At A New Years Party : A Sharper Focus on A Christmas Carol

 

OCULUSEYE CHARLES DICKENS ~ Book Image by Nora Steele

OCULUSEYE CHARLES DICKENS ~ Book Image by Nora Steele

OCULUSEYE CHARLES DICKENS ~ Book Image by Nora Steele

OCULUSEYE CHARLES DICKENS ~ Book Image by Nora Steele

 Our kind of New Years Eve Party this year was a quiet one spent at home in front of our cozy Christmas hearth enjoying Chinese take out and watching a movie: “Chasing Liberty” while our two fellas were back at camp in Saskatchewan taking their turn working the Christmas Holiday.

When it comes to ringing in the New Year, I never make it past 10 p.m. and sleep isn’t the only reason for it. Since I was a kid I have disliked celebrating New Years Eve, not really sure exactly why.

It always makes me sad to see the old year fall below the new one on the digital clock knowing it will never return not that I would want another Groundhog Day : )

I know what you’re thinking; leaving the bad stuff behind is good, I know, right? 

Maybe it’s not knowing the future of the New Year and feeling vulnerable to it. Maybe because it marks another year over, another year older , another year closer to the numbers that keep track of time, my time, and our time together. But I don’t feel the same towards the old year, which now no longer keeps a calendar and has revealed all of its hidden secrets. 

There is no longer a need to be afraid of it.

So this New Years Eve I believe I changed for the better and kept my promise to all that I would celebrate the coming New Year with my daughter. I almost failed because at 10 p.m. I was sleeping 😴

…..but above all, it was what transpired on New Years Eve Day that really made me think of the coming New Year .

If one looks closely, very closely and listens, to have eyes to see and ears to hear, like Scrooge realized in the end to be quiet essential to one’s happy soul then without fail one will discover there are Treasures all around and for everyone. Treasures in Books and their stories, in works of art and in the background music of movies.

And so it was the music that brought me to write this post today but not from watching the movie but rather from listening to Rob Snow on the Lowell Green Christmas Special on CFRA in Ottawa last week when a caller asked him to play “Barbara Allen” from "A Christmas Carol". As I was listening to it I recalled the scene in my mind and just had to track it down for myself  so I could play it as much as I would like, unfortunately I couldn't find the song in its entirety but was able to find a good clip on Youtube. Not only was I lucky to find the song but happy to discover  how there is people out there just like me who also found it important to appreciate all of the different elements comprised in the movie “ A Christmas Carol” creating a beautiful masterful Piece of timeless art in film format. In my search for the song I stumbled upon  three sites.

First was Youtube with the song “Barbara Allen” uploaded byCompositorum.

It was here I first realized there were others who loved the same qualities of the film as I do:like these two kindred friend's  quotes below,

" That someone else made a point of selecting out this clip, simply because it is the segment where they sing "Barbara Allen", darn near restores my faith in humanity.  THANK YOU for this.  My family and I always considered this song and this sequence of the story to be an especially touching moment.  I am so happy to see so 

Few films are able to so strongly elicit so many emotions so completely.  I'm a 50 year old professional, but, at different times in the film, I feel empathy, anger, pity, guilt, bewilderment, wonderment, sadness, overwhelming joy to the point of true tears...  If you can sit through the entire film and not choke out a few tears, I'm astounded.  When the spirit of Christmas present answers scrooge's question about what resources the boy and girl clinging to the spirit have, and he answers "are there no prisons?...are there no workhouses?...I lose it." ~ drtwatman

Compositorum Courtesy of  Compositorum on Youtube

 

" If you don't have a tear in your eye at this moment from the movie, with this song as a background....surely you are not human! " ~ Robert Genis

Secondly, I came across a writer's site http://www.asharperfocus.com

 Norman. N Holland  who's essay on "A Christmas Carol" is truly the best I've read. His detailed comments to all of the essential elements to the movie were wonderful to read and totally agreed on his overall views of the film. 
Enjoyed it tremendously!
Please take a moment and do have a read. So happy to have found his site. I can learn a lot from him.

