THE RAMBLINGS OF A STRUGGLING ARTIST ON LIFE WITH TWO TERRIERS, A PONY WITH ISSUES AND OTHER WILDLIFE AND BIRDS THAT CROSS OUR PATH

27 February 2014

SUBTLE COLOURS


Looking through yesterday's photos,which were taken in my favourite kind of stormy light with a hint of disappearing sunshine, I thought how beautiful the colour palate was and how close it was to the contents of my wardrobe. Nothing I own is as beautiful as this, but I realise that, on the rare occasions I shop for clothes, I gravitate towards all these colours. Some of these photos look like paintings I think. Today, I managed to go out just as it started raining and an hour later, having been battered with sleet, snow and rain, I tiptoed back over the cattle grid as the sun came out, DRENCHED. No photos at all; just a very wet camera case and its worryingly damp contents refusing to focus or shut down. Oh dear. Anyway, here are those lovely colours....








I know only the rain is in focus here but I love it. These next two are of the foal that looked like a calf when I first saw it....













I came across this lovely little patch of lichen and moss coexisting:



This lichen had been pulled up, possibly by the high winds, or more likely a stray hoof, so we can see its stunning underside. I didn't realise how beautiful it was until I blew it up at home:


Jack found yet another sheep horn:


On our way home, the calf pony and friend snoozed in the sun :


Later that day, I took this of one of my neighbours' other Bengal cats, hiding in their greenhouse, which was pretty much destroyed by the storms a few weeks ago


How do you get your son to sit on a bike to check which wheel and frame size he needs without him guessing he'll be receiving one for his up and coming birthday? This is the problem we face this weekend. OB is currently obsessed, in the way he often is due to the Aspergers, with his Rubik's cube. It goes with him everywhere and he has been memorising incredibly complicated algorithms so he can solve it. These he finds on Youtube clips of middle aged men describing each move in terrifying detail. It makes my head spin but better an obsession with a Rubik's cube than most other things. His ticks have been really good recently which is a relief for everyone, particularly him obviously. They'll be back, but the respite is hopeful for the future. 

Today, Jack decided to destroy one of the two toys he came with from his previous owners. There was stuffing everywhere and Snippet decided to join in. This was taken on my phone, as was the little film afterwards of them searching the tussocks for rodents in the rain this afternoon. I'm afraid, now I've found I can pop these little phone films in, you're going to be inundated with them. Apologies in advance.....so, until next time, here they are. Have a great weekend if I don't manage to post for a few days. 





57 comments:

  1. The soft winter colours are beautiful. Not unlike the palate of a winter heath on the New Forest.
    I love the reflections of light when sun shines on the grasses after rain.

    The calf is definitely a pony :-)

    OB must be a very intelligent lad to have so many solutions to a Rubik`s Cube. Good to hear that things are better for now.x

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    1. Some mornings I forget he has it until a little squeak comes out!

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  2. It's good to hear that your sweet boy is having a good week. I never could figure out how to do that Rubik cube and am amazed that there are YouTube videos for just that. Wish I had known back then but that's going back a few years and of course YouTube wasn't around. I love your photos and cute video Em. Always give me a smile.

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  3. I find the colours very calming too..although I doubt you thought that when the tree fell down, the water rushed down the lane and the power went out.
    Jane x

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    1. You're so right. Looking round the house, all those colours are here too. I've got to re-paint and I think I'll just do it the same again for those calming reasons Jane.

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  4. Lovely post as always Em. Perhaps measuring the inseam of a pair of OB's trousers will give you a bit of an idea to size the bike.

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    1. I've done that, and thank you for suggesting it, but because it's borderline between a 24" and 26" wheel, we really need to see if he can manage the larger size. If we buy a 24" one he may have grown out of it in 6 months given the way he's shooting up.

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  5. A bronze/ice-age landscape. I'm not sure I could cope for more than a couple of weeks, but I couldn't cope with a Rubik's cube for more than a couple of minutes. Some of those kids could do it behind their back. I used to do stuff behind my parent's back.

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    1. I'm not sure I could manage two weeks without it. I start to go cold turkey in the city now. Funny - when I was growing up in London I wanted to be nowhere else. I did ridiculous things behind my mother's back too.

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  6. What lovely colours Em. I think the calf-pony is a baby Wooly Mammoth!! Glad OB is enjoying success with Rubik's cube - I only got one correctly rearranged once, and that was completely by accident!! I think bike shops work out the correct size based solely on the height of the child over here. You could Google it and see if that helps perhaps.

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    1. The height thing says a 24" but his legs say bigger which is not helping us at all! I love the idea of a throwback woolly mammoth out there.

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  7. I love the stormy sky photos, especially 14 and 15.
    Can you still take all the coloured stickies off the Rubik's cube and replace them in the right order? That's the only way I ever did it.

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    1. Yes you can, but OB has asked for a stickerless one for his birthday so no one can accuse him of that!

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  8. I wonder if those dogs realize how wondrously lucky they are to have all those wide open spaces to run, sniff and scratch in. It must be a dog's paradise. I do love to see them racing through the tufts of grass.
    I do love those landscapes with their subtle shades of color.

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    1. I don't think they have any idea Chris but I do think they're happy which is all I want really.

