Blue...blue and more blue...

It just seems there is no time to do anything other than work (usually marking others' work...) so little by little I'm getting fed up and feeling more and more removed from the things that I enjoy the most. The blues, I suppose, except that I do actually like blue which in all its variety generally makes me feel good...

 As corny as it might sound, I always give the following advice to my children when they're down - to think of all their favourite things - which naturally brings to mind... The Sound of Music!!!

Nevertheless there is certainly wisdom therein, so I like to look at a few of my favourite objects, since the rest seems to be pretty inaccessible for the time being....





So, along with the kittens' whiskers and some other things on Julie Andrews'  list..... I'd add...
Blue Morpho and peacock feathers for their irridescence and the sheer magic of nature that I could never grow indifferent to... Even the humbler Blue Chalk butterflies....

Chalk Blue and opals

Peacock feathers and Pedro

Handmade blue Swarovski bead necklace, with ring and brooch

Blue glass beads (well, any beads actually) would figure there too.....

La Samaritaine; Paris

....Art deco tiles and mozaics for their discretion - often hidden away in obscure places and at great height...
You often fail to notice the beauty that is just out of reach, almost as if the aesthetic pleasure was a
hide-and-seek game for the artist...

Advert for a variety of Lu biscuits; Reims

Meanwhile old mural advertisements now pass for decoration.... And this is my favourite one that I always look out for as I'm trudging into town....

Le Ballon des Ternes; Paris

Concerning beautiful old tiles, I liked these rather devious-looking birds, that look like a cunning take on William Morris' 'The Strawberry Thief' and have a slight hint of one of my favourite birds - the Jay.

William Morris

Jay feather

....The Jay would be on my list because with its seemingly modest dusty pink/grey plummage contrasting the bright blue wing feathers that flash as they fly past with their strange 'prehistoric' calls, they seem such strange birds. I found this feather in woodland in the South of France at the end of the summer, while the Forget-me-nots are from the garden...

















Finally as grey gives way to blue, I'd add open leaden skies that lead onto silver linings...
Here is one of the older squares in Reims seen in reflection - with the twin towers of the cathedral visible on the skyline.

Window display in a florist's; Reims

And to end, here is St Michael's Mount, seen from Mousehole, Cornwall, this summer...

From Mousehole to Marazion, Cornwall

Then, to accompany all of that I'd add 'Symphony in Blue', by Kate Bush....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anukPD5A2R4&feature=related


                I spend a lot of my time looking at blue,
               The colour of my room and my mood.
               Blue of my walls, blue out of my mouth,
               The sort of blue between clouds,
               When the sun comes out,
               The sort of blue in those eyes you get hung up about.


               When the feeling of meaningless sets in,
               Go blowing my mind on God,
               The light in the dark, with the neon arms,
               The meak he seeks, the beast he calms;
               The head of the good soul department.
               I see myself, suddenly,
               On the piano, as a melody.
               My terrible fear of dying,
               No longer plays with me,
               For now I know that I'm needed,
               For the symphony.....