Cha Cha Challenge Yourself

I have just made a new video about the ballroom dancing which Ian and I do on most Saturday mornings. We have been going for about 4 years and have a private one hour lesson in a church hall in Worcester. Our very patient instructor is Debbie.

Unfortunately I have inherited a very rare, neurological disease SCA1 (Spinocerebellar ataxia type 1) and ballroom dancing really helps both physically and mentally. I first read about the benefits on Dr Tom's wonderful website. He is in the US and had to retire because he has ataxia. Ballroom dancing will help anyone but especially those who have a neurological disease because it allows you to move with the support of a partner in ways you wouldn't normally be able to. This helps you to exercise more muscles.

I am very lucky because I have a great husband who finds the time to come and learn with me each week. Although we will not win any prizes, we do have a lot of fun and can sort of Waltz, Rumba, Foxtrot, Quickstep, Tango and my favourite Cha-cha-cha.

Thank you so much for Kate finding the time to come and film us so brilliantly. If you would like to have a go there are lots of dance schools. If you are in Worcester, Debbie and her husband Steve McCormack both do private lessons and arrange group dances. You can reach them on 01905 458407.

I am so lucky having such a wonderful family to help and support me. Thank you all XXX

Such a good idea - Thank you

A couple of years ago, I made a beautiful Treasury on Etsy called 'Plant'.

It is a really lovely way of getting to know some very talented artists around the world. In the bottom row of images, you can see a gorgeous tree by CassandraZ. She is such a gifted lady, as you can see.

Anyway, she loves my ceramics and asked if I would like to do a trade! In the past I have  traded some of my ceramics for some beautiful hats for my daughter, but never someone so far away. I am thrilled because I am now the very proud owner of this tree.

My amazing Cherry tree

It took me ages to finally choose what my tree would look like, but it is perfect and I would not change a thing. It came safely all the way from CassandraZ's home in Illinois,  USA. If you would like one she has a wonderful Etsy shop,

My tree sculpture is 8.5' tall Cherry Blossom. It has 3,565 beads, 240 feet of wire on a slate base.

Well that was fun - h.Art 2014!

For the first time, Kate and I opened our art workshop to the public this September for h.Art. It was great fun and we met loads of lovely and very interesting new folk. We were also very lucky and had lots of very good friends and relatives pop in. Here are a few of the photos but there is an album if you follow this link.

Pink sign time

Kate and my work

Kate's lovely cards

Beautiful Annabel

Different cake every day!

Our first cyclists

Christmas card progressing

Will filming for h.Art

Having fun!

Thank you so much everyone who visited us! 

Kate made a great little video about getting ready

You are all very welcome to join us for our Christmas Open Weekend on the 5th, 6th and 7th December, 11am to 5pm.

Etsy treasuries - Pheasant is my latest

I LOVE making Etsy treasuries and finding other people's lovely artworks. My treasuries are always nature inspired. My latest is called 'Pheasant'.

If you would like to visit the page on Etsy, please click here

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I have made many, so if you would like to see them together, they are on my Pinterest in a special folder. If you like any, just click on them and you go to the Etsy page.

I would love to see yours if you have any please?

'Before the Dawn' : Kate Bush What an evening!

Spoilers - DO NOT READ if you are lucky enough to be going.

Well last night was a brilliant evening! Thank you so much to Kate for taking me and looking after me so well and everyone who was so very helpful and kind all evening at the Eventim Apollo in London. A huge thank you to Ian for dialling 148 times to get the last disabled and carer seat and then not being able to get another seat anywhere to join us. To rub salt in the wound, he then drove us there and back!

Poor Ian!

Safe delivery to the Apollo in Hammersmith

Kate Bush's son, Bertie, convinced her to do some live shows. You were not allowed to take photos (rightly so) during the performances, so there are rather a lot of pictures of Kate and I getting a little overexcited!

Tickets

Kate Bush cocktails before - yummy

Official tour poster

The stage

Getting very excited waiting

The show started promptly and had a 20 mins break. Kate Bush had wonderful stamina and kept performing for a very physically demanding 3 hours! There were so many very exciting highlights, but here are some of my favourites. The performance began quite traditionally with a beautifully dressed, bare foot Kate Bush with many old favourites and then her wonderful story telling began. 

It started with the tale of 'The Ninth Wave' - her in a shipwreck including haunting images on a screen of Kate Bush floating and freezing in a life jacket but managing to sing, a nightmare room at home seeing her husband and son, confetti canons firing hand-written Lord Tennyson's poetry (including the inspirational lines 'Wave after wave, each mightier than the last / Till last, a ninth one, gathering half the deep'), huge billowing sheets as waves, helicopter search and very creepy life size fish skeleton costumes. AMAZING!!

After the break, the next story was 'A Sky of Honey' - During this session we were treated to a wooden mannequin and Kate Bush at the piano. While this happened there were giant projections of flying birds. Also, 16 year old Bertie was an artist with a huge canvas and he also sang a solo. The scene then turns darker and the puppet savages a gull and Kate Bush's arm turned into a wing and she flew! 

How spoilt was I?

The whole evening was fantastic. Especially getting to know our new friends Ann and Ken (sitting next to us). I knew Kate Bush would not disappoint. I had remembered every last detail of my previous experience in 1979 at the then Hammersmith Odeon as a very young 17 year old! It was so good then and I am very happy and privileged to have had the opportunity again. Thank you X X

Kate has written a beautiful blog with some of her drawings. If you would like to see it click here please.

Come and see us at h.Art

So excited, we are doing h.Art.

For many years, we have been avid visitors to local artists in their studios and now it is our turn to be hosts! If you have not been to h.Art (Herefordshire art week), I should explain what it is. It is your chance to follow the pink signs and join the art trail. There are over 200 artists and design makers to tempt you with their wonderful artworksl.

Invitation

Our art studio shall be open 6-14 September 2014 from 11am-5pm. We are No.10 in the official booklet.

There is a free map and guide to help you plan your route. They are available from www.h-art.org.uk  or I am very happy to pop one in the post.

We would love to see you. By all means send me an email or message on the form below if you know when you might come.

Sculpture

A huge thank you to Ian for taking my work to the autumn show at  beautiful Wyndcliffe Court Sculpture Garden.

Wyndcliffe Court

This is my first time at this lovely Sculpture Garden. Wyndcliffe is in Monmouthshire. Its opening times are 11am-6pm Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays, from 2nd May to 28th September. 

These are what I am exhibiting in the garden.

Because I have been quite busy this year, I have not been in many sculpture trails.