Showing posts with label love. Show all posts
Showing posts with label love. Show all posts

Tuesday 20 May 2014

Banshee Moon

It's been a while since I took part in an illustration call-up for Amelia's Magazine.

So, ... feeling inspired, here's my illustration of: Tallulah Rendall. For the accompanying article written by Amelia Gregory, about Tallulah and her new album: The Banshee and the Moon >>> HERE

 

© Alison Day Designs

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Monday 26 September 2011

The Red Lion Pub, Avebury in Wiltshire







If you visit the stones at Avebury in Wiltshire, why not take a pause afterwards at The Red Lion Pub and try some of the local beers and ciders? The building  dates back to the 1600's, and has been a licensed coaching inn since 1802. With a rich and varied  past, it is supposedly haunted by five different ghosts, as well as being the source of a large amount of paranormal activity.




The most famous ghost is that of Florrie, who is believed to have lived in the building during the 17 century Civil War. With her soldier husband absent off fighting in the war, Florrie decided to take lover. Upon his return the cheating pair were discovered and in his fury the husband shot his rival, stabbed his wife and then threw her body down the 86-foot well, sealing it with a boulder. 








This summer having viewed the magnificent stones at Avebury, on a day out with my brother, sister and all our kids, we decided to sit outside the quaintly thatched building of the Red Lion, and try some of the delicious local Aspal cider. My son, interested in the story of a ghost, went inside to see if he could find out more information from the bar staff about the ghost of Florrie. It seems that like many ghosts, she will appear at night emerging from or disappearing into the well, objects will move or disappear for days on end, and apparently she doesn't like men with beards! Situated inside the pub, the well is on view to the public, illuminated internally by lamps and covered with a protective sheet of glass, so that no one else will have the misfortune to fall in and join her in her watery grave.





More information about the pub and it's variety of ghosts look here.

The village well in The Red Lion Pub (Source)



Thursday 10 February 2011

Valentine's Illustrations



 Here are a couple more of my illustrations that were recently featured in an article entitled: 'Valentines Oh Valentines...' by Hannah Bullivant.





  
© Alison Day
Alison Day Design 

Published: February  2011 in Amelia's Magazine


Tuesday 1 June 2010

The Language of Flowers


The language and the giving of flowers (known as florigraphy) can be said to have started as far back as the 1700's by the Persians, as discovered by Charles II of Sweden, who then introduced the practice to Europe. But it was the Victorians (during the reign of Queen Victoria from 1837 to 1901), who developed this into a whole new language and their practices are best known today, because much of it has been well documented in books and journals of the time.

In their very protocol dominated society, the Victorians often replaced words with symbols and gestures, and flowers became an integral part of being able to express one’s thoughts and feelings to loved ones. The species, colours, number and grouping of the flowers were of great importance and as there weren’t as many flower species as there are today, each flower had a specific meaning. A particular favourite was the red rose, symbolizing passion and love, and meaning “Be mine’, whereas primroses stated, “I can’t live without you,” purple hyacinths, “Please forgive me,” and pink carnations, “I’ll never forget you.”

For roses there is a particular coding, but this can also be applied to other flowers as well. Red roses mean romantic love, purple signify that the giver had fallen in love with the recipient at first sight, coral and orange means desire, yellow is joy and friendship, pink roses express gratitude and appreciation, light pink roses show feelings of admiration and sympathy, peach can either signify either sympathy or gratitude and white roses show reverence and humility.

The messaging didn't shop there, how the flowers were worn or presented was also highly charged with meaning. If the flowers were presented upright it was positive, upside down and you were less fortunate. Also, how a ribbon was tied around the flowers was of importance; it referred to the giver if tied to the left and the recipient if tied to the right. A question could be answered depending on which hand the bearer had presented the flowers with. If it was the right hand the answer was "yes" and the left hand "no". Should you have the misfortune to receive a bunch of dead flowers then not only did you now have nothing for your vase, your love had been totally rejected.

