Sorry about my non-appearance of late, I did leave you all saying 'see you next week', and I didn't.  So let's catch up on nearly 2 weeks worth of events,  and I am sure you will soon understand why there has been an absence.
Me and Mr Cooper don't go out a great deal, apart from to our local watering hole, so we decided to take the plunge and venture into Chichester one evening.  We booked to dine at 'Amelie and Friends', for an early-bird deal, on a Wednesday. http://amelieandfriends.com/  So with that in the diary to look forward to, we carried on with our normal lives; packing, sorting, working, swimming, painting.... and Mr Cooper watched TV and went to the gym.
 Then something amazing happened, which will change our lives forever.  Mr Cooper's eldest beautiful daughter, Rachael, went into labour all as planned, going into hospital on Sunday night,
 the night before her baby was due.
But babies and planning don't go together, they have their own agenda!

 So Rachael and partner Ben went into hospital, then out, then back in, and ended up having their baby delivered by emergency Cesarean section.  Henry was delivered safely, on Wednesday afternoon.  Here they all are, suddenly a family!

 We are so looking forward to seeing them all in a couple of weeks, when Ben returns to work.
Our intention is to be very helpful, and to do what needs to be done, which must involve cuddling Henry a great deal!











 So there we were, just setting off for our night out, with Mr Cooper suddenly having become a Grandad, and me a Granny Sue, or a Sue Granny, or something like that.  A planned night out, but now with something very important to celebrate!

If you ever want a good night out in Chichester on a Wednesday, take the train and arrive there at 5 o'clock, have a quick one in the refurbished 'Foundry' next to the station (most impressed) http://www.foundrychichester.co.uk/index then another one on in 'The Cross Keys' and then over the road and into Amelies for a truly delicious 3 course meal.  Each course was superlative, and the desserts were exceptional. We were out by 7.30, then back on the train to Nutbourne, calling into 'The Travs' for a quick couple on our way home
 (only a couple, as we know we have responsibilities!)

 Then up at 6 the next morning, ready for an 11 hour session in a hot kitchen.  I showed Juliette the photos of Henry..... the chefs didn't seem too interested, but Juliette was.  In fact, looking at them was the highlight of a very long, hung-over day.

New belongings also arrive, and older things are put away.  I realised that I have been keeping my first ever pair of Dr Martens in the bottom of a wardrobe, all broken and dusty, because I loved them so much.  And now they have to go at 27 years old.

  Along with my also much-loved cheap boots, which have been steadily falling apart since I bought them, 3 years ago.  It is a long time since I could wear them in wet weather, and now I can't even wear them in dry (the uppers are no longer connected to the sole.)

On a more positive note, there is a hole in my life to be filled in the future, by a pair of shiny red boots.

Mr Cooper and I went on a mission to buy some wool, to knit something for Henry.
 Here is the new book I have been reading a lot lately.

When I finished the first garment, from above,  I decided to knit another to go with it,  and found a pattern in a much-loved book, one I used a great deal when my boys were small.

I thought of my Granny Beba as I sat knitting.  She had 9 grandchildren, and would often knit in the afternoons.  When she had finished the garment, usually a jumper, she would line us all up to see which one of us it would fit best.
Anyway, I found a pattern that would suit the type of wool I had left over, and started to knit.  A little intricate, bobbles were involved, and a few raised stripes.  After a while, I realised that my knitting did not look like the photo in the book, and, horror of horrors, that this was because I had not read the page numbers properly, and was knitting a completely different pattern!  Not too different from Granny Beba after all.
 Looking at my results so far, I think you could say that there will be 'room for growth'

Packing and sorting continues, as does wallpaper stripping, and hole filling.  It is not always easy to choose what to keep, or discard, and on a Saturday morning, ten days ago, whilst lifting crates of books in haste, I twisted suddenly and my back became agony. It then became a very painful weekend, producing meals being a major achievement, whilst surrounded by all the work that needed to be done, that I couldn't do!  And then, after a trip to the osteopath, clad in sensible knickers and a sports bra, I found that I wasn't able to go to work that week, either. ( I did wear outdoor clothes for the trip to and from Mr Butterworth, in case you have a disturbing image in your head of me limping round Southsea in my underwear.....) http://osteopathicsolutions.com/

And sadly, no work for me means no money,  double sorrow.
 It also meant being under 'house arrest', triple sorrow!
But now, the clouds are lifting.  I am able to dress myself once again, and work is beckoning.
Here is the windowsill art from the last time I was at work, nearly 2 weeks ago.