And Thirdly, Nora Steele's Etsy Store OCULUSEYE CHARLES DICKENS where the above pictures of "A Christmas Carol and The Cricket on the Hearth Book originate from. (I bought the book!!! Can't wait for it to arrive.)

I discovered Nora, a beautiful and gracious shop keeper with a heart and a kindred friend. We both chose to celebrate our New Years Eve with family , take out and a movie : ) She has one of the loveliest shops on Etsy and you can't miss it if you are like us and enjoy Charles Dickens!!!

A Christmas Carol ~ Scrooge is one of my favoured ghost stories of all time, such a beautiful classic. Ever since I landed in Canada when I was 7 years old I fell in love with England and Ghost Stories. By Happy Chance , Spiritual Intervention, a  Sad Scottish Ballad ~ "Barbara Allen" and Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" I came across these fellow Kindred Friends and in keeping with the British Tradition of Ghost Stories at Christmas I thought it best to share with you "A Christmas Carol".

My New Year's Resolution: 

And I will keep this year truthful, positive, productive, healthy and safe as much as humanly possible. I will forgive and work on forgetting. Accept what is and let go of what can't be kept. I know it will make me a calmer person : ) And keep Love " above anything else"

Oooh, and thank you to the caller who called in to the Lowell Green Christmas Show~ Rob Snow on CFRA and planting the seed !

Happy New Year!

Below are the lyrics to "Barbara Allen"

In Scarlet Town, Where I was born

There was a fair maid dwellin'

Made every youth cry "Well-a-day"

For the love of Barbara Allen

'Twas in the merry month of May

When green buds were a swellin'

Sweet William came from the west country

And fell in love with Barbara Allen.

He courted her for seven long years

'Til his heart in him was failin'

And begged his love to marry him

But "No" said Barbara Allen.

Then on a somber autumn day

When all the leaves were fallin'

Sweet William on his deathbed lay

For the love of Barbara Allen.

He sent his servant to the town,

To the place where she was dwellin'

,

Sayin' "You must come to my master dear,

If your name be Barbara Allen."

"For death is printed on his face,

And o'er his heart is stealin'

Then haste away to comfort him

Oh lovely Barbara Allen."

So slowly, slowly she came up

And slowly she drew nigh him

And the only words to him did say

Were "Young man I think you're dyin'"

"Oh yes, I'm sick and very low

And death is o'er me dwellin',

But better, no better, I ever shall be

If I can't have Barbara Allen."

lowell

"You may be sick and very low,

And death be o'er you dwellin,

But better, no better you ever will be

For you can't have Barbara Allen...

Don't you remember in yonder town,

In yonder town a-drinking?

You gave a toast to the ladies round,

But you slighted Barbara Allen."

"Oh yes, I remember in yonder town

When we were in the tavern,

I gave a toast to the ladies 'round,

But gave my heart to Barbara Allen."

"If on your deathbed you do lie,

What needs the tale you're tellin'?

I cannot save you from your death.

Farewell," said Barbara Allen.

He turned his pale face to the wall,

As death was drawing nigh him.

"Adieu, adieu, to my friends all. 

Be kind to Barbara Allen."

As she went walking through the fields,

She heard the birds a-singin',

And as they sang, they seemed to say:

"Hard-hearted Barbara Allen!"

As she walked further through the fields

She heard the death-bells ringing,

And every note to her did say:

"Hard-hearted Barbara Allen!"

Her eyes looked east, her eyes looked west

She spied the corpse a-comin

"Lay down, lay down the corpse!" she said,

"That I may look upon him."

And as she looked upon his face,

She bursted out a-crying,

"Oh pick me up, and take me home,

For now I am a-dyin'."

"Oh mother, Oh mother, go make my bed,

Make it both long and narrow

Sweet William died for me today

And I shall die tomorrow."

"Oh father, oh father, go dig my grave

Dig it both long and narrow,

Sweet William died of love for me

And I shall die of sorrow."

