Kath's Arty Blog: 2026

Monday, 26 January 2026

Scantastic

An hour and a half later I emerged from the scanner.....but couldn't stand up! A big thankyou to the Scanner Team and once again there was a bizarre collection of music on "Heart FM" in between bumping and grinding.

Twa Dogs- Happy 90th Birthday Dad, Burn's Night 2026

"Twa Dogs" by Robbie Burns......this drawing inspired by a dog in a kilt I saw in Rugeley on our December. See : https://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/robertburns/works/the_twa_dogs/

Thursday, 22 January 2026

Newsham Abandoned Village & Metlow Hill Tumulus

Tumulus spotting trip last year to find the Bronze Age round barrow at Metlow Hill, of which there was virtually nothing left due to ploughing. I walked along the cliffs at Bempton, past the nesting gannets, kittiwakes and puffins, all around the site, which was on private farmland. The isolated and windswept site was excavated in 1889 and held an arc of stones and a plank-lined grave with the remains of a 5 or 6 year old child, buried with a food pot, 16 flint scrapers, 3 flint saws, 3 flint knives and a broken Neolithic arrowhead. There was little to see of Newsham abandoned village, possibly disturbed during the building of the railway line. The landscape is much changed since the child was laid to rest.

Bartindale Abandoned Village

These drawings are from last year, when I visited the site of an abandoned medieval village near Hunmanby

Hunmanby Chariot Burial and Tumulus

Garton Slack Chariot Burial

I've not visited this site, but some of the remains are in Hull museum....I didn't see the chariot. The chariot burial was excavated in 1971 by T.C.M. Brewster

Wetwang Slack

Wetwang Slack....on my list of barrows to visit when fitter....

Mortimer's Maps (Yorkshire Wolds Barrows c1870s)

Mortimer's 6 inch maps of the barrows, Hull Museum......about 1870s. Mortimer recorded the sites of 400+ barrows, arranging them into groups, shown by the cross hatched lines. It's quite a job to locate some of these on modern OS maps!

J.R. Mortimer's Yorkshire Wolds Barrows

I visited Duggleby Howe when I was on the Wolds Way last May, taking a detour of several miles. It would be great to do things like this again!!

Enforced Idleness gives me time to catch up on my drawings! This is the best form of therapy for me, reminding me of how I love to discover these places in the landscape. When I'm fitter, I intend to resume my Yorkshire-wide walks of discovery....although I will need volunteers to join me, no more going it alone! Here's another of my heroes, Mr Mortimer, a seed merchant who spent ages documenting all the Yorkshire Wolds burial mounds from Neolithic and Iron Ages before they were ploughed away.

Tuesday, 20 January 2026

John Speed's East Riding Map, 1601

Saturday, 17 January 2026

Tales of the Expected

Here's to the entirely predictable

Clash of the Christmas Cards 2025

Here's 2024 to compare....

On Twelfth Night when I take the cards down I have a look through and count up the different designs. Yes, I know, but it entertains me! This year's top spot was once again claimed by animals and it looks as though it's the same as last year for the top 3 spots. Different animals- no dogs or cats but a Highland cow and a horse instead! I noted a surprising number of black cards. Most cards were square and I'm delighted to report an increase in home-made cards! There was only one card with a snowman or a Santa, only 2 nativity cards and a sad lack of traditional Christmas carols. .