Last weekend proved to be an oasis of calm in our busy lives.  For the first time since the beginning of December, we had a weekend to ourselves, in our own home. No-one to visit, and no visitors; temporary bliss.  Me and Mr Cooper do love to be sociable, but sometimes it is good to have a break, a welcome respite between the Christmas Festivities, and the forthcoming Wedding Festivities!

Let's go for a walk, said I, ever conscious of the fact that I had signed up to walk the South Downs Way again, in June.  Yes, agreed Mr Cooper, ever conscious of the fact that a walk usually means a pint somewhere too (or two, in fact.)
So we set off towards Westbourne, talking avidly of our trip to The Falklands, for Sarah and Ali's wedding.  The colour scheme for the wedding is silver and purple, and some hedgerow flowers kindly obliged us by providing blooms of those colours.  It was lovely to see flowers in January.

In fact, nature seemed very much on our side for, as we left the roads in exchange for muddy footpaths, we came upon frozen, silvery puddles.

We weren't the first people to enjoy those icy puddles, but we were the only ones in the whole of West Sussex talking excitedly about the fast approaching silver and purple wedding.

It wasn't too long before the wonders of nature morphed into the wonders of Westbourne. 

 In particular, The Stag, where we were spoilt for choice on the beer-front.  What is not to like about a beer brewed by Listers (stationary engines) in Sussex (what better county?) and featuring a portrait of a fox terrier (or was it a 'dog on wheels', another of my very favourites.)

What was lovely about our break there, as well as the beer and the crisps, was the fact that, as it was not our local, we were able to sit and chat away without interruption.  It is lovely to share time in a pub with friends, but just once in a while, it is lovely to share time just with Mr Cooper.

Then back out into the now sunny day, walking through sunny Southbourne, on our way home to   nutty Nutbourne.
Spring is not yet springing, but it was lovely to see more yet blooms on our way home.
A very cheering sight, a real taste of things to come.

We did continue with the wintry theme that afternoon, as we settled down to watch 'Frozen'.

Then after a tasty roast pheasant, Sunday turned into Monday, and it was back to working life again.

Monday morning found me in Andover, working for Andover Mind. I completed my first stint there as a volunteer, leading a session on handicrafts.  It was good fun, and involved balloons, glue and newspaper.  Hopefully next Monday, these will start to take shape as decorative bowls.

Monday afternoon, time to go to Winchester, where I am a volunteer in the Monday afternoon art group at Trinity.  We were completing boxes we had made, which were used art to portray our ideas and experiences with the Health Service, the focus being  on mental health.  Next Monday these will all be in an exhibition there, complete with local dignitaries, and tea and cake.

Then the rest of the session was about our next project, where we are looking at, and understanding more about, the work of the Abstract Expressionists.  As well as working for Trinity, Ali also works for the Southampton City Gallery.  I wish he had worked for Winchester School of Art when I was there, as he is very good at explaining art theories.  But when I think about it, he probably hadn't even been born when I was a student there.  Oh me, oh my.

So glue and balloons in the morning, and oil pastels in the afternoon.  Can life get better than this?

This past week, in the time when I have not been at work, which was sadly very little, I have been gathering items to pack for our trip.  It has been very exciting to create a purple and silver outfit to wear, and for the first time for absolute ages, all my clothes for Sarah's wedding will be new, and worn for the first time that day.  Let's hope they all fit, and actually go together! 

All will be revealed next month, when the photos appear.

  I have also added a butterfly to my wedding 'fascinator', so I will also be carrying with me lots of love and beauty from Bristol!  Here it is, nestling against my startlingly bright jacket.

The colour scheme for the wedding has happily spilled over into my life.

I needed a new back-pack, and look what I discovered.  How fab is that!

And in the summer, I asked Sarah if she needed any bunting made.........

........what better thing to do on a cold and rainy day than sit and sew, whilst listening to radio 4.

Mr Cooper says he can think of lots better things to do, but to assist me in my productions, he helped me by doing the sitting bit very well!

Perhaps I should be a little more speedy, when writing my blog. A few paragraphs ago and I was writing about the forthcoming exhibition at Trinity.

It happened yesterday, and very good it was too.  It was hard work setting everything up in under 2 hours, but well worth it. (And the cakes were delicious, especially the homemade lemon shortbread)

Here is a snippet from it, with most of the boxes on show having been made by the same person.

 I was not quite so prolific, and here is my offering on the bottom left, with 3 pages of writing about the circumstances around the work.  In agreement with the artist whose work is above, we were both wanting to also make the point that funding cuts, from a budget that wasn't large enough in the first place, mean many people have not the help and support they need in their lives.  If people appear to be 'getting by', they are left to do so.  This is not a criticism of those within the health service, but of those who are cutting the resources for it.  They are so far removed from the actual people affected by this, that they can have no idea of the hardships they are inflicting.  Or if they do have any idea of this, 'heartless' is a word which springs to mind.

