A Fairy Tale from The Glen | A Story of Loneliness, Magic & Springtime Hope

Vintage Wood

“If you have never had a garden you cannot understand, and if you have had a garden you will know that it would take a whole book to describe all that came to pass there.”
We saw a deer yesterday; I think she brought us good luck
Poor thing couldn't find a way out of the maze. I sure hope she found a way to her home.

I miss the trees, the birds, and the wildlife. 

WIP 20 X 14 OVAL

 

“Perhaps it is the key to the garden!” 

― Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden

VISITING THE ANCESTORS

 Florence and Bat went on a little trip to Genova, Italy, to visit Florence's family at Cimitero di Staglieno: one of the most beautiful cemeteries in the world. 

When I was little, my aunt Virgina brought me to a beautiful garden. I remember the air being hot, dry, and infused with the smell of pine. We wandered through a maze of mysterious sculptured figures and monuments so elaborate in intricate detail, so life-like, I was sure the people were alive under the dusty marble facades. We were visiting our ancestors. The garden was a cemetery, and it was gorgeous. Ghosts of the past are here in their final resting place. And what a beautiful place to be in death. Cimitero Monumental di Staglieno; haunting and so beautiful. I was never to forget it. 

Below is an excerpt of what the American writer Mark Twain said after visiting Staglieno :

 “Our last sight was the cemetery (a burial place intended to accommodate 60,000 bodies), and we shall continue to remember it after we shall have forgotten the palaces. It is a vast marble colonnaded corridor extending around a great unoccupied square of ground; its broad floor is marble, and on every slab is an inscription - for every slab covers a corpse. On either side, as one walks down the middle of the passage, are monuments, tombs, and sculptured figures that are exquisitely wrought and are full of grace and beauty. They are new and snowy; every outline is perfect, every feature guiltless of mutilation, flaw, or blemish; and therefore, to us these far-reaching ranks of bewitching forms are a hundred fold more lovely than the damaged and dingy statuary they have saved from the wreck of ancient art and set up in the galleries of Paris for the worship of the world." 

"Believe nothing you hear and half of what you see." 

GENOA: Stunning sculptures 🏛️, Monumental Cemetery (Cimitero Monumentale di Staglieno)

@batandmaggie @hauntedwalk @rideau_walkingtours @harpercollinsch@ottawabloggers #art #artgallery#ghost #bookstagram #book #booklover #catart #story #instagram #instagood#instadaily #insta #cimiteromonumentale#cimitero#cemetery #halloween #grave #beautiful #haunting

RUNNIN' DOWN A DREAM - BLACK CAT PRODUCTIONS 🐾🐾🐾 -

Black Cat Productions🐾🐾🐾 Spring fever has put a stop to creativity- for now. We need a break. Still Runnin' Down a Dream

"Runnin' Down A Dream"


It was a beautiful day, the sun beat down
I had the radio on, I was drivin'
Trees went by, me and Del were singin'
Little runaway
I was flyin'

Yeah, runnin' down a dream
That never would come to me
Workin' on a mystery, goin' wherever it leads
Runnin' down a dream

I felt so good, like anything was possible
Hit cruise control and rubbed my eyes
The last three days the rain was unstoppable
It was always cold, no sunshine

Yeah, runnin' down a dream
That never would come to me
Workin' on a mystery, goin' wherever it leads
Runnin' down a dream

I rolled on, the sky grew dark
I put the pedal down to make some time
There's something good waitin' down this road
I'm pickin' up whatever's mine

I'm runnin' down a dream
That never would come to me
Workin' on a mystery, goin' wherever it leads
Runnin' down a dream
Yeah, I'm runnin' down a dream
That never would come to me
Workin' on a mystery, goin' wherever it leads
I'm runnin' down a dream




TOM PETTY - RUNNIN' DOWN A DREAM

SWEPT AWAY TO ANOTHER WORLD - IS THERE LIFE ON MARS?

Florence and Bat went to the seaside for the day.


FLORENCE : The crashing waves on a hot summer's day playfully mix with the crescendos of Life on Mars that's playing inside my head. Dreaming under a shy sun, we have been swept away: to another world. Is there life on Mars?


