Sunday 17 May 2020

Blogging n the Time of Covid 19 Part Two


We returned from Ireland and by the end of the week we were in Lockdown. But not me...oh no! I am the official Gofer. I had to endure these scenes which I’m sure everyone is familiar with, but I had to show my Mum why I couldn’t quite get everything she wanted from the supermarket.



My husband is over 70, my Mum is 92 so it’s down to me even though I have type 2 diabetes. I am quite fit and my ‘numbers’ are good so I hope I’m not at risk. 
My mum was in a state of anxiety and panic for the first three weeks, but seems to have made a complete recovery but is lonely. She goes to the local shop every day for a newspaper, which is probably not a good idea, but I think she’d go mad if she didn’t. 
She has no internet so that’s the only contact she has with the outside world apart from phone calls. 
Anyway..what have I been doing?
This collage is from quite a few years ago and you can see that there are one or two virus like shapes there. 

I thought I’d make a topical one just for fun, this may remind you of something! 


This brooch received a lot of comments on my Facebook page and some people wanted to own one. 
I had also been thinking of the food bank missing out on all the donations because people were so worried about getting enough food for themselves, that they couldn’t also buy extra to donate.
I usually take a bagful to church , as do others, but there’s no Church either. 
So..I decided to make a number of brooches , to fill in my income gap ( as my teaching has been cancelled) and to donate £5 from each sale to the food bank. 

                                       I sold them all immediately and had a long waiting list. 
So two weeks later I made another huge number. 

This time, I was able to donate more than £100 each to two hospices, who are also experiencing income drops. 
I felt useful, I felt creative and it kept me upbeat and motivated. 
But then......
Someone made an unpleasant comment on my photograph, and I got an ‘angry’ emoji too. 
I realise that the Corona virus has had a devastating effect on many hundreds of families, and that perhaps my brooches were in poor taste. 
So I stopped. I still get requests so I may do a few quietly and list them in my Etsy shop. Of course, they’ll have to be more expensive to accommodate Etsy fees but that’s how it has to be. 

The weather has been amazing and we have taken full advantage of the lovely area we live in. We are lucky to have a variety of walks nearby. 
We have Moorland 

And farmland

Tracks both high and low



We can look down from the moors onto our village and if it’s clear, you can see the sea and Blackpool Tower. 

We find old ruined farms above the woods. 


And peaceful spots with reeds. 



The woods are lovely now , full of bluebells and new leaves. 



The grass verges have been beautiful

Full of wildflowers, 


But even the lockdown didn’t stop the Sports club strimming them. 

Very sad. 



So to counter that we’re encouraging weeds. Aren’t these gorgeous?


Also gorgeous too are these Aldi ranunculus, well they were until the recent cold wind. 


It takes my garden a while to burst into bloom but there’s joy to be found in colourful leaves and the blue of the forget-me-nots. 


We have our own bluebell patch and they look amazing with the euphorbia. 


This blurry photo fills me with joy. Once I only saw these in a museum showcase but now they come to the garden. 
Global warming? 


Now I’m sewing in a different way. 
I’ve tried and tested various patterns and this seems the best. 


I’m just waiting for a delivery of elastic. 

A couple of years ago I read ‘All Among the Barley’ by Melissa Harrison. 
This was my favourite passage and I think it means more in theses days. 




Let’s look forward to a better future. 



10 comments:

Heather said...

A lovely post full of beautiful photos. Do hope your Mum is feeling less stressed now - it's not an easy time for those living alone. So sad that someone had to berate you online about the brooches, but what a lovely way to offer your support by donating a percentage from the sale of them.
I can't help thinking how lucky we are to have this lovely weather during lockdown. How miserable it would have been in a cold and wet winter, although the idiots would not have been tempted to flaunt the rules I suppose.

Jennifer said...

Those pictures are actually interesting to me. I'm in Washington state in the US, and it's not like that here. Stores have almost as much in stock as normal, except for hand sanitizer and a couple other cleaners. You just go in as normal; there are no lines. I actually get my groceries delivered. At the beginning, there was more demand than availability for grocery delivery and you had to reserve in advance, but now you can just do it the night before.

Joy said...

Yes, lovely post. I enjoyed the nature photos, you are blessed to have the countryside so close to where you live. Your little dog seems so content and I am sure he is glad to have you for his family.

Sue Dunn by Design said...

I don't think that your broaches are in poor taste . Art imitates life , Covid 19 images are every where .

Beth said...

I think your broaches are lovely. Some people are always looking to step on other peoples goodness and enthusiasm. Keep up the good work!

Susan E. J. White said...

I think your brooches are lovely to and you should make them as long as you want to. I just thought they were lovely blossoms in your wonderful style. I also really enjoyed your photos. My best to you, Sue

Magpie's Mumblings said...

I, too, am the designated go-fer - both for my husband and I, and for my 92 year old friend who has a hard time understanding why I am not thrilled to have to go out at least three times a week to pick things up for her! No amount of suggestion on my part that perhaps she should ask me to buy more than one of anything might be easier. As for your brooches - I think they're wonderful and can't understand people getting bent out of shape over them. Most people would think they were a pretty flower anyway. Loved seeing your photos from your walks. Take care of you!

Angela said...

Your brooches are bad taste? Well, everyone has their right to their own opinion. Please, don‘t have a hard time because of someone not getting your intentions screams their opinion ten times louder than the ones understanding it.
Even more so because these organic forms have been your art style for ages. And like someone already commented, one could easily see the form of the brooches as flowers.
Art has always dealt with what was going on in the world. Massive oil paintings with detailed war scenery don’t seem like best taste to me. Yet some of these pieces are renowned masterpieces by now. Art reflects reality and how the artist deals with reality. And we need that in times like these.
Sorry, I hope I do make sense as english is not my first language and I do find it hard sometimes to note down what is going around my head....

Els said...

Hope you are doing a bit better by now ... and still healthy !
Your brooches are lovely (even if some people think it "bad taste") the money went to a good cause, and that is the most important !
And I totally agree with Angela about the war paintings !!!
Thanks for the lovely "walk" around your countryside ;-)
Take care and stay safe !

Beth said...

Hi Jackie,
If you make any more brooches, can I get in line for one? beth.from.maine@gmail.com
My sister and I took your online class about a year and a half ago and loved it.
Be well!



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