Inspired by Whitesnake - Forevermore!

YouTube Film by janeyb65 (a person in Newcastle City Hall audience)

Very occasionally I hear a music track that so resonates with me that I know I am going to be playing it non-stop for years. Such is the title track of Whitesnake's 'Forevermore' album.

Last week I saw Whitesnake live for the first time, at Newcastle City Hall, where we also had the wondrous priviledge of meeting David Coverdale backstage! Of all the concerts I've ever been to, this was the absolute best. Whitesnake are everything one could want in a rock band, with each member bringing their own special brilliance, and David Coverdale is a true 'rock god'.

You can see and hear the live performance of Forevermore at the City Hall on the YouTube film above, made by a person in the audience. It's great to be able to re-live the experience of such a fantastic evening! If you can get to see the band live, do - and get the album too!

After the concert towards dawn I was gazing at the trees, listening to Forevermore, and was envisioned to create the painting shown below. First I sketched the idea, then worked on the painting in oil pastel and watercolour over the last few days. I think this is the first time I've been inspired to paint from a music track - there's something so powerful about the song, I felt I just had to.

Neckshund Nexploits at the Botanic Garden!

Wednesday 1st of June was another nextra special day at the University of Durham Botanic Garden. Once again, Necky Becky travelled all the way from Giraffe World to take part in a story-telling session with Ingrid. This time she brought her beloved neckshund dog Hals with her, and her toddler brother Littl' Nicky too!

They were all very nexcited to arrive at the secret portal behind the Intergalactic Cacti.




During the storytelling Hals got very hungry and decided to pop back home to get some of his favourite biscuits.

He went to the Intergalactic Cacti, but though he tried and tried, he couldn't get the secret portal to Giraffe World to appear!


"Oh dear!" he said to himself. "I'm so very hungry. I wonder if there are any nice biscuits in the Botanic Garden?"

Someone had left the door to the glasshouses a teeny bit open, so he squeezed through into the fresh air.



There were lots of beautiful flowers in the Garden, and Hals sniffed them. "How lovely!" he said. "But not like biscuits ..."




Further along the path he found a big display board. There was plenty of information about trees on it, but no directions to biscuits.




He trotted past the gunnera and stopped for a moment. They looked so huge and the stems were
very prickly-looking, so he decided not to look for biscuits there!

By now he was feeling tired and very hungry indeed. He wondered if Necky Becky had noticed that he was missing. Maybe she would come and look for him. That would be so comforting.




Suddenly Hals came face to face with a very strange looking creature. In the shadows under the trees he couldn't tell if it was a fallen log or a huge monster!
*

He turned and ran, looking over his shoulder to see if it was following him. Faster and faster, his little legs moving so quickly you could hardly see them, until he arrived at a big blue door - the Visitors Centre!




As he stood outside panting, so very tired and thirsty from his mad dash through the garden, one of the ladies in the cafe saw him. She brought him a big bowl of water to drink.



By this time the story-telling had finished, and how pleased Hals was to see Necky Becky and Littl' Nicky running towards him! Guess what Necky Becky had in her pocket? Some of his favourite biscuits!

They all sat by the Intergalactic Cacti and waited for their dad, Raph, to collect them.



Back through the secret portal they go in their family bus, until neckst time!

Necky Becky's dad has his own blog, Raph's Ramblings, where he writes about his thoughts and the family adventures.