'How are you getting on, writingyour cookery book?' I hear you say.  Indeed, it is a question that I often ask myself. Well, I can tell you why I am not able to write it, just at this moment.
The last three weeks have been full of many different activities.  In some of them, me and Mr Cooper behave like other people, and in others, we revert to type.  You had better read on!
 Last year I completed the South Downs Way Annual Walk with Mr Cooper and two friends.  Having said soon afterwards that I would never repeat the experience ( a bit like giving birth) a statement which was heard by Juliette, I find myself in training for doing it all over again this year, but on my own this time.  And it starts tomorrow!

As well as walking on a very regular basis ( I could be writing the cookery book instead......) I have been working on this year's significant artwork.  Each year I submit an entry for the Jerwood Drawing Prize, and also the National Open Art competition.  This year I want to combine dolls house imagery with cut-out paper dolls clothes to create a work based on some facets of my own identity.  Sounds very 'arty' doesn't it?  Well, that is what I do.
Here are the early structures taking place.

 Both my children do not see why I sometimes wear ridiculous-looking clothes and walk for hours in the countryside (it does sound a bit bonkers, put like that) but Sam has a kind heart, and said he would accompany me on one the regular walks I do on a Tuesday and Thursday, in my break at the Greyhound.  On those days, I put on my boots, set off for Danebury Ring, and walk around the fields, climbing up to the top, and then back down, for about an hour.
Sam used to walk there with me when he was small, but so long ago now that he can't remember.  Having him with me was a mixed blessing, as I had to shorten the uphill bits to accomodate the fitness levels of my youngest son.  He was very pleased to reach the top and see the views, before having a cigarette whilst I pointed out the names of the crops in the fields, and how to identify them.  Isn't it strange that I usually walk alone?

 In fact, the first part of the dolls house drawing was of me, ready to walk alone.

 Me and Mr Cooper have been striding out regularly too, as he was getting ready for a week in the Lake District with his best friends.  But over the Bank Holiday weekend, we did behave like normal people, and hugely enjoyed a day at Goodwood races on Saturday with four friends, followed by a BBQ on Sunday in Bognor Regis, with another two friends.  We took the train to Bognor and arrived a little early so we spent half an hour acting like normal people and had tea and toast in a cafe, instead of beer and crisps in a pub.  After that lovely weekend where we also included a couple of longish walks on Friday and Monday, we then behaved more like me and Mr Cooper.  He left to go for his annual break with friends, and I stayed to have my annual break with just me, dividing my time between walking on my own, completing more art work, and working at The Greyhound.  I must add here that I did spend a very enjoyable Friday with Diane and Rio.  It was a day of firsts for Rio as he a) experienced the countryside,  b) saw cows for the first time,  and c) went on his first train ride. 
Not bad for a West Highland puppy who lives in Southsea.

At the weekend, I re-visited two of my favourite Hanger walks, one of which has a really sad element to it, as you have to walk by these two tractors left to rust and decay.  I have plans to take brother Mark and nephew Jem to see them ( and perhaps Philip and Jayne too) to start a rescue campaign.
Philip and Jayne, you have been warned!

I was also happy to complete, on Saturday, my kitchen scene for the artwork and to start the planning for the next room, which is to be the office.  A room where I am sitting now, both writing this, and sometimes staring out of the window!  The knife in my hand denotes the fact that I am also cooking, and not that I have any murderous tendencies towards Sam.  His walk with me has certainly done him good, as he appears a lot thinner!

 As I write this, the timer is ticking away next to me, as flapjacks are baking in the oven.  I have given you before the recipe for the best flapjacks ever, from the Camping Cookbook by Annie Bell.  Today I am baking sustaining cakes as the walk starts for real tomorrow.  When the flapjacks are done, I will be making from the same book, for the first time, the twice baked banana cake.  At the end of this blog, the writing of which is interspersed with a Chichester shopping trip, some floor washing and furniture polish (house viewing on Saturday morning) and cake making, I will let you know how the cake tastes, and if it is one for you to try or not.