Returning now to our adventures on the horizon.

As departure date comes ever closer, lots of little loose ends must be tidied away.  For instance, installing our friendly house-sitters, and showing them where everything is, making lists, crossing things from them, then creating new lists.  It feels strange to be packing summer clothes when it is frosty outside, but this is a strangeness I could get used to!

If you have anything strange in your forthcoming February lives, I hope it is on the 'pleasantly strange' side, as opposed to the 'really weirdly strange'. 

 Just welcome some strangeness in, and adapt a little around it.

We can all view something new and strange with reluctance and fear, let's go for viewing new things with curiosity and excitement; providing they are legal, of course.

I am hoping my next blog will be broadcast from foreign lands, but this very much depends on my grasp of new-to-me technology.  ( Sam has been assisting with my gaining a grasp, but he did say 'You're not very good at this, are you?'  I said that I wasn't allowed to say that, in all my years as a teacher.  To which he said, 'Well, it's true!')

At worst, it will be a blog without images, but I will be striving for my usual format.

Until then, keep warm and keep walking, and be welcoming to what is new.

I am looking forward to seeing you all again soon, and sharing what is new and exciting in my life.

January is well known for being a time of abstinence, most unlike its naughty neighbour, December.
In December, 'plenty' not only seems to be the order of the day, but becomes a very enjoyable, if tiring, way of life.
Christmas came and went, and me and Mr Cooper were a little slow in putting away our decorations this year.  As soon as the last festive feast had been prepared, consumed and cleared away, I was back at work, and Mr Cooper just felt a little slow.
We did get as far as removing the tree decorations from the tree by Twelfth Night, but not actually removing the tree from the house.  That has finally happened, but on the Eighteenth night.
 All is done now, however. 

The cards came down first, and this is the card Mr Cooper gave to me.
It seemed hilarious just before Christmas, and more than a little apt.

 Now I look at it with sadness and nostalgia, as January seems to stretch out before me.

However our spirits were lifted when the estate agent rang, to say we had our first viewing. We had to be elsewhere, so we opted to walk into Emsworth.  It was cold and wintry, but so good to be outside.  If you look really hard, you can see an egret.

We warmed ourselves up in Emsworth with a most welcome drink.....Earl Grey tea.
Then back to find that the viewing wasn't a great success, as the drive is too small for a caravan.
Oh well, better luck next time, and back to work again.

When I have my packed lunch at The Greyhound, I always eat it outside, next to the River Test.
 It doesn't matter that it is sometimes very cold, as I am not out there for very many minutes, just long enough to eat my fruit, nuts and cottage cheese before the lunchtime rush.

You can see why I choose to eat outside, and if you look hard, this time you can see a swan.
(Another white shape on the water)

Then good intentions somewhat deserted me (and several others besides) as we had our Christmas Staff Party to go to.  This year, we went to Kyoto Kitchen in Winchester, which was so lovely.
We were treated to beautiful food and wines to match.  I had taken my flamingo umbrella with me, and I was probably aware that my good intentions had been dissolved in wine, when it became important for Earnest to enjoy the food too.  I know had a fine time, but Earnest did tend to fall over later on, when left unattended.

Time to 'party on down' one more time, back at Juliette and Colin's abode. We were very happy to be joined by 9 weeks old Eric!

Back to the real world yet again, and to more yet clean living during these frosty days,
 and long evenings.
Let's stand a fighting chance of remaining awake to watch all our recorded programmes, and buy some wool, thought I.  The only thing is, the more complicated the garment is, the less chance I have of making sense of the actual programme! (Do the knitting, lose the gist.  Put the knitting down, return to it, start counting all over again.  Or, just give up and fall asleep!)

Well there is always a little light sewing instead.  It's a month till Sarah and Ali's wedding, and I have one thing still left to make for it, although there are many things still to buy... ( lipstick, eyeliner, etc)
After a little while, I was wondering why I had ever thought it was a good idea to actually make a fascinator, let alone wear one!

It seemed counter-productive to attempt something that would actually drive me towards drink, and then it all seemed a whole lot better, and worth the struggle.

As January progresses, I also progress with my resolution to walk round Stockbridge Marsh in my break.  Apart from yesterday, that is, when it was pouring in rain.  Sam and I settled instead to watch an old Julia Child's French cookery programme.
 I will go swimming tomorrow instead, thought I.  Well tomorrow has definitely come, and with it ice and biting cold winds.  I cannot even imagine changing to swim in these conditions.  But swim I must, so I will away now to shake the cobwebs from my goggles.
I hope you are progressing well, into January, and you are still persisting with any sensible resolutions you made.  Silly ones too, if fun and achievable.  Just stay away from those extremely ridiculous ones.  Leave them behind, as we leave behind the excesses of the Festive Season.

