These last two weeks have been a time of exciting and creative happenings (plus the usual work!) punctuated by manic painting in the gaps left between all of this.  Nothing unusual there, you may say.  After all, you are an artist. Well, the painting has been purely practical, not imaginative, and on a large, tiring scale.  The decoration of the kitchen has been my latest project, and it is slowly drawing to a close. But so as not to lose the feeling of being an artist as well, I am painting it using expressive brush strokes, and sometimes using expressive language alongside.

It is also continues to be a time of finding older paintings. This week's discovery had been hanging on the kitchen wall for so long that it had become invisible.  And now I have looked at it again, I am pleased with what I see, moreso than when I had actually completed it.

It is all about the making of an apple pie, and is a mixture of my photography, and my painting.
  I am thinking it might lead to another exploration of cookery through art, perhaps to become the first of a series about the processes of cooking. But not quite at the moment.  It will have to be after my intense 'beautiful but more neutral' house decorating project, with view to be on the market in May!

Whenever I decide to really de-clutter my possessions, people must sense those emptying spaces, and feel the urge to replenish on my behalf.  This is an 80s knitting pattern book from my Aunty Sally.  There is a tank top pattern in there that I really might make one day......but who on earth would knit, let alone wear, this pattern?

It is truly hideous......perhaps if you were going to a Beryl Cook convention?
 If I was wearing it, there would have to be a large cash reward at the end of the day.

Well last week I promised you a glimpse of my newly re-vamped kitchen, complete with me with my newly refreshed eyebrows. And if you get close enough to see, my cream paint-speckled hair.

Here I am in the old style kitchen, lots of wood, grease, horrid cracked tiles and yellow walls.

And here, in the gleaming, 'beautiful but more neutral' kitchen.  My eyebrows may be hidden by my
painted fringe, but feast your eyes on the cream units, gleaming white tiles, gleaming gas hob.......

So excited am I that I have moved from 'cooking with wine' to 'cooking with gin!'

Our new oven is just as exciting as a new television.  I can't remember when we were last able to see what was cooking through a clean oven door!  Mr Cooper and I have been quite transfixed by the sight of pastry cases turning golden, pheasants becoming bronzed, parsnips becoming dangerously
darkened.....Yes, I do know we need to get out more.

Last week saw me do my first stint as an art volunteer at Trinity, working alongside the art tutor with the women's group. http://trinitywinchester.org.uk/ 

 It is really good to be working with art and people again, especially in a non exam-driven way. 

And, to add to my creative excitement, I attended another creative writing course  at Tuppenny Barn.

http://www.tuppennybarn.co.uk/  This one had 'Journeys' as it's theme. A smaller group this time, which was great as we all worked well together.  I have decided to take up a writing exercise during lent.  When I wake up, before actually getting up, but after a tinkle break if needs be, I spend ten minutes writing things that come into my head, with no hesitancy. But what I have written I do not look at for 30 days. 

 It is surprisingly easy to write for 10 minutes, but I have surprised myself so far by having a very practical  content to my writings, I had thought it would be purely emotional....... did write about my dream for the first time this morning.

The composition of 'Naked and Surrounded by Cake'  has been bubbling away in my brain this year. First deeply, and now coming to the fore.  Each year I produce a significant drawing about my life. Each year I enter it into two prestigious competitions, and each year, both reject me.  But it has become a tradition now.  Rather like actually enjoying dry turkey.
This year, the drawing will be a sort of companion to the one below, 'Naked and Surrounded by Cake', but with a very different background. In fact, as I write this now, yet another idea has sprung into being.  Almost certainly the start of a series! (you can start to see now how room painting is seriously hampering my creative work...there is not enough time! (Oh well, only 5 more rooms to go......arghhhhh!))

Here is my usual Sunday treat with Mr Cooper.  Sitting down in a nearby pub for an hour or so, for  a chat, fully armed with salty snacks, Shiraz and the trusty sketch book.  This one is showing wasabi nuts in a natty orange boat, mini cheddars, a large Shiraz, and the beginnings of the idea for my next significant autobiographical work, called "Naked, and Surrounded by Life.'

Whilst we were sitting there, chatting away, a couple came into the bar.  She was a little over 50, wearing a fake fur leopard print coat, red lipstick and whacky boots.  'Do I look a bit like that?' I asked Mr Cooper.  'Yes, that's how you dress', he replied.  'But she was wearing gold-stitched cowboy boots!' I exclaimed.  How tacky, I thought, as I glanced down at by beautiful blue Dr Marten sandals, much more suitable for someone over the age of 50.

Before I leave, let's not forget Valentine's Day, and for once, I actually didn't.
Here is a biscuit lovingly decorated for me by Sam.  I had to double check that he had done the actual work as a) it showed joined-up writing and b) he only calls me 'mum' when talking about me to other people.  But on reflection, a)you have to use joined-up writing when piping and b) he decorated it at work. At home no doubt I would have been 'mother' or 'ma'.  Or sometimes even 'mate'

And here are some of the gifts given by Mr Cooper.  I think he is getting to be really quite artistic.
I can't show you the other two gifts, as by the time we had started to cook the Sunday Roast, one had been eaten, and one had been drunk.  Both delicious!

 And here, so as not to feel left out, is Mr Cooper himself, sporting his Valentines t-shirt.

 I hope you all had an enjoyable Valentine's day, and that your week has continued to be mainly enjoyable. And I look forward to catching up with you all soon, when hopefully I can show you the other half of the kitchen! (That's the half that is mainly still in the living room)
So I must go downstairs now to clutch a paint brush, and keep buggering on.
 Ah well, there is always tea, and radio 4, it's not all bad.