MR BOOTS

BOOTS the family Cat has passed on. Boots made our home his home one day 17 Years ago, he came crying in a panic, into my shed workshop, very distressed. Because he had a collar on I told him to go home, not realizing at the time, he had been abandoned or was lost.
The very next day he came back, even more determined and looking very frightened, not owning a Cat at the time, I did not have any Cat food to feed him, so I thought "milk" then I thought "cornflakes" Not a good combination, but he was so thirsty drinking the cornflake/milk, I then realized just how dehydrated he must have been. We made the usual inquiries locally and he made the "have you lost a black and White cat" in the local paper. But no one came forward to claim him.
So we now owned a Felix type cat. What to call him? Cornflake? sprang to mind, then my Brother John came up with Boots ( he had four white paws ) and the name stuck.
He came into our home crying and departed crying. One of those fearful phone calls I received at work, from my brother "come home Boots looks very ill". I dashed home from Kidderminster, it took half an hour, arriving back to discover Boots on the floor on a blanket, so we gathered him up and off to the very local Vets, it was late too late, the vets were closed, so I called the Vets number it redirected me to another emergency vets 7 Miles away. But he did not make it.
This was to be His last journey. He departed on Friday 13th!! of May 2016. Just as the Lilac Tree bloomed

The lilac Tree is above his head in the Photo, and the fence ledge, also above his head

was where he "Cat like" used to walk along to his lofty perch.
We laid him to rest, where we would often find him on a summer night at the bottom of a green leafy edge.

Good night Mr. BOOTS

Mr.BOOTS

See here for an immortal cat and his mortal master; https://www.facebook.com/topiarycat

WILL-O'-THE-WISP

Will-o'the-Wisp.............jack-o'-lantern.............Ignis Fatuus

The above titles all describe, the strange pale Green/Blue, seldom seen light hovering above....

....areas of Marshes and Swamps. Though rarely seen in the UK today, due to most of this country's marshes having been drained for agricultural and farming use.

Will-o'the-wisp. (Artists impression)  © B.Arrowsuch

 Our ancestors who worshiped water, lakes or any body of
 water within the landscape, must have been mesmerized by the
appearance of Ignis fatuus, rising from any waterlogged landscape, is it any wonder folklore, myth and legend, slowly evolved over thousands of Years.

In British folklore it's claimed if you look upon the Will-o'the-Wisp
light, the person looking at it, is compelled to
 follow the light to a DOOMED END.  Hence the meaning; 
IGNIS FATUUS  Medieval Latin translates to; foolish~fire.

Will-o'the-wisp. (Artists impression)  © B.Arrowsuch

Science, has tried to explain this phenomenon, the current theory is that charged or spontaneous ignited methane gas and a combination of Phosphine, created in the presence of

decaying vegetation, containing phosphine and or diphosphane, spontaneously ignites on contact with Oxygen (air), as the gas emanates from swamp,marsh or bog. 
But exactly how and why is still a Worldwide mystery.
See here for a 1893 article;http://www.forgottenbooks.com


All across the world, the common name for these spooky, lights 
has emerged in each country, as follows; 

• UK>  Will-o'the-Wisp.
  
• USA>Spook lights.
• Ireland>Ferbane. 
•  Norway> Hessdalen_light.
• Sweden>Martebo lights
• Canada; Saskatchewan> St.Louis light.
• Australia>Min Min light.

  

  UK regional names

 
The West Country: Jacky Lantern, Jack-a-Lantern
 Cornwall & Somerset: Joan the Wad 
 Somerset & Devon: Hinky Punk 
 Warwickshire & Gloucestershire: Hobbedy's Lantern 
 Northumberland & North Yorkshire : Jenny with the Lantern
Hertfordshire & East Anglia: The Hobby Lantern 
Wales: Pwca, Ellylldan  
 Lancashire: Peg-a-Lantern
East Anglia: The Lantern Man
Shropshire: Will the Smith
Worcestershire: Pinket
Lowland Scotland: Spunkies
Norfolk: Will o' the Wikes

  Where can you see Will-o'the-Wisp in the UK today.
There have been sightings in the peak District, Bleaklow, shining clough, Longdendale, Dovedale.
Take a camera, and learn night time photography.
Good luck, but......Don't follow the light!!!.
 