Keep moving forwards with humour and determination, whilst sipping hot water and eating fruit.
Who knows, we could get used to it all!
Have healthy fun in the week ahead, and I am looking forward to catching up with you all very soon.

ps.  3 hours later......just having returned from the swimming pool.  It felt wonderful to be in the water, and it feels wonderful now that I am home again, happy and relaxed after my half-mile.
So, perhaps the mantra for the coming week should be 'Feel the reluctance, and do it anyway!'
You know it makes sense!

This blog is pretty unusual for one of mine, as not only does it straddle two years, but it also contains several photos of actual people, plus a couple of arty outdoor ones.

On Christmas Day, which seems a while ago now, Sam was the designated photographer. and I am sure you will soon agree that he captured the atmosphere beautifully.
Si rang in the morning, and we exchanged Christmas greetings, and also had the
'thanks for the wonderful.......' conversations.
Si reminded me that Dad would not say 'Merry Christmas', preferring to use 'Happy Christmas'.  The word 'merry' implied that too much alcohol had been taken, not a situation that Dad was in favour of.
However, I think Si was all prepared for a Merry Christmas, and at The Gables, after our pre-dinner pints and our turkey accompaniments (red, white, or both) it was both a Merry and a Happy Christmas.
Sam did not think it was funny that Mr Cooper had to stick a cracker onto his ear.....

.........and definitely didn't find it funny that I stuck crackers on both ears. I did, however.

But luckily, Sam regained his good humour when he spied the Christmas ham, adorned only with cloves, not crackers.  And very good it was too.  And it remained very good for many days.

Going back in time briefly, when me and Mr Cooper enjoyed the delights of Corfu in October, we dined several times at the Blue Dolphin Taverna, enjoying both the food produced by, and the company of, Nikki and Nicos.
When it was our last meal there, not only were many hugs exchanged, but we were also given a bottle of Corfian red wine which we said we would save, to drink with our Christmas dinner.
We decided to open the bottle to go with our second Christmas dinner, when we would be joined by Rachael, Ben and young Henry.

Here are me and Mr Cooper behaving far more sensibly, enjoying the red wine without wearing crackers, Rachael now being the designated photographer.
We will send a copy of this to Nikki and Nicos.

Much more exciting than a bottle of wine, here is young Henry, enjoying his first Christmas.  Being 7 months old, a table mat holds as much fascination as a real toy.  Being 64 years old, Mr Cooper remains fascinated by the camera!

Christmas comes and goes all too quickly.  All that time spent planning and preparing is over in a flash.  I always think that Christmas Day should be spread over 2 days, as Boxing Day is always a little bit of a sad day for me.  In fact, so festive did I feel this Boxing Day that I did some dressmaking, then started my yearly accounts.  What fun I had!
Then back to work for a couple of days, before preparing to enjoy the New Year celebrations.
The time between Christmas and New Year can be very busy at The Greyhound.  When I first got to work on Wednesday, it was initially quite good to have a change of scene, but as the day got more and more hectic, I began to wish I was actually there to eat lunch, not clear away after it!
When I returned to work at 6pm, Jay made me a very delicious salad, festively garnished with violas.  Nothing like smoked salmon and flowers to lift the spirits, I always find.

After a couple of days at work, it was time to continue with  the festivities, and Friday saw us heading clockwise round the M25, on our way to Suffolk.  Well, it didn't see us very clearly, as it was a foggy morning.  We were off to stay with Susie and Werner, for New Year.
Luckily the fog had lifted the following day, and we headed to Orford, for a coastal walk.
What better place to be than by the sea?

Unexpectedly, after a mile or two of walking, the sun appeared, the skies became blue, and it was a even more of a joy to be out and about in the Suffolk countryside.  This year I have signed up again to do the annual South Downs walk, this time for 9 not 7 consecutive days.  Let's hope I am still using words like 'joy' to describe walking in the countryside, on day 5.

We spent New Years Eve in Kettleburgh, having been invited there by friends of Susie (from the tennis club). We met 3 couples we didn't know, and spent a very convivial evening.  At 10pm, we left the dining table (rather sadly, in my case as I had tried to eat as much braised fennel as it was polite to.  Well, I mean as much braised fennel as I possibly could.)
 'Let's play Pictionary' said our host.  Great idea, thought I.
They certainly take their board games seriously in Suffolk......instead of us gathering round a table, and drawing on a small pad, Dennis carried a large flip chart into the room.  It was rather like giving a lecture in silence.  I do love Pictionary, and red wine.  It is best to focus on just one of them at a time as, at 11pm, my brain could visualise the image I intended to add to the paper, but my hands made it look a little different.  But it was still a success, I think we were all in the same boat.  Plus, none of our 'friends for the evening' knew that I was an artist, so there were no great expectations.

Sadly, back to reality, and a return to work.  On the day we left, the rain had ceased, the sun was shining, and Jack Frost had visited.
Here is Mr Cooper looking at the roof of his car, this photo capturing two wonders of nature.

Here is a close up of one of them again, but a transient one.

