As the nights get longer and the days more chilly, it is indeed time to put away your sandals and reach instead for gloves and scarves.  I knitted my fox scarf earlier in the year, so he has been enjoying his first outings.  Like most foxes, he is both handsome and crafty.  Me and Mr Cooper have recently enjoyed a couple of Friday nights out in Chichester (there and back on the bus) and it was when we were enjoying a pint in The Foundry (it's thirsty work, catching buses) we discovered that Mr Fox also finds it thirsty work, and that you have to watch your drink when he's around.  So look out, Rowan, I bet your fox is a naughty one too.  And be warned, Julie.  Your Mr Fox is now knitted, and is awaiting assembly.  Good job it hasn't been too cold yet!

As lots of you know, my youngest son is a chef.  He is currently working at The Three Cups in Stockbridge, http://www.the3cups.co.uk so me and Mr Cooper decided to dine there and check out their new menu.  We opted to stay at The Grosvenor, as it was offering the best deal.  The last time we stayed there was on the occasion of Juliette and Colin's wedding, and very good it was too.  Since then, it seems to have been slowly slipping downhill.
As we settled into our room, I noticed that a picture on the wall wasn't straight.  I went to put it right, only to find that it had been screwed onto the wall like that.  And that sort of sums things up !

The Three Cups is a charming establishment, with a very cosy bar.  Me and Mr Cooper enjoyed a drink by the fire, definitely without Mr Fox, before dinner.  Just for a moment things looked a little awkward, as there was no booking at eight o'clock under the name Hofman.  But then things all became happy again, as the waiter asked me if I was Sam's mum, as there was a booking under that name (he probably hadn't asked me earlier, as he probably thought I was Sam's older sister, or something like that....) So Mr Cooper and Sam's mum were taken to the best table in the restaurant, where we began the difficult choice of choosing what to have.  Sometimes when eating out, the choice is sadly difficult, as there is not much on the menu that you are tempted by, but this choice was happily difficult, as we wanted to eat most of it!  Luckily Sam had sent me a text earlier, which read 'U shud deffo have the beef' which made the main course choice an easy one.  In the end, for the starters, the potted brown shrimps got my vote, and Mr Cooper opted for mackerel ceviche.  I almost didn't manage to photograph the ceviche, as it began to disappear rather quickly!

The full description of the main course was 'Braised beef head to tail.  Braised beef cheek and oxtail with chicken mousseline, noisette potatoes, shallots and charred Savoy cabbage heart and fried onion puree.  My photo really does not do it justice, I blame the romantic lighting in The Cups for this.        It was everything it should be, as was the entire evening.  Big thanks to all of you, for looking after Sam's mum and Mr Cooper so well.
As the menu had changed just the day before, Sam joined us after the meal as he wanted our honest opinion of it all.  Now here is a job I would be more than happy to do, it ticks so many of my boxes.  The feedback we gave was 99.9% favourable, the last .1% could have been put down as my personal preference.  Don't take my word for it, go and enjoy dining there yourselves.  Just mention my recommendation when you book, so I can work my way towards qualifying for a free dinner!

Contrast and compare!  Sunday morning was a wet one in Stockbridge.  But never mind, we had a cooked breakfast to look forward to.  I know presentation isn't everything, but it really does help!        Sadly the poor presentation was backed up by eggs so rubbery (thank you very much, sir) that they would have bounced if dropped.  I felt more inclined to throw them, but politely pushed them around the plate.  Mr Cooper was equally disappointed by his 'Full English' which he was unable to finish.  If he had thrown the sausage, serious injury to a nearby diner could have resulted!  Next time we will be staying in another establishment, and hopefully the enjoying the whole experience.

We popped in to say 'hello and goodby' to Sam, as he was getting ready for the day.  The Yorkshires looked amazing but Selsey beckoned and when we got there it was to find that the sun had come out.

Just one more burst of food-talk before shifting to the equally important world of art.  We were excited to receive a parcel from niece Olivia and her husband Jon, who had recently enjoyed a belated honeymoon in Japan.  One of their reasons for going there was to experience the cuisine, as they are both committed foodies (it must be a family trait).  Olivia wrote that they had enjoyed some really amazing food, but that they thought the beer snacks in particular were extra special.  So here we have grilled squid legs (tastier the more you chew), Smoked Shredded Squid and Salmon Jerky.  Olivia says that they are Japan's answer to 'what goes with anything and everything alcoholic'.  The only problem I can see is that as the parcel was addressed to John and Sam too, me are Mr Cooper are sadly going to have to share them!

