is actually a Horsefly, neigh kidding! -------------------------------------------------------- June 22th 'Handy Re-Cycling Tip of the Day' - Use an old plastic; air tight, Chocolate Box to store your circular sanding discs in. This way they can be stored outside, but remain dry and moisture free. 'Warning' - You could end up with beetles on your roses!. (see above pic) -------------------------------------------------- June 21th Mid Summer madness and it’s getting harder to apply myself to the job in hand; especially when there are Tigers mating in the garden outside. (see above pic) This pair of Scarlet Tiger Moths were together for hours. So I popped out last night to see if they were still there and they were still in the same spot; but on either sides of the bed, as it were. (see pic below) Did you know butterflies and moths release pheromones to attract one another for mating. Some male moths and butterflies have specific scales located on their wings that produce pheromones to attract females of the same species. Some female moths have glands on their bodies that release pheromones to attract males. Pheromones are important for moth species that are nocturnal and have drab colors, as they rely on smell to locate potential mates. Male moths are able to use their antennae to locate females that are up to four miles away. Now that really is a ‘Pick up’! The male then flies immediately to the scent’s source. I’d love to be a fly on the wall (or in this case a moth in the garden), to know what they were communicating to each other. “Fly me to the moon Tiger?” After they have mated the female immediately lays the fertilized eggs in a suitable area. I must say, it's not every day you notice a Tiger laying eggs in your garden! ----------------------------------- June 20th You may remember I mentioned I was going to repair the Elephant’s trunk on the lamps that I am making, which I managed to sever whilst trying to screw into it? Well blow me, I couldn’t find it anywhere even though I looked high and low. Does that ever happen to you? You put the special ‘thing’ somewhere safe and then can’t find where the hell you have put it. During the Elephant hunt I noticed a brightly coloured moth having a daytime rest. These lovely little lepidopterans like nettles too. (Like the Peacock Butterflies I mentioned yesterday). It makes me feel good about not mowing the lawn and leaving swathes of wild areas for all the insects. It might not be the prettiest thing to look at, but on closer inspection you’ll see some beautiful things within them. I’ve found a great little website for identifying butterflies and moths. It’s called Butterfly Conservation. (see the link above). The stunning black; white and red moth that I found (see the above pic) is called a Scarlet Tiger Moth. So it turns out, I lost an Elephant but found a Tiger! --------------------------------- June 19th I've been wanting a stand for my Kromski weaving loom for a while now, the only problem is that for a 24inch loom they cost approx. £80. I walked into a charity shop this morning and there was a double towel rail for £3 which will do the job very nicely thank-you (see the above pics). This lucky find gave me a saving of £77 ! It's a lovely warm day today so I will be setting my loom up outside, (a loom with a view?) Then I will be repairing the elephants trunk I managed to snap off when making my lamps. Maybe just call me Dumbo? The answer to yesterday's caterpillar conundrum was, those young punks turn into Peacock Butterfly caterpillars ! Yes they look nothing like their colourful adult selves do they?. (see pic below). ------------------------------------ June 18th The diversity of wildlife on the very short walks between my studios never fails to amaze me. Today it is like there is a Mad Max convention taking place amongst the caterpillars. Can you guess what kind of Butterfly these nettle loving, spiky grubs turn into? I feel like playing them some Steppenwolf, they look like they'd enjoy it. I'll give you a clue, the resulting butterfly looks nothing like it's biker-style caterpillar. These 'Sweet Little Rock n Rollers' truly are 'Born to be Wild'. I'll let you know what they are in tomorrows blog post, (unless of course, someone messages in with the answer) :-) ----------------------------------------- June 17th OK, so keeping up with the current fashion for fake news I made up the story about the Bird Eater Spider yesterday. Let's hope it doesn't come back and bite me on the a*se! (Forgive me, I was desperate for some one to comment). Today I've been wrapped up in tartan and the history of it. The oldest piece of tartan in the U.K. is about 1,700 years old. It's a fragment which was found wrapped around a pot, containing a hoard of Roman coins. The cloth is described as a plain check in the article in the Scotsman Newspaper (see above link), but it looks more like a houndstooth check to me? I was amazed to read about the Tarim mummies in China too, and to see the fragments of woven checked cloth which were found very well preserved, like the mummies themselves. (See the above pic) They have European faces and DNA, and date from 2-3000 