I get to return to West Sussex with the other natural wonder, who though is perhaps not quite as decorative, is really a lot more useful, and very lovable too.

In 2016 I spent a lot of time sorting out my possessions, and getting rid of those that were not decorative, functional or very much loved. 
Hard to start, but it certainly became easier as the year went on.

I hope you have a happy year ahead of you which contains things which are decorative, useful and lovable.  Not necessarily all together, but a good sprinkling of the three of them throughout.
I wish you all a very Happy New Year, perhaps even a 'merry' one at times, and I look forward to seeing you often in the weeks and months to come.

'Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way!'  The bells are still jingling, but I will be very glad to stop the journey now.

In between working and travelling, I had a very productive day creating festive puddings and chutney.  Christmas would not be Christmas without either of these.  The recipe for the chutney never varies (it really is delicious) but the pudding recipe changes yearly.  If this one is truly delicious, I will share it with you. The recipe, that is, not the pudding!  Or if you are really wanting a slice of pudding, come round tomorrow, we should be attempting to eat it at around 8pm.

Last weekend saw us setting sail again, starting with Bristol on Friday night.  This makes me and Mr Cooper sound very adventurous, almost as if we were going out clubbing, but fear not.  
 We had a night far more suitable for those no longer young, but no less enjoyable for all that.  As we are getting on a bit, we have become creatures of habit, and the Friday before Christmas always finds us staying with Val, John's cousin, eating curry and putting the world to rights.  Ellen was there too, and this year we were also joined by playful Poppy.  She demonstrated leaping, and standing on high objects before being put into the kitchen, where she did a little sad whining (puppy, not human.)

Then onto Clifton, an area of Bristol that I love.  Each year, we walk round fascinated, enjoying the lovely shops that are there.  But each year also, we have to dine first. This year we went into the Somerset House pub, which was a lovely place to be.  Natural furnishings used really well.  We stood out a little, by being the only couple that weren't young professionals, but we enjoyed our lunch nevertheless.

 In our wanderings, we found a jewellers called The Dragon Workshop.  Luckily the shop was shut, and we had only had one pint (we aim to drink responsibly) as there was the most charming silver bracelet in the window, perfect for Christmas, as it was of jingle bells, and holly leaves.  Oh well.....

 Then off to Portishead, for an early celebration with little brother Mark, and his children.  We had not visited his new house before, and the builders had not long left, after completing an extension to his living room.  In fact, Mark had completed decorating in the early hours of the morning.  We spent a festive couple of hours cleaning and polishing the furnishings for the new room, then re-assembling the dining table, ready for the festive feasts to come!  Mark was so pleased as not only did the rooms look amazing, but he had been without a table since the summer, when the works had commenced.

Then off for a wander round Portishead, where we all had a reviving pint, this one in The Phoenix.
Not only was the pub really homely, but the beer glasses were delightful.

 This year we were joined by Mark's old school friend Philip and his wife Jayne.  Philip was in Bristol for a Karate event, so they were able to join us for Mark's early Christmas Day.  In fact, Jayne was lucky enough to join us for the cleaning afternoon the previous day!
We all got into the festive spirit, including Oakley, Mark's elderly cat.  As we all sat watching Elf (watching films really makes you thirsty) Philip captured the moment beautifully when Oakley had his own impromptu drink, whilst perched on the tin of Quality Streets.
Can it really get more festive than that?

 When we left on Monday morning, it felt very sad to be returning to the 'real world'  (Perhaps that is why I spend as much time as I can in my shed, creating paintings and my own world)
But the festive spirit lived on, and when I went to Trinity in the afternoon, we had an hour of art, then a small party, with presents!  It is just over a year ago that I decided to become a volunteer there, as a result of Juliette and Colin's wedding*, and I am so pleased that I did.
Thank you very much for my flowers, Ali, and I look forward to the next year with you all.  I was also very touched to be given a present, along with everyone else in the art group.  Everyone who uses Trinity was to receive their present during that week, and the pile of presents ready underneath the tree looked very joyful.  It was sad to think that for some people there, that would be their only present.  For some of us, Christmas is very far from a happy time.  I am so pleased to be involved with Trinity, and be a very small part of  all the work they do to make many people's lives better in many different ways.  Here are me and Mr Cooper wondering if we have made enough pigs in blankets, where, for some people, if it were not for Trinity, they would have no food that day.

I have been sitting here for a while now, not writing, but thinking how fortunate I am, and how we can sometimes take our good fortune too much for granted.
 But it's time now to return to the festive season.
Here are my flowers from Ali surrounded by unwritten cards, and clementines, next to my present from Mark, all ready for Christmas Day.  I am so fortunate to have many wonderful people in my life to share things with, so here is a big thank you to my friends and family.

