Categories
Art Sculpture

Yorkshire Sculpture Park

In the beginning there was landscape, then came life, then life developed rituals (Dogs going round in circles before lying down, Elephants visiting the remains of dead relatives), then creatures made things and altered the landscape (nests, burrows, display sites), then humans started taking these things a lot further.

We have been altering the landscape and making art since pre-history. The sculpture park is a piece of altered landscape, that is a display site and a piece of show-off theatre, that is now also a place to see works of art.

I am just about to start giving Art and Landscape tours of the Park again. Here is the old document for the tour. A new one is on its way.

https://valleycreations.me/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/YSP-Talk.pdf

Categories
Art

Peebles

Thanks to Ruth, a couple of days away before an operation. For me a chance to paint and a bonus swim.

Categories
Garden

Flowers linger into December

Although most of the leaves have now gone, some are still clinging on to green. The weather is cool and damp, rather than cold and the sun was so warm the other day that I couldn’t leave milk outside while we had a cup of coffee. There are quite a few flowers around, some early some late. There were seven female pheasants and one male in the garden at once one day.

Categories
Garden

Weird Autumn

The strange weather continues with some trees going into leaf drop routines early and others late, giving an extended display. We have a confused hazel that has green leaves and catkins, when most trees are now bare. Fungi all over the place, as usual and I improved a table top in time to match the Acers outside.

Categories
Garden

Garden Amble

Categories
Family History

Samuel the Elusive

Like someone scratching an itch, I keep getting drawn back into chasing Samuel Scott. I have unearthed some more links to the story and have altered that part of the story:

https://valleycreations.me/family-history-stories/birmingham-lichfield-and-barrow/
Categories
Art

Ambleside

A short trip to Ambleside Manor Vegetarian guest house. Some sketchesfor me, walks up big hills for Ruth and some lovely meals at Zeffirellis.

Categories
Garden

Waiting for Rattle

I’ve been doing the equivalent of ‘no mow May’ for a very long time, by leaving patches with daffodils, snow drops, daisies and buttercups, but for the past few years Ruth has been working more seriously on meadow planting sections of the grassy areas. Yellow Rattle is one of the ingredients of this style of planting and we have had varied success, using both seed and plugs. This year it has suddenly arrived with a bang.

Yellow Rattle runs rife
Leaving a path
No Mow daisies
The pollarded maple looks good too
No Strim cow parsley
Categories
Garden

January Sunshine

A coffee break while taking advantage of some nicer weather to harvest Sprouts and sort next year and the year after’s woodpiles. The Hydrangea, curly Hazel branches and remaining beech leaves glow in the sun, a frog is disturbed and hops away past the emerging snowdrops.
Categories
Garden

The Doings of Dull Days

Winter is here, so it’s time to sort out structures, prepare for next year and enjoy the subdued colours. The platform down the hill has a new floor and roof, the old sycamore is becoming a totem with an owl at the top. Paths and steps have been repaired, beds have been weeded and mulched. A whole raft of pruning is underway and cuttings are developing. Even when inside, you walk past a window or glass door and pause for a view that brings a smile.