Sunday was another successful day in my art shed.  I completed the office room, and started the roughs for the next room.  In fact, if there is a spare hour or so towards the end of this day, I want to start drawing the finished picture, which is of the dining room.

 On my Sunday walk I chose another of my favourites, which starts in Selbourne, and incorporates Noar Hill at the end of it.  Selbourne is, to me, a magical place, and Noar Hill is such a wonderful area.  As is so often the case, I was walking for about 3 hours through the most amazing countryside, and didn't meet a soul until I reached Noar Hill.  On the final climb towards it, I saw a wild rose petal lying on the ground, and I took this picture to show Mr Cooper, who was and is many miles away.  They were scattered all around, and made the most beautiful confetti, the only sad part was that in so doing, they had been shed, and discarded.  Transient beauty.

I do know that Bill Bryson thinks that Noar Hill is a spectacular place too, in fact he has thought so for way longer than me, as it a recent discovery for both me and Mr Cooper.  As I walked towards it on sunday, I had a quite delightful imaginary conversation with Mr Bryson in my head, in which we sit next to each other on the bench and start to chat.  I share my piece of flapjack with him, and we go on to find many common points of interest amidst much laughter.  I happily accept his invitation to join him and his wife for Sunday roast that evening.
Oh well, it wasn't all disappointing.  Look at the view from where I ate my piece of flapjack (at least I didn't have to share it) and I did have a roast of sorts that night.

Well, shopping is completed and floors brushed if not washed.  No time for drawing sadly, but there was time to try a slice of cake.  If you love bananas and marzipan, this one is a winner.  It is moist and very fully flavoured, just right to eat out of doors. 
I hope to be with you soon, after my nine days out of doors, sustained by cakes and conversations with strangers who may turn into friends.
I hope the next two weeks find you also sharing chance encounters that involve cake, indoors or outdoors.  If you meet Bill Bryson on Noar Hill you can share your banana cake with him, but do let him know I am looking forward to meeting him up there one day, with or without flapjack.
Looking forward to seeing you all soon. 
I will let you know whether 'never again' are words I should have taken more notice of. 

This week I am sharing with you two books, two beautiful walks, and two very welcome 'bunches' to help celebrate me and Mr Cooper's 7th wedding anniversary.
 Yes, time does fly, and yes, we are still very happily married.  I said to Mr Cooper the other day that we were very lucky to have found each other, not least because not many other people would have been able to put up with either of us long term.
 Being together has indeed been/still is a voyage of discovery.

Back to the blog, and onto the first book.
In a month's time, I will hopefully be on day 5 of the annual South Downs walk.  That will be quite a significant day, as I will then be over half-way through the 9 days walk.
As a consequence of this event getting realistically close, I have had to increase my training (yes, I have actually been training at least twice a week, and not just perfecting my packed lunch repertoire)
So me and Mr Cooper have been working our way through this book.  Walking hangers* involves doing lots of steep 'ups' which I sadly need to do a lot of.  I say 'sadly' as it is hard work, something that is in our nature to try to avoid!  But, no pain, no gain.........

Walk one was titled 'Steep and Ashford Hanger' (Steep being a village, and not in that case an adjective, although it was really steep too) and when we were halfway up the first arduous ascent  it was to find this monument to a local poet, Edward Thomas.  He drew his inspiration from this area, before being killed in the First World War, in 1917.

I found the words on his memorial to be very moving, and timeless.

And I rose up and knew 

that I was tired 

and continued my journey

Whether it is our own personal journey through a difficult part of life, or indeed a demanding, physical journey, you have to, at times,  just keep buggering on.  

Even more valid if you were a poet fighting in World War One.