------------------------------------------
  

MOON LIGHT AND LANDSCAPE

The dark Night, most of us, as children are fearful of this nocturnal time of the Night, but I never really acquired that fear, living in a street lit town, Dark was never truly dark, as a result, and as an adult 
I have a desire to seek out, all things visually Dark. Last year I traveled out, one night into the Oxford Countryside to help my Brother get his annual Meteor shower image, for his archive, you can see the result here;
 Geminids and light pollution.

I cannot wait to get out again this year, into the dark night.

--------------------------------------

Over the years I have collected fine Art books, and within some of those books, some of those painters have the desire to paint the Moon lit Landscape. One of my favourite painters of Moonscapes is a fine Artist by the name of;

John Atkinson Grimshaw 1836-1893 he was a very imaginative

Victorian painter, his Moon paintings are very striking.The moody hues, he created seem unreal, but....no, I've observed these rare nocturnal lit scenes, and they are very realistic, they 
have a "in a dream" quality.

Whitby Harbour by Moonlight. image;Wikipaintings

J A Grimshaw had an affinity for a water theme, and painted
many harbour, or Ocean painting. Moon light needs
 the reflective quality of water, to extend the 
diminished light of the Moon. When he was not painting
water, he very often painted winding Lanes,
wet, after rain, allowing that much needed glowing lift
of reflective light. 

Another fine modern day Artist is Kit Williams, he too 
likes to paint a Moon lit scene, with uncanny realism
I've had the pleasure of viewing his recent, paintings, his
Moon light, puts the viewer in that lunar night, you
get the feeling of being out side, at night!!.   

"Moonlight" by John Atkinson Grimshaw. image from:wikipaintings

My Photographer Brother, intends to photograph Moon lit Landscapes, I dare say he will drag me out of the door, to
hump all his gear, over hill and dale just to capture, that
beaming Moon reflecting off my (probably) muddy
wet boots. It will not be the first time, I have been ankle

A Twilight painting by John Atkinson Grimshaw. Image;wikipaintings

 Tree Shadows on the Park Wall, Roundhay Park, Leeds

 deep in mud, come to think of it, he persuaded me to 
explore a right of way track, to Pilsbury Hill castle
Problem was it passed by a dairy farm, no that was not
the problem, it was the six inches of cow slurry.
Needless to say, we ended up not getting to Pilsbury, we
decided to drive out to Parsley hay  and cycle in, from
a new direction, at least he got his Image, its titled;

 "Atmospheric Pilsbury"

Here is a "Wiki" link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilsbury_Castle

I will publish here any Moon scape photo Images, as and when
my Brother acquires them. Keep a look out.
Sorry to digress. If you desire to see more paintings of 
 John Atkinson Grimshaw
Follow this link to Wikipaintings 



 ------------------------------------------------

 

SAFFRON SPICE

Saffron Crocus sativus, a King of spices, used for centuries 

in culinary dishes, also noted for it's medicinal properties.

© John R Arrowsuch

In Art, Saffron has been utilized, for the distinctive colour

found in the stigmas growing within the flowering head.

The colour dye from Saffron, was commonly used for dyeing 

cloth, you can see from the next image, the intense 

colour from the stigmas.......... 

here is the Wiki link;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saffron

The image to the left represents 0.4g, price wise it works out to about £1 British pound per 0.1g !!!!. Making Saffron the most expensive spice, per gram.
Note; price based on supermarket prices.

Some of the oldest records of Saffron's use, date back

over 4,000 years. One record notes, that 50,000 years

ago Saffron pigment was discovered in depictions of prehistoric places, in Northwest Iran.