And talking of friends........such a lovely thing has happened to me this month.
Earlier on, I had a friends request on Facebook from a name I did not recognise, but I looked at their photos and all seemed good, so 'request confirmed.'  How lovely to find that the name I did not recognise is the married name of Anne Shuttleworth, who was my best friend for an all too brief time at primary school.  Totally unexpected, but so lovely to be in touch again!  I think it must be thirty years since we last wrote to each other.
And then, another request.  I started to get excited when I realised this person had also been to Peterborough County Grammar, so request confirmed.  And now, after many years, I am reunited with my best friend from secondary school, Deborah Ellerby!  I am just so pleased.
I think I will be spending a large part of next year writing letters, as well as a blog.  What fun!

And whilst on the subject of friendship, yesterday I saw my friend Juliette, all newly returned from her 'honeymoon cruise', which was also a cruise to celebrate her and Colin's first  anniversary.

Here she is bearing gifts, as we won't see each other now till after Christmas.  It was so funny as when Juliette handed me my gift, the beautifully adorned flamingo umberella, pictured on the left, I handed Juliette her gift, a less beautifully wrapped flamingo umberella, pictured on the right.
We did really laugh, before making sure we had glitter in our hair, ready for an exciting day at work.
Best to get the laughter in early, as the days close to Christmas are more full of hard work than hilarity.

Whilst we were laughing, Cuddles and Snooty had entered Juliettes bag, where they found their own Christmas present, beautifully wrapped by Colin and addressed to Kitten 1 and Kitten 2.  They removed the present, then proceeded to open it! 
They are going to work on improving their manners next year!

Well, it is nearly here now......it's 4pm on Christmas Eve.  The ham is coming to the end of its cooking time, and the tree has only just been decorated.  Time to stuff the turkey, and finish a little more preparation in readiness for when we stuff ourselves tomorrow.

Last year the fairy stood out a little more, as our room was red.  Now she has a more conservative colour scheme around her, all ready to impress the people who will be flocking to view our house in the New Year, prior to making huge offers, of course.

Until that happens, we will happy to enjoy our last Christmas at 'The Gables', and a little excited to be wondering where we will be celebrating Christmas next year.

I must away now, as Mr Cooper has informed me that our Christmas tree lights have just stopped working.  I know just how they feel, I might come out in sympathy!

I hope you all have a most enjoyable Christmas, with very few mishaps.  In fact, it would be lovely if 2017 was also filled with very few mishaps!.

So I leave you now with best wishes for a wonderful day tomorrow, and a last picture of the fairy on the tree, who is even older than me!

HAPPY CHRISTMAS!

*  At Juliette and Col's wedding I sat next to Michelle, who worked for Trinity, and after talking to her about her job, I decided I would like to work there too, as a volunteer.

In this week's blog, I demonstrate how to condense a fortnight's activities into a week.
 And I also  embark on several journeys whose destinations keep changing.

Monday saw me heading off to Andover Mind bright and early.  Next January I start as a volunteer to help run the handicrafts session, and I was going there to meet the group again.
The size of the group has diminished somewhat since I was there in September, so I will have to put together some sessions that will hopefully be both appealing, and rewarding to do.
My box of magic tricks accompanied me just in case, plus festive glitter.  I wasn't called to use it, but instead joined in with making decorations for the tree.
I think papier mâché bowls will be my first project there, complete with tissue paper decorations.
Must make some examples, perhaps start these after Christmas?

Then off to Winchester afterwards, as the Monday art session at Trinity starts at 2pm.
'Let's get there a little early, and do some quality Christmas shopping', thought I.
I saw myself visiting Winchester's magical  Christmas market and buying a beautiful 'something' from there, whilst perhaps nibbling on a frosted Christmas biscuit......
 Forget all that!  After a slow and frustrating  hour spent driving around Winchester unable to park, I ended up in Hilliers Garden Centre car park.  No frosted biscuits or beautiful lights for me, just my usual lunch of cottage cheese and nuts followed by a couple of Nurofen, before braving the traffic to drive back through Winchester to Trinity, where I spent the afternoon headache-free, and happily making Christmas cards for their market stall.

On Tuesday, instead of leaving at 6.50am for a day of washing up, I was looking forward to seeing Sonia from Shake Culture, to meet the team I would be working with, in the creation of the community cookery book.  Since learning that I was to write and illustrate this book, including 16 full pages of illustrations, I have been excitedly thinking of potential ways to create the images.
So there I was, rushing to greet Sonia when I heard the knock at the door.  You just know when a meeting is taking an unforeseen direction, when Sonia's opening line to me was  'Just invoice me for the time you have spent planning for this book, I really don't see how all this is going to work'
But fortunately, after talking, tea drinking, and a slice or two of iced ginger shortbread, Sonia left, saying 'We'll go ahead with the book, but with a different direction '
And so that is what we will start to do, in January. The outcome has changed a little, as has the planned route towards it, but we are still very much off on a culinary adventure, and there is still a book for me to write and illustrate, and be paid for doing so! Hurrah! (I think)
  It is a good job I am flexible.

 Sonia left with one of my cake illustrations. A taste of things to come, perhaps?