A crouchy, sniffy be-ribboned animal.  Hints of a cat in there somewhere?
I think a glimpse of the plunger provides a 'grounding' element to the composition.


One the plus side, Mr Cooper and I have caught up on a whole lot of recorded TV....... and I have re-discovered how lovely it is to knit in the evenings.  And also how amazing it is to find out the next morning that you have 63 instead of 65 stitches on the needle, and the pattern is a little awry........perhaps best not to knit, and watch a complicated film, and drink Shiraz.

And just before I depart, to catch up with a little more knitting, here is a painting that would like a good home.

  You will have seen the early stages of it in past blogs.  Here is a memory jogger of it in the planning stages.

 Would suit a cheery kitchen!

Which reminds me, I must hasten towards my own cheery kitchen to transform a bag of kale into a delicious, nutritious feast, for when Mr Cooper returns from yoga.
I hope you have a week ahead of delicious feasts and treats, and I hope to be with you all again in around a week's time.
Till then, have fun, but avoid lifting and twisting at the same time. I wish I had.............

Spring is definitely Springing.  Easter always seems to be the turning point in the year, when parts of winter are left behind, and more and more wild flowers adorn the countryside.

This week, Mr Cooper and I decided to actually discover what we had in our garage, apart from all the boxes we keep putting in there, labelled 'keep' or 'sell'.
We have more bikes than we realised, including an electric one. (When Mr Cooper rode that into Emsworth one evening, it was the only time he arrived there before me!)
I have more paintings than I realised.  And, like saying goodbye to winter, some of the paintings are not going to be accompanying us on our move to the next house.

This painting, 'Daughter of a Great White Hunter' has been water-damaged, the canvas has rotted at the bottom.

I painted it a long time ago, when I lived in Southsea.  The idea of it came from even further back in time, when I was living in Stockbridge, and the boys were not yet at school.
Each week saw a group of us mothers meeting at different houses, and in the summer, always in the garden.  We used to chat as the children hurtled round.  Then after an hour or two, we would drag our overtired, crying offspring homeward.
In one garden, there was a little Wendy house.  The 'head' of that household (or so he thought he was) was an avid sportsman (or so he thought he was).  His hobby was shooting birds and animals.  Above the door to the Wendy house he had added a goat's skull, but not just the bare bones.
 As we chatted, and played, it was in sight of a skull that still had flesh and fur remaining, and flies buzzing through the eye sockets.  It always struck me as a truly incongruous item to be in any garden, not least attached to a child's playhouse. It became the inspiration for a painting which was created many years later. Thank you Frieda Kahlo, for your help with the sky.  Much appreciated.

Again, a childhood theme with this painting, 'Hey Diddle Diddle'.  And again, water damage to the bottom of the canvas.

This was a painting I started in a different way than normal.  (And yes, us artists do think that painting leaping cows and smiling spoons is a normal thing to do!)
When we were on holiday in France, each night I sketched out a composition for this piece.  The next night, after having thought about it during the day, I reviewed the composition, working over 7 nights to get the composition how I wanted it to be.
Then, home to paint it, with an accurate plan.  Bleep and Booster remain unfinished, but waving from the top right hand corner.

And now to the last painting, again painted in Southsea, and inspired by summers spent camping in Cornwall, in Polzeath.  As well as spending a long time in the water with my wooden body board, each day I aimed to walk along the coast path, and one day it was to see basking sharks in the bay below me.  It was such a tremendously beautiful and moving sight.

In this painting, I used decoupage as part of my work for perhaps the first time.  The larger flowers in the foreground were painted in watercolour, then photocopied and added on.  This one is not water-damaged, so if anyone wants it, let me know as it will be culled soon, along with the two above.

