Christmas Poetry (by sarah)

This is a video of me reading The Little Book of Festive Poetry which I wrote a few years ago as part of the PiBoIdMo challenge. I was asked to read at The Brewery Cheltenham as part of a fund raiser for Winstons' Wish organised by Cheltenham Poetry Festival.

In the video Jean is inching her way towards me to join me on the stage - as were several other children 🙂 The coughing is because Alaric is recovering from having fluid on his lungs - not sure he should have been outside but he was bored of resting!

It’s All NaNo’s Eve (by sarah)

It be that time of year again when all the nut balls come out of hiding! That's right it's NaNoWriMo time again - at the witching hour on this All Hallows Eve a bizar and eclectic ritual will take place - writers will begin typing, scrawling or dictating in ernest in the hope that this year they will make that word goal. That they will be the Nanoer of the finished first draft - I put it to all fellow nanofanatics new and old - lets get writing the madness has begun.

For those of you who are interested I'm 5affy on the forum (that's Saffy but with a five instead of the ess). Or @TheMonsterBlogs on Twitter and the blog I will be blogging upon is Purple Monster - and of course I'll be doing the picture book ideas as well which can be found on Orange Monster.

Jeany is also joining me in this this year! (She has the last two years - first with dictating stuff to me and then last year with her Nano note book in which she stuck stickers, wrote stuff, drew pictures and made collages from mags.)

Monster Painting (by sarah)

This is what I have spent my child free morning on :/

Click on the images if you want to see them larger.

They are for a Halloween art exhibit at Center Arts.

A busy but productive day (by sarah)

The day started with tidying and doing housework, feeding childs and the like, then Al put me on the insurance for the car as my provisional license came through last Saturday. Then he took me to an art class at Centre Arts - it was about drawing with your right hemisphere, whilst he went off to buy cuttle fish and other casting supplies and got Jean's hair cut.

We then went off in search of a crucible for silver casting - failed at that but found a really excellent art and craft supplies shop in Thrupp!

Then we went on to Tescos carpark for me to attempt driving - hmmm yes well - I can start the car and make it move but panic too much and stamp on brakes and the peddle motion ment that due to the pelvis I then had difficulty walking as it really acted things up but we are hoping seat adjustment might solve that!

Then we got some dinner - Alaric gave me a present for being brave about driving - a how to draw gothic book 🙂 (he picked it up at the art supplies place!).

Then we went on to find the new Stroud B&Q to get the fret saw and bits needed for the casting and on home.

Exhibition In Braille Sneak-Peek (by sarah)

Tomorrow Saturday 24th September 2011 sees the Exhibition in Braille a touchy feely art attraction set up by Centre Arts to raise money for the Gloucester County Association for the Blind. Tickets cost £5 and are avaliable at the doors which are open 12-7pm.

There are some really cool things there for you to touch and feel and an interactive braille table to boot!

Here are a few sneak peaks but you can not know the majesty of these pieces without actually going and feeling them!

The exhibition has been put together with the blind and visually impaired in mind and as such bright vibrant and therefore easier to see colours have been used in some of the pieces and there is also a bueatiful light sculpture.

Then we come to my piece - the giant coral I have been working on for what seems like forever!

Which I set up last night 🙂 Complete with beads for the molecular sand! There are also MP3s of some of my poems that I felt where a good counter point to the visual/textural piece there to listen too 🙂