DARE I SAY IT – BUGGER THE BUGS-

This year so far, and we are only at the end of March, has been one of bugs all round and not only the dreaded medical flu ones.

This poses a real question. Have all electrical goods have a built in bug – a crash on date? During recent months I have needed to replace washer/spin drier, fridge freezer, vacuum cleaner. And in recent weeks computer and printer. All the original items were bought new when we moved into this house just over 4 years ago.

Obtaining an estimate for repairing these has shown it is as cheap to buy new. Add in call-out charges, day or hourly rates and so on the figures add up.

So I have spent a lot of time surfing the web to find replacements. And here I encounter a real challenge which bugs me no end. Prices for the same item vary so much I really do not know which to buy. Some have reductions if you buy within so many hours. Others offer free postage or immediate next day delivery. Some offer other enticements, others none. So where is the catch. Indecision rules okay.

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Apart from what seemed like bugging disasters at the time, life has gone on pretty much the same. Healthwise nothing has deterorated, at least the docs tell me so. We have some surprise worries about Tom though as yet nothing we cannot cope with. Writing progresses, painting too although the watercolour challenge has yet to be beaten. A recent attack on Venice almost totally destroyed my confidence! Instead this post I offer you an oil image of Flamborough Beach with rock fall.

  Still we have got rid of the Christmas bugs – started attacking in October; the Easter bugs started if I recall on New Year's Day. Now we have only the Holiday bugs......an attempt to book a holiday in Filey which from internet descriptions seemed ideal. A recent short visit showed the place totally unsuitable for wheel chairs and mobility scooters despite telling the agent when booking these accesses were an essential. Now I am being asked to pay almost £100 cancellation fee!

I am beginning to feel a bit like Scrooge. Must stop moaning. Flowers are blooming, gale winds are blowing them down, rain is torrenting and I'm off out for lunch at the local pub. Hope there are no power cuts, heating down or the scampi gone off!

And on a world scale things are worse than ever. Terrorist bombs the world over. Aircraft disasters. Floods and famine. Migrants bombed out from homes living in squalor, with no new homes in sight. Massacres and abuse.

And on top of all that we can, it seems, celebrate the long life, death and history of Britain's Steel Industry. Also, all my old TV friends are no longer with us – it seems like one a day is taking that step into the unknown. I'll stop there before I turn on the gas!

So, what have we to look forward to this month?

Seems like not a lot, but the days will get longer; the sun will shine more often; garden flowers will bloom and my painting Ancient and Modern will go off to the framers. Added to all that good stuff there is even more.

That part of my brain which stimulates new ideas for my writing seems to have come out of hibernation and I am having difficulty in keeping up with the flow.

So I will just say thanks and celebrate the fact that at least I am alive, well and kicking.

A bientot. And PS: The food and environment at the Ship Inn at Dunswell, near Beverley are superb. Booking required 01482 854458

Please do let me have your thoughts on any of the points I mention in my blogs via: beverleynow@gmail.com reference May Day as the subject . I hope to reply within a couple of days.

HIDDEN YORKSHIRE ARTISTS AND WRITERS - WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

Over the centuries Yorkshire has produced a long list of internationally recognised artists and writers. Happily some are still with us; others sadly gone from this world, but nevertheless they leave behind a treasure trove of work which we can still enjoy. Sculpture Parks, Galleries, Museums, Libraries all exist to prolong our memory of their creators.

In no order of merit I can list without a great deal if thought some of those writers whose books and poems have inspired me over the years: Alan Bennett, the Bronte family, Ted Hughes, John Braine, Stan Barstow et al. And on the artistic front Henry Moore, David Hockney, Barbara Hepworth, and though born in Penang one who was raised in Barnsley, Ashley Jackson, amongst many others.  I doubt any of us could question the skill and aptitude of any of these highly successful individuals even though we might not include their works amongst our favourites.

Still, I am left wondering what eventually happened to the thousands of works produced by some extremely gifted individuals who never reached the hall of fame.

During the seventies I regularly visited Art Exhibitions mounted in the Valley Gardens at Harrogate and recall amongst those showing their work four people in particular.

The first is Stan Lloyd whose wonderful landscape engravings on vitre and which were originally white on black finally persuaded him to experiment and discover a means of adding colour to them.  Later he produced huge engravings of the planets whilst in regular touch with Nasser in America.  His masterpiece in my view was of the Kirkstall Forge waterwheel which was placed in the reception there in Leeds.

Where are his works now?

  Next was another Stan.  Stan Dollimore whose flamboyant red neck scarf became his trade mark on his many appearances whilst giving entertaining talks throughout the county. His huge landscape oil paintings and especially his images of clouds and water were a joy to behold. Most of his works were sold direct to the public, though many found their way to a wider audience through Harrods Gallery in London.  

Where are his works now?

Another  painter whose work was astoundingly memorable was Ken McBurney and his landscapes, largely developed by applying oils using his fingers and cloths as well as brushes, seemed to evoke the very essence of the Yorkshire moorlands, especially around Haworth. Later he went to live in Germany and from there he painted superb desert landscapes which were equally well respected especially in the Arab world.

Where are his works now?

My final thoughts here are of Doris Chaplin who lived in Leeds and who specialised in painting on silk and produced true to life botanical images, always signing here name in quasi chinese style characters. I recall especially her pictures of geraniums and in particular their leaves.

Where are her works now?

Perhaps my questions may elicit some answers, maybe not, as we are looking at a period of time which happened nearly half a century ago. But it does also beg the question as to how many of us relatively skilful and currently well liked artists and writers will be remembered in future years – and where will all our brilliant works end up.  Please let me know your thoughts on this if you can find time away from being creative.