Time now to talk about art works for the future.
Years ago I made my parents some photo frames, and pictures for the grandchildren were placed inside them.  Time went by and the grandchildren grew older, but not the images in the frames!
 In fact, 3 grandchildren never had their faces smiling from the 'cousin wall', as it became known.

So this Easter, I decorated 2 new frames, and the 3 of us planned to supply up-to-date photos.

You saw the photos of my two last week.  Here they are, all framed.

This frame features a normal Easter bunny, and also a guest appearance by Hybernia, John's 'Californian Giant' rabbit.

And here is the frame ready for Rowan..............

This features Rowan's fox, taken from her illustrations. https://myspace.com/foxanddad/photos‎

As I am organised in fits and starts, this was taken before Rowan's photo was added. I will take a photo of the completed frame on my next visit.  Rowan is looking particularly beautiful.

Easter is always a busy time for me, and a happy time too.  This is when we all descend on Mum, with as many children as we can muster.  This time, Sam was present only in his photo, as he was having to work.  I don't think most people realise how 'not normal' the working conditions of chefs are.  Happily, he has booked the week off to join us all in Sunny Hunny.

And when we all get together, Mum expects Simon to 'be silly', Mark to 'be practical', and me to 'be helpful'.

Here is Simon 'being silly' in Pizza Express......

............having fun with the stickers that are designed to entertain children.

And here is Mark being practical.

Mark will always don an apron before attacking a takeaway curry.

And as for me, I escaped from food preparation (thanks Nik and Si, excellent party food!) and did what I do a lot of in life......washing up.


After a hectic long weekend, we returned to settle down for an evening in, just the two of us.
Or was it?
We thought about eating an ear or two of our golden Easter bunny, but decided to leave it a while.  We went to bed, leaving it on the floor, by the settee.
The next morning, we both were surprised to see some foil had been removed, and a largish bite taken out of the bunny.  I was thinking that Mr Cooper must have been pretty hungry to come down in the night to do that, and Mr Cooper was thinking it was a bit mean of me to be eating chocolate all by myself, when..............

........we both looked more closely, and realised the one who had nibbled the bunny had small sharp nibbling teeth, and a long tail.
I wonder how long we have all been sharing the house together?

Back to work, and back to the 'Windowsill Gallery'.  Flowers courtesy of Juliette, ceramic head, George Hofman, and new utensils, courtesy of Nisbets. www.nisbets.co.uk/‎
When we unwrapped the utensils, head chef Chris remarked that they themselves were rare works of art in the kitchen, being shiny and undamaged.  A fish slice becomes a very precious thing indeed.  We also thought that they might remain undamaged for a whole 12 days, until the chef prone to outburst and general damage returns.
During the day, sometimes I put the head facing outwards, to symbolise 'Captivity', and sometimes she was just smiling into the kitchen.  Either way, I don't think there was much going on in her head.
In fact Juliette remarked that she reminded her of someone she knew, somebody friendly but dim.

I think next week's art might have a food slant.

I hope next week includes some enjoyable food for you all, made with love and undamaged equipment.  And some enjoyable evenings in, or out.
We shall have to ask the mouse if it has any viewing preferences, for when we all settle down in the evening.  Probably intellectual rather than the soaps, as it did so enjoy Lindt dark chocolate!
http://www.chocolate.lindt.com/shop/easter
See you all next week.  

Last week, my outlook remained mainly sunny.  However, an unexpected  storm came over, followed by a deep depression, and lots of rain.  Luckily, the depression lifted fairly quickly, and the skies became a beautiful blue once again.
And in the midst of all this sun and showers, a lot was happening.
Saturday found me and son John getting the shed ready for a mini workshop.  We were having a morning of creativity with Dan.  He is a Friday regular, with his dad, down 'The Travs'.  We had no idea how long the session would last, or what sort of art would be achieved, from either John or Dan!  After an hour, we were all enjoying a coffee break, and rolling up the artwork for Dan to take home.
I love the painting he created.........

