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What was your fasting blood glucose? (full on chat)

JohnEGreen said:
But still encountered several people who were determined to walk in the opposite direction some of the signs had been vandalized and one thrown in the lake.
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Similar situation here in Staffordshire countryside locations, plus litter, where have all these people with this awful attitude come from?
 
Muddy Cyclist said:
Similar situation here in Staffordshire countryside locations, plus litter, where have all these people with this awful attitude come from?
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Amazing juxtaposition between @alf_Josiah's post and these two. As @dunelm says,they live amongst us and always have. Perhaps they had treated foreign shores that way but COVID has kept them home. Always staggered me how McDonald's packaging and abandoned clothing turned up in very isolated Fenland spots.
 
After yesterday @lindisfel mentioning tree roots and @geefull trying some Plein Air sketching and I mentioning Charcoal. I had the urge to go for a walk over Lord Wolseley's Estates to find some exposed Oak Tree roots I know with a view to sketching them in Charcoal. These are both A4 done with Willow Charcoal sticks, took 10 minutes each which is a good job because it was muggy hot.

I have also started a watercolour but only the base so far as it seems to be taking ages to dry in this humidity.

Edit... just looked at packets with Chacoal Sticks in, one was 2s 9d and the other 2s 3d goes to show how long I have had them and how little use I give them
 
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Very much I like those pieces - thank you.
 

I love both these charcoal sketches, and the boldness of the charcoal @Muddy Cyclist

It is a bit of a shock when you see the old money price stickers still on things...
 
ianpspurs said:
Very much I like those pieces - thank you.
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Thank you. Now I have found my charcoal I plan to do more, especially at the bargain price of 2/9.

@gennepher Thank you for comments on my Charcoal sketches. I just used the stick flat letting the pressure go from hard to soft and wonderful things just happen, no real skill on my part other than holding the stick.
 
Thanks for sharing. I have been on the donor register for a few years and hope that parts of my miserable body may be of some use in the future.
 
Still work very well, lovely charcoal sketches
 
good evening all

4.5 this morning

a day at home doing catch up of a few things that were on the 'to do' list (some have been long term residents ). A fairly muggy day with a heavy haar for most of the day. mr gee and I went out for a walk in the brief spell of brighter weather we got about 4 o'clock this afternoon and just made it home before the rain arrived

@gennepher 's thunder arrived to entertain us over our evening meal, quite unusual in that not only did it rumble but we got noises like lots of firecrackers going off in the distance too. mr gee thinks that it was quite a high level of electrical discharge currently looking out of one window the sky is black and looking out of the other the sun is shining

the bread maker is chuntering away to itself on the worktop making a small loaf for mr gee so I expect to do my artwork accompanied by the scent of fresh bread

A couple of new covid cases reported in the Highland area today, inevitable that the cases will rise with so many people out and about and moving between areas now I suppose.

Hope your day is treating you well

@alf_Josiah - a very thought provoking post, I'm glad you're here and agree that the best tribute must be a life well lived.

@ianpspurs - thanks for the info. I presume the 'kettle' is one of those soup dragon specials

@gennepher - lovely art again, very striking (no pun intended )
I agree, on first aquaintance I'm a bit underwhelmed with the Derwent 'Graphitint' pencils, possibly why I managed to win them on ebay

@dunelm - once again a pleasing piece of work, I especially like the central trees

@Muddy Cyclist - I like your circle of trees though it didn't turn out quite as planned/expected, the glowing light gives them real scale and presence. thanks for the suggestion re the charcoal or softer pencil. I do have a 4B pencil and will give that a go. Two strong sketches today

art bit -

like @dunelm I'm feeling it's a learning experience to try things inspired by other artists, this one is after an image by an artist @gennepher mentioned - John Blockley
@9x6 painted with the 'white nights' and I had another bash at using the resist.

 
Thank you for your comments on my watercolour and Charcoal sketches.

So I'm dead envious, I really admire how technically you have managed to copy and achieve those veins of lighter background bleeding through. I have been trying to do this with roots and grasses in my foregrounds without any success. You have produced a fine painting, Brilliant learning experience.
 

Thank you @geefull for the art compliment.

John Blockley is one of my favourite painters.
And I absolutely adore your version treatment of his painting. It is brilliant. It evokes feelings and emotions. Absolutely amazing painting!
 
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Fbg 6.9
Temp 36.1

Some white lights woke me up after midnight. Popeye was pacing the bungalow again patrolling every room and every corner. I had a headache, and again first thought was something is wrong with my eyes. But then sheets of white lightning started tinged with electric pink, blue, and maybe a green.

I shut cat in my bedroom, and then went outside with my phone camera. The Perseids were supposed to be active in the night. But no way could a meteor shower compete with a lightning storm. The sky was about one third clear and two thirds cloudy. And I could see stars.

I did try to take photos of the lightning strikes but I knew I would fail because the nighttime setting on my Pixel needs an object to stay still and it takes 5 seconds to take the photo. But what was interesting was on this setting, my Android picked up the beginning of the lightning strike before I could visually see it with my eyes.

I came back in and Popeye was pacing my bedroom. He can’t keep doing that. I don’t think it is good for him at his age. He obviously is disturbed by highly electric storms. And I had a headache. Two hours later and there is still bits of lightning sheets. A towel over my eyes again to shut out the lightning. And holding Popeye. I fell asleep.

At 4 am I woke. No cat on my bed. I shot out of bed. Where is cat? I couldn’t find him anywhere. OMG I am thinking, he’s dead. Then I look up. He has climbed out of reach and is calmly watching me in amazement, charging round like a headless chicken.

He won’t come down, and if I attempt a ladder that will probably end up me falling off, so I left him. He is 28 years old and not climbed that high for a few years.

So I went and made a tea and a coffee and went back to bed. Popeye joined me awhile later. And is asleep on me now. Of course I am wide awake.

It has been 24 C in my bungalow all night despite fans going. It is 19 C on my outdoors thermometer at 6am. The temperature is going to be horrendous later. And it is misty outside. I have not seen mist in a long time.

I think I need some sleep but headache still here because of heat...

Take care.
 
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Good Morning and 6.2 for me today.

A hot muggy, stormy night and now a still and peaceful start to another humid day.

A Muddy Cycle ride for me with SIL this morning so that's 3 hours of my day taken up. We are then supposed to be meeting Mrs MC, daughter and grandaughter for the afternoon and a walk but storms are forecast so it may get called off.

Use time wisely. Keep safe.
 
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