It's All In The Genes

The McAndrew family garden party at Prudhoe. Mam,dad, me in dads arms picking my nose

Is it in the genes. Writing that is. Artistic talent. I think it must be where my family are concerned my cousins are also writers.  Self published debut author Gerard Gray, with his dark psychological thriller/horror Dead Broken and his sister Katarina Frogpond, Huffington Post,  Blogger, MP Taunter/Children's Writer.

My dad spent nearly a life time mastering the craft of making children's rocking horses. In his retirement he rented a workshop in the picturesque Northumberland village of Corbridge,  where he made and sold his beautiful horses to people from all over the world. until  finally retiring at the grand age of eighty. Thankfully he is still with us, although now eighty four and very frail.

My mother could dress make, cook, knit, garden and write beautifully. I had so many pretty dresses and woolen coats she made for me as a child.  She would spend hours at her sowing machine making clothes.  In the photograph above is my sister Helen.  My mother made her wedding and brides maid dresses.They were a winter wonderland fashion extravaganza. The bridesmaid dresses made in berry red and holly green velvet, with white fur edging to the hems, sleeves and hoods and white fur muffs to keep our hands warm.
We were all,  that is my sister's and myself, me being the youngest of four girls,  always, classically dressed. Typical little girls in our black patent shoes, white socks and frilly frocks that tied from the waist into big bows at the back. My mother loved fashion.
I remember she told me once she could darn socks from the age of seven. But then she lived through the second world war and I suppose learning to cook, growing your own food and darning socks was a necessity for a working class family living with rationing.  Times were hard for my parents generation but the skills they learned were invaluable and many passed those skills down to their own children. I'm glad my mother taught me how to garden, love books and basically have a go and tackle anything that comes my way, she gave her determination.
Admittedly,  I can't knit or dress make but I do have a love for creating things. Projects such as furniture painting, and doing up old junk. My largest project to date aside from writing my book was stripping and staining my staircase.  If it's something you are considering doing yourself  I warn you,  it's not for anyone who like's to keep their finger nails nice or afraid of manual work. It took me a year to complete the job along with several packets of anti inflammatory drugs. I would never attempt it again  but the finished result was well worth it. Towards the end I did have a little help my elderly neighbour Joe who knocked at my front door one afternoon and kindly offered to  help me with the sanding. The two of us would sit on those stairs for hours sanding away, whilst he would tell me story's from his youth and his longstanding friendship with the family who had lived in the house before me.To tell a great story one first has to learn how to listen to great story's.

It's the love of story telling that brings the connection between us all in my family. My aunt Teresa, my dads sister I'm told by Catherine loved to write also and my aunt Cicilia loved to tell story's too. My mother loved books and she could tell you everything about her ancestors and their life in Friars Goose ship yard on the banks of the river Tyne as well as tails about her Jewish grandfather Hoffany Octaviouse Bye.

  My uncles and other cousins love to paint and some are musically talented playing the guitar/piano, singing and song writing. As I look at the picture above of my dads aunt's the nuns it  brings a smile and the name Von trapp springs to mind. Happy memories from so long ago.

If anyone would like a copy of Gerard's book  Dead Broken  it's on Amazon at the moment or you can follow Gerard on twitter @GerardGray101

Or if it's a bit satirical that takes your fancy.  You can find Catherine/Katarina Frogpond at the Huffington Post or spoof.co.uk on twitter Katarina Frogpond2  @DeltaPanda

And as for me, I'm never far away if you need me.  I'm author of  Fantasies From The Kitchen Sink. @twtfiona    So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, goodbye.

Thanks for taking the time
Fiona x

The Sun, Knocker Shocker, Love It Or Loathe It

Knocker Shocker Painted By North East Artsit Lizzie Rowe
www.lizzierowe.co.uk

One cold spring morning in 1995 whilst walking my old English Sheepdog Belle on Nuns Moor, a beautiful green belt in the heart of Newcastle upon Tyne UK,  I got chatting to a very tall, demure lady by the name of Lizzie Rowe. We were both about to leave the moor at the same time through the wooden gate at the edge of the field. when our dogs started barking incessantly at each other.  As most dog owners will tell you, nine out of ten times if you let dogs smell each other, the yapping usually stops.  Luckily, Topper Lizzie's English Bull terrier and Belle had a sniff and then decided they wanted to stay awhile longer and ran off to play.
Lizzie introduced herself as an Artist.  She told me she was at the time, senior lecturer in Fine Art at Northumbria University. She was on the sick from work and deeply depressed, as she had not long undergone gender reassignment surgery.