years old. (see other link) Amazing! If anyone deserves to wear Traveller Tartan they do! What with Cheddar man having dark skin; and Tarim mummies having European DNA, it just goes to prove we, the human race are all immigrants and all connected... ------------------------------------ June 16th OMFG!!!! WTF is that? I was photographing the insects and flowers this morning only to look up and see this MOFO of a spider running up the side of the showman’s wagon! It’s body must have measured more than four inches and when I googled it to try and identify it’s species: the only spider that looked like it is the Goliath Bird Eater Spider! (see the above link), but they only live in South America. (The thing is, it did appear to be heading for the bird on the roof!.) I tried to capture it but it ran away too fast. If anyone can identify it please send me a message and let me know, as I don’t fancy finding one of those in my cracks and crevices! It certainly wasn’t Incy Wincy Spider! ------------------------------- June 15th Ok; let’s talk about the elephant in the room, well two elephants actually. I’ve started making a pair of lamps for the showmans wagon out of a couple of wooden elephants heads I bought at a car boot sale, with just this job in mind. I want them to appear like a couple of Circus Elephants and I’m hoping it doesn’t turn into a mammoth task, or tusk even? I gave the 1930's Showman's Wagon a 'circusy' theme as my 'Palace on Wheels' is rumoured to have been used by Chipperfield’s Circus. Let's hope there were no monkey's spanked inside my caravan! (see the above link) I’ve got some shell shaped glass shades from a set of 70’s lights, which work quite well as a head feather. I think the ‘Jewel in the Crown’ though is the little bag of antique screws I got from a car boot sale many years ago that have a little jewel which screws into the top of the screw itself. They turned out to be perfect for attaching the shade. I’m cutting out some copper to attach crystal droplets to in the hope of making it appear like the elephants are spraying water from their trunks. I’ve also got to make some tusks for them out of copper as the ones they had, have broken off. ‘Touch wood’; they’re shaping up quite nicely, but then again I don’t wish to ‘blow my own trumpet’… ---------------------------------- June 14th Sticking to the insect thread;……(see what I did there?). One of my favourites to photograph are Bluebottle Flies. They are so beautiful to look at and come in colours of blue, gold, green, bronze, black/bluish, all with a metallic sheen, or iridescence. Whereas; the beautiful Large Red Damselfly I photographed the other day ‘appears’ to have a ‘Sh*t Eating Grin’, the Bluebottle actually does! They are responsible for spreading disease and many upset stomachs amongst other things. It's scientific name Calliphora vomitoria says its all . They are ‘winging it’ by fooling the observer with their stunning jewel like good looks; when in fact they are nothing more than little pieces of sh*t, literally. Bellies full of faeces and dead things. (I'm pretty sure that is my silhouette reflected on his butt though, …hmmm the face that launched a thousand shits?) --------------------------------------- June 13th Hurray! my favourite rose is in bloom. It’s happened later this year than last. The name of the rose is Alfred Sisley (I’m guessing after the impressionist painter). This striking rose is so vibrant; I don’t know why the hybridizer of this rose decided to call it Alfred Sisley, as Sisley’s paintings are quite subdued . https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Sisley (Although Sisley’s wife is wearing a dress in similar colours in a painting by Rembrandt. In which case, maybe it should have been called The Alfred Sisley’s Wife’s Dress as Painted by Rembrandt Rose?). I guess that’s a bit of a mouthful and there’s probably a Rembrandt Rose out there anyway. There’s a similar rose called Abracadabra, which I love the name of and one called Tequila Sunset, which is a very jolly name too. When I look at the rose I can’t help thinking they’ve slightly down played it, and Alfred Sisley is just not a good representation of it. There’s a new interesting pop up theatre on tour at the moment called the Shakespeare ‘Rose’ Theatre. It looks fab. It’s currently in York. (See the above button link) Shakespeare wrote the phrase in his play Romeo and Juliet “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet”. Shakespeare was a top geezer, but I'm not sure about that quote?. If my rose was called Stinking Sweaty Crotch I’m pretty sure it would be hard for my senses to deliver the true odour. Yes, as Shakespeare would have written, “ Me thinks the sweet smell of that rose has been ‘Taint’ed!...... (p.s. I cannot be held responsible for the resulting images if anyone decides to google 'taint'.) ----------------------------------- June 12th Today the weather has been glorious again, and the Large Red Damselflies are once more having a massive party. It was such fun snapping away with my camera today, and it almost seemed like they were loving being photographed. I then went inside and zoomed in on some of the little 'winged wonders', and that's when I noticed their little faces. Amazing! The above photo is totally untouched; I sh*t you not...they really do have a massive grin on their faces! Unbelievable!........................................ F*cked in the head and lovin' it! (see previous post!) ------------------------- June 11th I've mentioned before that one of the joys of living where I do, is the abundance of insects which I love photographing. On various days there seem to be lots of a certain type of insect buzzing around. Today there were a lot of red dragon fly types. I googled 'red dragon fly' to try and identify them, but the insects I photographed were not the same. So I googled 'red mayfly', and these weren't the same either. Then I came across an image of a Large Red Damselfly, and this looked the same. One of the oddities when reading up about them is that they are a bunch of Dick Heads....Literally! It seems when mating the male inserts his parts into the back of the head/neck area on the female! (I mean you really would need eyes in the back of your head to see that coming!). I'm glad I'm not a Large Red Damselfly, you'd always get it in the neck! Some might say that Damselflies are crazy, but maybe they're just f*cked in the head? -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I recently mentioned what a joy it is when you can get on with odd jobs outside in the summer. You could even say it's a buzz, literally! Not only am I lucky enough to be surrounded by organic land which has an abundance of insects flying around, (many of which I have photographed and have thousands of images on file). But, because there are some very interesting vehicles where I live you also get buzzed by low flying aircraft having a gander, as it were. I was sewing in my sewing shed. (The one with the thatched roof made of Thatcher's Cider cans, which incidentally work very well! Check out my previous blog from August 2017 if you wish to read more about the shed). Anyway; I heard some engines going overhead and when I popped outside to look there was a pair of Bi-planes. They were really rather cute! Bi-planes hmmm?, do you think they are called Bi-planes because they like boy planes and girl planes? (I know, I know!, sometimes I've just gotta share the madness around!) haha. ------------------------------------------- June 8th I'm on the case! Today inbetween running around like a Blue Ahhhs Fly (trying to be polite), I managed to paint some old rusty ironing board legs. (Yes I know it is the sign of a true Tataholic when you keep a rusty old ironing board because the legs will 'come in handy' one day). However, today was 'that' day Hoorah! I had half an old tin of red Hammerite 'Direct to Rust' paint which had been kicking around for a couple of years and it did the job nicely!. (See the link below). I'll give them another coat tomorrow for a very polished effect. The case that I will be using to put the scarves in I got from the Tip Shop for £3. It's been some sort of musical instrument case, maybe a saxophone?. I liked the solid construction of it that meant I could screw directly into it. It had an old brown 'Rexine' outer which I rather liked, but decided it would look better in black with the red legs. I joined the newly painted items together and at first I thought I may have 'attachment issues', but it turned out I just needed a good screw! ------------------------------------------------------------ June 7th I've been working on my sign again today. How I love the long days of summertime when the weather is fine. I don't have much inside space to work in, so it's a joy when I can work outside until dark. I decided to make the sign a folding sign, which will fit into the case where I will keep my Traveller Tartan scarves. The plan is that I will be able to open the suitcase like Professor Emelius Browne in Bedknobs and Broomsticks, though it won't be as technically brilliant as his! I bought some battery operated lights to clip on around the sign. The pic shows the folding sign with the lights around it to get an idea of what it will look like. The sign has the lights lit in the bottom pic. It just needs a lit bit (as in small lights) more tweaking and it will be finished, then I will deserve some 'sign' letters re-arranged....... 'Gins!' ---------------------- June 6th Last night I watched the latest episode of another type of 'June' - The Handmaid's Tale on Channel 4. It's so dark, I couldn't help thinking I wouldn't have lasted very long in that environment. I would be the one who just couldn't help shouting out a funny quip in an intense situation. It would end up being like the scene in Monty Python's 'The Life of Brian', the one where the Emperor tells the soldiers to "Frow" Brian to the "Gwound". In my imaginary episode, the executioners wouldn't be able to hold their guns straight to shoot me for giggling. I'd then receive a much worse punishment for taking the p*ss, and be kicking myself for my failure to take the situation seriously. The lead character is called Offred, this means that she is the property of Fred her master. I've always considered Art to be my