And whilst Dan was painting with harmony, John seemed to be having a deeply psychedelic experience, as he depicted his rabbit, Hybernia, playing on the grass with her kitten.

Hybernia  had only one offspring, unlike her sister Caledonia, who had very many.  I called her sole baby bunny 'Solo', but John named him 'Darren' after his then boss, before going on to enjoy him in a delicious recipe involving garlic and cabbage (the rabbit, that is, not Darren!)  And then, seamless link here, in the afternoon we went to Butser Ancient Farm, to attend the official opening of the Saxon Longhouse.  http://www.butserancientfarm.co.uk/

Darren Hammerton, the creator of this longhouse, is to be seen above, second on the right.  It was he who the rabbit was named after, a few years ago now, when John was working for him at the Sustainability Centre.  John was his apprentice in the construction of the longhouse, which is why we were there.  John is to be seen above, second on the left, having grown tall and strong after all those  lean meaty feasts he enjoyed.

Here is Hybernia showing her true colours.  She gets cross with strangers, and enjoys apples.  She is also good at shredding classic Penguin paperbacks, that have seen better days.

Mr Cooper and I enjoyed opening some late Christmas presents at the weekend, all the way from the Falklands.  I think unexpected presents are the way forward.... (as well as a large pile of expected presents on Birthdays and Christmas Day)  Sarah, Ali, and the cats had sent us these presents, and as Sarah and Ali are coming over to stay in the summer (Ali so he can meet his potential in-laws before he and Sarah get married next February)  we thought we would put our presents on, and take them down 'The Travs', to show Ali some of the places he will be enjoying soon.

Big smiles all round from future father-in-law, future stepmother-in-law, and future landlord, Colin.

It has been a week of trying to capture smiles with the camera.
As part of an Easter surprise for Mum, we are updating the pictures of all her grandchildren.
I gave George my camera before I went to work, with instructions to capture their good looks and sunny natures.
After work, George informed me that he had taken 3 photos of 'The Kray twins.'
This one was the best, with almost a smile happening.............

In this one, Sam seemed to be experiencing at first hand Hybernia's psychedelic lifestyle!

But I decided to try the next day.  Look, lovely smiles for mummy!

Tuesday found me at another Creative Writing Workshop at Tuppenny Barn, the last of the series on 'Journeys'.  Although I joined the group as I was very much attracted to the title 'Creative Writing for Gourmets', I have found that the titles are so open, that 'Journeys' can  end up as a burst of writing about unwanted soft toys, or the plight of women in some under-developed countries.
Thank you once again, Lizzie, for another enjoyable and worthwhile writing day.
http://www.tuppennybarn.co.uk/

Now we have decided to move house, but not very far, we have just discovered Hamblin Hall, and we went to a film evening there, showing 'The Celestine Prophecy'.  A film from the book that we have both read, and in fact  Mr Cooper has recently re-read it.  The world would be a better place if everyone was to read it.*  Terrific value, a great film and a glass of wine for £5.  We will be going again, and also checking out all the other things they do.  http://www.thehamblintrust.org.uk/

Back to work in the kitchen.  After all this creative writing, running workshops and planning works of art, the surroundings in the kitchen can seem a little mundane.  However, last week Juliette decided to brighten my existence and enliven my windowsill with the addition of flowers.
Why not go further, and turn the washing up corner into a creative corner, we thought?
A pleasing display of original artworks, a different one for each day I am there.
Here is the first artwork, a creation by George Hofman.  Some say horse, some say dog, it could be either.  It is a friendly yellow animal, plus aesthetic banana.

 I got a bit hungry and ate the banana (very physical work, washing up for 11+ hours a day) but this meant that the second yellow element of the composition was no longer!
Juliette to the rescue..........much more yellow arrived.  A burst of tulips, past their best for the restaurant, but just right for the new windowsill gallery.

