Here we are again, after another busy two weeks, this time with a lot of it having been spent creatively in the kitchen.  Happily, also with glimpses of beautiful countryside, a dash of culture, plus a little time having been spent creatively in the shed, hurrah!  This is commonly known as 'a holiday'.

Me and Mr Cooper kicked-off our holiday experience by hosting a dinner party.  Previous to that, I had left the hot and steamy kitchen full of young male chefs late on Thursday night, saying 'see you the week after next', to exchange it for another busy kitchen on Friday.  This one was not so hot and steamy, and I was promoted to actual chef, leaving me with Mr Cooper at the sinks at times.  I suppose he is still just younger than the combined age of three of my normal kitchen compatriots, but sadly not as quick on the chopping and washing front.

Saturday night saw us all feasting on slow-roasted leg of lamb, rosemary roast potatoes plus a selection of Persian salads.  As most people get even more excited by the dessert selection, I had factored this into my preparations, and we then enjoyed chocolate truffle torte, strawberries with raspberry puree and fresh cream meringues.  I do not mean that we chose what to eat from the above, we just ate it all!

Lots of fun was had, and it certainly set us up for the holiday week ahead!

My brother Mark and his youngest son Jem arrived on Tuesday morning, and after a light lunch, we sped away to the north of Petersfield, to show them both the two abandoned tractors that we had come across on our walks.  On the walk towards them, we paused whilst Jem enjoyed playing in an abandoned JCB. (We know how to have a good time, here in the country)

The sad news is that, although nothing is impossible, these two Masseys are very far gone.
So breathe a sigh of relief, Jayne, we are not expecting Philip to bring them to your farm for a restoration project!
Here are Jem, Mark and Mr Cooper looking very young and fresh before two tired tractors.  Not a good end at all for a pair of hard-working vehicles.

We then set off for a pint of beer to cheer us up, at the Pub With No Name, with me pausing only to do an 'art shot', because that is what I do.

We cheered ourselves up a little more when we got back by scooting down to 'The Travs' for a swift pint, before returning to enjoy a sausage feast. This was accompanied by another selection of salads, and also my son John.  He was not on the menu, but had come over to share in the festivities.

The next day saw us setting out fairly bright and early, to explore the delights of Selsey, a nearby seaside town.  Me and Mr Cooper are thinking of re-locating here, and we would love to meet anyone who doesn't look totally surprised and say 'Selsey???!!!' as if totally amazed, when we inform them of that fact.  Mark and Jem enjoyed the Selsey experience very much.  We looked around a house that me and Mr Cooper would like to move to,* then enjoyed a cafe fry-up, pausing on our drive back to wash it all down with a pint from 'The Crab and Lobster' at Sidlesham, one of my most favourite areas.  This is where me and Mr Cooper had our first wedding reception together.
The countryside here reminds me of the Fens, where I grew up, but with a lot more trees, the best of both worlds.

Later that day, we kept with the saltwater theme, and enjoyed a walk round the sea front in Nutbourne.  Such a beautiful walk, and only two fields away from the main road.  This walk helped us work on our appetite, as it was the night for an Indian takeaway for six, as both Sam and John were coming over (Sam much prefers an Indian takeaway to a sausage selection, particularly if it is from 'Memories of India,' just down the road from us at Bosham.)  And, if you are a member of the local gym, which we are, you get 15% discount on food from there.  A really good reason to attend classes, use the gym regularly and go swimming, between lashings of dhal and Peshwari naans.

On Thursday we had a day of culture and education, as we visited Fishbourne Roman Palace.  After our 3 hour visit, we really had learnt a lot, particularly as we had joined in with the guided tour.  And as is usual with learning more, we also realised that there was so much that we didn't know, mainly about Roman history!  It also struck me that it had been a while since I had visited what is sometimes described as a 'place of interest'.  It certainly also gave us lots to talk about, both during pre-dinner drinks down at 'The Travs', but also during that night's festive fare, a Shanghai Steamboat.  This was followed by poached apples topped with caramel shards, the apples being from Marks' own apple tree.

Early next morning saw me saying goodbye to Mark and Jem, and heading off to Midhurst with 10 paintings, which were destined for the walls of 'The Olive and Vine' where I was joining in with the annual Madhurst celebration of music and the arts.  Above are my two picnic paintings, 'Celestial Picnic' and 'Terrestrial Picnic' and in the picture below, Fluffy really does seem to be in heaven in the final one of the triptych, 'Fluffy Goes To Heaven'.

