Monday, July 21, 2008

Powis Castle - Nails Day

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As predicted we enjoyed our National Trust outing to Powis Castle very much indeed. We had lots of laughs with our Mansfield Centre chums, even though we missed Chairman Peter to play 'first one to see ...... ......... wins 6d'. We sophisticated Nat Trst lot play very intellectual games on coach trips !

The coach trip was good and the driver was excellent. Very pleasant and helpful. He had done his homework and we didn't get lost at all. Our journey was broken by an hour in Shrewsbury - so much better than a motorway services.

The snaps have been selected to convey a 'feel' of the place and Picture 1 is from the first level of the garden i.e. ground floor level and easy for me.

Picture 2 was from virtually the same spot but with me turned through 180 degrees. Yews like the one shown abounded but no gardeners on duty to ask about the attractive trimming.

In the house there was some 'good' Art - Reynolds, Romney etc which we enjoyed. Also a famous 'minature' which I shall track down an image of, and cover better tomorrow.

We enjoyed a good lunch and pots of tea etc., and finally left at 4.30pm returning to Mansfield about 7.30pm with a motorway service area break half way.

Picture 3 is one of Rob's from a visit to the Czech Republic in the early years of the Century and continues the curtain-light theme.

A good picture in my opinion. It almost looks good enough to be in colour.

Ou Monday has been faitly quiet. It was Y's 'Nails Day' so we nipped over to Carlton and I spent the time having a haircut ready for my hols, and visiting the Charity Shops.

Comments

Bungus ..... There were Clematis jackmanii at Powis and I'm sure you are right.

Re PC problems ..... I accept that you settle for simple solutions, but must point out that your 'solutions' are invariably provided by someone other than yourself. An approach that doesn't appeal to me - so I experiment, learn, and try to solve things under my own steam so to speak.

Your 'Alex's party' account was first rate. The main characters really came to life.

Helen C ..... As Jill says, it is nice to have another lady in the 'comments' columns.

Re the missing 'lolly stick' from your St. Pancras picture. You could always photoshop one in if Roy insists upon it !

Jill ..... You are right to point out to Bungus that he was supposed to be 'staying in his room' but to think what he would have missed. And we readers would have missed it too.

Re 'casting bungus' ...... Still giving it thought. Certainly not Robertson-Justice with Alf Garnett. More Robin Williams I think .............

Roy ........... As you say, artists who include objects are many. Bungus is correct with Robert (Mousey) Thompson the wood carver, and his mouse.

But more recent is the graffiti artist Banksy who also always incorporates a mouse. Wikipedia are most thorough.

And I think I speak for all regular readers - we are glad you like poetry too !

AnonymousRob ...... As you know I'm with you 100% about photography people who are so obsessed with so-called 'rules' that they only ever look at pictures in those terms. It so limits their artistic souls, if they have them.

If I'm to be a 'grunting fish' can I be a bass please ? - gotta sound manly.

Re the casting of Bungus. As I've mentioned above, to Jill, I think an older Robin Williams would do. But, from your list, I'd go for Pete Postlethwaite with a good dollop of Bill Nighy stirred in.

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A Karen day tomorrow. And now I am a little restricted re animated lines to end with. My file hosts Walagata have gone on the blink. Trouble with their servers they say. If it persists I might have to change file-hosts but I would be devastated to lose all the stuff I have stored with Walagata. You will have to put up with this Clicksmilie's one


5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Please see last comment on previous blog re-the mouse artist

Anonymous said...

I very much like the yew picture and am veryt taken by Rob’s ‘curtains’ photo which I think is already in colour – indigo - albeit monochromatic. I like the ‘fringed’ border too.

You are right about my approach to computers – I am a parasite! I’m afraid the alternative, for me, would be to give up altogether (apart from WP). That said, I would miss Picasa.

Re grunting fish:
Surely a decent sized bass would be at least a tenner?

I don’t like the Robin Williams suggestion at all. He’s an American and, in his ‘Good Morning Vietnam’ mode, more frenetically like my predecessor, the dreaded Grandad Jackson (see emailed group photo).
I should point out that I don't actually dislike Grandad J. But he is hard to bear.

Rob:
I think it may be Newcastle Central Station that you are thinking of (with the splendid curved roof). Whether it curves from left to right or right to left depends upon which way you are facing. If one accepts the ‘rule’, presumably a right to left curve would better please the Arabs or Chinese?

Nice haiku.

I am happy with Pete Postlethwaite and possibly Jim Broadbent although I think he’s a Cockney like Michael Caine. Much as I admire Bill Nighy, I don’t think he would be quite right.

Reg:
Am I right in thinking of Tenence Cuneo as first, and possibly foremost, a war artist, esp renowned for his pictures of aeroplanes?

Casting couch:
Sandra suggested that Jon Pertwee (as Worzel Gummidge not Dr Who) could be another possible (extinct actor) to play the Bungus part.
Re the party aftermath:
When I went out on Sunday on my usual Tesco and Netto bargain pilgrimage, she threatened that if I bought any more food she would have me committed.

Anonymous said...

I think Cuneo was better known for his railway paintings than aviation. I don't think he did any actual aircraft pictures. The first aviation artist I recall was Frank Wootton who wrote a number of 'how to draw books'. My childhood copy of his How to draw aircraft, disappeared some where and I've never found one in any second hand book shops.
Terence Tenison Cuneo CVO, OBE, RGI, FGRA (November 1, 1907 – January 3, 1996) was an English painter famous for his scenes of railways, horses and military action. He was also the official artist for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.

Life and work
Cuneo was born in London, the son of Cyrus and Nell Cuneo, artists who met while studying with Whistler in Paris. Terence Cuneo studied at the Chelsea Polytechnic and the Slade School of Art, before working as an illustrator for magazines, books and periodicals. In 1936 he started working in oils, continuing with his illustration work. During World War II he served as a sapper but also worked for the War Artists Advisory Committee, providing illustrations of aircraft factories and wartime events.

After the war, Cuneo was commissioned to produce a series of works illustrating railways, bridges and locomotives. A significant point in his career was his appointment as official artist for the Coronation of Elizabeth II, which brought his name before the public world-wide. He received more commissions from industry, which included depicting manufacturing, mineral extraction and road building, including the M1. He was most famous for his passion for engineering subjects, particularly locomotives and the railway as a whole. But in fact Cuneo painted over a wide range, from big game in Africa to landscapes. Further success was achieved in his regimental commissions, battle scenes and incidents as well as portraits (including H.M. the Queen, and Field Marshal Montgomery).
Above from wika----

Anonymous said...

ps York Station does have a curved roof curve is to the left if travelling north.
Don't know about Newcastle but there are some fantastic bridges there wish I'd been a bridge designer Conveyor Ganties across apit yard arn't the same really

Anonymous said...

I like the window picture, but to me it looks more like a painting than a photograph?

So glad you made it on the trip, hope you were not too cream-crackered on your return. No problem with the steps up into the coach? - they are sometimes so steep I need a shove-up.

Am rather busy this week - old friend is moving - so forgive me if I am absent or brief.......