If you are dining there in the near future, do look in to see what artworks are starring.  I work for only 2 days each week there, so it won't always be aesthetically pleasing, when you look into the window!
http://thegreyhoundonthetest.co.uk/ 

So, looking back on what has happened, and looking forwards to what is to come.
 Or what we think is to come, for who knows what is just around the corner for us all?
 Hopefully, mostly sunny spells this week, an egg or two perhaps, but most of all, happy times with our families and friends.  (And isn't it just right when your families are also your friends?)

* 'The Celestine Prophecy' by James Redfield.

Another busy, but on the whole successful, week.  A big success was that I was still standing at the end of it!  Last Sunday, Mothering Sunday, I went with Mum for a trip to the local garden centre, and there we ran into the Bradshaws, doing similar.  (Philip and Jayne, son Marcus and Philip's Mum)
We chatted about the forthcoming 'Sunny Hunny' holiday, as the Bradshaws always join us for a day.  Then as Philip said he always looked forward to reading my blog, and Jayne said she loved the kitchen photo series, what else could I do but have a dressing up day the following Sunday?
(To be honest, I don't need much encouragement on that front.)  It adds a different dimension doing veg prep whilst wearing heels!  I urge you to give it a try, unless of course you are doing it already.

 

I was going to focus on another area of the kitchen, perhaps to show off the new curtains, but quite frankly this is still the only decorated and tidy area of the room.  We are getting there, though.

Since deciding to wake up and then write for 10 minutes, during the whole of Lent, I have had less time to read. Especially when most of my free time has now become decorating time......you can begin to see why being upright at the end of a busy working week was indeed a success!

But, I did find enough time to read and very much enjoy the following book.  A really good story. 

It was during the week that I sadly decided that my dungarees are almost at the end of their working life.  (I think Mr Cooper had come to this decision some time ago.)  We have been together for many years now, (both me, Mr Cooper, and the dungarees) but parts of the dungarees are now no longer together!

As I look at this photo now, it seems to be like one of those images that include clues about a person's life.  In this case, 2 painted canvases,* and a wine rack.  Plus only a little bit of the clothes dryer, and a little bit of that area of life suits me fine.  (Mr Cooper is so much better at laundry matters than me.)

It is not the fact that my beloved dungarees are covered in paint that is the problem, (they are almost capable of standing up on their own now), but rather that there are so many large rips that I am now unable to wear them out of the house.  But there is  another pair, waiting in the wings.........

.................and since I have been sorting things out, I have been going through photos from years ago.  Here I am at the Great Dorset Steam Fair in 1988, just a week before John was born, clad in my favourite maternity gear!

 They are not the pair I am currently wearing!

Whilst I was working away last Tuesday, Jordan wished me 'Happy International Women's Day'.
 I had been invited to a celebratory event, but had to decline in order to try to keep the wolves from the door.  "Well", I said to Jordan, "I am doing what women should be doing.  Not only am I very firmly in the kitchen, but I am most definitely at the sink.  And to make matters even better, the head of the house (Mr Cooper of course, not me) was meeting friends for a pub lunch, and then dining out at night with best mate Kev."  Which, as my Mum would say, is only right and proper.

Last week, Sonia and I delivered our first workshop at Havelock Community Centre.  It went well, and we left looking forward to the following one.  What a lovely surprise we had, as at the start of the session, the room filled quickly and soon 15 women were busy making, sewing and planning, and wanting us to return the following week.
 There were 7 present, the previous week.  The word had spread!

We packed up with a really good sense of achievement. 
It is very exciting to be part of the start of a venture, but thrilling when it is already so well received.

And later that evening, I had time to think of this.  I had the rare pleasure of an evening in, and alone.  Just me and my sketch book, and the remote control.  And, as you can see from the spillage, a glass or two of red.

Yes I must take john to the garden at Compton Acres, when I find out where that is**, and yes I must make a jacket from the most soft, slightly furry, dotted pink fabric, from The Eternal Maker.
 https://www.eternalmaker.com/

As this week draws to a close, and as I was gathering my library books to return them (do you remember libraries? Big buildings full of books, which you can borrow for free!!  What a good idea, do you think it will catch on?) I spotted a marker I had placed in one of them.

'A Dancer in the Dust', by Thomas H.Cook  This book taught me a lot about a part of Africa, the beauty of it, but also more importantly, the differences.

