Isn't nature an incredibly suprising thing.As I write this, I'm also listening in on a television programme called
'Spring Watch'..The live programme shows updates on nesting birds,,how the chicks are fairing...and other species like Foxes, Squirrels,Stotes....anything wild really and it's a great programme to learn about the wilder side of the English countryside.
My Father was a member of the British Ornithological Society and through him I learned about birds and something about the ways of nature. I find it odd when chatting to people that they don't know even the most basic things about the life that surrounds them.I like to sit outside in the evening here and catch glimpses of the Swifts, migratory birds which always return to the same nest to lay their eggs an hatch their chicks...then at the end of the summer,they fly back to North Africa till next year. I like to watch the bats catching moths...there are foxes.....and there are the cats....and its the cats, or more specifically my cat that brought home the poignancy and brutality of nature to me today.
A year ago we welcomed two Manx breed kittens to live with us ...one of them (Tremble) was sadly run over and killed last Autumn.But Wilba has grown and is still alive, although it takes around 5 years for a Manx cat to reach adulthood, she recently became pregnant. We always intended to let her have one litter,keep one of the kittens then have her neutered. I knew she was due to give birth any day now as her girth increased and she waddled around the house.
This afternoon my eldest son Sam called me into his room to look at wilba as she was acting strangely.She was under his bed...as I crawled underneath I could see the unmistakable fluffy shape of a kitten...the same pattern as it's mum and no tail...but on closer inspection I was sad to see the kitten was not alive....Wilba was licking away frantically but there was nothing else I could do.The most shocking but logical thing I then witnessed was Wilba started to eat the kitten.Logical in that she had carried this kitten for so long and used up the energy giving birth, the only thing left was to recycle and regain some of the spent energy. I couldn't let her devour the little kitten entirely so took it from her...but I was shocked all the same.
Horrific I know, but amazing how instinct guided poor little Wilba...Incidentally, she is fine now about 5 hours after the event.She only had the one birth.
I've just about finished work on the key seen here.It's on one of those clips that we used to attach to our belt loops back in the 80's....which is when I bought it...I still keep my front door key on it with a couple of other keys, but for the purpose of this picture...I have only the key to my door!...You can also see the initial rough outline of a candle to my right.
Incidentally, I had an email the other day confirming that I have been chosen to exhibit as part of The Wirksworth Festival ,which I mentioned in last Thursday's post !!
Busy day...had to take a trip down to get my eyes tested today.I knew they had deteriorated since my last visit.So much so that I will now have to wear glasses for long sight too!! I've opted for 'Varifocals' so if you bump into me in Derby, I'll be the one with my arms out and walking like I'm trying to stamp on mice that keep running away.
Well, obviously tonight we must extend our condolences towards the families and friends of Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett who passed away today....will write more tomorrow.
It's a case of contrasts this week...I'm finding work hard at the moment.Without dwelling on negative things, the pressures of daily life take their priorities and require attention no matter how much I try to avoid them...
Not done a great deal of work today, but I did do some....see if you can spot what it was...
I'm quite enjoying working at the moment..I find these jigsaw pieces really challenging and that's what I like...a challenge. I've also been able to put in some good long hours yesterday and today which has given me the chance to get into a 'groove' as it were.....this is a rare luxury at the moment.
Work has now progressed to the edge ...I'm constantly altering the darkness in between the jigsaw pieces. Worked a solid 7 hours dotting today!
The jigsaw...I spoke a little about it's metaphorical meaning the other day, but there's one thing more which isn't apparent from the picture. The actual jigsaw pieces are from one we bought one Christmas...we buy one every year..it's a tradition. But this one depicts a map of the British Isles...my home.The place where my life began and is....I think I spoke of wishing I could throw the jigsaw into the air and have it come down already assembled....I always thought that life would be easier and would make sense...but I guess if (using another metaphor) life were a piece of 'Flat-Pack' furniture , it would carry the notice ...needs some assembly.
Can you believe a days work has gone into these few jigsaw pieces?...well not a whole day, this morning I had a trip into town...recently I've bought a rather dapper summer Panama hat which is perfect for keeping the sun out of my eyes and protecting my progressively thinning scalp!...So I wanted to buy a linen jacket to complete the look ...I found exactly the thing I was looking for !...to make it even better, I bought it from a charity shop for very little money!...happy and dapper I am!...a proper English gent!
Why is it, that when you throw all your jigsaw pieces into the air, they don't land ready- assembled?...wouldn't it be good if they did?...but what would be the point?....it would be a waste of time buying the jigsaw in the first place....and you'd be deprived of those times when you sit down to 'do the sky' and someone joins in... a time of sharing and laughter...concentration and achievement.Then when you find one piece is missing, you turn the house upside down until you find it..
Don't worry folks...I'm still working. My time is dependent on many things at the moment...Jan is working regular hours which means I am doing all of the school runs and cooking and to be honest, once the weekend arrived, I just wanted a rest. It was also time to celebrate my eldest son Sam's seventeenth birthday!
I've been working on 'Boscastle' the Seagull today, but the above photo doesn't show the work very well. So below I've included this close up view which gives you a better idea of the colours involved.
In memory of those who were murdered by the 'People's Army of China '
Annie was off today as there was teacher training at her school.So I've not been able to spend very much of my time working on Jigsaw.As per last week, I'm now working on the left sleeve in exactly the same way as the right one.you can see the blue which has already been applied trailing down over my shoulder.
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