Each time we go walking, Mr Cooper asks me to identify wild flowers.  Sometimes I can, but this one I couldn't, although we both agreed it was purple.  I am going to get round to looking it up (in a wildflower book, of course, of which we have several) but if you know what it is, by all means get in touch, and tell me, to save me that bit of effort (see what I mean about being fundamentally lazy.)

What with walking, and painting away in my shed, annoyingly, paid work just gets in the way.  Sometimes Juliette brightens my working day with some flowers that were destined for the bin, but this time, son John gave me a present to add to my collection of seagulls. 
Thanks John, it is indeed as you described it, as 'a nice one'.

Happily leaving work once more behind, and putting on my walking boots again, me and Mr Cooper set out in search of more steep slopes. I do like, on an aesthetic note, the link of the yellows in these two photos.  Schwepps Tonic Water  and a field of oilseed rape sharing the same vibrant yellow.
This circular walk above Stoughton is a favourite of ours, which we know as the Polish Airman's walk.

I must be getting quite reflective in my mid fifties.  Each time when we pause to read about the death of a young Polish pilot, killed whilst fighting for Britain, I do think that a lot of people should also be more reflective about their life, and that of their neighbours.  Perhaps aiming to take out a portion of prejudice/ignorance from their lives, and to replace it with some kindness.

Well, we have now covered one book, two walks, and two reflections.
 Let's find out more about two exciting 'bunches'.
Me and Mr Cooper had to decide what to do to celebrate our 7 years of undiluted happiness.
' You can do whatever you want',  Mr Cooper told me, flinging his arms wide to show me just generous this statement was.  When I told him what I would like to do, it was deemed to be 'too expensive'.  Here followed a lengthy discussion about the actual meaning of the words 'anything you want', and also whether 'within reason' should have been included as part of the statement.
When peace and love had been restored, we decided to have an enjoyable day on a low budget.
This day would also incorporate yet another walk, but this one ending up in an Indian Restaurant (yummy) where you had to take your own booze (even better.)

Juliette presented me on the day before, with an amazing anniversary gift, almost all of it pictured here, designed to go with curry!  (We ate the cashews and mints almost immediately, another trait that makes us so compatible)
Thanks Juliette and Col, we love our 'bunch of beers'......

......and Mr Cooper made the treat complete the next day, by adding a beautiful bunch of flowers.

We had a very successful walk, which did manage to also incorporate two pubs, as well as the Indian restaurant (well, it was a special day). I still think that I would get as much enjoyment from an Indian meal by drinking Cobra, eating poppadoms and their accompaniments, and just reading the menu.  The food was delicious, but I was too full to eat it all.  Another reason why me and Mr Cooper are so blissfully compatible..... he can eat for England, especially if he is paying for the food (or if it is a free buffet, or a Sunday roast, or dinner round friends......)

Keeping on the food theme.  My painting of Millie and Bertie is now complete, and awaiting collection.  And yesterday, Jan was coming over for tea, and collect it, and Di was coming over for lunch, and much laughter.
So time to shake the dust from a childhood cookery book,  'My Fun To Cook Book' by Ursula Sedgwick, which I got for Christmas in 1969, and have loved ever since.

I share with you the recipe for "Topsy Turvy Cakes'.  If you want a teatime treat, and love glace cherries and a burst of sweetness, do not hesitate to make these!

Bringing you now to my last picture for this blog, here is the completed painting of Millie and Bertie.
This was a commission that I got so much pleasure from, especially as I was so fond of Millie ( and still am, of Bertie, and looking forward to meeting his new playmate Billy)
And what made all the thought and hard work worthwhile was that Janeese loved it.
As I said to Mr Cooper later that day, the best sort of commission ever.

So, until we meet again, just keep on with your journeys through life.  If you keep travelling, the scenery will change.  If you put in the extra effort to climb the hill, the views will make it worthwhile.
Why not make a cake this week, and invite a friend to share the treat? 
And, try to be kind.  It is not always easy, but neither is life.
Looking forward to seeing you all very soon.