I leave you with the quote, as I think it is one that does deserve a little thought.

'“ My comment is that charity is not the same as love,” Martine said.

Gessee had nothing to say to this, but Calley did.

“And what is that difference?” he asked.

“The difference is that charity asks people to give,” Martine answered. 

“Love might ask them not to.”'

What better way to leave you all, than with thoughts of love?

I hope your week is on the whole successful, and that you achieve a lot of the things you set out to do.  And remember, if you don't set out to do them, they will never get done.  Perhaps a lengthy way of saying 'Keep Buggering On' (but do have fun, too)  See you all next week.

*  These are the two painted canvases that were hidden together in the dungarees photo.

What better thing to have than a flying pic-nic?

** It is in Poole, I went there many years ago.  http://www.comptonacres.co.uk/

I am feeling that there needs to be more hours in the day, more days in the week and possibly more brain cells in my head.  This year is just getting busier,  mostly in a good way.  It does mean that my 'time juggling' skills are coming to the fore, and I am painting walls and ceilings at very odd hours.

Last year my brothers and I decided to stop buying Christmas presents for any niece or nephew over 18, but to continue for the two who are under ten.  On Monday, I went to a most marvellous craft shop in Chichester, and saw such a lovely boxed knitting kit.  It was not only so lovely, but it had Rowan's name written on it (Rowan being one of my three nieces)  So the item was purchased and posted to Rowan as a 'happy un-birthday present', something that Winnie-the Pooh was fond of, I seem to remember.

So not only do I hope that Rowan finds her knitting kit as fun as I did, but I shall have fun during this year, purchasing un-birthday presents for rest of the cousins.
(Don't worry Jamie, they won't all involve knitting!)


And it was later on Monday that I felt the need of either more brain cells, or more time to discover all about the Greek Gods.  At Trinity, the art group took on a slightly different slant.  Ali told us the story of Perseus, and we took both drawn and written notes as the tale unfolded.  In our tea break, still steeped in Greek mythology, I thought of the second painting that had been inspired by the Greek mythical figures I had seen in the moonlit sea, whilst staying on Kefalonia.

What I saw ( and Mr Cooper too) to inspire this painting was a goddess in the sea, swirling and dancing, and helping children to cross the moonlit path.  She reached out for them, and held them to safety on the other side, as she danced with them.

This is another painting that was also inspired by this.  I went on to produce a series of etchings to describe the most magical and beautiful events we saw happening in the sea that night. I will have to have a rummage in my plan chest, and track them down for you to see!

Back to the art room, and back to the dramatic part of the story.  Perseus has to sever the head of Medusa, an almost impossible task in itself, without the added problem of avoiding the gorgons, and Hades, and a 3-headed dog to boot.  As I was driving home afterwards, my thoughts were still full of myths, and magical happenings, and being turned to stone, and I recalled a painting that I had re-discovered last week, and one that I thought I had lost track of years ago.
In this painting, I am one of a couple painted as an effigy, but I am not yet dead, but I am slowly turning to stone.  I painted this when I was deeply unhappy in a relationship, and was unable to communicate successfully with my partner.

When I am going through a difficult time, I often create a painting inspired by my feelings and quite often my frustrations with the situation.
Quite a sad picture, but don't worry, myself and my then partner are both happily married.
Myself, of course, to Mr Cooper.

When I got home, I went to the garage to find the painting, as last week I had found several from the past.  But no, it wasn't there.  I had destroyed it years ago, in kindness to the other person in the painting.  So I will add instead another 'emotion packed and sad' painting.  This was painted about 15 years ago, and took 18 months to complete.  When I first met Mr Cooper, we were not able to have the easiest start to our relationship, for reasons that were out of my hands.
 It is called 'The Mistress'.

I never was a Mistress, of course, but the difficult situation made me feel like I was viewed as one.