"Hard-hearted creature, him to slight,

Who hath loved me so dearly -

Oh, that I'd been more kind to him

When he was live and near me.

She on her deathbed as she lay

Begged to be buried by him

And sore repented of the day

That she did e'er deny him.

Barbara Allen was buried in the old churchyard

And William they buried nigh her

Out of William's heart, there grew a rose

Out of Barbara Allen's, a briar. 

They grew and grew up the old church wall

'Til they could grow no higher, 

And there they formed a true love's knot - 

The rose wrapp'd round the briar.

A Christmas Note

" I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future. The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me. I will not shut out the lessons that they teach!" 

“And it was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us! And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God bless Us, Every One!” 

~ Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol

and a "Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!"

We Will Remember, Always

Remembrance Day, November 11, 2014

We Will Remember , Always

google picture


While my husband was away in Sasakatchewan, he discovered on the internet this Commemorative by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission of his uncle Stan who was killed overseas September 3rd, 1945, a day after the end of WW 2.

I've Been Captivated by Books and Have Forgotten Where I Live

Well , it's been a long while since I painted or submitted artwork to Paint Party Friday but as usual I've been captivated by books and have forgotten where I live.

And so I thought it might be a good idea to pick up a brush and paint something , something real and of this world although I think this might be another of my imaginations : )

Miniature Painting on Wood-board ~ so far no title 

 I was thinking of adding some figures but haven't decided as yet and I also need to add detail to the water  and landscape. 

I kind of like working in miniature; easy on paint and time.

Please check out the rest of the artists on Paint Party Friday.


Until Later,

Annabelle

Double, Double Toil and Trouble; Fire Burn, and Caldron Bubble

Happy HallOween

The Garden Called

THE GARDEN CALLED.........

Therefore I have no paintings to post but I really wanted to participate in Paint Party Friday today so I am sharing another revised version of my Etsy shop banner I did around the same time I stopped blogging in May.  

I have been busy gardening, cleaning house and enjoying some of the glorious summer weather boating . I find the Spring and Summer season keeps me more outdoors and less inside and by the time I finish with the chores, shower and eat I am totally wiped and ready for bed!

Next week I will share a painting I'm working on and some of the garden art I recently did. Have a great weekend and enjoy the weather wherever you are!

Until later,
Annabelle

GhosTales ~ Etsy Shop Banner

GhosTales

My new Etsy Shop Name "GhosTales".
I really wasn't too happy with my old shop name ( CassienadognamedBoo) and wanted something along the Ghost theme since I seem to be drawn to spooky dark fairytale type art. I played around on Photoshop and came up with this design......temporary of course. I'm still working on a better composition and the Lover's eyes.

 Click on GhosTales to see a larger format.

Thanks Eva and Kristin : )

PaintPartyFriday

Until later,
Annabelle

IN DREAMS WE GET TO LIVE IN AN IMAGINARY WORLD WE BUILD

Why does the eye see a thing more clearly in dreams than the imagination when awake?

~ Leonardo Da Vinci

My Answer

In Dreams we get to live in an imaginary world we build, nothing stands in the way of our inner visions of the night, our minds empty of thought and open to the time and space of our dream. 

~Annabelle

Still working on eyes and will be for a while. I haven't put much thought on a name for the series since I am experimenting with an assortment of styles, realistic and imaginary.

The eye sees!

Another eye I drew and painted with water colours.

More realistic than the one from two weeks ago "Come a Little Closer".

Not sure if I will use this eye in one of the frames, just testing it out.I think I want a more beautiful eye for these particular frames.

And I finally remembered to check the mail at the post office yesterday. This is just gorgeous Sherrie aka Giggles! I love it!!!

Haha, my best friend!

Need to keep this in mind. Sometimes I let work sit there forever and forget it : )

And always remember!

Thanks a bunch Giggles! I will always cherish your quote book and keep it on my coffee table, use the bag to keep my iPad and books when I go to Chapters for my coffee and book fix : ) 
I'm not so sure if I will use the cards. I just might keep them for myself until the right occasion that merits them comes along.