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  9. Such beautiful inspiring photos, Em
    I love each and every one♥️
    My wardrobe is exactly the same colors........hahaha!
    Enjoy your weekend....
    We will be travelling.....from Florida.....to Canada.....wish us luck!
    Cheers!
    Linda :o)

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    1. Good luck....that sounds like an awfully long flight!

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    2. We drive, Em!
      Spend 2nights on the road......
      Quite a trip....let me tell you......

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  10. The first photo is absolutely stunning!!! And I love the one of the two ponies laying back to back in the sun.
    The Rubik's cube drove me crazy! Even with directions it took me forever to get it solved!
    Glad OB is having a good spell with the ticks.

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    1. I can see the appeal if you have the brain for it but I don't think I do....well I know I don't to be honest!

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  11. Great moody shots, ying and yang ponies and fun dogs!

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  12. Beautiful landscape shots there, Em.

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  13. I'm afraid I'm going to repeat others here! I thought of measuring inside leg of trousers that fit well at the moment and I also thought as I was reading your post how very lucky your dogs are that they live with you and they have an owner so willing to take them on such lovely walks! Left you a message about dishcloths on my last post. Can't find your email address anywhere but mind's on my profile. Get in touch! X

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    1. My reply to Sharon covers the trouser frustration! I've emailed you......x

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  14. Beautiful melancholic colours - which seem to have no effect whatever on your dogs!

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  15. The light and landscape photos are wonderful. You really do capture the beauty and wildness of the moor in your pics. I love the energy of Snippet and Jack, as always - I can really see it now in the videos. I hope you manage to measure up the bike and still keep the surprise for OB!

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  16. The moor is looking good Em.

    I have a feeling there's something online somewhere about what height fits what size bike frame- try a google, I'm sure we've done this for our kids before. If not, how tall is he? I can check against our lad's bikes if you get stuck. x

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    1. Thanks CT. Like I said to Sharon, he's borderline, so we really need to see if a 26" is impossible for him. The guides say 24" but he's only half a cm or two off being a 26". Thanks for the offer though....I'll bear it in mind. x

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  17. Yes Em, I agree with countryside tales - how tall is he, that should give you some idea. Hope he loves it.
    The photographs of the Moor suggest it is beginning to wake up after winter.

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    1. I saw a wren out there today and the Meadow Pippets are starting to appear. The garden still looks absolutely rubbish!

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  18. Lovely lichen and moss images oh and lone tree... Yep wren's singing away and nest building here... Cx

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    1. I love the lichen too. I'm a bit of a fan....have a good weekend. x

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  19. It's lovely to view these wonderful images of Dartmoor from the comfort of my home!
    Sarah x

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  20. Such incredible photos again, Em! You're right about the beautiful light, but I also love how your dogs add animation into the landscape shot and enliven the foreground against such a stunning backdrop.

    I've never thought of nature guiding fashion choices, but it makes sense! Better you dress in muted Dartmoor tones than all leopard-print all the time, anyway ;-)

    Glad to hear OB's tics are manageable lately, and yes I think many parents would prefer a Rubik's Cube-obsessed child than what many other kids are getting themselves into these days!

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    1. I always think a figure of any kind, but preferably not a distracting one, in a photo can make it. The dogs are very useful for that! I'd not been aware of using colours that match the landscape at all but I will be now!

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  21. I remember when you had the black pony up last year . He reminds me a bit of my shetland Think.

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  22. "Tink" lol her name is Tink not "Think " although she is a thinker ~ spellcheck corrected as I posted the comment

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  23. Wonderful post today but O love the photo of the black and white ponies and the photo of the Jack and the pony in the rain !
    I so enjoy your photos so different from my desert life.

    cheers, parsnip

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    1. I love yours for the same reasons. Do the square ones go desert trekking?

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  24. Beautiful landscape photos - some do look like paintings as you mention. Love the lichens and mosses :) Glad OB is having a good week.

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    1. I think the underside of that lichen looks like an animal with many legs!

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  25. Made me laugh about the colour of your clothing, I'm probably the opposite! Beautiful colours on Dartmoor, from stormy skies to the way the grass catches the light...really liked these Em.
    I was going to say same as other comments-based on the inside leg measurement for the bike...but understand your problem-he is going to grow too, but you need to buy him something he can ride now and be comfortable on. For me it was just a case of trying a lot of bikes and finding the one that felt just right, which I did-but can't be a surprise then for OB.

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    1. We bit the bullet and went to a local bike shop. He needs a small adult frame! Terrifying at the age of ten. He's not THAT tall.

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  26. That picture of the calf foal and its friends enjoying the sun is just wonderful, they look very contented!

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    1. I got very close and they really didn't seem to mind.

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  27. Dartmoor is a beautiful place to live and I would think quite calming if you have Asbergers. My son is profoundly autistic but loves walking in the country. He would be straight into your rivers, no matter how cold it is!

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    1. I do think being here helps OB. We recently found a particular, rather mild computer game was affecting his behaviour, so the strains of city life would probably have the same effect. I know I feel considerably calmer than I did even living in the village. I can highly recommend walking here for you AND your son. Thanks so much for visiting and commenting.

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  28. My mother grew up on Dartmoor, arriving as a refugee in the early 1940s and my father was born in Dartmouth so I know the area well. I still have an army or cousins on Dartmoor! It is one of my favourite places and I have a photo of me fishing on Dartmoor with a very young son on my desk.

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Thank you so much for leaving a comment. It's great to read them and I will always try to reply.