WIP Inspired by David Bowie and Edward Gorey

★ LEFT SIDE OF PAINTING IN THE SAND SPELLS BOWIE ★

LIFE ON MARS


It's a God-awful small affairTo the girl with the mousy hair
But her mummy is yelling, "No"
And her daddy has told her to go
But her friend is nowhere to be seen
Now she walks through her sunken dream
To the seat with the clearest view
And she's hooked to the silver screen
But the film is a saddening bore
For she's lived it ten times or more
She could spit in the eyes of fools
As they ask her to focus on
Sailors fighting in the dance hall
Oh man, look at those cavemen go
It's the freakiest show
Take a look at the lawman
Beating up the wrong guy
Oh man, wonder if he'll ever know
He's in the best selling show
Is there life on Mars?



It's on America's tortured brow
That Mickey Mouse has grown up a cow
Now the workers have struck for fame
'Cause Lennon's on sale again
See the mice in their million hordes
From Ibiza to the Norfolk Broads
Rule Britannia is out of bounds
To my mother, my dog, and clowns

But the film is a saddening bore
'Cause I wrote it ten times or more
It's about to be writ again
As I ask you to focus on



Sailors fighting in the dance hall
Oh man, look at those cavemen go
It's the freakiest show
Take a look at the lawman
Beating up the wrong guy
Oh man, wonder if he'll ever know
He's in the best selling show
Is there life on Mars?


- DAVID BOWIE **** "HE IS NOT DEAD HE IS LIVING ON MARS" @niallooo

 

EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK - FLORENCE BLUME - 👀🖤

Florence didn't have a wife keeping count of his ever-growing collection of old things. However, it did come at a cost. He had successfully filled his house to the rafters, in the attic, in the basement, in the garage, and in the small cottage at the back of the property.

The other day, Florence found an old book at the thrift store someone had painted inside of.

One of the paintings was of a woman sitting with a cat on her lap: I wonder who she was, Florence uttered out loud, no one there to hear him.




Excerpt from the book - FLORENCE BLUME👀🖤




*ALL OUR VISITORS BRING HAPPINESS

SOME BY COMING AND OTHERS BY GOING *




"Believe nothing you hear and half of what you see." - Happy April 1st

And A Happy Caturday🐾🐾🐾🐾


A mother/daughter Ghostly Adventure, writing together for the first time about their favorite subject, the supernatural.

♥️ Annabelle & M ♥️ © 2023

A GHOST OF A CAT 🐾🐾🐾🐾

A GHOST OF A CAT

Maggie and Bats' mom, Shy, came for her dinner and then left.
How's that for gratitude?

She was never a mom; she hated her job and chose to abandon her three kittens in our backyard. After all, she was just a cat! A cat who was overwhelmed by the enormity of parenthood to three kittens.
Maggie was left to take care of her little brother, Bat. A sister and now his mother; she protected him and did a good job.
After all, she was just a cat - with a heart!
Good thing Maggie turned out right. Bat certainly, would not have faired well outdoors.
I wish we had done more to keep Shy and tame her: maybe she would have cared more for her babies. She is only a memory now and a screen saver.
Early mornings always remind me my cat Maggie has never forgotten. She will come and sit on my lap, snuggle, and purr, and the minute I open my computer and the screensaver comes on, she perks up and stares. She remembers.


“Mother is a verb as well as a noun. We all, male and female, have the capacity to mother others.
And we can each, always, mother ourselves.”
― Orna Ross

 

AN AFTERLIFE TO LOVE

An Afterlife To Love

What's not to love? A quiet wild where your home is a little cottage secluded in the wood no one knows exists. Alone, with your cats and your books.

In life on earth, I was never one for being a social butterfly. I found it such a chore and so exhausting being in company. I preferred retiring home with my cats; they were my favored companions. Don't get me wrong, I do like, some people. I like some ghosts: they never really change when they die. But living quietly with the sound of my cat's purr on my lap, a good book to read, my 8th cup of coffee, and the birds singing in the garden makes an afterlife to love.

"Believe nothing you hear and half of what you see."

As I mentioned before, these paintings are almost complete. If I feel something I've missed in the process, I will return to it and add in hopefully, removing nothing else from the illustration. Editing not only the writing but the illustrations as well. Some may never make it into the book.

A mother/daughter Ghostly Adventure, writing together for the first time about their favorite subject, the supernatural.

