Madainn Group Life Art Modelling

 On Thursday I spent the day life art modelling for a new group in Symington near Biggar, Scotland. Despite my injury and arm in the cast I did not want to let the artist instructing the class down as it would have been last minute and difficult to find another model in the space of time since i had my injury.
 It was a lively and friendly group who despite the fact they had not done much life art drawing before seemed to do well.
I feel I did well myself too with my arm in the cast, facing the silence for six hours and your mind wandering where you dont neccesarily want to go, are not the easiest circumstances to work in but it went well.

A Little Accident Involving A Finger

I must appologise for this post as I am writing it one handed. On Friday I was involved in an accident that ver neerly severed my left index finger completely off. I got cut through the Extensor tendon (thats the one on the top of the finger) and straight through the knuckle so that my finger was literally dangelling by the tendon on the underside.
 After a walk home holding my finger on I was taken ti A&E and that night it got sewn back on but I was warned that i must be extremely carefull not to move it, to keep it dry and clean in its cast and bandages.
 I actually was in very good humour despite the prospect of losing my finger, I had the surgeons and doctors laughing and was morbidly curious in the insides of my finger (even requesting the op be done under local anisthaetic)
 In the lonesome boring night I even composed a love song to my beloved finger one which is on a par with the "Cheese Weasel" poem which i must write out.
 I also had the ward smiling, there was a 23yr old woman there whom I was concerned for and cared for, she was in for a back injury and I was slightly worried but she is strong, very nice and a new friend as well as kindred spirit. I wish her all the luck in the world for her healing.
 There are two risks with my finger, one that i undo the stitching of the tendon and two is infection. The infection risk got much higher yesterday when an ex of mine through tea at my face and i stupidly put my arm up to protect it, resulting in sopping bandages and a wet, cold finger for a good few hours. Another trip to hospital and the doctors were not happy at the mystery man who had caused them to have to redo my dressing and who has risked my finger.
 But not to worry al will be well and tonight and tomorrow the artists in my life art class will have a challenge.

Now for some gorey pics (though they dont do the goreyness justice.

Here I am attempting to point to the camera as you can see I failed

The white bit is my knuckle

Alas my mum is not the best photographer.

We are Halfway Gone...... and a walk with the ancients

 Well I have returned back home from my session this month down in West Sussex on my course, it was the 5th session and therefor we are halfway through. I have to reflect and say that this course and the team have grown very important and special to me, I want to do well by it and them.

 So much has transpired over the last six months that I allmost feel much older and certainly somewhat changed but in a good way, I feel I have learnt a lot from hardships endured and new experiences both on the course and away from it.
 When it is all over I shall miss it.

 This week was a curious week, there was a trip to an Ancient Yew Forest (Kingly Vale) where there was also some ancient burial mounds (SteveO had told me probably Bronze Age) which needless to say I felt connected to. The walk had an interesting effect on the rest of the team, all was calm and still and open, people talking and sharing special things. It was an honour to visit that stunning and beautifull place and walk amongst the ancients both the trees and the burial mounds.

 Let me share some photos....

A splendid view met our eyes on the way down from the Burial Mounds at Kingley Vale. Believe it or not just a few minutes before I took this photo a large peregrine falcon flew close to us as we crested the hillock. I was honoured.

A flock of birds in the distance added more grace to the landscape.

We were lucky with the weather, sunny but with a stormy sky, dramatic and gorgeous.

This was the view from atop the hill at Kingely Vale and from the burial Mounds

 Ancient Bronze age Burial Mounds atop a hill beyond an ancient Yew Forest with spectacular views on either side for miles. Truly a special place.

We arrived at the burial mounds atop the hill to e welcomed by a powerfully stormy sky.

Wild Clematis grew in Abundance at Kingely Vale.

I found this site of an old Rowan entwined with Ivy truly magical and mystical. I have an adoration for Ivy and a personal association with Rowan.

The Last photo I took at Kingely Vale and an inspired moment, a member of the team looks very primal behind the statue.

We also visited a Hazel Coppice, something which is somewhat of a rarity nowadays and an old practise.

Hazel Catkins

The bark of an ancient tree that had been pollarded.

A huge bull that is close to our indigenous species of cattle.

The Biggest Beech you I ever did see!

Raven Awaits You

Today has been a sad day I must admit, a day of emptiness, longing and endings...not yet acceptance but decisiveness....

 Its amazing how stories can wind into our lives like ivy and then aesphixiate us like snakes, beautifull but dangerous stories....

 It is with some interest that I received the above photo from a photoshop artist in the Ukraine, Ann Amsterdam. She had no knowledge of my feelings at the time, nor of symobolism associated with my life yet she came up with this image.

 The ravens are very symbolic of someone that has frequented my life, they had a fondness for the birds.

 The saddness in myself and the rain is also very apt for my mood today.

 How very fitting and curious.

 I found this sentence underneath the image on the artists own website please allow for mistakes in translation;

 "Raven awaits him. Just let him fly away. He'll find a new world without you near, but with you in his heart"

How sad

 Then there is the title she gave the image...............

 ......................Raven Awaits You

Frosty February

As I was leaving the house for my caravan last night I caught my breath at the beautifull sight of the garden. Everything was delicately locked in a thick frost that was lit beautifully by the moonlight, it almost seemed to add a magical silver glow to the garden.

 Even though Imbolc has passed and the sap is slowly started to rise and the new birds are returning every day Winter decided to remind us that we were not quite through yet, even though it was milder she still had a hold of the land.

 And today as I was sitting at my computer compiling and inputing biological data for my course and listening to a beautifull song, it started to snow, it was quite and soft. A gentle, peacefull, fleeting moment.

 Unfortunately I was too busy to take photos but I have some of the area in the frost from previous years.