I told her I was a model and I also had worked for the Fashion Department at Northumbria University, as a fitting model, as well participating in their annual Fashion shows.  I went on to explain to her that I was in the middle of quite a controversial time in my own life. I found myself telling her  I had always felt inadequate about my own body too.  I had been given breast implants on the NHS and after the operation  I had appeared topless on page three of The Sun newspaper. You maybe thinking, "Rather a strange conversation to strike up between two complete strangers".  Lizzie has a warmth, and from the moment you meet her, you know this lady has lived at times a very difficult life. I knew she would not condemn me or judge me in any way. The feeling was mutual for me also, as what she told me about herself I understood completely.

 Lizzie Rowe is a highly intelligent individual, as well as being an exceptional Artist. She told me she had lived most of her life as a man, when she had truly felt she should have been born a woman. She had undergone gender reassignment surgery on the NHS and she was very upset and concerned by the fact she had been denied further treatment of breast implants.  This operation would have ultimately completed her full transformation from a man to a woman.
Can I just add at this point, that patients who are given a sex changes on the NHS have to first live as a woman or a man depending on their true identity. They must live in the role of the chosen gender for many, many years before they are even considered for surgery  this means they have to dress daily as the appropriate sex,  undergo years of psychiatry,  as well as taking copious amount of hormones.  Sadly many individuals don't make it through this gruelling time and suicide statistics are very high.
I was horrified -  how could she have been given a sex change and not breast implants?  I thought this was absolutely ludicrous. I asked her if I could raise her concerns with my own GP, Dr David Moor , who was very sympathetic with regards to body dysmorphia and gender issues. Lizzie agreed and between myself and Dr Moor with the help of the press, Lizzie was given her surgery.
In the years that followed, Lizzie Rowe went from strength to strength.  She met a wonderful devoted partner, she is a highly successful Artist who has exhibited in many different countries throughout Europe. She is often commissioned to paint the portraits of high profile members of society, her attention to detail and likeness is phenomenal. Her still life is poignant, feminine and emotionally charged. 
So when she asked me if she could paint me, how could I refuse, it was such an honour. The end result was the painting above titled "Knocker Shocker". It's an amazing piece of work.  I asked Lizzie if she thought we should contact the press and she agreed. My first call was to The Sun newspaper themselves.  I spoke to Journalist and North East correspondent Robin Perrie. I had met Robin on a few occasions previously, although he wasn't the original journalist who broke my own story unfortunately. I think he would have done a slightly better story if he had. He did write a few of the follow ups and he was also there at the court throughout Dr Moor's trial ( if you are lost here please read my previous blog My Side Of The Story).

I speak as I find where people are concerned,  Robin has always come across as a really decent man, always very professional always polite and fair .  So when I rang him and informed him about the portrait, he said he would come out to Lizzie's house and take a look at it. Lets face it the man works for The Sun he is well used to pretty girls and great boobs, but I don't think he was quite prepared for the painting above. For a start it's very large, approximately 6ft x 7ft,  it was also mounted on an easel which lifted it another couple of feet off the floor.  It's huge, it's a gallery painting, not something I could imagine hanging on the wall in a small house,  "In your face" is an understatement and then there was me, standing at the side of it (fully clothed) proud as punch, eagerly waiting a response from him  "So Robin what do you think of it?", I pressed, he sort of nodded and said "Yer yer" a couple of times. Lizzie was dressed in her black off the shoulder top and gypsy skirt, she's very bohemian, with her silver bangles jangling and her layered skirt swishing, as she swept through into her kitchen she was shouting back to him on her way to put the kettle on "What will you have darling tea, coffee, wine, cider" Don't get me wrong, Robin barely batted an eye lid, although  I'm sure I did see a slight smile and there was definitely a sparkle of humour in his eyes, I think he mumbled something about the painting being a good likeness.  To my surprise The Sun published the story about painting, Lizzi and myself. Lizzie's artistic profile was raised again later when The Guardian and The Observer would take an interest in her work.

I was a bit disappointed The Sun didn't actually show a picture of the painting.  I always felt they should have bought it and hung it in the foyer of their offices.  It would have been fab for boosting staff morale!
I'm not sure where the painting is now, I must pop over and visit Lizzie and ask her, there was talk a few years back of a buyer  - Lizzie has a following of private collectors.
I'm picturing Tony Blair's games room, residing high on the wall above the snooker table (Joke)
Well what can I say, Art says many things to many different people, that's the beauty of it. I asked my now grown up daughter what the painting said to her "It's you sticking your two fingers up at The Sun, basically saying I came out on top" she loves me she is biased. But she was nearly there in her assumption that the Artist wanted to make a strong feminist statement.  My friends laughed at the title "Knocker Shocker" they fell about laughing. I can see all sides of the painting, it has many angles including the red shoes.

