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The Garden

October 18, 2020

Welsh Hedge Trimmers Must Self-Isolate!

Aros I Ffwrdd Mark Drakeford, the Labour Welsh First Minister, has locked down my hedge trimmers. They are now self-isolating in a shed in North Wales. What’s more he’s warned…

Neil Kinsella

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An Artful Gardener - An Artful Blog - Cardboard Boxes for House Removals landscape

Music The Garden

October 9, 2020

Don’t Leave Me This Way – The End of A Garden Affair

It’s raining it’s pouring... The old man is snoring.... He went to bed with an artist’s head, and woke up in a garden bed in the morning. Not exactly Wordsworth…

Neil Kinsella

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An Artful Gardener - An Artful Blog - Hard Wire 3 - Prospero landscape

Art Music Sculpture

October 2, 2020

Hard Wire 3 – The Thief of Time

There was a reason why my Mum used to berate me with a phrase which still rings in my ears: "Procrastination is the Thief of Time Neil. Stop talking about…

Neil Kinsella

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An Artful Gardener - An Artful Blog - Michelangelo's David head and shoulders in pink and yellow landscape

Art History Music Sculpture

September 25, 2020

Hard Wire 2 – Beauty and the Beast

Who cares what sculpture means? What’s good art and what’s bad? I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe) "I know what I like and I like what I know"…

Neil Kinsella

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An Artful Gardener - An Artful Blog - Hard Wire Sculpture or Musical Cheese - sketches of a musician with a guitar inspired by Joe Strummer

Music Wire Figures

September 21, 2020

Hard Wire – Sculpture or Musical Cheese? That is the question

I’ve received several requests recently to undertake commissions for wire figures of musicians. Great you might think! But a few minutes on the drawing board sees me frustrated that every…

Neil Kinsella

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An Artful Gardener - An Artful Blog - Jimi Hendrix playing guitar landscape

Music The Garden

September 11, 2020

Would you Adam and Eve it? Jimi Hendrix just interrupted my drive on the third tee

First a flash of green appeared. I wasn’t sure what I’d just seen. Was it a bird or a plane? Then squadrons of vibrant lime green Aussies appeared cartwheeling across…

Neil Kinsella

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The Garden

September 7, 2020

A Leap of Leopards – in a Manchester Garden

We have a leap of leopards in our Mancunian front garden. It’s okay though, they’re no trouble and it’s safe to approach them. They definitely don’t bite. They’re spectacular performers…

Neil Kinsella

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An Artful Gardener - An Artful Blog - Vivaldi composer of the Four Seasons landscape

The Garden

August 31, 2020

Vivaldi’s Artistic Challenge – “The Eight Wonky Seasons of the Pandemic” (inspired by a Manchester garden in 2020)

If you’ve been in the garden this year, you can be forgiven for being confused by the comings and goings of the seasons. Whilst, at the same time, feeling blessed…

Neil Kinsella

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An Artful Gardener Artful Blog Oasis at Aboukir

Travel

June 15, 2019

The Oasis at Aboukir

The day after the National Garden Scheme Old Vicarage garden opening, we flew to Paris. Our taxi arrived to take us to the airport at 5.00 a.m. We were tired,…

Neil Kinsella

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An Artful Gardener Astley Old Vicarage Garden visitors cake stall and greenhouse

Charities The Garden

June 15, 2019

Which weekend? Or why it’s better to be lucky than good

The Cleverness of Me. "Oh, the cleverness of me". This is my daughter’s favourite putdown whenever I get too big for my boots - gardening or otherwise. So it is,…

Neil Kinsella

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