Fabulous Giveaway

Yes, you must get excited - not only am I doing a blog post midweek, but its for a giveaway, which can be found here GIVEAWAY You may remember I am a member of Effy Wild's Book of Days which I joined to teach me about Art and Art Journalling, I joined back in February and still there and still loving the group, Art Journalling and the teaching. I am now in the Premium group too. I have learnt a lot from Effy and met some fantastic people from across the globe. I am also on my Book of Days volume 5 now as it is a daily practice. There are 6 amazing prize packages in this giveaway, the one I would like to win more than anything is a place in "Life Book 2013" which is a year long journal class with amazing arty tutors, including our own Effy Wild, I believe "Life Book 2012" was totally amazing, sadly I never have enough available funds to join but would so love to win a place, or if any of my readers wanted to treat me for Christmas:) Other prizes include some fantastic hand bound journals, something else I would love, and a place in one of Effy's courses called 'Boot Camp' I dont need this one as being in the premium group I have almost completed this one, but it is a truly fabulous course if you want to learn everything about Art Journalling and various mediums to use, how they work, all about paints and inks... and so much more, I havent finished yet so cant tell you anymore. Anyone with art interest must go take a look, or maybe any friends who havent but might like to win it for me!!! LOL. I have already but a link on my FB page, and last night I ventured into Twitter for the first time in over a year. Here is that all important link again GIVEAWAY KEEPING EVERYTHING CROSSED!!!!

Swoon Sunday

I missed last week's Swoon Sunday too busy, today isnt much better but I am determined not to waste my photographic efforts this time. Above is my Meerkat painting I did last week, after the photo I did thin his whiskers a bit, but forgot to photograph him. Then yesterday after watching some youtube videos I thought I would try a new style of painting which I really loved, so much so I wish I was doing it now, instead of in the middle of sorting out a LARGE list of things to sell on Ebay (tedious job). I must credit Shilpa at Artyhils for this painting style, of course I am not quite in her fabulous league but these are the steps she takes to her wonderful art works, I'm just having fun with it. For step one its a quick sketch, mine was then done in marker pen. Dropped on some of my chosen colours of paint...

Spread the paint around with a keycard or old credit card..

Repaint some of the outline so you can see were you are again...

..and mix, colour and have fun. They look a bit like startrek characters dont they? and of course I have a very long way to go yet as this was my first attempt. I sketched out some fun flowers to do next, hopefully I will get to them tomorrow.. I would far rather be painting than having the day I am today thats for sure.

This post has joined the others on Effy Wild's Swoon Sunday this week, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO EFFY for today xx

Animal Magic Day Out

My goodness, seems its almost a whole month since my last witterings. I'm not really doing so much that can be chatted and photographed of late, I am learning to cook 'real' food, which at the moment is Indian food, learning all about the herbs and spices, and eleminating all processed food from my diet. Anyway, thats the boring bit. Today we had a break from everything and visited our local wetlands, 'Martin Mere' for their 'Animal Magic' weekend. Believe it or not at my age I had never seen real OTTERS, so what a treat this was.. and just how cute are they? there are actually about another 80 pictures but I just shared these two.

Our next favourite was the MEERKAT enclosure, I didnt say it - honest, though it was really tempting.

There was a number of owls on show for us from the nearby sanctuary, here are just a few I managed to capture.

Lastly this ugly duckling, who's Mum is the Black Swan, another very cute moment.

One of the most important things we did whilst there, was chatting to the local Badger Protection Group was to sign the culling petition. They had a young Badger with them, these animals are adorable.. I will never understand man's intent on murdering the defenceless. We really should go here more often, not been for two years and its only 20 mins away, we are even members and supporters so it doesnt even cost us to go. Hope you had a great weekend, I'm off to cook tea now.. tonight its something simple, just spicy scrambled eggs with rice.

Swoon Sunday #3

Its Swoon Sunday again, which is were members of Effy Wild's book of days can share their Swoon Moments of the week.





I will be sharing the weeks paintings, starting above with the Angry Blackcurrant. Before I continue though, I am not around much this weekend, its the local Town and Country Fair and we (Woof Beginnings) have a stall, so Friday I was setting up, yesterday was working the stall all day, and tomorrow will be working the stall too. The weather is amazing, as in we are told by the forcasters it will be raining biblical quantities all day... only to find hot sun all day? then today being the 'best day' weather wise, my clothes are still in the dryer from the soaking I got walking the dogs earlier.

On to the paintings.... my personel art critic, other wise known as the husband came home from work when I had done the above painting and said "oh look its an angry ribena berry" it was actually meant to be a fun purple monster. I had also painted this one..




to which my critic then named the 'happy raddish' this one was just a fun happy general painting I had fun creating. So the next day I painted this one..





I wouldnt mind but he came home from work and announced "oh look, SPROUTS"... they are meant to be brocolli....

Hope you enjoyed this weeks selection of happy fruit and veg, maybe its due to my new smoothies I am enjoying to try improve my health, they are going down very well I had my first one on Friday, made one up to take with me yesterday morning, and today I am on my second one, in place of my usual 'pick me up coffee' in the afternoon.

Enjoy the rest of your bank holiday weekend.

PS I HAVE FINALLY WORKED OUT HOW TO TURN OFF THAT SILLY CODE THING, SO YOUR COMMENTS WILL GO STRAIGHT THROUGH NOW, WITHOUT HAVING TO TRY READ THE CODE FIRST.

Give up Smoking? more research needed.