Until later,

Annabelle

EYES

"Missed the last train home.

Birds pass by to tell me I'm not alone.

Well, I'm pushing myself to finish this part,

Can handle a lot,

But one thing I'm missing .....is in your eyes."

"How did it get so late so soon?"........I know, it was the bloody sugar!!!

This past week has been total confusion and disorder, a brain all fogged up and not from the shower.
I am totally fed up with the number of pills I need to take to keep the diabetes in check.
I noticed all of my aches and pains surfaced when I began taking them and so I did a little experiment and didn't take them for a few days, the aches disappeared but the sugars went up. I know my doctor will not be happy with my little investigation but then again I needed to know what was causing the sharp needle pains since all of my other test results were negative.So now it's back to see her and find an alternative route or even better stop eating the stuff I love : )
Needless to say I didn't do much of anything and I wasn't going to post today but then I thought I could share this digital/sketch I did quite a while back. It's a self portrait in caricature. The butterflies and birds , spider webs and spider, the roses and stars ,the old laces and the Pisces sign all describe me. As for the crown , I'm not sure!
I think I will keep this weekend nice and quiet , go on a few walks with the kids and the dog and pick a few pussy willows, always a tradition at this time of year. Maybe the fresh air will entice me to get back on track with the eyes "COME A LITTLE CLOSER". Haven't come up with a name for the series but I can work on that too.
So that's it for now. Take care and enjoy the holiday!

p.s. I'm not sure who left the comment about the light font but your right, I will get to it in time, thanks for the heads up.

Eyes by Rogue Wave ~ Enjoy!




cardifffilmsociety Thanks !


HAPPY EASTER and A HAPPY PAINT PARTY FRIDAY 
Thanks Eva and Kristin

Until Later,
Annabelle

COME A LITTLE CLOSER , THEN YOU'LL SEE

Photo Courtesy of  

Reni Gamble ~ Rumiwater

Dreams are a mystery, they are the night fevers that fabricate the delirium of which intoxicates the mind.

Sometimes they come creeping into the room at night with prophetic visions of days of future passed,

immediately the voices are back asking the symbolism of the Dream.

Carl Gustav Jung believed Dreams were a way to communicate and acquaint oneself with their unconscious; a window into one's inner soul.

William Shakespeare said the eyes were the window to one's soul,

And Helen Keller said the most beautiful things in life could not be seen or touched , but felt with the heart.

The dreams, the visions, the eyes, all symbols as well, all telling their very own tale of their heart.

"Cold - hearted orb that rules the night

Removes the colours from our sight

Red is gray and yellow, white

But we decide which is right

And which is an illusion"

~Moody Blues

aND SO THE dREAM (a past dream)

of the

Malocchio ~ The Evil Eye

I'm in the elysium of an evil eye after trying my hand at water colour painting of a Lover's Eye.

Although I'm far from happy with it's horrid gaze it has given me some thoughts to ponder on while creating it. I want to make a series of eye paintings , some beautiful and haunting,some more on the creepier sinister side for incorporating into my Haunted Lover's Eye Spiderweb Frames. 

If you look at the previous post "A Little Fairy Spider by the Name of Charlotte", you can see the frames I'll be using for the next Haunted Lover's Eye in the collection.

"Come a little closer, then you'll see

Come on, come on, come on

Things aren't always what they seem to be"

***********“Come a Little Closer” **********

I was just having a bit of fun playing a little game of “looking for a clue to the identity of the drawn eye in the photograph”. I placed the eye on top of an Ouija Board to convey it's invisible form with the yes and no words barely noticeable, kind of saying “ Yes I'm “The Spirit Eye”, no I'm the Evil Eye or Witch's Eye, the Witch Hazel bottle also being one of the clues. Anyway, didn't really spend a lot of time on the game just thought of it as I posted it. Still a big kid at heart : )

p.s. I don't use the board for it's intended purpose ( I'm a scary cat) I just use it for a Halloween prop.

