Category: Random musings

Bob Ross

Who are your favorite artists?

I admire anyone who has artistic talent. However at a push I’d easily rate Bob Ross as my favourite.

Why?

If you were an easily influenced teenager through the eighties, you couldn’t help but see this easygoing extremely pleasant individual on your television screens in the afternoons trying to convince everyone that they had a masterpiece within them.

Bob Ross Golden glow – my first “Masterpiece”

He wasn’t wrong, I’ve had a few lessons using his technique and I’ve produced a personal masterpiece in every session.

The guy had the ability to pull achievements out of people that they didn’t know they had inside them. He taught that art was for everyone not just the gifted few, and I loved that.

Bob Ross Crimson tide my second attempt

Beyond that my favourite artist is probably Constable, as I loved his detailed countryside landscapes.

But Bobs the man for me. And a local artist called Raymond Riley who taught me Bobs techniques, superb humans in my eyes, and wonderful teachers.

Have a lovely day.

Difficult or Easier?

Your life without a computer: what does it look like?

As I have a hunger for knowledge I guess I’d be doing a lot more reading. I’d probably not be blogging, I’d be doing my daily journal. Beyond that as a kid of the 60s i guess I’d just be getting on with things. I don’t do the social media stuff, I’ve never had it so I’ll never miss it, so that would never be an issue for me.

And I believe that’s the difference. If you lived in an age when you didn’t have a computer, stepping back to that way of living wouldn’t be so much of a hardship. Yep there are things we all benefit from as a result of having computers, but we managed without them and we survived.

A child of the computer era would suffer purely as they know no other way. For them it would be a totally new way of life, but for us of a certain generation it would be “Ok, let’s get on with it”, we’ve done it before, we can do it again.

Times change, people change, life goes on.

Peace everyone

Realistic drawing

What skill would you like to learn?

I love art, I love to draw I love to paint but realistically I am crap at it.

My father, both sisters and both brothers were so artistic but me? No. I just can’t do it. But I love it.

I often wonder if other people over time, artists, that is, were also crap . So crap that they invented such art forms as cubism and such. I’m not in anyway calling myself an artist, a P*ss artist maybe but never an artistic fellow.

I have lessons, I attend art classes but I just don’t cut the mustard. I guess I’m just destined to be one of life’s tryers.

I’m sure I’m probably beyond learning now, god knows I’ve been trying long enough. However I enjoy it, it keeps me calm and relaxed, and that’s not such a bad thing.

I just wish I could draw.

Have an arty day everyone…

A Homer day…

What details of your life could you pay more attention to?

Today’s “Hint” for the day is already proving to be quite a relevant one for me. Today I had planned for an early start as I had a couple of appointments arranged and a vehicle to get in for its MOT, all work based you understand.

Second failed appointment and I’m already thinking something is wrong.

It’s just me.

Today is the 30th and tomorrow is the 1st. I’m a day ahead of myself and I’ve been a right plum. All the appointments are for tomorrow not today.

Well at least that leaves me a clear work agenda today.

Doh! (In the finest Homer Simpson voice)

As time thunders on and the days roll by in what seems like minutes, the underlying issue here is me and my poor planning. That is what I need to pay more attention to. Mind you, that said some people could say it’s good planning as tomorrow is already sorted.

Maybe that is it. I should put a delay on my life for 24hrs.

I’m confused! What should I expect today?

Have a lovely day all. Peace and calm.

My world…and decorating

What’s your #1 priority tomorrow?

Haha I’m gonna cheat here. It starts today, we’re a little late here at Foxy towers with the spring clean thing. Whilst having our second cup of tea in bed this morning I raised the question of whether we need a new radiator in one of our rooms and it has flourished into a whole “let’s tart the house up,” so I have now inherited a challenge to redecorate top to bottom with the challenge of having the bottom bit done by Christmas, when the family are all coming for dinner.

And there I was in yesterday’s post saying I need to rest more!

I’m going to enjoy that though as I love a challenge.

My real priority everyday is to ensure I’m at my best and that my world is content, happy and feeling loved and protected. In other words my world is my wife. She is my number one priority everyday, always and forever. No questions.

Have a lovely Sunday all, I’m off shopping with the wife, I suspect it will involve paint and wall paper….and maybe a radiator…..or two!

Take time to relax

In what ways does hard work make you feel fulfilled?

I’m of a generation that in general was a working generation where hard work was the norm if you wanted to get by. The computer only started to appear in its most basic form when I was in my last year of schooling, the mobile phone didn’t appear until a good few years later.