As  I had taken the day off work to meet with Sonia, I had some time to spare before hitting the road at 4pm, ready for a shorter session at the sinks.

What better way to spend my time than to complete a commission from chef Neil, another design for a tattoo.  This was a really fun design to put together.

And then to paint and varnish 3 signs for our local, 'The Traveller's Joy'.
Less fun to do perhaps, and what you would call a bread and butter job.
 But as I was always told when growing up, 'Life is not always swings and roundabouts' and you definitely 'Have to take the rough with the smooth'
In fact, as I am not completely grown up yet, I am still told this by my Mum, just in case I haven't quite understood that concept......perhaps she is concerned that I haven't had enough 'rough' in my super-smooth life yet?

And with the festive season fast upon us, at least the customers in 'The Travs' will be heading off in the right direction, after their food and drinks!

No matter how busy life is, there is always, for me anyway, a little time to read.
If you read and truly enjoyed the 'Jeeves and Wooster' books by P.G Wodehouse, this book is a must.
It is written so delightfully well, and is so in keeping with the style of Wodehouse.  Just the concept of this book filled me with excitement.  Wodehouse and Faulks? Wow!
The book was a real joy, and what I liked best of all was it's conclusion.  I liked it so much that I shed a few tears...... of happiness, of course.

But don't bother of you don't like P.G.Wodehouse, leave it for those of us who do.

Wednesday, early committee meeting for the Chichester Open Studios Art Trail.  Good news here, at least 140 artists have registered for 2017, so it is all systems go.
The committee members very kindly agreed to an early meeting so I could then dash down the road to Tuppenny Barn for a treat.....a Creative Writing session. http://www.tuppennybarn.co.uk/events-programme/
It is well over a year ago now that I attended the first session there, not quite knowing what to expect.  And now, you still never quite know what to expect, but I am always heading there with excitement.  Thanks Lizzie.
After 4 hours considering, and writing about 'earth', the element, I left the group chatting and whizzed into Chichester.  Shortly after your 50th birthday party, the NHS send a different type of card, and regular mammograms become part of your life.  The first was decidedly peculiar, starting with being in a mobile unit in a car park.  But now, it is a doddle, and the nurse said I had been her 'number one patient' that day, and was 'very flexible.'  Praise indeed for someone in their 50's!  Then back for a banana and off to 'Bodyblast' and 'Arms and Abs' to maintain my amazing flexible form.
Apparently, when I have had my 60th birthday party, the NHS will give me another surprise present.  Can't wait for that one!

Thursday was hard work, but started with high hopes.  The Greyhound were hosting a charity event that evening, for the Alex Lewis trust, and Tom Kerridge and his team were coming over to cater for this event, producing a 4 course meal for 70 excited guests.
I was looking forward to meeting Tom, and washing up for his crew.
Our chefs provided the canapes (and very good they were too) and then it was over to Tom and his team of 3.
At midnight, when I had been working furiously for a few hours, I was thinking that a 'thank you' would not have come amiss.  And indeed, from The Greyhound's front of house team, perhaps a cup of tea too!  Next time there is a pop-up event, I might just pop out instead for the evening.
 When people ask me 'What was he like?' I can safely say he has large legs.

But all that hard work and gloom faded on Friday, as me and Mr Cooper set off for Leeds, to spend the weekend Rachael, Ben and Henry.
As we had not seen Henry since August, we were really excited, and this excitement managed to last although the journey got longer and longer, with more and more deviations.  However, 7 hours later, we were there, and it really was the beginning of our Christmas festivities.
And here is Henry on his Christmas card, heralding the start of them.

It was so lovely to be there, and so lovely too to play with Henry.
Mr Cooper was in his element as 'Grandolph' (Rachael's idea, not his!) and I enjoyed my supporting role as Nana Sue.  Henry enjoyed chewing his toys, examining wheels closely, and trying really hard to crawl.  I should imagine that he will be crawling, when they come and stay on Boxing Day.

In our mini break we did a whole load of fun things (walks with Banjo, pub visit, meal in Pizza Express, intense wheel examining) but one of the best was the visit to the Chinese Lantern festival, at Roundhay Park in Leeds.  http://www.magicallantern.uk/?gclid=CKzkqa6y-NACFeGT7QodBLAAJg
When we knew we were going, both Mr Cooper and myself imagined that we would be walking through trees that were hung with Chinese lanterns, of the sort you could make from instructions you would find in an old Rupert Annual.  In fact, I thought we might run into Tiger-Lily and the Chinese Magician.  We did think that there would have to be an awful lot of lanterns, as apparently it took an hour to see them all.  But no, the world has moved on, though at times it seems that me and Mr Cooper have not (but we are very happy together in our low-tech, Rupert Bear-infused world)  Chinese lanterns are really illuminated forms and figures.  A bit like a wonderful carnival procession, but static, and in the dark.

I took so many photos, but fear not, I am adding just two for you to see.  The insect below was well over 8 feet tall........