I am now firmly back in the old routine, travel to foreign lands now being a thing of the past, and working very much a thing of the present.  It's a good job I have a friend like Juliette, who always livens my washing-up workplace, and on this occasion, beautifies my corner of the kitchen too.

As well as working for actual money, Monday continues to be my 'volunteer day'.  Monday morning is spent leading the 2 hour craft session at  'Andover Mind'.  Our first project there is nearing completion now, with some people finishing their papier mache bowls and picture frames.
This one below went on to be gilded inside and on its raised decorations too.  Wonderful things can be made with balloons, newspapers, paste and plasticine.
Monday afternoons continue to find me working as a volunteer at 'Trinity' in Winchester, for the Women's Service there, where I am part of their art group from 2pm-4pm.  It is a lovely way to start the week, with a day of creativity.

Whilst dining the other week at the Bluebell in Helpston (very delicious, excellent service too)
https://www.bluebellhelpston.co.uk/ I was captivated by the decorations on a house nearby.  Mr Cooper loved to see the golliwog in an upstairs window, but I was most taken by the mosaic decoration on the front of the house, which also included a ceramic crawling baby!
I am so looking forward to having a new house to play with, some time in the future.

As well as having a delicious time at the above Bluebell in Helpston, I had such a good time at another Bluebell, this time in Glinton.  http://www.thebluebellglinton.co.uk/  No food involved, but lots of chats and laughter as I caught up with my best friend from County Grammar, Deborah Ellerby that was.  As we swapped stories, we did both agree that life in 2A had not prepared us terribly well for all our life-adventures to come! Perhaps we ended up having more adventures than we had first intended!  Thank you for so much for such a lovely evening, Deborah, and I look forward very much to our next one.  Perhaps next time we might include Mr Hunt and Mr Cooper?

Talking of Mr Cooper,  earlier this month we sped to Leeds, to attend Henry's first birthday party.
 Henry wasn't too well on the day, which is probably why he is looking as if he had never seen 'Grandalph' before.

Luckily the toddler medication kicked in, and it wasn't long before Henry was entering in to the spirit of things.  Mr Cooper stuck mainly to beer, and entered into the 'spirit of things' when it was dark.

Our house remains for sale.  I did wonder whether to make it even more attractive by doing some gardening, but then I thought that spring had stepped in, and sorted everything out rather neatly.
  All you have to do is focus on the flowers, and not on the weeds in between.
 Perhaps Treagust could include that piece of advice in their brochure?

As well as enjoying the Spring flowers, it is always lovely to open post that is life-affirming, and not a bill.  Here is my niece Olivia's wedding invitation.  She is marrying Jon on the 13th July in Glasgow.  I would imagine their wedding will be every bit as funky as the invitation.  Luckily I have a suitably funky purple and silver outfit to hand, last worn on The Falklands.

As well as volunteering, and washing up (all be it for a very select establishment) I have been spending as much time as possible on a couple of commissions.  Today I have been painting Frida Kahlo and a monkey, as a picture as part of a larger painting, and last week I was painting beach huts and roses as designs for the wallpaper for the same painting.
I look forward very much to being able to show you the finished painting, but not before it has been seen by its future owner, my fabulous friend, Jan Norman.

Wallpaper designs.

It is a treat to work on a picture that includes Frida as part of it.  Soon I am going to paint some Ranunculas, and a couple of small teddy bears to add to it, as well as adding jewels to the crucifix.
Life as an artist is sometimes hard work, but never dull!  Painting Frida did remind me it was time for my 3-weekly eyebrow session at Tanique in Westbourne.  Thanks to the team there, I have never been mistaken for Frida.  https://www.facebook.com/Hair-and-Beauty-at-Tanique-527716203947570/

If you have a little dullness in your life, particularly in the kitchen department, put a stop to it right away by buying the book below.  A little while back, another fabulous friend made a fantastic feast for the ex-bookclub members.  I hadn't feasted so well, and with such enjoyment, for a very long time, and I bought the recipe book the following day.  So many thanks Diane, for a double delight.
So far, I have only got as far as reading it, from cover to cover, which is almost as delicious as eating the results.