What it does says to me personally, is one cold spring morning, two strangers whilst out walking their dogs got chatting and found they shared an understanding of each others' pain and from that mutual ground they became friends. It was both an honour and a privilege to be painted by Lizzie.

If you would like to look at Lizzie Rowe' check out her website.  Quote By Lizzie Rowe  www.lizzierowe.co.uk

. Under the Northern Stars is a painting I've been wanting to create for a long time.  Returning to the motifs I have drawn and painted through out most of my career they are presented here together on an even more ambitious scale.  The self portrait, the dress, the coat hanger ( question mark), the ironing board, the still life and my passion for warm and cool light sources coexist in an interior.  It is about the place I live and love: Under the Northern Stars"

Beautiful Books

A wonderful book, a magical adventure, touching on raw emotion, beautifully written by the Author Joanne Harris.

 I don't want to give the plot away, all I will say is if you are looking for beautiful adventures that will carry you away on a magical breeze, look no further than this author.

I have read two other books by Joanne Harris,  Chocolat and Blackberry Wine, I loved all three, the reason being she has the ability to touch the soul, her books have depth and an understanding of pure emotion, she is an Author who gives herself completely and engages with her readers on many levels.

You can find Joanne Harris on Twitter

@joannechocolat and her website I have posted below.

http://www.joanne-harris.co.uk/

 

Every Cloud Has A Silver Lining

Just before the floods here in the UK, I ironically tweeted a Youtube Clip from the movie Singing In The Rain. It was the scene were Gene Kelly is dancing with Cyd Charisse. I simply titled it Seduction and Chemistry,  a few days later it was re-tweeted by a gentleman in New York, if it was the gentleman himself or the organisation representing him, I'm not truly sure. If it was the gentleman, it was legendary writer illustrator Hilary Knight.  I'm flattered more than words can say, I couldn't be more flattered if Gene Kelly himself had reached out,  took my hand and waltzed me round my living room.
If you don't know who Hillary Knight is,  don't worry,  at first neither did I,  but I did recognise the name Eloise.  Myself  and my own 6yr old daughter watched the movie together this Christmas gone,  the story is about a 6yr old little girl living with an English nanny (Julie Andrews) in the Plaza Hotel New York.

 So I did a little research.


Eloise was written by Kay Thompson and illustrated by Hilary Knight.

 Hilary Knight was born in New York on the 1st November 1926, his parents also Artist writers, were aviation illustrator Clayton Knight and fashion and book illustrator, Catherine Sturges.
His first published work appeared in Mademoiselle magazine in 1952 followed by House and Garden, Good Housekeeping Gourmet Magazine and Vanity Fair.
Mr Knight has illustrated over fifty books, nine of which he wrote. His work has included note and greeting cards, children's fashion advertising, illustrations for Cricket magazine, record album covers and posters for Broadway musicals. Half A Sixpence, Hallelujah Baby No, no Nanette, Irene and Gypsy.

I tweeted the Singing In The Rain clip because I was researching for my book, I was looking for glamour, seduction and chemistry, style and class with a true Hollywood essence. I felt the clip showed it all. As my book is set in two countries England and America I wanted to capture quaint essential England and the style and class of Hollywood legends needed for my characters and my locations.

Here in the UK the sky has been grey for many weeks and the rain has brought heartache and devastation to thousands of people including members of my own family.  But that one single re tweet brought sunshine back into my life and most certainly chased the clouds and blues away.  I felt for a brief moment I had been touched by a true legend, the kind most of us only ever dream of or watch in Hollywood Movies!. Mr Knight belongs to a league of illustrators, writers, actors directors, producers, camera and lighting people, that made the silver screen what it is today. His work along with many others of his generation paved the way and gave inspiration to us all who love the arts be it the printed word, stage or the cinema screen. I feel truly privileged and honoured. Little did I know what a single tweet would bring. I suppose the moral of the story is every cloud has a silver lining you just have to look somewhere over the rainbow to find it.

So if you read this Mr knight Thank you, you brightened my day and gave me something to cherish for the rest of my life which is why I have wrote about you here in my blog a diary of life's great adventure written for my own two daughters who I hope will never forget me, or the things that were magical within my life and now you and Eloise are part of that magic too. X

@MrHilaryKnight

http://www.hilaryknight.com/about.htm
http://www.kaythompsonwebsite.com/index.htm

I saw myself in this one!

WOW! What a strong, beautiful, image.

Wow!! Such a strong beautiful image

Happy Easter Everyone x

Maya Angelou

My mother said I must always be intolerant of ignorance but understanding of illiteracy. That some people, unable to go to school, were more educated and more intelligent than college professors.
Maya Angelou