The Nine O'Clock Horses.......

Nice variation of subjects Fiona. Using monochrome adds that "sinister! feel to the tale.

Well it gives me the shivers Fiona. really like the way you have tightly draw in the orse and cart. Ghostly enough. Lol

Just love this Fiona truly mystical

.......switch out your light, come kiss me goodnight, the nine o'clock horses are taking flight.

Lovely work Fiona, I can almost hear the cart on the cobble stones rattling down the street.

Good grief, you're quick off the mark, you didn't give me chance to add the rhyme...lol! Thank you Jim, you can get some really good effects with charcoal, I like using it. I can't do orses John, I thought a couple of legs would do the trick! Thank you. Margery, thank you very much!

I love the dim reflection from the gas light. You can almost hear the cart wheels as it comes closer into the picture. Really atmospheric, Fiona.

The greys suite the story Fiona, good way of keeping kids in line, probably against their human rights today!

There's a mysterious feel to this painting Fiona, as well as the description. Being brought up in Leicestershire, I am well versed in the saying "Nine o'clock Horses", as I've been threatened with them on occasion as a young boy, as well as the headless horseman who rides across the fields behind our farmhouse at night - scared the living daylights out of me!

Thanks David.....from the article in the Chronicle, " The sound of metal rims and horse shoes hitting the filth covered cobbles below, thundered around the streets." You can just imagine it can't you, the smog filled city streets and only the sounds giving away any sign of life...or not! Lol Thank you Ellen. You're right there Stephen, wouldn't want to give the little darlings nightmares! Thank you. Frank, it must just be a Leicestershire saying, I come from Derbyshire, not a million miles away but I've never heard the saying. It was the bogey man I was threatened with if I dared stay out after dark. Thank you for sharing your memory's, made my husband laugh....don't have nightmares!

You're creating a lovely series here. I love the way you have done the cobblestone.

interesting......

Nicely painted Fiona lovely subject, reminds of one of Seago but this one is better than his

Its a lovely moody piece Fiona and weren't parents very inventive in the way they terrorised their kids 😂

What we got was just the first verse of long Scottish poem, which my mother made sound a bit sinister in the way she said it and rolled her eyes... "Wee Willie Winkie runs through the town, Up stairs and down stairs in his night-gown, Tapping at the window, crying at the lock, Are the children in their bed, for it's past ten o'clock?"

Spooky! Love your stories Fiona :)

Another hit I think Fiona and as others have commented one can almost hear the hooves on the cobbles. I don't think it would do much good with the youth of today!!!

Thank you Gudrun, I think I might have one more on this theme left in me. Thanks Pete. Top marks Dennis! The scene is from an old photo in the Leicester chronicle, it just had a horse standing where the cart is. I can't do horses so a got the cart idea from one of Seago's sketches. Well done you. They certainly were Dermot, thank you. I remember that one as well Jim. Thank you very much Sylvia, ghost stories where my favourite books to read growing up. Carol, no I think the youth of today think in the opposite way to the older generation, we were scared of the make believe, today youngster seem to be afraid of reality! Lol Thank you very much for your comment.

Never heard this before but the thought of it makes me scared! Great atmosphere in this Fiona.

Thanks very much Margaret, it appears to be a regional thing.

Very ghostly great drawing very different

Thanks very much Ruth, appreciate your comment. Are you keeping well?

Oh, spooky, Fiona! Great effect with smooth charcoal to create mist. I'm glad that we didn't have him in Finland when I was little.

Lol..... thank you Satu!