Well, I am another year older tomorrow, so it's probably time for some 'New Year Resolutions'.  But more of that later.
During a pretty challenging week gone by, I found lots of old photos which had been hidden away for years.  When Sam saw this one, his response was particularly cheering for someone approaching their birthday.  This is what he said.  'Is that really you?'  '  It must be, they are wearing your clothes'
and, best of all, 'I didn't realise how young you looked when Sarah was young'.

Good job my child was able to identify me in the end, and at least he didn't say 'And you look really old now'

So here we are in Northern Cyprus, Sarah and I.  Probably 13 years ago, when I looked young!

As I enjoy the last day of being 53, I have decided that I must have at least one full day a week ensconced in my shed, as productivity has fallen recently.  And, joy of joys, next week I am allowed to swim again!  Doing very little physical activity is definitely not good for the soul.
And also next week, I am allowed to work again, much to the relief of my ever increasing overdraft.
So I should be worn out at the end of next week, what with all the swimming, painting, working and decorating I am planning to do.  Will there be time to write a blog?

And, in order to clear the decks in readiness for my surge of creativity, I finished a knitted birthday present for a friend.  Started in May, and completed in October!  Now all I have to do is wrap it up and deliver it, hopefully before next May.

In between all the upheavals that happened last week, Mr Cooper and I enjoyed an unexpected oasis of pleasure, which encapsulated all the good bits about living in the English countryside.
We decided to walk to Chidham on Sunday, and then to call in at the 'Old house At Home' pub.
On our walk through the fields, we came across Chidham's annual ploughing competition, and spent a really enjoyable time watching numerous old tractors working away. (And numerous old drivers, too, with a sprinkling of young ones.)

The weather was perfect, the hot dogs smelled delicious, and there was the promise of a good pint in the air.

And even better, as we went to leave, we found two pairs of horses enjoying a short break, complete with that heavy horse saggy lower lip.

Here are two beautiful Clydsdales, Dolly and Belle enjoying the sunshine.

Of all the heavy breeds, that is my favourite.  I used to have a lovely Clydesdale cross, an extremely gentle and large strawberry roan, not surprisingly called Strawberry.

Then off to 'the Old House At Home.  http://www.theoldhouseathome.co.uk/
 It was just perfect to sit outside in the sunshine, drinking not only a perfect pint (Chidham bitter) but to have chosen the perfect pint out of a range of many.
It is not often I choose another pint over Timothy Taylors!

So we sat in the sun, drinking and chatting, and waving to various tractors as they chugged past us from the competition.  The second drink called for a bag of crisps, and even that was perfection!
A flavour I hadn't tried before, but will be enjoying again.

So Sunday continued to be an English pleasure.  Roast chicken, Countryfile, the 'Strictly' results and then Antiques Roadshow.  What could be better than that?  Particularly if you are 53!

And to end this blog, a picture of a wonderful sculpture.  George gave this to me the last time I worked in The Greyhound, and as it sat on top of the dishwasher during my long, hot shift it turned my steamy corner into a little shrine for the arts.  It might be Icarus, it might be a diver, but what it is, is wonderful.

It might have to return to work with me next week, to keep my mind focused on all the art that is to be created in my head and then in my shed.
But before returning to work, I am visiting The Greyhound on Thursdayfor dinner, and a night in their best bedroom. A birthday treat.  And what is even better, no charge for the room.  Thanks Lucy, much appreciated!
And what a treat it will be to see the other side of the kitchen, the one I rarely see.  The only thing that would make the event as perfect as Sunday would be if I were able to hand-pick the waiting team.  Oh well.

And when I told Mum about the ploughing match, she told me a fact that I didn't know.  My Granddad was noted for his skill with the plough, pulled by horses.  He really didn't like animals, my Granddad.
But in his earlier farming years, his days were spent feeding them, milking them, working with them, fattening them up, and eating them.  I think he was very pleased when tractors appeared.

So in the week to come, I have to assemble Spam and Smash for an exciting art project, and find my painting dungarees.  I will tell you if I got as far as wearing them, and better still, working in them
Till then, I hope you have a productive week ahead, interspersed with fun and laughter.
I would quite like a week like that too!

