Wonderful Awards From Friends....

I have expressed this many times -

but since beginning this blog -

I have met , and made so many wonderful

friends on here. Some who you connect with

straight away - others that develop over time ,

but you cherish and you are thankful in so

many ways that your paths have crossed .

And when you receive awards - you are

humbled even more so .

I have received 2 awards recently . The first one

from Lynn of The rose cottage

She is the founder member of Etsy Cottage Style ning site ,

and we have become good friends during a

short space of time . So i was surprised that she

thought of me for this - but Thankyou so much Lynn !

The origin of the Arte y Pico Award..."This prize has arisen

from the daily visits that I dedicate to many blogs which

nourish me and enrich

me with creativity. In them I see dedication, creativity, care,

comradeship, but mainly, ART, much art.

The rules for receiving this award are:
1) Put the logo on your blog
2) Add a link to the person who awarded you.
3) Nominate at least 5 other blogs.
4) Add links to those blogs on yours.
5) Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs .

The second is from Tiffani of Ric rac sally .

Again , a new friend i made on Etsy Cottage style,
and we have a music conection -

we both love the band Duran Duran -

and have done a swap of goodies .

Again- Thankyou for the award Tiffani !!

The rules for receiving this award are:

1) Put the logo on your blog.

2) Add a link to the person who awarded you.

3) Nominate at least 7 other blogs.

4) Add links to those blogs on yours.

5) Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs

These are my choices for both the above awards.

Whether you have them already or not .

It is always a tough decision to make - however

i have to choose - for their continual inspiration .

Rhonda - her mum- 70 years old - has had breast cancer surgery

recently , and goes for radiation treatment tomorrow .

A link is at the top of my page - if you wish to give

a card , or if you do not make anything , a letter of

encouragement / hope would help them all during this

tough time .

Meggie - Sharing her adventures of life through pictures

and words . Always has a smile on her face ,

lives life to the full -

and is one of the " mature " bloggers ! ;o)

Mary Ann a thought provoking woman -

and she has just started drawing / painting - a talent

i didn`t know she had !! Keep it up !!

Amy - I love her journal pages she creates ,

photography , recipes . A mixture for everyone !

Sherry - Just her name brings a smile to my face !

A true life lover , artist , writer , nurturer , inspiration

to so many out there in blogland .

And i am sharing her good news that

she was given the all clear from breast cancer !!

Officially NED free - no sign of the disease !!

Fantastic news for you my dear friend !!

I`m over the moon about it !!

And you give hope to others who are suffering

from this disease .

A time to celebrate life even more - and

i hope you enjoyed that bottle of bubbly !!

xxxxx

A Little R " n " R - For Some !! .....

While Mr bee was busy on the lavender ....

During one of the hottest weekends

we have had for a while ....

I was snapped asleep ! ! Acck !! Get that airbrush

on my derriere !!

Mind you - i had been busy earlier in the day too !! ;o)

Enough said ....

Bird Delights ....

Just a few more photo`s of our time away ..

Kirby Hall - visited on our way home ..

Part of it is in ruins , while English Heritage

are restoring rooms and conserving what they can

for visitors to see . It is an Elizabethan mansion -

with restored gardens from the 1600`s .

A pea hen - admiring herself ???

One of many names etched on the stones ....

Part of the ruined inner court ....

A restored ceiling ....

Myself - sat in a big bay window ..

Now what am i thinking ?

The view out ......

The wallpaper and fireplace in the room .

There were also 2 peacocks roaming freely

about the grounds , along with the female .

People did not bother them , and they seemed

just to get on with their daily routine , and coming up

very close to you - to see if you had any food .

The colours were a treat to see so close up -

I may have got done for bird cruelty - as i

really wanted to pluck one of his feathers !! ;o)

The bird was unharmed by the way !!

Seeing these gracious birds - was the highlight

of my visit here ....

And we sat on a bench viewing the garden ,

and the birds came - just to be nosey !

I managed to get a short video of them !

Have a wonderful weekend everyone !!

Sweet Treats ....

Just checking in here , as we`re

finally having some glorious weather !

Spending time outside - rather than on here ...

I have been busy doing so many things ,

a shop update coming soon , and trying some new

digital collage sheets - some which are time consuming !

But in between all that -

I`ve been cooking again !

My first baked egg custard !

Which lasted nearly 2 days !!

A quick rundown of the receipe ...

Bake blind shortcrust pastry in an 8" dish - 150 c for 20 mins .

Mix together an ounce of sugar and 4 eggs , then whisk in

3/4 pint milk . Pour in dish , then sprinkle with nutmeg .

bake at 140 c for approx 25 minutes - or until

the center is just a little wobbly !

Then enjoy !!

And a fimo icecream cone pendant .....

Dance With Life ....

We all dance to the music of life ...

Whether it is slow or fast paced ....

Change the tempo for a while , take a

break , and get up to go with it again . ...

Collage done on thick watercolour paper -

For the Fun Friday challenge on

Etsy Cottage style

I got my pastels out and drew a ballerina

on a vintage book page ...

fabric flower petals , made to look like an upturned

ballerina`s skirt ...

Stone Circles ......

I hope everyone had a great weekend ??

I did not post myself , as i have been busy creating ,

and yesterday we were out in the warm weather

to see another castle !!