master, so if I was a Handmaiden my name would be Ofart. Hmmm... O fart? .... and that Ladies and Gentlemen is how I always shoot myself in the foot. P.s. maybe the imaginary episode would have been renamed The Handmaid's 'Tail' ? ----------------------------------------------- June 5th Did I mention that in May inbetween all the chaos, I managed to finish making myself two sets of new curtains for the two windows in the living room of my Showmans Wagon? (I started making them in January). They were made from a vintage cherry red; crushed velvet chenille, pair of curtains I've been keeping for twenty years just for this job. I hand sewed them because the windows are old and let a lot of heat out in the winter so I added a thick layer of old wool blanket for insulation. I trimmed them with gold coloured coins from an old belly dancing scarf I had. I also used a red lining with gold stars on them. I know the camera on my phone is not too smart; so I'll explain the centre panel is an oval sky and clouds panel, surrounded by roses with a leopard poking his head through. (It kind of matches the painting on the roof of my two daughters depicted as cherubs holding onto a leopard and tiger). They are now hung and I'm very pleased with the end result, they cheer me up every time I walk into the room. Yes, when it felt like curtains for me, I once again made curtains. --------------------------- June 4th My sister recently came by on a flying visit and when we were in town she spotted the ideal dress to wear for a friend's daughter's wedding. It had a cherry blossom printed design. Finding a fascinator or hat to match was going to be a challenge so I offered to make her one. I quickly roughed out a design using recycled glass leaves, seed pearls from a bracelet I'd found in a charity shop a recycled metal headband and some silver plated copper wire. I had to use a silver colour as ordinary copper would have been too dark. (Although I wasn't quite sure as I didn't take a photo of the dress and only had my memory to rely on). My sister is more reserved than I am, so I had to keep reining in the design. If I had been making it for myself well....it would have put Princess Eugenie's Pretzel to shame. I was very happy when she sent me a photo this weekend when she was at the wedding, and the fascinator was a perfect match for the dress. You could even say it wasn't the cherry on the cake; rather, it was the cherry (blossom) on the wedding cake! ---------------------------- June 3rd Well I can honestly say that Fannys Meadow was a super little fun festival; and even though it was obvious the previous night Fannys had been really wet, (purile I know, but I couldn't help myself) the sun shone brightly and dried up the mud just in time to watch Hattie Hatstar play her brilliant set accompanied by Jules Bushell on the double bass. Jules also plays with the fabulous Thunderbridge Bluegrass Boys. Both Hattie and Jules are brilliant musicians and if you'd like to see them performing click on the links above. I also just have to include a photo of Jules with his very arty arm tattoo. Jackson Pollock eat your heart out!. ------------------------------------------ June 2nd I can't believe it's half way through the year already, and I've still got a Happy New Year pic on my home page doh! (I won't be sorting that out today though because I'm going to look at Fannys). There's a small family friendly festival on locally which has a very good reputation called Fanny's Meadow . (Click on the link above if you want to check it out). I'm looking forward to seeing my neighbour of 10 years there, Hattie Hatstar. Oh yes, we are a creative lot, you've gotta remember that without diversity there is no creativity. Hattie writes and sings funny songs. I designed a flyer for her some time back. (See above). It's a lovely sunny day today and I'm off to have fun in the sun, hope your day is great too! x ------------------------------------------ June Boom! Back in the Room! (June 1st) (May hey, what can I say?) So May turned into Mayday! Mayday! , and I ended up turning into Florence Fright-in-gale. I spent a lot of my time nursing a friend in need and could only find the odd bit of time here and there to be creative. (Although I did make a few things, which I will share with you at a later date.) Today June has arrived and brought with it the good ‘ole British sign of summer (rain showers). So I though it’s a good time to sit in the kitchen and make a ‘sign’ for the Heath Robinson style case I am building to put my Traveller Tartan scarves in. It needs tidying up a bit but the gist of it is there. It will probably have another painted piece of wood the same size above it and will fold in two so that it can fit in the case or be hung on a wall. I found it quite relaxing painting with the pitter-patter of rain on the roof. I don’t think Khan my male cat found it as relaxing though, he spent a lot of time looking like a thousand mice were running over the roof.
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Lolly GoldingThe day to day life of a Somerset Artist Archives
March 2022
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