Creativity

I haven't painted for awhile so a couple of weeks ago i found something to get me started again. Have started one today that will take a week or so. Lighthouse type scene with lots of blue sky and water and cliffs. No idea what i'm going to do today. Probably shouldn't be out in the sun again as i did get a bit of a burn on my back, the parts that i couldn't reach with the sunscreen. My arms aren't quite long enough to get to the dead center.

Have you seen The Lion In Winter? The one with Katherine Hepburn and Peter O'Toole from the mid 60's? Cracking film! Saw it in the listing today and thought ooh, i must have a look. But it's not the original. There's another version that's been made with Patrick Steward and Glenn Close and aside from Jonathny Rhys Myers, they're the only ones i've heard of. It's a tv version from 2003 apparently. Both lead actors are very good. Glenn is playing Eleanor more haunted and hurt than Katherine's bitter venomous Eleanor. Stewart's King Henry is slightly more understated, though still sly and shrewd but not with the vitriol that O'Toole spits and hisses with, aggressively domineering. The real Henry would have fireburning blasts of lost temper, sometimes purely for show to intimidate. You don't get that thundering temper out of Stewart but it comes close. Don't get me wrong, they are both every bit as good as the originals, big shoes to fill and all that. You don't get as much the feeling that you are watching a play on screen this time around. I dunno, though, it's good but it doesn't quite have that edge. But then i really liked the first version so i guess i'm not very objective.

And now...

( Painting of the day )

nicked from abishag

( Adventurous Cat Meme  )

Me again

I called up Mom and asked if she wanted to go to historic Scott Manor House out in Bedford. Her plans for today included housework so... no contest and off we went. I knew about the house but blueberrymoon tweaked my memory of it a few weeks ago. It's only open in July and August daily in the afternoon. I went to the website to check directions and discovered they were having a demonstration of "Old English" dancing from the 1850's era. Perfect timing!

The house dates back to 1767 and was built just after Halifax was founded. There was Fort Sackville right next to it, built to defend the land approach to the city. the house was used as a residence right up until 1992. A lot of restoration has been done over the years of course but there are still some original bits. The oldest part is in the "attic" which has higher ceilings than the rest of the house. It has the original wide pine floorboards and handmade nails and sawmill cut wood. Apparently these were very expensive and would have cost more than the wood itself. There are hand hewn beams there and in the kitchen. The fireplace in the kitchen also has a little bread oven. There are a few antiques and artifacts from Fort Sackville as well as some old furniture and appliances, crockery and a lot of old photos from the Bedford area, from various eras.

The dancing was nice too, outside of the house which is actually the back of the house but is now the main approach. There's an addition on the back and the veranda is not original either. The chimneys are actually loose stone type and have remained upright even through the Halifax Explosion. The house was built by one of the original settlers of Halifax who came over in 1749 though the house was built a little later.

The tea room is nice and served oatcakes, tea and lemonade and berries on ice cream in season. Of course we had to have that!

Inevitable photos here