"Do you understand the things that you've been dreaming?"

 While painting I listened to this song from my daughter's collection, M truly has opened my mind to the current wave of music played on Vampire Diaries , Pretty Little Liars , Castle and other similar programs. I love all sorts of genres , especially the classics and music of the past but some of today's scores are finding their place in my collections as well.

Enjoy : )

Interesting symbolism throughout this song. "Come a Little Closer"by The Cage Elephant.The most blaring ones are The Third Eye, Planets, Possible Drug References, etc. ~ Covertpolitics

Please take the time to pay a visit to the artists on Paint Party Friday. Thanks Eva and Kristin for hosting.

"Time flies by, they all sang along

Time flies by, they all sang along

Time flies by, they all sang along

Time flies ~ bye, bye "

~ Cage the Elephant 

Until Later,

Annabelle

A LITTLE FAIRY SPIDER BY THE NAME OF CHARLOTTE

It was she, Charlotte the Spider who designed and built some wonderful enchanted cottages in the countryside and by the sea. The Fairy Spider even made some pretty pendents for people to wear who admired her story and wanted to show their undying love for her to the world.



Here are some of Charlotte's past creations of SpiderWeb Homes and Adornments

While on her travels Charlotte acquired an extensive collection of antique architectural elements .

One of particular interest in her purchase was this pair of Antique Victorian Regency Gold Frames.

 " The lady is slightly more faded than the man". 

Of course because of their age they have cracks and some discolouration but to Charlotte that's what gives them their alluring beauty.

They measure 5 inches by 5 1/2 inches

Pictures of the Antique Victorian Regency Gold Frames courtesy of Carla Rae

So Charlotte, have any ideas ?

Until later,

Annabelle

CAT BREAK ~^..^~ "SUN IS SHINING , THE WEATHER IS SWEET"

I am laughing and laughing looking at this picture! So cute! Reminds me of the wolf in the fairy-tale - pretending to be grandma! :D

***A comment I was left on Flickr ……Purrfect fit!

While busily de-cluttering the house, my painting got put aside and so for this week I'm sharing this picture of Elliot (Elly Angel) all dressed up like Grandma ~^..^~ and a quote by E.B. White.

This is my second round of Spring Cleaning for this year and more scheduled before those brightly yellow daffodils are dancing in my garden. Yesterday, my husband and daughter helped me pack the truck and bring boxes of  stuff, a collection of tv's and even a much loved wire bird cage ( don't believe in caged birds) for donation to "HOUSE OF LAZARUS" in Mountain….my favourite thrift shop. I almost donated two wool coats but remembered I was saving them for Penny Mats so out they came from the clothes bag destined for HOUSE. 

Of course, once I was there I couldn't leave before I took one quick look around for artful elements : ) 

Didn't find any, thank God, however I did buy a book……"CHARLOTTE'S WEB" which jogged my memory to see through a commitment I never completed.

Sometime ago I  met a gal with her grandson named Frankie at the Salvation Army store in Kemptville and I had promised the little guy the book but silly me, absent minded old gal that I am lost their number. All that I recall is that she worked at the hospital so I suppose I could try that connection and see if I can get this fabulous book to him, if not , hopefully I'll meet up with them again: )

So ,while I may be preoccupied with daily chores of life it doesn't deter me from being inspired for the next  work of art. So instead of dreading the thought of dirt and dust filling my nostrils and head and just plain procrastination and talk about cleaning , it's quicker to get the job done and before you know it, a spacious room awaits with boundless possibilities .

Oh, and as you can see I revamped my website "Pastoraldreams" and my other website "Thewoodbeyondtheworld" (keeping two sites in case one gets lost :)

 The pictures of the Dandelion and Old Man's Beard are old imperfect photographs I took a while back, I just digitally enhanced them so I suppose they would count as digital paint, right?

SUN IS SHINING, WEATHER IS SWEET

Thanks for uploading this song cielzinnn

Thanks Eva and Kristin for hosting Paint Party Friday

Until Later ,

Annabelle