Clannad - Strange Land, from Robin of Sherwood...

Well I'm still trying to get onto my drawing board, but the time machine has broken down for the minute!
Meanwhile I found this fanvid composition on youtube for Robin of Sherwood, does anyone remember the series, you know with Michael Praed playing Robin? We must have watched it dozens of times back in our late teens/early twenties in the days before I needed a time machine!
I've always loved Clannad (I used to rock my eldest daughter to sleep with their songs when she was a baby) and their music threaded through the legend of Robin Hood so perfectly. Its high time we revisited the old series from the beginning I think!

The Moon has come to call, a knocking at our door...

We got home after dusk tonight and there is already a real feeling of nights drawing in, the first leaves turning, a restless questing wind chasing the last light.
Driving home a glimmering of Moonrise crept up over the hedgerows and the children laughed to see it following the car as if we were towing a big glowing balloon! But when I opened our (very overgrown) front door to check the post, I found the Moon had followed us home and come to call, waiting like an invited guest directly in the frame of the porch...



I still haven't got round to reading the instruction manual for my hybrid camera, but I thought I'd try with a very wobbly tripod and some random chance to catch the Moon...

I've often watched the Moon rising behind these trees, always fascinated by the speed as it passes behind them and on up into unfettered sky, moving even as you watch.
Though the Moon and I have not always been on best of terms, its always a spellbinding thing when it rides behind the clouds or dimishes to a pale wistful thread. I remember once seeing it rise with an aurora of Earthshine, very strange.

This is as far as my camera will zoom in with its current lens, maybe not the clearest of images, but in the same shot below I edited down the brightness to see the wonderful pock marks and craters more clearly... I'm quite fascinated with that bright pinprick of light on the shadowy left edge...

I'll leave you with a rather ropey poem of mine written last year looking at these same trees from my window...

Evening wakens a gilded-mist moonrise.
Not the bright hard light of yestereve
when the Moon rose in bone-light, cold as a river stone
to glitter blackly on still Holly leaves...

No, the Moon is less strident tonight,
drifting beyond the trees grasp,
dancing in a golden mist,
vaporous drifts
like a flowing scarf gossamer fine,
stepping now in front,
now behind,
full laden and bright,
the Sky's shawl of softness gentling her gaze.

WIP - a long project nearing its end at last... well, nearly!

Images copyright of Carrie Osborne 2011

Well, I drew this painting out on my drawing board almost two weeks ago and have been struggling ever since to find the time and energy to start the first washes!
This was my first attempt at writing picture books for children - quite different to writing 'grown up' creative prose... and I've learned a lot from the process, from the raw thumbnails alongside my scribbled writings through finally to the fully illustrated pencil drawn dummy book.
I have been working on this 'dummy book' sporadically for what seems like frustratingly far too long, trying to snatch a few hours here and there to get it finished - all it needs now is three colour double page spreads to hopefully show its potential (should it be deemed to have any!)
It feels so close and yet so far - after running home from work for the school run, cooking kids tea and then rejoining poor hubby at work to hit tomorrows deadlines, we got home at 9pm for a late dinner... its hard to find the oomph when I only have evenings to paint!
Oh the joys of running your own business!

But no, I mustn't moan, especially at you folks who all keep me inspired out here!
It WILL be finished... and in the meantime I have another story buzzing about in my minds eye that I can't wait to start working on, and I think with all I have learned from the first it will be a better one too!There are also a couple of other half written attempts in notebooks that I may return to in time.... oh time, time, too fleet footed by far!

But anyway... sorry for the whinge, I want to keep my posts positive, so here's a link to some beautiful, beautiful pictures that I strayed upon on the web that will definately make you go ahhh... almost enough to make one broody! Take a look here at...
Add to Heart photography
Cute eh?

Hopefully see you soon with a completed painting!!!