I think I’ve mentioned this before but I’m an individual who always has to be occupied with something, as I hate wasted time. My work involves a raft of different capabilities, I’m a classic “Jack of all trades and master of none” if that makes sense. My job is to get things moving on the rail network, that means calling in different skills and abilities to ensure the goal of getting things moving is achieved.

At home I’m always switched on and have to be doing something even if that’s a hobby activity to keep the mind busy. I have days off from work and the wife will openly tell you that if I don’t do something that I class it as a wasted day, I have to be busy.

However it’s become apparent over the last couple of years that this type of attitude can’t continue, if I’m tired the body is telling me something and I must rest. I had a little episode about 18 months back when I awoke one morning with horrendous double vision and then lost my sight for a few hours, now that was scary. It appears I had a type of mini stroke where a small bubble entered the fine blood vessels behind my eye causing the issue. That day my whole outlook changed and though I still like to keep busy, I have changed my ways somewhat and rest is now incorporated into my down time. Nothing is more important than your health.

So I’m still fulfilled by keeping busy, but now that has had to change to being fulfilled by keeping happy and healthy.

Too many people before me have worked themselves into an early grave. I don’t want to be another number in that statistic.

Have a restful productive day.

A couple of pictures of our dogs

Again today we’ve been going through a whole raft of photos and we’ve chosen this one to sit alongside Alfie’s ashes. It’s a lovely photo of him with his head on the first stair, looking up at us getting ready as we’d told him he was about to go “Walkies” it sums him up perfectly. Beautiful boy 🥰

Alfie’s ashes – new picture

The second one we received as an anniversary present from my sister in Lancashire. It’s a lovely hand drawn pencil picture by a talented young lady of all our three boys. Bottom Left is Muffin who we had at the start of our marriage 33 years ago, bottom right is Digger who was next, and on the top with his trademark cocked head is our little Alfie. This is the only picture my wife wants on the wall of the boys as it is the three of them together.

The three boys. Muffs, Digs and Alf

What memories we have, and thousands of pictures to look back on and smile. We were so privileged to be gifted these three wonderful little souls. We have been so fortunate and lucky.

Smile today, make someone’s day.

Replace grey windows

List three jobs you’d consider pursuing if money didn’t matter.

Throughout my working life I’ve done a multitude of jobs and a lot of them you wouldn’t get thanked for. I’ve had the ethic that I’d do any job and I have done that, from cleaning drains, emptying sewer pits and industrial deep cleaning. Thank less jobs but as I said I didn’t have the “I’m not doing that” attitude. Sometimes when you and the family are on hard times you just have to do it.

But for the sake of doing a list, here are three jobs I’d do for nothing.

  • Work in a Hedgehog sanctuary
  • Build traditional hedge fencing
  • Go around and repaint all those houses that people have painted grey. (It’s so 80’s) – (I apologise to anyone who has a grey house or especially grey windows. Nothing personal, It’s just up here in the East Midlands everyone seems to be going grey and i think there is enough grey in this world without adding to it.)

And that’s it for me, a little light hearted list of jobs I’d do for nothing. Especially the first two.

Have a great day all.

Stop fighting Demons

What could you do more of?

Now there’s a very open question.

  • Give more to charity?
  • Be happy?
  • Have time off?
  • Spread joy and happiness throughout the world? YAWN 🥱

There is so much we could do more of, personally it has always been a challenge for me to be a better version of what I am. My good lady challenges me regularly asking why I think this, and to be honest I just look back at my father and compare myself to him, he was a nasty horrible man.

She keeps telling me there is no comparison and I’m nothing like him, but to me I can see comparisons and that’s what I don’t like. That’s why I challenge myself to be better than him, and constantly try to do more of that.

He’s been dead getting on for twenty years now, and he haunts me to this day.

I could certainly do more of dropping the demons and getting on with what I have left. It’s a fight.

And it looks like that’s what I’m destined to do, more fighting.

Be kind to all you meet today. Have a great day.

P’s and Q’s

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

You can give this question a lot of thought and really overthink it. I can think of a few items of advice that have struck a chord with me over the course of my life, but I don’t think you can get better advice than that instilled by your parents (if you had polite ones that is!) at an early age.

The simple advice to say Please and Thank you.

Three simple words that are basically the leverage you need to get on in life.

It’s a pity that they seem to be dwindling in certain sectors of our society, however it is still nice to hear them being said.

I still use them, and will continue to use them.

Great advice, for life.

Have a good Sunday.