♥️ Annabelle & M ♥️

© 2023

MY HAUNTED HEART

Becoming old isn't all bad. There are perks like spending your retirement years searching the beyond and wondering about your next life. 👀Will we have a home like here on earth with a willow tree and a pond? A pet or two, maybe a cat and a dog or more? Will the afterlife be the heaven God promised us? One day will have the answers.

BAT @batandmaggie

MAGGIE @batandmaggie

When I was very young, I was unaware of death. And when I did discover the sad truth about life ending one day, that we didn't live forever, the afterlife started haunting my heart. Since then, I've fallen in love with ghosts and cats, the living ones. Of course, books about ghosts/ cats are a favorite. Why not write one of our own? So, here is the next installment of our Ghost Book illustrations. 

Bat, Maggie, and their ghost are in their Victorian cottage hidden in the secret woods no one knows.


"Maybe, we do go home, finally " - Anne Rice


"Believe nothing you hear and half of what you see."

As I mentioned before, these paintings are almost complete. If I feel something I've missed in the process, I will return to it and add in hopefully, removing nothing else from the illustration. Editing not only the writing but the illustrations as well. Some may never make it into the book.




A mother/daughter Ghostly Adventure, writing together for the first time about their favorite subject, the supernatural.

♥️ Annabelle & M ♥️

© 2023

THE ROAD SO FAR WIP OIL PAINTING

The Road So Far ... WIP oil painting ... still some details to add.

Remember I did say it takes me forever to do a painting but In the end I have to be happy with it. 

This painting has been a long time coming. My aunt who lives in Little Rock loves wolves and asked me to paint her one like 2 years ago ; the wolf happens to be her spirit animal. Anyway, I finally tackled the project. Never painted a wolf but so far I like him. I didn’t like the witch in the cloak so I removed it and gave her a dress. Still need to work on her hands ( a first again for painting hands) and shade her dress , face and shading the baby wolf and papa wolf. Hope you like the painting so far, Pat. Oh, and yes , Supernatural has inspired me in many ways as well as my daughter’s stories she is writing for Supernatural Fan Fiction. So proud of her. My writer in residence🎃♥️@BATANDMAGGIE

Watching the last season with my daughter and husband. Amazing show🧡🎃🧡🎃

ANTOCCINO'S TALE - CAT TAILS

Bat and Maggie have a new friend and pet, a cute baby horse. They named him Antoccino, after mom's favorite coffee drink of one-shot espresso and an equal amount of steamed milk. Bat and Maggie thought the name suited Antoccino's beautiful chocolate brown and creamy white colors of his hair, and so did I. That first day when Antoccino arrived, all Bat could do was sit on Antoccino and stare at his gorgeous fluffy whitetail. I think he forgot he has one too.

❤️♥️🐾🐾🐾🐾♥️❤️  HAPPY CATURDAY  ❤️♥️🐾🐾🐾🐾♥️❤️ For April 2nd Theme - Cat Tails

❤️♥️🐾🐾🐾🐾♥️❤️

 ❤️♥️🐾🐾🐾🐾♥️❤️

A Country Escape ♥️

  A COUNTRY ESCAPE

Happy am I when I slip into bed-
I dream of a pastoral place,
A country escape,
And find heaven on earth

There’s a cottage @ Rideau Ferry, it’s name - “Heaven on Earth” and I think it is😇

This lovely mixed media painting is a treasure I found on one of my shopping trips, unfortunately, the artist didn’t sign their name to the artwork.

TO CATCH A GHOST

Do Cats See Ghosts? 

Well, I think they do.

Bat and Maggies' New Year's Resolution: To Catch A Ghost and bring it to me. Be it, mouse, bird, bat, or human. : ) 

ANY FRIENDLY GHOST WILL DO, CASPER, GUS, OR MAYBE EVEN THE GHOST OF MR. CHICKEN : ) 🐾🐾.                🐾




👀Remember, these cats have Supernatural Spooktacular Senses: they can hunt anything down, even ghosts!




FOR JANUARY HAPPY CATURDAY THEME: YOUR CATS NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION




HAPPY CATURDAY ❤️🐾🐾          🐾



Have you seen this movie?