But on a far lighter note......now I am writing regularly to inform you all of my thoughts and doings, I find myself jotting down sentences and ideas on scraps of paper, which I then find in all sorts of places.  At the weekend, Mr Cooper and I went for our usual evening jaunt to 'The Travs.'  Perhaps we didn't drink too  responsibly that night.....I do remember ending the evening with a tequila based liqueur, which reminded me of my fondness for Tequila. This made me think that  perhaps we should plan a Tequila night soon.  The next morning I found a scrap of paper on the kitchen surface which said.....'Tequila night, me and Whoops* Ho Ho Ho (bucket)  Perhaps if we do have a tequila night, we should plan to do the 'ho ho ho' but to stop short of actually needing the bucket!

Thursday saw me heading for the Havelock Community Centre in Southsea, for my first workshop there.
It is a lovely community centre, and I set-up with anticipation.

You can sense my presence, as I hardly ever travel without a bottle of water and a backpack!
The latter does tend to annoy Mr Cooper sometimes, but it contains my survival needs (water, sketch book, note book, camera, pencil case) and that's just for a trip into town!

The workshop went well, but not quite as planned.  By it's nature, these 2 hours have become a 'drop in' session, so we started at 12.30 with one person, gained another at 12.45, and ended up at 2pm with 10.  So it was a case of introducing the aims of the session about 8 times.  So next time will be mostly a continuation, with a few people coming along for the first time too.

Pop-up workshops do involve an awful lot of loading equipment into cars, then unloading and carrying items up stairs, then reversing the process.  Sewing machines, ironing boards, boxes of examples, boxes of materials.......

With the workshop being on the Thursday, I had to work on Tuesday and Wednesday at 'The Greyhound', which leaves me having about 4 hours sleep between those days.
When I re-packed my car at the end of the session, then drove to B&Q to buy yet more paint, then Tesco to buy yet more food, I felt very weary.  It was an effort to put on my painting dungarees, and put the first coat on yet another room.
Then, as my son wanted me to make an Iced Bakewell, I made my pastry case ready to be filled the next day.  We were creating a 'Festive Feast' to take to Mum's at the weekend, to celebrate Mothering Sunday with her.
When I read through the instructions, I realised I no longer had any piping equipment, and the frangipane and the red icing both needed to be piped.  Too late for that, I thought, as I coaxed the mixture to be vaguely flat over the jam, and then used a plastic bag as a makeshift piping bag......

It did taste absolutely delicious, but I must make it again, with the right equipment to hand.
It looks a bit as if I made it during a 'Tequila Evening'!  Easter is on the horizon, let's try again.

Well, I think I shall leave you with a successful baking image.

This was taken in The Pink House. If you have a broken bird bath in your garden, you too can turn it into a beautiful cake holder!  The colour of the yellow walls in this picture is when I re-painted the room, to make it more neutral, ready for sale!  You can imagine how bright the room must have been before that.......yes, it did appear to glow.

I hope you all have a productive week ahead, interspersed with fun and laughter.  I am looking for the same, but am also hoping for some cash to come along too........there has to be some compensation for carrying ironing boards and sewing machines around.  Keep buggering on!  See you all next week.

* My pet name for Mr Cooper (or sometimes Mr Whooples)

A busy last few days, as usual.  Full of fun times, sad times and productive times.
 But on the whole, good times.
On Sunday, my keyboard/case for the ipad was delivered.  Mr Cooper and I admired it, then put it back in its packaging, for we felt we needed a child to help us with the next step.... bluetooth connection!  So I did what I know I am able to do, and arranged the washed china on the dresser.

Then we went swimming, I completed 24 lengths, always a struggle to swim on a Sunday. Afterwards we sat in the jacuzzi, which was not such a struggle.  I said that I thought I would aim to swim 3 times a week, once to do a half mile, then to do three quarters, then finally a mile.  "Why don't you swim for a mile each time?" asked son John.  I mumbled something about 'variety,' and Mr Cooper added 'time factor' and the conversation was shelved.  But when I was swimming away and thinking about this later in the week, I knew the real reason, which is that it would require greater effort to do that. And as I swam I thought that really, I should just 'keep buggering on' with swimming as with working, painting, writing and life in general, and just put the work in!
Cue swimming image.