Closer to home (UK), Saffron Walden in Essex, was a big producer of Saffron, in the sixteenth century.

But things come and go, Saffron is no longer grown on a large scale, in Saffron Walden.

But fear not, in Caergwrle in Wales. a Saffron grower is having great success, in cultivating Saffron  Crocus sativus, see the link; http://www.britishsaffron.co.uk

Saffron used in Art may have limitations 
Here's why; if you buy any

reputable Saffron, look at the use label. It nearly always states" keep

out of direct Sunlight" or "keep in an airtight container", both drawing the conclusion, to the fact that Saffron, starts to degrade in Oxygen, so

any dye or colour derived from the Saffron, will over time change.

Colorists or pigment makers, refer to this as permanence, so it might

be a good idea not to use Saffron as a dye or pigment.

medicinal properties of Saffron are well known 

 today research indicates

Saffron may provide anti cancer properties, it's also an antioxidant.

Yet other research has evidence of protection against eye problems, macular degeneration for one, in fact it even reversed to a degree, eye disease in test patients with established eye conditions. Follow this link; http://www.news-medical.net/news/2009/05/17/Saffron-could-stopping-blindness-and-cure-eye-disease.aspx

How easy is it to grow saffron?. 
I do plan on growing my own, but there are a few things that make it more successful, the soil needs to be a neutral pH 7 and the soil needs to be very well draining, the corms need to be planted 6" deep, deeper than other varieties of crocus, and last of all they must be planted in a full Sun position. For every corm you plant, you get ten corms after four years, is that not a great return!.

Something different to view; http://amethystlandphoto.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/geminids-and-light-pollution.html

UPDATE; 27/10/2014   I grew my first crop of Saffron this Year, they flowered in fits and starts
but produced what will be a flower from every bulb, next two Years
 should double the population of planted bulbs, my brother photographed the harvest;
he used a background of Autumn Blueberry leaves, to make a great photo set.

© John R Arrowsuch

 See more of John's work and images here; http://www.amethystlandphoto.com/

----------------------------------------------------------------------     

THE PENCIL'S HIDDEN SECRET

The tool, Artists have used for hundreds of years. The humble

pencil, it's interior made of graphite and clay invented by Nicolas-Jacques Conté in 1795.

Around  1500 to 1560 a enormous amount of graphite was discovered, at  Grey Knotts

Grey Knotts. credit; Mick Knapton

 by the hamlet of Seathwaite in Borrowdale parish, Cumbria, England.

The Cumbria  area has a tradition of pencil making, dating back many decades.

The Derwent pencil factory, in Cumbria England was one of the first to manufacture and make pencils, in the UK. I have used their pencils for years. It's a pleasure to purchase a product made here in the UK, and gives employment to local people, in the Cumbria area.

It is a pity many capitalist in this country, use labour in other countries, to make vast profits from exploiting very low payed workers. Many unemployed people here in the UK, are labeled "work shy", mainly by governments blaming the unemployed, for their own misfortune, because our governments, don't really have any ideas on how to persuade firms and companies to employ UK citizens. Which is why so many people are actually forced out of work, due to greedy, selfish capitalists who's, agenda is not to pay income tax and keep all their money, off shore.

It has been said, if the current government, made more effort to investigate tax evasion, the deficit, would be payed off twice over!. What are governments all over the word waiting for?.

Rant over, for now.

Back to a great company, The Derwent pencil factory, sadly the only large, pencil

manufacturing company left in the UK. Have a look at the following video.

I'm thinking we need to get back to "Buy British".

The Derwent pencil factory

 


My Brother John, uses pencil(s) to sign his limited edition, Landscape images.
You can see his work here;www.amethystlandphoto.com
The advantages of using pencil are that, the mark left will be unaffected by UV
 light, and it should never fade, not to mention the pencil flows on
the paper as if it were lubricated. In fact  the graphite has that ability to detach
and slide over itself. So this brings us to why the pencil hides a secret.