But here at last is our trips to see stone cirlces ....

Avebury Stone Circle .. and village ...

in Wiltshire .....

Dovecote and pond ...

And Avebury Manor house and gardens -

Which we arrived late afternoon too late

to view !! I was a little disappointed !!

But it is a 16th century privately owned house..

Aerial view of the small village and stones ...

The stone circle and henge that surrounds the village of Avebury, is only one in a series of monuments concentrated in this small area. The site is a remnant of a ritual Neolithic landscape, which still survives although degraded with time and the actions of over zealous groups in past centuries. What remains of the circle now is only a small proportion of what must have been an awe-inspiring place when it was in use over 4000 years ago.Associated with pagan devil worship , many stones have been buried or broken ....

A sheep , oblivious to tourists !!

And i loved his curly bits of fleece on

top of his head !!

Just to show how large some of the stones

actually are for comparison me stood by one ...

And the only pub , with a thatched roof ,

where we had something to eat ....

Entrance to Stone Henge .

A road just passes near the monument stones ,

and to get to see it - apart from the roadside ,

where it is fenced off -

you had to go through a tunnel underneath to

access it .

Here against a stormy sky ...

While travelling down there , it was warm and

sunny .. But when we got out - grey clouds and a

cool breeze came !!

This was a place i have always wanted to visit

at least once in my lifetime . Unless you went around

again - it was a short trip to view it - We did it in

10 minutes !! A barrier is placed all the way around

so you could not get close as you would have liked .

I would have liked to go in and
amoung the stones , to touch and take more photographs

inside ... I am glad i went to see it myself - However
i enjoyed Avebury Stone circle more , as you could

get close and feel the stones . . .. And i know Amy

of MAGICAL MUSE will appreciate these photo`s !!

A couple of momento`s of my visit at their shop ...

A red lined cotton shopping bag .....

And a special minted coin .....

And a short - blustery clip !!

Art Flashback ....

I had been thinking of my artwork

recently , and how it has developed from

when i was a teenager . Art has always been with me,

i got my drawing from my dad . Seeing him draw ,

then keeping the piece of wooden board for myself ,

that he made , so i could use myself . I took art and design

as a subject at school , and got a grade A in my final exam .

However , i did not choose to pursue art as a career , i

chose the catering trade - as i loved cooking just a little

more . Which was one of my only regrets in life .

Having said that - things happen for a reason , other life

things take over , and it got pushed aside for my years .

Also realising now , that this blog may not have even

exisited ,and the people who i have met on here -

of which i am eternally grateful to , has made it a

pleasure to do ....

It could have turned out a cooking blog ! !

I have kept some of my artwork , from school - some

25 years ago now !!

So ... i thought i would show you a piece . My subject

was parts of the body - for my exam , done in pastels .

This has been in the attic for years , mounted in an

old frame , which was found in a garage . So my

dad and I varnished the wood .

It was a magazine cutting advertising leg hair remover ,

and because i found the feet difficult to do - i just made it

look like a piece of material was over her feet ! Or maybe ,

i couldn`t be bothered to do it - more likely !!

I tried to get the best picture , without taking it out ,

but there is reflection in parts ....

I am still quite surprised , that it is still in good condition ,

after so many years . And i may just have to get my

pastels out once again !

Small IS Beautiful ....

Looking at the smaller things in life ...

A minature rose plant - just 3" high .....

Minature gerba daisy - in salmon pink ....

An attempt at a vase of roses - on 3" square board

An great progress on my chilli plant !! Whoo hoo !
Small - but hopefully a hot one !! ;o)

Worcester was our next stop .

The river Severn , and where the cathederal

looks down upon ...

I had never seen so many swans !!

And a robin in the grounds ....

which seems to be an "in thing " as we

see one everywhere we go !!

Isn`t he a cute one Rhonda !! ?

The gigantic door ....

And myself waiting to go in ,

once i had eaten my crisps !! LOL !

I was starving , as we had an early breakfast ,

and it was 5pm when we finally got to eat something !!

One of the many stained glassed windows ...





Next onto Bath - where we just spent a few hours ......
Jane Austin lived there for a few years ,

and the artist Gainsborough .

The Abbey ....

The architecture of the ceiling
was magnificent .....




ornate wooden pews ....









We then visited The Roman Baths ....

One of partial mosaic flooring left ...





Looking down onto the main bath ....
It was originally covered , but with sunlight and open
exposure , algae has made the water green - it would
have been clear and warm ...





A small clip of the bath .

Apology`s for it being abit all over and not smooth !

I am just in the shot right at the beginning !

My other half had a bit of a dither going i think !!

And Bath Abbey can be seen , as it is situated

just across a small square ...

A scanned postcard of The circus - which is the

round housing , and The Crescent - top

left hand corner . Bath has many georgian houses

dating fron the late 18th century - these included .

The Royal Crescent is a notable residential road of 30 houses, laid out in a crescent, in the city of Bath. It was designed by the architect John Wood the Younge and built between 1767 and 1774 It is amongst the greatest examples of Georgian architectureto be found in the United Kingdom and is a grade I listed building

And one of our views ....

photo of the back ( Wikepedia )

It is not as grand as the front .

An end view of The Crescent

Another long post done !! .. But ...

I have 2 stone cirlces to come

One is Stone Henge !!