This is my 50th Green Donkey blog, so quite a cause for celebration, on my part at least. My first blog was published on the 5th November last year, so almost one a week.
Still no closer with writing my cookery book.  Remember, this blog was about all the creative things I am doing that are stopping me writing it.  But, I am thinking about writing it a lot more.

Last Thursday saw me and Mr Cooper visiting Guildford, but only the NHS aspects of Guildford.  Luckily, after having been laid low for a week, I was well enought to take Mr Cooper for his 'procedure', as these things are called now.  All went well, and more of that later on.

Happily, he was well enough for me to leave him for a while on Sunday, when I went to see my first ever hedge-laying competition.  Sounds a very strange thing to opt to watch, but it was a fascinating and restful experience, and it wasn't raining!  A bit like fishing really, things happen very slowly.

I was there because my son John was competing in the novice section.

There were about 20 hedge-layers taking part, all laying a section of a beautiful mixed hedgerow.
 I saw the most amazing fuschia coloured flowers nestled in the hedge, looking so tropical, and almost un-English with its shocking pink and vibrant orange colour combination.
 Euonymus europaeus, or 'spindle' is what I was looking at, and here it is, below.

The colour combination reminded me of Mr Cooper's brightest shirt.

Last week I was talking about my drawing that had been accepted by
The Stride Open Art Competition.
 Here it is pictured below, to the right of the artist.
It is entitled  'Pieces From My Life, Last Year.'

And here it is again, a little larger.  Last week I was talking about the part of the jigsaw that featured the chefs at Woodfire, including son Sam, chopping away in between the other 2 chefs. This week, look at the jigsaw piece below Sam, showing an anatomical drawing within a couple holding hands. 

 Last year Mr Cooper was  diagnosed as having a very slow growing form of prostate cancer, and months were spent not quite knowing the outcome of this discovery.  That formed one important section of my life last year, and this year. 

So that part of the drawing is a cross section of a prostate gland, the hands being held are those of 

me and Mr Cooper.

Last Thursday, as a result of 'the procedure', Mr Cooper's prostate became implanted with 75
tiny radioactive beads,  so much so that when he flies now, he has to have a covering letter.
 When x-rayed as it looks as if he has an explosive device nestling in his under-crackers! ( Something that I discovered for the first time many years ago now)
So now Mr Cooper is not 'Feeling too clever' but he should be fine next Thursday when we head to The Greyhound to dine and to stay overnight, as part of my birthday celebrations.  The week after that I have to return to The Greyhound to resume washing up for those who are lunching and dining, so it will be lovely to enjoy the life as a guest for a few hours.


This week I had a rare days outing with son John, who wanted to go to Finkley Down Farm Park.
It has been a very long time since we were last there together.
Here is John perched on a tractor, after an intensive chicken feeding session, 23 years ago.

So after having bought a bucket of animal feed, we were let loose on the animals.
 First stop, the brown fuzzy-faced sheep.  A very gentle nibbler.
 Totally unlike the male turkey who drew blood!  I don't think many small children feed him.

As a cat lover, I was very happy with the animals there…………...

And John, with his love of rabbits, was happy also.

There were no animals there on Tuesday which had been there 23 years ago,

but all the tractors were still there.

Luckily john decided to sit on the seat this time, not stand, or we might have been asked to leave.
We were the only mother and son combination there where the son kept stopping for a smoke.

Next week, another 'Creative Writing for Gourmets' workshop.  Our focus this time will be 'vegetables', and Mr Cooper kindly said I could write about him.
Also, my last week of enforced rest, before I can start to earn money again.
And last but not least, birthday celebrations!

 I know you have to 'take the rough with the smooth', but I am so looking forward to a couple of days of smooth!
 And in the coming week I hope your roughs are not too raspy, and your smooths are 'just right'.
See you in a weeks time, I will be the one looking a whole year older.