For many years now I have been a fan of the Badger Press, where I have attended many printmaking courses.  https://www.facebook.com/TheBadgerPress  I have also hired the studio space when working on a series of prints.  I was really excited when I noticed they were offering a weekend course exploring the technique of Reduction Linocut,  and I booked my place with glee.  Over the years, I have produced many lino-prints as it is a printmaking medium that I really love, but this way of producing the linocut is one which I need to learn.  I did attend a day's workshop earlier in the year, and started a series of prints, but then moving house got in the way, and they remained unfinished.
When I got to The Badger Press things became even more exciting as it was to find that we were also going to learn another means of registration, called the 'Ternes Burton Pins Registration Method'  This, to me, is as thrilling as receiving a parcel containing Japanese beer snack food!
In printmaking, each colour printed is usually from a separate printing block, and the term 'registration' just means means how you work it out so that each different block applies its colour/design in just the right place. This is a tricky aspect of printmaking.

This image below is of my workspace at the start of the day, as me and four others (Tina, Ruth Graham and Emma) start to produce our different designs.  Jo Morley was our tutor, and she worked closely with each of us to ensure we managed to apply the process successfully to our very different ideas and designs.  Jo is an excellent tutor as well as being very patient and tactful, and the five of us not only produced some great work, but had a lot of fun as we did so.  Contact details have been exchanged, and I look forward to our next artistic meeting.  Us artists really do need the company of other artists. I did notice Mr Cooper's eyes begin to glaze over later in the day, when I started to extol the virtues of the Ternes Burton Pins Registration Method!  They un-glazed when he showed me highlights of The Rovers game that he had thoughtfully  then saved to show me.  I wonder how sparkly my eyes were then!

Here is my design, ready to be transferred to lino.  At this point, I am thinking that the background, which will be the last colour to print, will be green, with perhaps some areas of blue.

At the end of the first day, I have printed two of my four colours, and am well on the way to completion.  So much so that when I get home, I unearth my previously unfinished prints, hoping that I will have an opportunity to add more to them.

My original intention was green, but how could I resist purple instead?

I was really pleased with the result, which is unusual for me.  And I was very pleased with the new registration system, and also the fact that there was time to add more to my other prints, woohoo!

My Staffordshire dogs happily gained two more colours, dark brown and red.  All I need to do now is add a blue to the base, and then create an amazing wallpaper design to print on the background.  As I am still studio-less, if I start printing on the dining table, I think it will help Mr Cooper to start emptying the shed which needs demolishing to make way for my studio.  I will let you know of the progress in both cases!

I have talked a lot about food this week, with a little art thrown in for good measure.  To me, cooking and art are very similar, where I enjoy the process of creating something for others to experience.  In the case of food, it is definitely for others to enjoy.  In the case of my art, I don't always expect others to enjoy/appreciate or even express interest in it, but am always pleased when they do.  In fact, looking at my Staffordshire dog print, I can understand that not everyone will be rushing to hang one on their wall. But just wait till I have added the wallpaper!
So in the coming week, why not share a little food-love, as Olivia and Jon did with us.  You don't have to seek out Grilled Squid Legs (Tastier the more you chew).  Perhaps enjoy producing some homemade biscuits to take into work.
 In this busy world of ours it can be all too easy to think we are 'far too busy' to create things, but the act of creating something is really essential for our own well-being.
 So reach for that mixing bowl and put down those gadgets.  I might even reach for some Ternes Burton registration pins as well as the butter and flour, but that is optional!  See you all soon.

Gifts and progress seems to be a good heading for this weeks blog, although there are definitely times when gifts seem to be received more than progress is made.  This will make sense, I assure you.
Let's start with a gift or two.
Sam and Molly returned from a happy holiday in Devon with gifts (they are both not only well brought up, but kind too.)  Sam gave me a jar of one of my favourites, heather honey (it was full when presented to me, honest) and Molly gave me another of my favourites, kitsch shell ornaments.

I already have some shell animals wearing spectacles, including an elderly poodle, but Molly gave me my first Asian-inspired mermaid, she is just fab.

When I returned home I added them to one of my cabinets.

Here you see the tortoise, also complete with hat, looking at home alongside a bespectacled owl.

The Asian mermaid joins a couple of seagulls.  She and the smaller seagull then look to their left, and cast many admiring glances at the new bathroom curtains.  Progress has been made on the curtain front, two windows now have curtains, with four more looking forward to receiving them.  The llama curtains are ready to go when filling and painting is complete, and fabric for the spare room curtains was purchased today.  So only two windows now are totally neglected!

On Tuesday, as well as working for ten and a half hours and receiving holiday gifts, I also received a phone call to say that the installation work for the wood burning had met with a problem, which then took 3 hours to sort out.  Although the work had been booked for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, this 3 hours meant that Wednesday was cancelled as far as stove-progress was concerned.

