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

Last drawings for October challenge

~ Ashley ~ 71 Comments

With one thing and another, I lost my momentum and the drawings from the last 5 days of October were a struggle!  I tried to recover the flow that I felt I had achieved in the previous weeks, by going back a few steps but it didn’t work out as I’d hoped!

When I was at college in my middle teenage years, my English teacher in trying to encourage us to write creatively used to tell us not to use the holy ghost method of writing:

I have a dog. 🙏🙄 It is black. 🙏🙄 Its name is Rover. 🙏🙄 I take him for walks. 🙏🙄 and so on!

Now, that’s how I ended up thinking about my sketches!  Then, looking up from my desk I saw my reflection in a picture; my own apparition.  So I started drawing and the result is below.

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If you passed me in the street, I’m certain you wouldn’t recognise me!  I would recognise me although in this drawing I think I appear to be younger than I am, and feel.

So, 31 days of drawing are over; now what for November?  Well, I think I will continue sketching although perhaps not every day.  Recently there has been a flurry of paperwork: banks, solicitor and I still have some carving to do!  More on that later.

For now, have a wonderful new week.

Ashley

Samhain 2024

~ Ashley ~ 38 Comments

samhain 24 original

Winter

Darkness grows;
An ending, a beginning,
And renewal.

Today, we are midway between the autumn equinox and the winter solstice and in the Celtic tradition this time is seen as the start of winter.  Known as Samhain (pronounced sow-ein) it is the end and the beginning of the Celtic new year.  As the darkness grows it is believed we are reborn.

If you are a regular visitor to my blog you already know that in my writing I follow the cycle of seasons, echoing the ancient spiritual pathways.  Now that I’ve begun drawing again I hope to follow the same seasonal cycle.

From reading and study, the colours of this seasonal festival are black representing death, ending and the spiritual world, orange suggesting life within death, and purple for wisdom and insight.  Here in the northern hemisphere we feel the effects of the earth’s tilt away from the sun and I hope that my interpretation of this in my sketch echoes the phenomenon.

It is a time to remember ancestors, family and friends who have passed away but also a time to prepare for the winter to come.

Ashley

More drawing – week 4

~ Ashley ~ 29 Comments

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The above sketches from last week

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In the previous week I drew some little faces, thinking I might use them for a carving project, however, this week they have turned into something else and I’ve found myself reducing them into minimal drawings!  What’s going on?  I’m not sure, but I’m drawing regularly again for sure, and relying only on whatever comes into my mind.  It’s been good fun.  I’ve introduced a little colour in the last couple of drawings.

There are still a few days to go until the end of the month and the end of the drawing challenge, and as we move very close to another of the Celtic festivals, Samhain (1st November) I will be working on something to post for that day.  I will try to complete the October challenge but let’s see how it goes!

Have a good week.

Ashley

 

 

More drawing – week 3

~ Ashley ~ 39 Comments

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On the first day of the new week I tried to carve the top of a stick that I would like to make into a staff.  So there was no drawing done on that day.  The carving hasn’t worked out exactly as I imagined, perhaps because it was all done by eye.  I had no detailed drawings so I suppose it’s not really carving, more like whittling!

Here are my drawings for the rest of the week.

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More brown fields although if I were a farmer I’d be unhappy about the furrows not being straight!

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I seem to be stuck on drawing various patterns.  I’m not sure why, but as I mentioned last week, perhaps it’s my inner textile designer trying to tell me something.  I ought to mention that in my late teens, I did want to do something in the textile industry but that didn’t happen quite how I had planned.

Finally, here is a collection of little drawings of faces.  Again I’m thinking about whittling; about carving these onto walking sticks, or even dressing-up one of them into a Green Man to hang in the garden.

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Well, that’s it regarding last weeks drawing. No drawing today so far! Mind you, I’ll be in the garden shortly, rearranging most of the pots as Storm Ashley has already reached us! Imagine, my own personal storm!

Take care everyone. Have a great week ahead.

Ashley

More drawing – week 2

~ Ashley ~ 37 Comments

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You may remember that last week I had my Covid booster and winter flu jab, at the same time.  Well, below is how I felt that evening and for the next couple of days.  Not ill, but every joint and muscle from head to toe was sore!  How I managed to do the morning after drawing, I now cannot tell.

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I suppose that after my inoculations the following chicken-scratch of a sketch was inevitable!

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Then, there was a day out to the coast and everywhere I looked among the drumlins of County Down, there was a ploughed field.  It’s a scene I love: neatly ploughed fields after harvest time, showing the beautiful brown earth.

