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James Gillray: Kick-About #128

~ Ashley ~ 33 Comments

This was something I’d never have considered, that is, drawing a caricature of a current figure in the news! So, head on over to Phil Gomm’s Kick-About by clicking on the link below to see what the other Kick-Abouters have been doing.

The Kick-About #128 ‘James Gillray’

James Gillray was a British caricaturist during the 1800’s. His etchings of the political life of the period are hugely important, he has been dubbed the “father of political cartoons”. For further information go to:

https://www.wikiwand.com/en/articles/James_Gillray

Here are my caricatures:

The Emperor’s New Clothes

The Emperor’s New Throne

We all know who they are!

Ashley

Spring Equinox 2025

~ Ashley ~ 42 Comments

A country lane,
The hedgerow filled with birdsong;
What do they know?

Yesterday, as I took my morning walk, it was so cold I had to wear my hat, and my gloves.  The cold didn’t seem to bother the birds in the hedgerows though.

The Spring Equinox falls today, Thursday 20th March.  It signifies that both day and night are of equal length and it is sometimes seen as the first day of spring, although if the ancient calendar is followed then spring began at the start of February.  Confused?  Yes, the cyclical seasons have certainly changed since ancient times!  And so have we, with all our technology!

However, let’s not get bogged down in technology but instead think about why the ancients celebrated this day!  Day and night are of equal length, so light and dark are balanced.  We can also imagine that the inner and outer worlds are stable, that is, the conscious and the unconscious realms.  What about looking forward and backward with a balanced view?

What a great opportunity to celebrate and think of these things before summer activities take over our frenetic lives.






Ashley

			

	


				
					


				
					


	

			
My Spring
		

				

						 ~ Ashley			 ~ 59 Comments					

				

		
Just before Christmas I came down with a viral infection and so I spent the next few days in bed.  No Christmas Day lunch with family, no wedding anniversary (our 53rd) and no New Year celebrations!  We were determined that we should still enjoy those celebrations but at a later date.  Thankfully, I was able to move the night out we had planned for our anniversary to February, when it was also my birthday.


We have just returned, having spent a couple of days on the shores of Belfast Lough.  First it was a birthday lunch in The Stables, Groomsport and then on to Donaghadee where we spent the night at Pier 36.  Here are some photos from Groomsport:








Having feasted at The Stables we drove on to Donaghadee.  With the skies starting to dim, we signed into Pier 36 for our one night stay.  Here are some photos from Donaghadee:








On arrival back home after our little adventure, I spotted some bright yellow flowers in the garden:






From dark days,
To brighter days;
Look, daffodils!




Ashley


Note:  In case you’re wondering if you recognise Donaghadee from the television, you’re right.  The town was featured in a series called Hope Street and called Port Devine.  The series also featured a pub/hotel called the Commodore which in real life is Pier 36. 
			

	


				
					


				
					


	

			
My first “Kick-About” Rorschach #125
		

				

						 ~ Ashley			 ~ 36 Comments					

				

		
Finally, I plucked up the courage to enter Phil Gomm’s Kick-About.  My special thanks goes to Phil for his blast of encouragement, and also to Kerfe, a regular K-A contributor.  The subject for February was Rorschach’s Ink Blots and since I missed the January Kick-About when the subject was Self Portrait, I decided to put the two together.  Follow this link:






The Kick-About #125 ‘The Rorschach Test’



			

	


				
					


	

			
February 2025
		

				

						 ~ Ashley			 ~ 69 Comments					

				

		




February;
Springtime brings the light,
And hope.









Green tongues,
Sense the growing light;
New shoots.
 








Mid way between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox is Imbolc, a pagan festival of renewal; I read that in Old Irish the term means “the belly of the Mother” (Earth).  In Christianity this time is known as Candlemas, also a time of renewal and the returning light.  The earth is stirring from the cold of winter, plants are beginning to grow and since the Winter Solstice in December, the days are perceptibly longer.





All my photos were taken at Rowallane, near Saintfield, County Down.  It was a day for hat and gloves but every now and then the sun shone brightly.  As we entered the walled garden we could see the work already done by the many volunteers who joyfully tend these borders.  Whilst there were few flowers there was one exception, Daphne bholua “Alba” (see my first photo).  This shrub was covered in wonderful little flowers and in this walled garden the scent was heavenly.  If there had been a seat close by we might still be sitting there!





Have a wonderful Spring.





Ashley










#Note: WordPress have once again made changes, resulting in me not adding as many photos as usual and I found it very frustrating producing this blog. I know of one or two others who’ve had similar difficulties.





#Note: my email notifications were filled by someone “liking” many of my posts and as usual WP asks if I’d like to check out this other persons blog which I did and I was taken to a website that shows my blogs but on someone else’s page!  Beware of SPAM!  








			

	


				
					


				
					


				
					


	

			
Early Winter
		

				

						 ~ Ashley			 ~ 76 Comments					

				

		




Early Winter

His breath,
Cloaks every surface;
Father Sky.




For a few days last week, we awoke to fog and mist.  On one of those days after breakfast, standing in the garden, it felt as if the sky had fallen to earth; the air was full of moisture, everything was damp.  Later I took some photos and wrote the verse above.


 
 
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  
  
 
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  
  


Today, as I prepared to publish this, I received posts of particular relevance.  Harini in India, writes about a dream and her wish for a bit more rain, and Rosaliene in the USA, introduces her readers to another wonderful poet.  Here are the links:


Snow on the plateau


“Waiting for Rain (Again)” – Poem by Jamaican Poet Tanya Shirley


I have been re-reading some chapters of Robin Wall Kimmerer’s wonderful book, Braiding Sweetgrass: Allegiance to Gratitude.  She writes that like many Native peoples across the world, her own Potawatomi sunrise ceremony is rooted in gratitude. At school they would give thanks to all the waters of the world, for quenching thirst, giving strength and nurturing the life of all beings.


May we all be grateful for Earth’s bounty.


Ashley