One warm, moonlit night in Kefalonia, Mr Cooper and I were looking at the action of the moonlight on the waves, and we both saw an army of people, who were Greek Gods from throughout their history, walking through the water, and then swimming across the moonlit path to the other side, when they emerged to continue to walk. (This is a true story, and no mind-altering drugs were involved.  I started a series of sketches the following day, then based a series of work on that night, when I returned to England.)  If you love this image, all are for sale, contact the artist!

On Monday I met Sonia to discuss the forthcoming workshops which are textiles based, with memories as the theme.  I am excited about this project, and as it is so much in its infancy, we both are not quite sure which way it is going to grow.  Which is, as always with anything in its infancy, part of the excitement.  I will be working with women who have arrived fairly recently from Bangladesh, so the emphasis will also be on visual explanations, more than on verbal.  I am looking forward to showing you some of the results.

Also on Monday, connection was made between my ipad, and the keyboard!  I was so thrilled at this, but apparently if you are younger, it is a commonplace occurrence that you don't get excited about!
Then off to my volunteering session at Trinity in Winchester.  As I sat there in the group, creating a page of imaginative doodles and happenings, I said "What a treat to be having an afternoon of art, right at the start of the week."

All official now!  And if you look closely, I am wearing my dinosaur necklace.


On Tuesday I was thinking about my New Years resolutions*, and armed with my ipad plus keyboard (still thrilled) I decided to stop asking everyone under the age of 30 to explain instagram, but to download it, then work it all out later.  When I told Sam that I had successfully completed this task on my own, he turned his head slowly to look at me, with an expression on his face as if he was seeing a creature emerge form a primordial swamp. (On the other hand, Mr Cooper was dead impressed that I had done all that on my own!  That's another plus about marriage to Mr Cooper, I am regarded as the IT genius of the partnership!)

And, thinking again about my resolutions on Wednesday, I swam my first ever 48 lengths (one mile) , then returned to arrange a little more clutter tastefully around the kitchen.

Then Mr Cooper and I had a good discussion about 'feelings' and how it was necessary to sometimes talk about them, especially if you are female and an artist and then we were both happy again.

Thursday, back to washing up, and all the fun of sharing a kitchen with 3 chefs.  There was a strong commentary running through the day, which I am not able to share with you, or indeed many other people! It is never dull, usually entertaining, and I always get to eat the most delicious salad. (Thanks Jordan)
When in Stockbridge, I usually give Hybernia some grass to nibble on.  John assured me that she loves apples, so here is Hybernia studiously ignoring her apple treat.  This photo does not reveal her true size.  When you look at the apple, it is a largish one. 

Having mentioned both of my sons this week, I will show you my 'found' painting; one which I started many years ago, when the boys were as young as they are in the painting.  John used to say to me that he would take a star from the sky and put it in my pocket, so I would always have shining starlight with me.
When I have finished painting walls and ceilings, I shall gladly return to complete it.

This morning, Friday morning, I have returned from swimming my second mile ever (KBO)**
Yesterday I was listing in my head all the things I needed to do, and at the end of that I was saying a little frantically 'But when can I write my blog?'  This morning, probably around length 22, I thought that the more important things in my life should take priority, and not be 'brushed aside' to make way for constant decorating (slight pun there).  So after swimming, I went to have my eyebrows refreshed, then on to buy 2 more tins of paint. As I walked towards the eyebrow refreshing shop, I passed between some scaffolding.  The sun was shining, and the scaffolding had a coloured protective layer around it, the effect was really most uplifting.  Much better than grey!

When I got home I put the paint tins onto the side, and went upstairs with a cup of tea to write this blog, then later a trip out with Mr Cooper to spend some time alone with him.  Going out is always good, as you are not visually bombarded with unfinished jobs to be done.
Selling the house is important, but ignoring friends and followers is ridiculous.  And how better to start my weekend by writing to you all, then having some quality time with Mr Cooper.

I hope you all have a week ahead that will be, on the whole, good.
See you all in a week's time!

*  Improve my understanding and use of technology and swim 1 mile regularly.
** Keep Buggering On!