Graphite may hold the key to faster computer chips, flat/flexible
 TV  screens, and be able to conduct electricity, much faster that copper.
One more property is it's strength, stronger that steel and very lightweight. 
Turning graphite into this super Material, requires the graphite be made only
one molecule thick, this material has been named Graphene.

In 2004 two scientists Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov at the University of Manchester, utilizing Graphite they were able to create for the first time, a
 single atom layer of Graphene. They went on to make many discoveries, and
in 2010 they were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics.

If you have the right app on your choice of mobile device, scan the QR Code below
to listen to Radio 4s archived science program; In our time "CARBON".
Alternatively click the link below the QR Code. 

 Intesting radio 4 programme "In our time" Carbon. Click here to listen

Here you can find more information on Graphene; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphene
Almost every few months new uses for Graphene, are being made. Only time will
tell if Graphene is the new revolutionary material.

As for Artists, they know what mysteries Graphite contain.

BILBERRY A POWERFULL ALLY

BILBERRY

Bilberry  ( Vaccinium ) has been used by herbalists
for Centuries, it grows in  Northern Europe and North America it's a plant that likes poor acidic soils, and grows
best in light shade, favours old wooded areas and heath and moorland.
A map of Bilberry around the UK

WINTER RAVAGED BILBERRY

 Looking battered by the winter, my containers of
Bilberry's have suffered. Grown from seed
picked on the Long mynd (only pick the seed NOT the plants), it's taken over five years to grow to a mature
size, I'm hoping they will produce fruits this Year?.

Update July 2013 ; Half my Bilberry plants have died but travelling up to the Peak district
we found a large area of wild Bilberry berries, ready for harvesting. I will be planting seeds
from them to see if they are more successful, than the seeds from the Long Mynd. 

  wild Bilberry © John Arrowsuch

Medicinally Bilberry has some very interesting
history, used for centuries to treat eye problems.
Native American Indians have used Bilberry to treat 
cataracts, diabetes and diarrhea the latter with dried berries, a comprehensive list of proven benefits are;

• Antioxidant properties...............................
• Anti-inflammatory...................................... 
• Protective effects on blood vessels...........
• Increased blood flow in eyes..................  
• Repairs blood vessels........................
• Regulate blood glucose levels............
• Reduce bad cholesterol............

The component responsible for Bilberries legendary
status, are called anthocyanins, compared to their
close relatives Blueberries, Bilberries have four times
 the amount of anthocyanin.
Cell damage caused by oxidative stress, is prevented
by the large amount of anthocyanins  within the bilberry.
 At the same time protecting cardiovascular function, and possessing anti-inflammatory properties.
For eye health, bilberry offers protection against cataracts, macular degeneration and glaucoma.  
I have read that after three months of consuming Bilberries, your large and fine vascular system, becomes coated with a non-stick coating, this would account 
for the vascular protective nature of this little berry.
   
  Bilberries also help keep platelets from clumping together, which, helps thin the blood preventing clotting, and improves circulation.
Why this is not prescribed by Doctors, to prevent illness
is a mystery ?, but Doctors are there to prescribe, to people who are sick, they rarely recommend herbs and berries, that prevent illness. Unfortunately drug companies would not be able to make vast amounts, of money out of what
is a common widely grown, wild plant.    

A very interesting and more detailed read here, NCBI    
  
I will update the above information as it develops?  

FIGHT CANCER -- PLAN B

Cancer, that feared word every person dreads to hear. Very recently two of

my close older friends passed away, both had cancer. I felt helpless,while they

were ill, I cannot describe the anger I felt that I did not have the knowledge

or wisdom to pass on to my friends.

So I started to investigate all the various treatments, available for cancer.

It is VERY SPECIALIZED for each type of cancer, some of the 

modern day medical treatments are very advanced, no doubt they work, but

sometimes the treatment fails or the cancer returns.

