The topic for the final outing of the Loose Bloggers Consortium in 2011 was chosen by Will.

Ideas

Back in January 2009 I was complaining about the hike in heating oil prices. At that time they ranged between £311.00 to £349.65 for 900 Litres.  Fiddlesticks. What was I complaining about?  Right now we are talking £527.00 to £554.44 for 900 Litres. Pay by credit card and that lower price jumps to £534.90.  Many of the lower priced companies do not deliver to my area. 🙁

Back in that post I sought suggestions about how to raise the funds for oil.  I even contemplated sending my Art work to Sotherby’s.

My online friends were quick to offer their advice.

Magpie 11 said

“I think we should appeal to the nations so that it can be kept in its place…..I mean to say it’s a lot newer than those ones from the Bridgewater connection…they’re about 400 years old aren’t they? We cannot let art like that go abroad……..I’m rather impressed that one so young should have been aware of sunspots.”

Nick said

“Goodness, I hope it’s well insured. Such consummate brushwork and flawless composition will push it over the £million mark straightaway.”

kenju said

“How could you even think of selling such great art!!?? Better to freeze and keep it, I think.”

With advice like that, I decided that I should sleep on the idea for a week or two, before parting with my special art treasure.

I am so glad I listened.  Sometimes fools rush in where…. etc etc!

Now sit down and pay attention!

With the magic and wonder of Christmas, my art came to life!  I mean it. No. I have not been over indulging on the Vino & Gin, or hallucinating. The proof is here:

Photo by Elly

I need to take you back to last September, I was having a Chat with Elly

E: you know those drawings of mine as a child where they have no arms?
GM: yes, one drawing of our family
E: yeah, do you have a copy of it around?
GM: real or on my computer? I have both
E: a scan is fine was trying to describe it to Sue, easier to show her
GM: want it today?
E: if it suits, no rush
GM: grand
E: thx
GM: try here
E: excellent, I thought it was on the blog somewhere, but I couldn’t find it.
GM: Looking at that ‘artwork’ again… you were meticulous in your detail. The left leg of Jack’s trousers was shorter than the right!!
E: lol

My Elly had something up her sleeve and was planning and plotting unbeknownst to me. That angelic Sue was in on it too, and never breathed a word to me!

Somewhere on the ‘net’ Elly came across this little snippet:

“The child’s drawing, a wonderful expression of childhood, is the starting point of the collaborative project. Details and colour choices are reproduced as closely as possible so that the stuffed toy that arrives in the mail is immediately recognizable to the child who designed it. It’s a fun, rewarding process, and kids love seeing their drawings come alive.”

Thus began another conversation

E: Hiya, I just found out about the toys that you make, and I was wondering if you would ship to Ireland? I realise that it would cost extra. Attached is the picture I would be hoping to recreate in 3 toys…..

W: Thank you for your enquiry.
Are they wearing earmuffs?  I would charge…..  If you are interested, just let me know, thanks for your interest in Child’s Own Studio
Wendy

E: No I think they are ears, not earmuffs – although it’s nearly 2 decades since I drew it, so I’m not 100% sure! 🙂
My Dad was older than my mum, so his hair is grey (I don’t think I had a grey pen). He also had a war wound, so one of his legs should be slightly shorter than the other (mum always commented on how accurate that part of the drawing was). I never drew arms as a child, and when mum asked why I always said that their hands were behind their backs; so being that these will be 3D, I would love to put the arms on so that they are only visible from the back. I’d like to go ahead with the order please.

Dolls with hands behind their backs

There were more questions and answers along the way….

“How much shorter was his leg, I’m curious.  I like these drawings and your description; I’m looking forward to working on them. How old were you when you drew this picture”?

“Dad was injured in WWII. His leg would only have been fractionally shorter in real life, maybe a centimetre or two.
I was 5 when I drew the picture (my drawing skills haven’t improved much since either!).”

Elly;s Dad was injured in WWII and they used bone from his hip to re-sculpt his thigh bone. Due to being in plaster (from chest to ankle) for 14 months, he was unable to bend his left knee after this, but taught himself to walk & drive again. His left leg would only have been 1 inch shorter and he mastered the limp by taking a full stride followed by a half one on the injured leg.

W: I’m working on your dolls right now, and I have a couple of questions for you:
1) In your drawing, the child’s (your) hair looks reddish.  Shall I stay close to the colour or do you prefer light brown?
2) Your father’s shoes/feet weren’t coloured in…What colour should I make them…red? white? black?

E: Light Brown for my hair and black for Dad’s shoes please. He was a demon for polishing them all the time.

W: Well, he was in the military…

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So on Christmas Eve I was gob-smacked.  Not alone had I Elly, George and Miss Buffy for the day, I had this precious unique gift, I heard the fascinating background story of how it came about

Proof after all these years!

Then I was introduced to:

If you know Eleanor, don’t tell her mother about her Christmas gift.

Elly takes after her dad – look at her legs!! 😉

How many of you have drawings or paintings by your children or grandchildren stuck on the fridge right now? Maybe they are stored in a box in the loft?

What a great idea to bring them to life.

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Time now to go check out what ideas the other active members of the Loose Bloggers Consortium have for us to close out the year:- Conrad, Delirious, Maria/Gaelikaa, Magpie 11, Maria SilverFox, OCD writer, Padmum, Paul,Ramana, Rohit, Will Knott.

Padmini in her wisdom had the choosing of our topic for today

Hospitals or Doctors

I sat on the doctor’s knee so he could examine me.  His desk was dark and solid as a rock.  His routine never changed. He smoothly slid open the top right hand drawer, it was a very deliberate move. There were several bundles neatly arranged in that space but one half was given over to an open box… He knew I saw the box and would do whatever he asked….

He began with the bundle beside the open box…

We called them the lollipop sticks, one was given to me to look inside his mouth before he prompted me to “Open wide!”  He flattened my tongue and had a good look around, then it was “Say Ahhh!” as he looked deeper into the space. Saying ‘Ahhh!’ while being very conscious of the tickling hairs on his index finger touching my face, always made me feel like laughing.

I stood between his knees and could feel his soft warm exhaled breath on my cheeks as he checked my ears.

We played a game or two.  He helped to remove my cardigan, then gently opened the buttons on my blouse while I chatted away telling him the news of the day.

Then the stethoscope came into centre stage, first the earpieces were put to my ears so I could hear his beating heart.  One day I told him he had no heart, but he insisted I keep trying until I found it.  Thankfully I did find a heart beating steadily away, allowing him to turn the attention to me.  He listened to my heart, my lungs, asked me to cough and again cough once more, before smiling and setting the stethoscope down on the desk.

There were questions asked and answers given, promises made and soon it was time for The Box!

The box contained the biggest most colourful hand-made sweets you ever saw.  I was allowed choose one for my mouth and one for each hand.

Mammy never had any problem bring us to see Dr Kidney!

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Now off you go to check the pills and potions of the other Loose Blogging Consortium active members:- Conrad, Delirious, Maria/Gaelikaa, Magpie 11, Maria SilverFox, OCD writer, Padmum, Paul, Ramana, Rohit, WillKnott.