.......and this magical garden was also on an impressively large scale.

Thanks you Rachael and Ben for such a fun weekend, and here are Mr Cooper and Henry in their respective starring roles.

Just a final image to finish with.  Chef Neil loved the tattoo design, but wanted a couple of additions.  The rabbit was to be a Chinese rabbit (as he was born in the Chinese year of the rabbit) and was also to be sporting also a meat cleaver.
I think the end result is a little closer also to Neil's personality, as this rabbit looks far more dangerous to know!  A rabbit with attitude.

So after a week of twists and turns, I am looking forward to a smooth path leading to Christmas.  Well, lets be a little more realistic, and just look forward to a little smoothness amongst the mayhem that is called 'preparing for Christmas'.
It's time now to stop paddling at the edges and just put on a Christmas swimming costume, jump in at the deep end, and swim along with it all.
I hope you are able to 'go with the flow', and tick things off your list whilst appearing un-ruffled.
Christmas itself is over so quickly that we may as well include the preparations as part of the enjoyment..........staying afloat is indeed a good outcome!
I will let you know how 'ruffled' I am, next week.
Till then, drink plenty of water and remember to breath, and to buy a Sellotape dispenser.

This has been a week of festive feasts, with friends and family.
In fact, on the 'entertainment' front, my life has gone somewhat from famine to feast.
So lets start at the beginning of my '5 feasts in 5 days' week.

Just a little warm-up photo first.  When I took my 'Food Hygiene Certificate Level 2  exam, I had to choose which answers were true or false.
The answer 'Cats in the kitchen help to keep the workers happy' was said to be false.
But here is proof that it is actually true.  Cuddles and Snoots* are enjoying a bowl of kitten milk on George's kitchen table.  George is out of picture, but looking on with fondness and pride.
In fact, the only time he takes them off the table is when he is painting something on it, and doesn't want their delightful paw prints on it.

Anyway, let's go in search of a table in a restaurant now, to find good food and good company.
Before meeting my former head of department in Chichester, I spent a most productive hour wandering around, exchanging pieces of coloured paper for various goods.  This happens rarely for me, but I understand that many people like do do this weekly, for enjoyment!
Then onwards to Wahaca, in south Street, to spend a very pleasant lunchtime with Jeanette.
http://www.wahaca.co.uk/locations/chichester/

We spent a long time catching up, aided by really tasty food, and Margueritas containing tamarind.

Then back to 'The Gables' on the bus.  This was almost as enjoyable as the meal....one comes along every 20 minutes, and for only £2.30, I was dropped off just over the road from The Gables.
 Even more convenient than catching the train (which I couldn't, as they were on strike)

Then back for a slight rest and two exercise classes (yes, really, I had just the one Marguerita) and then onwards to Porters in Southsea. http://www.porterswinebar.com/food-and-drink/
Wow, I could get used to this, thought I.... but probably not twice each day, plus shopping!
In the morning I was exchanging pieces of paper for goods, and these transactions sort of continued into the evening.  I was given some pieces of paper as payment for 'The Swimmers' from it's delighted new owner and my wonderful friend Diane.

And then I shared my initial ideas and sketches for a commission that I am very excited about.
The commission is for another wonderful friend, Janeese.

Here are my initial sketches, and already more thoughts are spilling out, and colours and types of flowers have been confirmed.  Think ranunculus, and pinks, reds, greens and yellows. Fabulous!

I was boring Mr Cooper the other day, talking about art.  (He is very kind, and manages to appear interested)  I was trying to explain that so much thought and emotion goes into the planning of each painting, and this emotion continues to become part of the work as it progresses. The result of this being that they become very precious to me, and it is wonderful when someone else finds them so.
I am really enjoying seeing 'The Swimmers' looking so happy in their new loving home.
And it is very exciting to be working with Janeese, to create just the painting she wants.
 Next step, apply paint to canvas!

After the excitement of Wednesday, it was back to normal for Thursday.  Frugal food and lots of washing up.  Well, almost frugal.  As I was feeling a little 'tired' when I got to work, (going out is both mentally stimulating and physically exhausting, especially when you are 'getting on,' as I am) chef Neil very kindly made me poached eggs on toast to help with my recovery, and at 6pm I enjoyed my usual staff dinner, a large and delicious smoked salmon salad.

Then back home ready for Mr Cooper's big day, as he became older and even wiser on Friday 25th.
I had booked dinner for us at The Richmond in West Ashling, and we had the whole day to ourselves before that.
 How we laughed when we remembered one of Mr Cooper's birthdays when we popped out for a little lunchtime snack in Gunwharf Quays, before dining out that night at Raymond Blancs, in Chichester.
We started out with good intentions, as always, but after enjoying a selection of tapas teamed with a selection of lager, we went on to purchase  2 purple artificial Christmas trees, a pair of Levis plus other luxury items, before catching the train home and wishing we hadn't eaten so much.