I soon realized it would take me years of study, to even understand all the

varieties of treatments available today.

Then one day I stumbled upon an on line article, all about a elderly gent who was told

by his cancer specialist, his treatment was no longer working, and he should

go home and tell his family to prepare for the end. But...............Windsor oncologist,

Dr.Caroline Hamm asked if he would try one more thing?.

Link to the Dandelion article

The Dr. Hamm said she had  patients try

to cure themselves with a plant remedy, and indeed had patients showing

up cured after taking it. That plant was DANDELION ( TARAXACUM ). 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taraxacum

Photo credit; John R Arrowsuch

So the patient returned home, and made Dandelion tea, and drank the tea for

three month's, he returned to the hospital, who had told him three month's

earlier he was about to die, only to be told his cancer had vanished, he was cured!.
     

Dr Hamm passed her findings on to a fellow research Biochemist Dr.Pandey.

biochemist

biochemistDr. Pandey

He was surprised to find when he extracted the Dandelion ingredients out, and

placed cancer cells into the solution, the cancer cells died, but when they

placed human cells into the Dandelion solution they were untouched and remained viable.

Which would mean this could potentially, be a very safe treatment for people.

Dandelion has been consumed and eaten for centuries, the root for coffee or tea, and the leaves

for salads and even the stalks. It may be that the weed Dandelion, that every

gardener has dug up and weeded out, turns out to be, our most precious plant.

______________________

Dandelion plant parts


 The Dandelion clock

Be sure to look at this link to see what vitamins and minerals
Dandelions contain. 

Many others have also found a cure from the Dandelion. In history the Irish used to
regularly eat the wild Dandelion, and cancer was less common in their communities.
But now in modern times cancer is much more common. It could be a good
indicator of how powerful this plant really is, It may be time to look at this plant again.

But if your cancer treatment is not working for you, and you are told there is nothing else left to do, it could be time for plan B or plan DANDELION.

It grows in all the UK, but make sure you identify it correctly before you consume any.

Always ask your Doctor before you take it, Dandelion can react with certain drugs, so

best to ask your Doctor or chemist if in doubt.

If you cannot harvest Dandelion yourself from your garden, try this supplier;  http://www.healthysupplies.co.uk/dandelion-root-roasted-50g-sussex.html  they sell dried Dandelion root, but i would try to get it as fresh as possible, out of mother Earth.

 Remember Dandelion is not a cure for all cancer, Indeed it does not work for every one.
But it could be your first and last line of defense,use it throughout your life.
I have been taking it for some time, it has more vitamin A than beef liver!, so is great for
eye sight, so it is a good all health plant. It is said to cover a very broad spectrum of minerals and vitamins.
Tip; If you decide to grow your own, it is best to pick after two years of growth, and then harvest  in the spring. That way the root and leaves are less bitter, there are brands of Dandelion coffee available on the high Street, but........they only contain about 8 percent Dandelion, and the other ingredients are glucose syrup, not enough to have any effect in battling cancer or supplementing your vitamin, intake.  

I will always tell my friends about the remarkable plant that is the DANDELION.

Your Doctor will tell you it's still being researched. But why wait it is only a culinary

plant with possible curative properties, it will do no harm and has been eaten as salad and drunk as coffee or tea for centuries by many cultures.

Always remember cancer needs to be treated by a qualified Doctor.

If you need to tell your Doctor about the Dandelion treatment then

show them this link http://digitaljournal.com/article/323433

The above article is in no way medical advise, seek a diagnosis from your Doctor as to what your illness and treatment might require.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

This old tree sums up a sentiment shared in my family and possibly yours as regards health and stubbornly hanging on to life? never giving in.

Falling but hanging on. by John Arrowsuch ©

Follow the old tree

" Fall to Nene"

link here for the full article written and photographed by John Arrowsuch............

Please let me know if the links above are broken.