In order to attract positive chi in Feng Shui, flowers and their placement within the home play an important part. Dried flowers should be avoided at all costs as they do not ensure a good energy flow. Sunflowers bring stability and endurance, cyclamen bring passion and romance, the spider plant encouraged calmness, whereas African violets attract fame, or recognition. For calm regions of the house such as bedrooms, pinks are best for harmony, for busy areas, balance-inducing lilies and orchids are suggested.

These days, giving a bunch of flowers is more about the sentiment behind the gift than its actual meaning. We seem to have all but lost (with a couple of exceptions) the Victorians’ language of flowers. So go on, next time you give a bouquet, really say it with flowers.








Sources:
Blooms for Flowers     
Easy Flowers     


© Alison Day


First published in the Connections magazine #19 Spring 2008 

Tuesday 18 May 2010

Leap Year



What do you get when you cross a kangaroo with a calendar? 
… A leap year!


But seriously, for those of you planning on taking advantage of this year’s leap year, and of course this is directed at you ladies, this is your once in every four years chance to pop the all important question. Of course you should make sure that your ‘man to be’, has given you with ample amounts of chocolate on Valentines Day to get you in the mood. Sorry chaps you do still have a look in with the remaining 365 days this year.


So, just how did a leap year become part of our calendar and the emancipated bending of the female knee?


A leap year came about astronomically because seasons and astronomical events do not repeat a set number of days each year, so if our calendar remained the same each year, eventually it wouldn’t correspond to the seasons or seasonal events at all any more. The Gregorian calendar includes an extra day once every four years, in February, which keeps the matter in check.


Historically in fifth century Ireland women were allowed to make marriage proposals. If the man in question refused he was then fined and compensation could range from a kiss, to £1.00 to paying for a silk dress. Because men found this to be a rather unfair system women were only allowed to propose in leap years.


According to English law, 29 February as a day was considered to have no legal status, existing purely to fix a problem in the calendar. Therefore any prevailing custom shouldn’t either that only allowed men propose marriage.


These days there is a Greek superstition that getting married on a leap year is bad luck so generally couples will avoid planning their weddings on a leap year.


So, if the worst-case scenario becomes a reality and your loved one is not ‘ready’, for the plunge there’s always the possibility of trying again in another four year’s. If this is not a very consolatory thought, just remember that Easter is around the corner. Failing that there are some rather fun chocolate fondue fountains on the market these days, to while away the time.


Artwork Wonder Woman: Terry Dodson

Source: Wikipedia

First published in the Connections magazine #18 Winter 2008

Valentine's Day



These days Valentine’s Day, on the 14 February, is unfortunately viewed as a commercial occurrence, where we are expected to make someone feel good/proclaim our love by sending an anonymous card, poem, flowers or large consignment of chocolates. This results in the fact that people in the western world often ignore Valentine’s Day because of its commercialism or due to a lack of motivation or perhaps even embarrassment to showing our true feelings.

There are differing stories as to how the day actually came about, but some say the day came about because of St. Valentine, a Roman, who was martyred because he refused to give up Christianity. It is said that during his time in jail he miraculously restored the sight of the jailor’s daughter. On the day of his execution he left a farewell note for the jailer’s daughter, who had become his friend, signing it ‘from your Valentine’.

Another story says it stems from the action of the bishop, Valentine who married young soldiers and their ladies in secret. This was something that had been banned by the Roman Emperor Claudius II, who had forbidden marriage between potential soldiers and their lovers as he felt that the young men didn’t make good soldiers once they had married. Because of his actions Valentine was captured, refused to convert to the way of the Roman Gods, and was executed. Valentine became the patron saint of an annual festival, where young Romans offered women they admired, and wished to court, handwritten greetings of affection each year on February 14. The cards took on the name of ‘Valentine’s cards’.

One of the earliest Valentine’s cards sent on record was in 1415, by Charles Duke of Orleans, to his wife whilst he was a prisoner in the Tower of London. This card can be seen in the British Museum


So go on, having learnt a little history of the romance behind Valentine’s Day, be a devil: send a card or splash out on one of those enormous heart-shaped chintzy boxes of chocolates and make someone happy. After all what have you got to loose? This is the one time in the year where if you get it wrong you can remain anonymous!





© Alison Day



First published in the Connections magazine #18 Winter 2008