As I was busy that morning being an artist, Mr Cooper was assuming his very important role as 'Grandolph' as Rachael, Ben and young Henry came to stay for the weekend.

Here is Mr Cooper taking his role very seriously....

.....and perhaps now looking even more surprised than Henry at the height of the tower.

Here is one where they both look lovely, but one of them is looking on especially lovingly.

The next couple of days revolved around a couple of walks to The Travs, making sure Henry had a sufficient nap in the middle of the day, doing some much-needed garden maintenance, and roasting gunard one night, then creating a more classy dish the next  of 'poulet saute au vinaigre'.  Mr Cooper really loved that one, as he told me during the meal most effusively.  This also could be due to the fact that he had followed his couple of pints by a large gin, before quenching his thirst with some white wine.  Luckily, the second appearance of the chocolate truffle torte pleased everyone else around the table.

Sunday came all too soon, which meant we waved goodbye to Rachael, Ben and Henry, then got the fondue set out of hibernation, ready for Molly and Sam, later that evening.  As well as grating copious amounts of cheese, I made a classic old school dessert, treacle tart, ensuring butter and lard were used in the making of the pastry.

I had forgotten what fun it was to have a cheese fondue, especially with Molly and Sam, not forgetting Mr Cooper too.  The only disappointment was that the fondue wasn't large enough, but a game of 'Cards Against Humanity' soon put smiles back on our faces. (Especially mine, as I won!)

Another good result from this week of gaiety was that the first illustration for the cookery book was completed.  Here it is, hot off the paint brush.  And, wonder of wonders, the next one has already been started.  I have just got to get the idea for the third, now.

 Anyway, I hope you have lots of ideas if you need them, and not too many if you don't.  Plus, if you have a house for sale, I hope you have a stream of viewers.  If, like me, you are feeling a little sad and frustrated, just remember that Mercury is in retrograde at the moment, until the 3rd September, so just keep plodding on, and smiling!
Till then, don't plod too heavily, and do try to smile brightly!

* All sadly theoretical at the moment, as we still have a house to sell!

Welcome to this week's blog, featuring many wonderful artistic creations, several of which I have had a hand in.  I think this creative exuberance is a result of me and Mr Cooper having enjoyed a short 'two centre' break. This has left me feeling mentally refreshed, although perhaps a little jaded in the physical refreshment stakes.
 In order to secure the free time for an extra long weekend, I had to work in the kitchen for two consecutive days.  'Big deal', I hear some of you hard-workers out there cry.  Well it is, and it isn't, of course.  It gets it over and done with, but a 15 hour day away from home, twelve of which are spent hard at work at the sinks,  means getting home at midnight still buzzing , then having to unwind and then try to sleep to be up again at 6 for a repeat performance.  Especially demanding for those of us best described as 'young at heart!'
On the day before departure, I was found in my afternoon break in the Coffee Lab in Stockbridge https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g503843-d12229457-Reviews-Coffee_Lab-Stockbridge_Hampshire_England.html having a chat with Sam over a necessary pick-me-up of a large mocha with a peanut butter brownie to share.  As I am so at the cutting edge of sharing visual images, I am sure you can appreciate this photo which is showing Sam having taken a photo of me having taken a photo.  He is 'sending it on' in many wonderful ways, with distortions and sound no less, and I am just adding mine to my blog.  

Me and Mr Cooper were setting off on Thursday morning for a long weekend in Suffolk, via a stop-over in Canvey Island.  I was looking forward to this, as it was part of my quest to visit the strange outposts on the coastlines of the UK, and Mr Cooper was my reluctant partner.  He thought Canvey Island would prove to be 'not very nice,' or something like that, so I treated us both to a night's stay in the only hotel there, 'The Oysterfleet'.  http://www.oysterfleethotel.com/
We arrived at around three, checked in, and set off to explore.

Here is an image that brings together a lot of the elements we found there, in this atmospheric view of the virtually empty fun-fair....

....and here is Mr Cooper bravely smiling whilst managing to look more startled than happy.
When I first met Mr Cooper I had to camp with him a lot in Mendip, in a field with a disgusting toilet shed and no washing facilities.  Now, he no longer camps, and avidly reads 'trip advisor' and hence wanted to avoid 'the Oyster Fleet', (and Canvey Island, I have to add) as someone on Trip Advisor had found cobwebs in their room!  When did that pioneering spirit evaporate from his life?