'Let's not do that again,' we laughed to each other as we went to the Horse and Groom in East Ashling for a little light snack.  Thank goodness this time we were sensible!

Then after a few hours recovery, wishing we had been a little more sensible, we put on our finery and set off to The Richmond Arms, where I exchanged bits of paper I had received for 'The Swimmers' for an exceptional  dinner for two.  http://www.therichmondarms.co.uk/
Mr Cooper looked a little sad at the size of his starter, but by the end of the third course, he was heartily glad it had not been larger.  Such delicious food, in a lovely, vibrant atmosphere.

The next day saw us driving to Peterborough, for a weekend with Mum.  We had with us ingredients for that night's meal, and it was when I started to cook that I realised that one of us needed a little guidance when buying fish.  There is a distinct difference between a whole fish and fish fillets.
Sadly, as Mum regards a sharp knife as a lethal implement, I was unable to fillet the whole fish which one of us had bought as fillets, but it all turned out rather well.  It reminded me of the time I had asked Mr Cooper to buy two whole fish of his choice for me to cook at night.  When it came to baking them, I found four plaice fillets in the bag, and Mr Cooper insisting it was a whole fish, as it has come from a whole fish...........

Far safer to go back to eating out, and that is what we did, when Mark joined us on the Sunday.
Safely sitting in Maccaloo, we excitedly chose our food from the 'specials' board, as all the specials featured were Polish.  I think as the restaurant is owned and run by a Polish family, on Sunday they add Polish foods to the menu.  I would definitely go there again on a Sunday.
After the usual catching-up chat, I excitedly told Mum and Mark about next year's project, when I would be working for Shake Culture to illustrate and write the community cookery book.  After congratulating me, Mark said that Si was also writing a book, and he thought perhaps he should now write one too.
Si's book is, I think, about management (I have got to catch up with him) and Mark was wondering whether he should jump in at the deep end with his book, and write 'How to Solve World Hunger'
(We did indeed outline a few good ideas here, but we were probably looking at it from a different angle, as Chapter Three was headed 'now eat This Book'......problem solved!
We decided perhaps to start with things you are familiar with, and a title 'Tim Ted Goes Spinning' was felt to hold many possibilities.  If it took off, who knows what Tim Ted could get up to next?

Well, that was the end of the five feasts, and Monday found us heading back to normal life, or what is normal for us.  At Trinity on Monday afternoon,  we began to make Christmas decorations which will be sold in the Winchester Christmas market.  It is a long time since I have used Fimo, and we spent a fiddly but fun two hours.  I made the snowman pendant with the red scarf, but I loved the gingerbread men pendants.

On Wednesday, I went for my induction with Andover Mind,  http://www.andovermind.org.uk/contact-us/ where I will be working as a volunteer with the handicrafts group on Monday mornings.  That will be very exciting, as it will involve planning and running the projects.  This will begin properly next year, and I am even now getting excited, thinking about papier mache, tissue paper, printing........  I think some people are said to get excited thinking about handbags and designer labels........how weird!

As Juliette and Colin set sail soon on their honeymoon cruise to cold lands, I reached for the balls of tinsel wool to knit Juliette a 'Happy First Anniversary/honeymoon/cruise scarf.  When we met before work Thursday morning, it was to excitedly exchange presents, as Juliette had bought for me a December gift, a pair of gingerbread men earrings!  Thanks Juliette, they are fab!  And when did you become a mind-reader? That was were the treats ended for Thursday, as, with the new menu being launched, there was an awful lot of prep, plus Christmas parties too, which left me with an awful lot of washing up.  Still, it will give me bits of paper to exchange for all sorts of wonderful things, like new tyres, car tax, petrol, gin, truffle oil......

Back now for one last food-related paragraph, before I leave you all to prepare some food, as I am cooking a feast tonight for some friends.  Apples need to be poached and caramel needs to be sharded before sieving soup and lovingly adding truffle oil.  Not to mention making pastry with suet and butter....plus starting to sew my outfit for Sarah's wedding.  What better way to spend a day!
 Did I mention Radio 4, too?

When I was at Mum's, looking for things like frying pans and sharp knives, I found a plate from long ago.  We three all had a set of a dish, plate and mug.  Si's set had a design of clowns, Mark had Pinky and Perky, and I had forgotten what was on mine.  And here it is, the sole surviving plate.
I remember it now, particularly the naughty toucan.  Perhaps this helped to inspire me with my lifelong love of pottery.  Or, looking at the toucan, perhaps it explains why I used to drink a Guinness a day, when John and Sam were small!  Be warned when buying gifts for small children!

Just off now to be creative in different directions.  I hope you are enjoying being creative in December, or just building up to be creative.  Enjoy the feasts that beginning to happen now but, as with drinking, eat responsibly.  Remember, 5 feasts in 5 days is the exception, not the rule!
Looking forward to seeing you all soon, after a week of cottage cheese and fruit.

*Real names, Commander Cuddles and Lord Snooty.