After failed attempts to have an animated version made, my little picture book “Adventures with Alfonso ” in the shape of a dummy book had been lying around in the back of a drawer.
For around 25 years….

Time passes by unhindered .

After retiring, I started looking around for a publisher and following a few rejections Pegasus publishers took it on exactly as it was/is, no requests for changes or alterations, which pleased me enormously.
After a lengthy process the book is now ready to be published.

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Since our local library in Kinver, West Midlands, UK, became a community library run by volunteers, I have been running a small group called Knot, Knit & Natter. We meet twice each month for a 2 hour session, we knit, crochet, sew, embroider, make patchwork, the list goes on!

Obviously due to recent circumstances brought about by the Corona Virus we can no longer meet but we keep in touch via our Messenger group. Over the past 2 days, members of the group have made dozens of bags for nurses to place their uniforms and shoes in after their shifts so that they can safely transport them home to launder. It’s been an inspiration to see just how quickly the women, and I must add, one man, have worked to provide these essential items during this time of crisis.

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I am a member of Take13 and we have just finished exhibiting at The Courtyard Gallery, The Core, Solihull, (see Galleries and Shows on this web site). We decided on a themed exhibition, ‘A Room Of Our Own’, looking at our working space as artists and the art work that emerges from that.  As one of the artists, I found the venue and offered to help and found myself, curating at the Core.  

The Role of curating can be demanding – a need for a vision, to plan in advance, to select, organize and see through to the hanging of the exhibition. The role is a’ behind the scenes’ one, not seen by the gallery viewers – and requires lots of work towards the end result of an exhibition.

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Later this year, a children’s picture book written and illustrated by me, Elsa Houghton, will be published. It is called : “Adventures with Alfonso” and is meant for 4 year olds and upwards. I created the story a long time ago and have only recently looked into having it published.

Before I was satisfied with the final images I did lots of drawings and experiments to develop the characters, settings and so on.

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A couple of years ago I curated an exhibition at Kinver Community Library where I invited local artists to submit work inspired by Kinver Edge and the Rock Houses. My submission to the exhibition was my imagined portrait of a woman believed to have lived in Nanny’s Rock cave. She was known as Margaret of the Fox Earth, or Meg ‘o Fox Earth.

I hope you enjoy reading it. 

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All of us at Take 13 are thrilled to have had a double page spread about our women’s collective in a glossy magazine called Select.

We’re always on the look-out to promote the artistic talent of our 13 artists, alongside exhibitions, and Select provided the perfect opportunity. The write-up included stunning photographs of work by eight of our members; and what eclectic examples they were: from mosaics and mixed media to stunning clay heads.

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No, ‘another brick in the wall’ is nothing to do with Lego! If you haven’t heard of plastic bricks you will very soon. 

When Take 13 member, Ilona Bryan, heard of ecobricks through a local Friends of the Earth Group, she decided to have a go. At a recent meeting she gave us a fascinating demonstration of this innovative re-cycling method. It is an ethical way to recycle plastic that doesn’t break down. 

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