Sorry to have missed you last week, I was bed bound for a little while, and not feeling terribly creative.
In the words of a childhood neighbour,  'I wasn't feeling too clever'.

But back now to feeling clever (if not actually being clever) and creative.
Last week there was good news for me on the creative front.  I had submitted three works of art to the Stride selection committee.
Two works were rejected,

                                               rejection one…….

Awakening Conscience…….Is That It?

                                                            and rejection two…….

Deepening Conscience………..Ironing Away my Dreams.

They accepted my largest and most autobiographical piece from this year, which I will show you next week, when I have attended the Preview Exhibition.
 It's on at the Oxmarket Centre for Arts, Chichester, 20th October - 1st November.
Then it is your turn to go and visit. https://www.facebook.com/oxmarket

There is a strong link with the accepted work, and Woodfire, where chef son Sam works, as the 3 chefs who work there form an important part of the drawing. 2 out of 3 of them  love being featured, and the third is, luckily, oblivious to that fact.
And more good news, Sam is no longer the junior sous, he is now the actual sous chef at Woodfire.
And here I am at Woodfire in my supporting role, for one day only……….

………..K.P extraordinaire, pictured here just finishing some extremely tasty gorgonzola ice cream.
Served with poached pears, it is only delicious if you love gorgonzola cheese!

My other son's job at Butser Ancient Farm draws to a close, as the Saxon Longhouse nears completion.

the house is becoming wattled before being daubed…………

with a beautiful thatched roof topping all.

And as this job ends, so begins another part of John's career, as he begins another apprenticeship, this one given by the Hampshire Coppice group.

I did take an atmospheric photo for here of John with 'Old Ken', who will be one of his two mentors, but it was at a time when 'I hadn't been feeling too clever' and had managed to take photos without having a memory card in place. 

 So as well as teaching John about life as a coppicer and hurdle-maker, eighty year old Ken is also keen to get John to 'Keep them trousers up' and 'Lose that there belly'.  Good luck with that, Ken!

So as a small celebration, Darren, his other mentor, pictured above, came round with John for a 'festive feast' and red wine festival.  In honour of the occassion, I made a pat of butter embossed with a cow design, and also added to the decorations John's Easter gift to me of the Polish butter lamb.  

It is still looking just the same, but smelling rather different!

A lovely night of good music, good food, and best of all, great company.

In my bed bound few days I did an awful lot of reading.  So much so that I had to send Mr Cooper out for supplies.  He tried really hard to get books I would enjoy.  So much so that I had read a few of them already, but this one was a real treat, my best book for a long time.

Warning, do not attempt to read this book unless you find the following reviews deeply enticing.

'Playful and intensely imaginative' and 'A breathtaking feat of imagination, a flight of fancy that pulls you in and wraps you up in its spell.'  

Just right for the bookclub!  And thanks again for the beautiful flowers, girls. 

And, books are cheaper by far from Havant charity shops, rather than Emsworth.  

A thrifty fact to share with you from Mr Cooper.

Just before my enforced reading holiday, I attended the creative writing workshop at Tuppenny Barn, advertised as 'Creative Writing for Gourmets'. http://www.tuppennybarn.co.uk/

 It was such fun, and so lovely to write and to share writings.  There were seven of us there, all not knowing what to expect. We all enjoyed the 4 hours so much that we will be meeting every month.  We all had different reasons for being there, but united by the fact that we all want to write, and we all really enjoy to eat.  What lovely 'common ground' to have.

So do stay tuned ready for my offering next week.  I leave you with an almost closing picture of the Saxon Longhouse already nestling into the magic place of Butser Ancient Farm………..

Don't worry, next week there will be a more diverse selection of images. I do know this week has been a little 'Butser heavy', but the photo I must leave you with features Mr Cooper. 

 When I was feeling 'Not too clever' and definitely not clever enough to drive a car, Mr Cooper took me to Butser, the first visit to the Saxon Longhouse for him. 

 And here he is, looking thrilled to embrace the magic of timber frames, wattle, thatch….

See you all next week, now both me and my camera are up and running again!  

Take care, look after yourselves and each other, and have fun!