THE GHOST AND MR. CHICKEN 

Chopin Spring Waltz 1 hours ~ SNOWED INN

SNOWED INN

When the north star twinkles, expect stormy weather.

We are snowed in but not by snow but by an invisible enemy.

Home is where the heart is. Our focus is on family, friends, furry friends, and watching the birds visit the feeders you filled. In keeping positive, trying to understand life, we wait for Spring.




Peace... can only be achieved by understanding.

~Albert Einstein

Happy Caturday - "Unorthodox " Behaviour 🐾♥️🐾 Creme de Meow

The theme for Happy Caturday - "Unorthodox " Behaviour 🐾♥️🐾

Creme de Meow tastes so much better in vintage crystal. Bat and Maggie adore drinking out of these glasses. When the glasses come out, they know they are getting their special drink, Creme de Meow ( milk).

Photo by M

Inheritance

There's a house in Kemptville which has a fireplace under the stairs.
I fell in love and, I saved the realtor's brochure in my book box of art I someday would like to paint.

Summer came and went in a flash. My mood was in a shadow and, then, Autumn arrived and October. The chill in the air, the trees turning beautiful yellows, oranges, and reds, the beautiful moon at night all filled my senses. It's the month of October that always stirs my spirit, of course, our cats as well. "I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers."If only more months would do the same for my mood as October does.

It's almost four years now, on October 27th, 2017, when Bat and Maggie, our two little rescues, showed up at our back door on M's birthday and Black Cat Appreciation Day in the UK. Bat is a black cat, well, a brown-black Nordic cat; imagine the coincidence. Magical! Because of them, our days are busy with photoshoots, paintings and, stories. M loves doing the photoshoots and, I love painting the two little Gremlins.

"Inheritance"- my latest painting, began with the Fireplace Under The Stairs and Halloween. I can't help it. I'm bewitched by October.
Bats, cats, pumpkins and, ghosts are purrfect for a Halloween Night in Uncle Herman's old cottage. Oh, did I tell you? I almost forgot to mention Bat and Maggie inherited Uncle Herman's estate, " Bat Cottage ".

"MAPLE SPIRIT " -The bLUE aRTIST, A Moon, and Cloud Study, and Then Inspiration Strikes!

"MAPLE SPIRIT " 

The Blue Artist - I'm afraid I haven't grasped hold of color mixing skills, or, for that matter, painting clouds, water, trees or the flowers, the birds and the bees, cats and dogs, just about everything there is to paint, but that's ok, part of the journey is learning the art.
A few weeks ago, I went for a country drive along the Rideau River to look for pussy willows. I make it a habit to take a particular route home passing through Burritts Rapids, a tiny hamlet I love. Right before I turned onto county road 2, I noticed a few of the maple trees at Christ Church had buckets placed on them to collect maple syrup. Not wanting my coffee to get any colder since I had already left it earlier while picking the pussy willows I found, I opted to skip taking their photo. It was only yesterday I told my husband and daughter of the maple trees at the church.
Stan chuckled at the thought of collecting maple syrup from maple trees surrounding the church. He asked me, " Is that the same church with the cemetery at the back where we went for a walk last year"?
"Well, he had the name already picked out, and my daughter, the picture in her mind; I just had to paint it.
"Maple Spirit"; sort of sounds like a brand of maple syrup. Don't you think? And so, the moon and cloud study I was working on got a landscape below. Love how inspiration strikes.

STORY BOOK DAYS THE CRAZY CAT LADY COLORING BOOK

Story Book Days ☆★.٭•:*:•٭.★☆ ☆★.٭•:*:•٭

Every day is a lesson learned. I seriously need to keep a book on computer tech stuff because I tend to forget just about everything I have learned through the years. This morning I searched on creating a watermark and managed to make one in pink for M''s illustration of "E.T." the Cat from the coloring book we are presently working on, "The Crazy Cat Lady Coloring Book".©

We are busy adding coloring pages to our Etsy store every day, working on illustrations, paintings, and writing stories; of course, still working on my snowy quilt, 157 posies from one ball of yarn ( 454g )so far.
"Sleep Walk " ~ is one of several paintings which is part of a story  painted by me

Victorian Roses ~ Finally listed this set on Etsy 

GHOSTALES ~ ETSY SHOP
https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/GHOSTALES