I got back to view the progress that had been made, which was not inconsiderable.  But tired and fed-up at the end of a long, hard day, all I was really seeing was that the hearth had been fitted as a lot larger than we had discussed,

And that the spare room now needed decorating sooner, rather than later, and

The stairs, and all the floors downstairs were really grimy.

What better way to start a Wednesday than by getting up at 6.30am, quietly so as not to wake Mr Cooper, and spend two hours cleaning all the floors and stairs before leaving for my every-other Wednesday cleaning job?
Luckily that was where my progress in cleaning houses ended till Saturday, when it began again but in earnest this time.  However, on Wednesday at 2pm I set off for Southsea to get my hair done at Garbos.  But not before paying a visit to the brilliant bookshop at the start of Albert Road, which has been there for thirty-one and a half years.  (I know as I asked. It is a shop where you talk to both the owner and other customers about good books)
 Anyway, I bought what turned out to be a brilliant book.  It was in the window calling to me,

Which those of you who know me well will not be surprised at.
Here is my painting 'Housewife 2' which I painted to encapsulate the essence of a good housewife from the 50s and 60s.  I was born towards the end of an era where girls were very much trained as they grew up to gain good foundation skills in being a housewife. 

I think that is why I am so fond of aprons now, because then at least you can put on the costume and act the part, then very much take the apron off  and return to normality.
Here I am in one of my favourite 'apron acting' roles, Christmas Dinner Housewife!

After a successful two and a half hours in Garbos, Tara had indeed succeeded in making me look very presentable.  So much so that when I caught up with Mr Cooper on the following day, he said that my trimmed, coloured and curled locks made me look 20 years younger.  No wonder I had felt tired and cross earlier when washing the floors and stairs....I had been 76, after all!

Then, onto Janeese's for a night in with the girls.  And that is who we are to each other, although we are all in our fifties or sixties.  'Even you?' I hear you cry.  Yes, even me.
Us girls have successfully managed to slow time, well, to our eyes at least.  In fact that night we actually turned back the clock as here is a pre-birthday cake that Janeese produced for me ( Thank you Jan, I can't remember the last time I had a birthday cake for me) a delicious chocolate caterpillar.  Well, if it had had the correct number of candles, it would have reached from the front to the back of the house!

What better way to start my celebrations than a night which included much laughter, bubbles and cake.  Thank you also very much for my presents, I saved them till Sunday of course.  Not only did Trina give me a wonder Frida Khalo card, but nestling inside the envelope were earrings to match.  Thank you very much, each and everyone of you.

After that, I continued to make progress on the 'catching up with friends' stakes, and after spending the night at Diane and Keith's, assisted by Rio, I went westwards to have lunch with Rose and Paul, accompanied by Moss and Mabel, of course.
As I had not seen Rose for a couple of weeks, we had an awful lot of catching-up to do.  Perhaps it was better that Mr Cooper was not with me for this part, as he sometimes gets a bit tetchy when I do a lot of 'catching up'.  If I was a much better wife, I would not do all this talking when he was around, but rather, would give him my undivided attention, plus a lot of freshly-made food.  I sometimes succeed in the 'freshly-made food' side of things!

After lunch, Rose and I attempted to make lots of Rowan Protection Charms for a coming event for Rose.  After an hour and several repeated mistakes, we thought that our finished products needed to be priced between £30-£40 for a reasonable return!  Then the profit margin took a downward turn as Rose gave me one to take home with me.  Here it is working hard to protect our house from unquiet spirits, lightening and Black Witchcraft.

It was lovely to have time away with my mates, but also lovely to return to my very own mate.  When I got back, we set off for a little walk to see the sea, and walked down a road that has not only spectacular views of the sea, but of the lifeboat too!  Selsey is a town like no other, and I love it!

Friday saw the successful completion of the stove installation.  The spare room is fully functioning yet again, and our new double-sided wood burner is functioning for the first time.  It is brilliant.
I almost didn't take this picture as I was worn out with opening cards and presents, but I wanted to share how lovely it is, with you all.  I was also worn out with stuffing down chocolate and pink gin fudge, I wish you had been there to help stuff it down, me and sweets have a 'feast or famine' relationship!

Thank you for all your birthday messages, and cards and presents.  I had a really enjoyable extended birthday, and now feel in the need of an extended rest.
It is lovely to receive messages and cards, but also lovely to be the giver of them too.  So this week, choose a card, choose a friend and brighten their day with your message, and perhaps a small bar of chocolate.  Little and often is probably a better way forward!
Looking forward to seeing you all again soon, don't forget to eat responsibly as well as having fun.