We wandered around the fair for a little while, admiring some of the rides.  Here is a photo especially for Sam, and for other fans of the early Mighty Boosh.  We all know what to do when you find a swan, don't we, fellow fanatics?  Right on it!*

We left the seafront and the fair, and passed the welcoming large fly sculpture on our return to the hotel.  The staff were the friendliest and most helpful of anywhere I have stayed before, and we spent a bizarrely enjoyable night there.  We dined in the posh restaurant (posh for Canvey Island) and I was able to whet my appetite for dinner in a most unusual way.  We had a pre-dinner drink in the busy bar, and when I popped to the loo, I found the dinner menu framed and feature inside the cubicle, on the back of the loo door.  Not only did I return to Mr Cooper refreshed, but I amazed him by already knowing the menu!

The next day we sped to Suffolk, to spend  three nights with our friends Susie and Werner in Saxstead.  Mr Cooper was feeling happier about this, for they have a very lovely and clean home, and he had brought his slippers with him. We were there primarily to help prepare for a large luncheon party on the Sunday, but managed to include a quick visit to Walberswick, which was well worth a visit, being extremely picturesque. You will have to imagine that as the only photo I took from there was of this pair of sunglasses I bought for Juliette, from one of the many truly tempting gift shops.
We also enjoyed a brief visit to Framlingham, again another lovely place, where gifts were also purchased, this time for Sam and his lovely girlfriend Molly, but you will just have to take my word for all that and feast your eyes on pink flamingos and the faded glories of Canvey Island for your visual entertainments from our travels.

On Monday we left early to head towards Winchester, as it was Trinity's summer art exhibition, and I was to be wearing an artistic headpiece made by one of the group.  I was also wearing my 'flying picnic' outfit, as the starting point for a major part of this exhibition had been the theme of food.
Although the traffic was heavy, and accidents abounded, we got there in time to help set-up.
Here is the garden totem pole, which has been constructed to also be an insect hotel.  I think the Minion looks brilliant, and not just because I helped to create that section! (Well, just a bit.)

The food prepared really reflected the theme, with the emphasis on fruit.  Look closely at this brilliant fruit basket, and notice the banana that is in fact a yellow dolphin.

Nestled to the right of the pineapple, in amongst the leaves, are lots of edible ladybirds.  When all was prepared, we looked at the tables laden with food and thought there was far too much, but at the end of our very successful and well supported exhibition we were clearing away just empty plates.

During the exhibition I had become a walking artwork, my crowning glory being a mainly knitted fascinator.  One of the women's group had made 3 items of headgear which symbolised how women are viewed and treated by some men.  The first hat was a jaunty number, but on closer inspection was 'a piece of meat'.  The creator of the three was sporting an eyecatching fascinator, which was a beautifully knitted but extremely phallic banana, and here I am showing off my 'nice pear!'

And here I am again still sporting a nice pear, but also giving a glimpse of my 'flying picnic outfit.  It also looks like I am showing what happens to the size of your bum if you eat too many picnic components on a regular basis!

Leaving exhibitions behind, and also my behind behind, and visiting now my productive shed.  In my last blog I was happy to show you the idea for my first significant illustration for the Green Donkey cookery book.

And here, after many productive hours, kindly assisted by Radio 4, I am happy to show you an almost completed image.  I have been having fun with paint and collage, and now need only to add a couple of flying blackbird pie-funnels (what else?) as well as some green donkeys to change my vibrant pink walls into an amazing wallpaper design.
Hopefully this will be completed and on view in my next blog, if there has been enough artistic time for me to include the above.  I have been getting up stupid early at the weekends too, to put in sufficient 'shed time'.

I hope you have an enjoyable weekend where you are able to do the things you enjoy, and only have to get up 'stupid early' if you really want to.  If the sun shines, why not have a picnic?  But just remember, eat responsibly, and aim to exercise at least three times a week.  One exercise could be walking to your local, another strenuous arm exercise I enjoy is opening a bottle of champagne!
Have fun and be kind to yourself and others.
Looking forward to seeing you all again soon.

* This will mean nothing if you did not watch The Mighty Boosh, so don't worry.