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Here are some more patterns.  Perhaps I’m expressing an inner textile designer.  Too late to consider that career now.

Finally, Saturday arrived and I paid a visit to the green woodworking club that I belong to.  It’s been a couple of months since I last attended, so it was a great morning of socialising around a big camp fire.  I took another batch of books to pass on, no charge, and I only returned home with one unwanted book.  That I’ll add to another boxful to take to a charity shop.

Whilst there, I discussed how to do some spiral carving, hence my final drawings.  I have a couple of walking sticks I made that I want to put some carving on.  I like the idea of a spiral hand grip on a staff.  There were some new members at the club and one of them was making a longbow!  That sparked a conversation that took me back to my days as an archer.  Making bows and arrows was my thing for many years, although only one longbow was a success.  Scratch the surface and I’m still a toxopholite!

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Here’s hoping I can keep up with my drawing.  Little and often is how I’m approaching it.  I don’t want to frighten the creative drive away as has happened before.  I have no plans to paint a masterpiece just yet.

Have a great week.

Ashley

Drawing again! Week 1

~ Ashley ~ 47 Comments

I was encouraged by Anna (* see below) to start drawing again, by joining in the #inktober group.  When I first saw the list of prompts I thought I could manage at least a few days of following the prompts.  I only got as the first day and decided the list was too restrictive!  There I go again, always wanting to do my own thing!  So, here I am at the end of week one, drawing ‘something’ every day.

It’s a journey of discovery and already I find that I love patterns and I’m sure to do lots more!  In some ways I think I’m repeating an exercise I did a few years ago (**) highlighting something I did on the day, creating a ‘calendar’ of little daily drawings.

We had another day out to Warrenpoint (and a lovely lunch) on Carlingford Lough, so those little sketches relate to that, and to finish the six days of drawing, that’s me at the doctor’s having both a Covid booster and a flu jab, both at the same time; one, two, three, ouch!  No more drawing for that day!

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(*) https://wordpress.com/read/feeds/8010311/posts/5404907221

(**) https://8-arrows.com/2020/12/01/coping-with-november-2020/

Warm wishes to you all.

Ashley

Autumn Equinox 2024

~ Ashley ~ 57 Comments

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Night and day,
Near perfect balance;
Equinox.

The equinox, simply put, is when the sun is positioned exactly above the equator, so for a moment both night and day have equal length.  A moment of harmony.  Here in the UK that moment will be at 01.43 pm today, Sunday 22nd September.

From today, here in the northern hemisphere, the days will grow shorter, as the earth transforms towards a new season.  The autumn equinox opens the doorway to winter.  Are you preparing for the change of season: to rest, recharge and dream?

Happy autumn equinox.

Ashley

Carlingford

~ Ashley ~ 62 Comments

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A glorious day out, stopping first at Strandfield (I will post about there on another day) then visiting here at Carlingford in the Republic of Ireland.  The return journey was on the ferry across Carlingford Lough back to Northern Ireland, UK (Greenore to Greencastle) finishing with a very late lunch in Warrenpoint.  I will do this trip again and hopefully I’ll remember to take more photos! 🤔 I forgot to take my hat, perhaps that’s the reason, but the weather was amazing!

Ashley 

A short holiday by Strangford Lough

~ Ashley ~ 45 Comments

Our short holiday should have been taken earlier this year, but had to be delayed.  The owner of the property we stayed at (Stay on the Bay, in Kircubbin) was really helpful and it was rearranged for August.

1view through the upstair lounge

The ‘upside-down’ cottage was brilliant and waking up in the mornings to the sound of the waves was wonderful.  The weather hasn’t been the best this year, especially August, but a change is as good as a rest, as they say!  Without stress or pressure, we just took each day as it came.

A short drive took us to Greyabbey.

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4greyabbey from the physic garden

Greyabbey was delightful.  The village has few shops but there is enough to keep one occupied, exploring the craft and antique shops before lunch.  Of course, a visit to the ruins of the abbey, a Cistercian monastery, is a must.  It was founded in 1193 by Affreca, the daughter of Gofraid, the king of Man and the Isles.  She was the wife of John de Courcy, the Anglo-Norman adventurer.

On another day, we visited the National Trust property of Mount Stewart.

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4the lake mount stewart 2023

The house, gardens and the estate are amazing!  We have visited here many, many times and never tire of this special place on the Ards peninsula.

Ashley