OK, I promise I will shut up about this after one last post on the subject. Nobody is disputing that smoking is of course bad for the health - we all know that. However, once you are many years in.. is it actually 'GOOD FOR YOU' to stop? I'm not so sure it is.

Now, of course I am not medically trained so this is merely my own OPINION and by no means fact. I was told by a friend today, she had gone to the chemist to collect her 'Champix' (drug to aid giving up smoking) the chemist asked her how she was getting on and if she had any other health issues, seems the chemist husband gave up a couple of years back and has experienced gum problems ever since, this she said is due to the change in circulation after giving up the smokes, which can increase the blood flow around the gums.... interesting?

Giving up smoking is one of the most stressful things you can do, this is a known fact - what is not known is the amount of stress related illness's that can then attack. One of my closest friends her late husband started with ulcerative colitis after giving up smoking the specialist asked what had happened that was stressful in his life... that was it.

My Grandmother started with lung problems 'after' giving up smoking at the age of 60, ok you can say it was the smoking that caused it... again perhaps more research is needed.

Perhaps what needs looking into is 'how' we give up the weed? maybe like other drugs it needs to be done more gradually rather than a date and sudden stop? which is more or less what I did, my friends hubby and my grandmother. It does make sense when you think of the side effects of for example stopping anti-depressants outright, these need to be gradually phased out. Also any other 'hard' drugs need a period of withdrawal, so perhaps the same is true of cigarettes?

Food for thought... just sharing my own experiences, and as I said I will shut up now and get on with my new healthy lifestyle. I am going to be investing in a smoothie maker, I am so excited - read all the information, and I will soon be bouncing around a vision of perfect health (so it tells me, LOL).

To finish today's waffle here is this weeks painting, this one is called 'HAPPY PLACE' as I am now back to were I should be.

Doctors, Dentists and PAIN

Something a bit different today, this is NOT a self pity post - it is written in the hope it might help someone else out there.

Not many of you out there know, in fact I doubt any of you do.. but in April this year I gave up smoking after 30 years. What they dont tell you is not only how hard this can be, but also of the very many side effects that can manifest after the dreaded tobacco and other poisons leave your body.

So.. having suffered acute insomnia I started with a visit to the GP, who had no interest in the insomnia that I felt back in May was destroying me, I was so tired and could not function at all - he had no interest. In June I went to the dentist as I had bleeding gums, (at this point I must mention I had perfect health up to April this year)I was diagnosed with gum disease which left me totally horrified, I had looked after my teeth since I got them, some might say obsessively so. I was told by the dentist this was my own fault, firstly for smoking and secondly for not flossing every day?
After a course of antiboitics and a thorough clean from the hygienist all should have been well... but it wasnt, I started to suffer the most incredible pain in my gums.

Back to the dentist I went, they found nothing - told me all was now well.
Back to the GP I went, who informed me she was not a dentist and could not help me.

This went on.. and on..... Until this week I was forced to visit the dentist again after a couple of pretty severe days of pain, I saw a different dentist and she gave me a very thorough examination and a full x-ray. Again.. nothing wrong. Luckily for me this dentist knew her onions, she has given me a referral to the dental hosptial, but also sent me back to the GP with a note... she suspects I have NEURALGIA, the dental form of this is Odontalgia, anyone interested in knowing more about this there is plenty of information here Odontalgia
Basically, it is a condition of the nerves causing the pain I described, at last!! someone has listened and soon I can get some help. I havent actually found anyone else who suffers from this yet, but there is information out in cyberland. The most frightening thing about this condition, is most people are not diagnosed until after they have had an awful lot of unneccessary dental treatment - how scary is that? Some can also wait years for a diagnosis.


Thats enough on that one then. Meanwhile I did of course have to 'art it out' and before my last visit to the dentist I painted this, its called "PAIN" as it was how I felt at the time of painting, I was sinking into a huge pit of despair.






I will be linking this post to Effy's Swoon Sunday were many of us from the Book of Days group, choose a blog post and picture (mine is of the above painting) to enter into our Swoon day.

I also did a quick sketch of Effy this week from her picture on the website, wonder what she will make of this then? certainly should raise a smile at least - might not be fabulous, but in October last year I could only manage a stick person.




If anyone does wish to discuss Neuralgia or Odontalgia any further there are contact details for me on my website.

I hope this wasnt too miserable a blog post, that was not the intention - I am fine now, or at least I will be soon once I start the treatment, but there are many out there who are not and still waiting for the help they need.

Visit to Exhibition

Yesterday I took Mum to visit our local artist's exhibition. The exhibition was held by The Southport Palette Club, it was their 87th Annual Art Exhibition, how cool is that? the group was formed in 1921 to further the interest of Southport Artists, both professional and amateur, by holding an annual exhibition of their works.

I wondered were all these wonderful local artists were hiding, and was lucky enough to meet Caroline Kaye who as it turned out was the artist I had enjoyed the most, and had even read about her before I arrived at the exhibition. Her art was even better than what I had already seen on line, and she was also a fabuous lady to talk to, a true inspiration to me, and a great help. If you click on her name you can go take a look at her website and follow links to her art works - Caroline Kaye. I have now found there are actually local art groups I may be able to join in for some help and guidence, and to share my interest with like minded people instead of boring everyone else to bits.

The first picture above is of my new little sketchbook Mum bought me, to encourage some spontaneous sketches.

Below is some of the sketches and doodles I have been doing, I have also done a lot of painting - all abstract works.









No painting today, its now too hot in the house to do much so may well be a few days off till it cools off, which I am hoping will be soon.