Another book I am looking forward to reading from cover to cover arrived through the post today.  This is a very personal book for me.  I have known the author for a great many years, and got to know him very well.  I finished the illustrations for the book not long ago, another commission that I really enjoyed.  The book is called 'get Him out', by Nigel White.

I completed 12 illustrations for this book, and here is one I particularly enjoyed doing.

Only one of the illustrations gave me a clue to the contents of this book.  I drew a cheerful goat, discarded clothes, laptops plus fluffy balls and many others.
Here is a brief description from the front of the book.

'a soldier…a Doctor…a Linguist…an Empath

John Forbes and Peter White have assembled a team of specialists.  They are going to send their team back two thousand years…to rescue the most famous man that ever lived.

They are going to rescue Jesus of Nazareth from the crucifixion.'

I will let you know all about in in my next blog, when I have read it .  Not only all about it, but where to get your copy from.
In the meantime, I must just find a picture of a ranunculus, plus print off a picture of an elderly dog called Millie.

So do make sure that you are keeping dullness at bay in the week ahead.  Be adventurous in the kitchen, that would be a good place to start.  (Or pop round here one evening, and share some culinary adventures from 'Persiana)  Then follow that up with some wardrobe excitements.  Yes, you can plan to just  hide inside one, then jump out, but choosing a bright, possibly outrageous outfit is more what I have in mind.)
 I am just off to continue with my artistic adventures in the shed, where I am working alongside my old friend, Radio 4.  If you are a 55 year old artist, life does not get much better than that (and it suited me just fine too, when I was  a 25 year-old artist.)

Today we travel backwards one more time, then end up firmly in the present day.
This will find me in the same house (no buyers as yet) looking out at a spring day (overcast) but also at nesting starlings and my beloved shed, which houses several exciting projects.
 It may be grey in the sky, but the sun is indeed shining inside my shed.

When me and Mr Cooper used to travel more, we always made a point of taking a 'view from the bedroom window' photo.  Here is our bedroom window view in Havana, on the ninth floor of the Hotel Deauville, looking out over New Havana.  We were just a couple of blocks away from old Havana, and just a roadway away from the Caribbean.

This one looks a little more picturesque, doesn't it?  Mr Cooper thought I was quite brave to venture onto the balcony, as, like quite a lot of things about the hotel, it looked in need of repair.
 

Each day, after a most enjoyable breakfast (all the more so, as we always had to wait for it ) we set forth to Old Havana, which meant leaving the hotel and turning our backs firmly on New Havana.
Our chosen mode of transport was 'on foot', and daily we walked for hours.  Sometimes I looked at the bicycle taxis, and felt so sorry for the driver as they had to transport  overweight (usually) tourists in the heat of the day.  It was good to see these taxis able to have a rest between fares.

I would gladly return to Havana, and this time with many more memory sticks for my camera.
The colours seen on the streets were always incredible, and always changing.
One moment you would be in raptures about a pink scene,

and the next, you would be bathed in green.

And below, don't look at the chaos, but rather at the two areas of blue, and the two of red.
That is the good thing about being an artist, rubbish disappears as colours appear.

In the guide book what we read on the plane, we were informed that not many roads were lit at night, although they were safe to be in.  The roads around our hotel were definitely dark at night.  The only danger we came across were huge holes where drain covers had vanished, and holes where sometimes portions of the pavements had disappeared.
When we were in the more up-together parts of Havana, we realised that there were places where the street lights just got together at night to 'hang out'.

Each day we existed on a diet of culture ( amazingly good museums and art galleries, especially the Museum of Cuban Art) rum cocktails, and incredibly good food.
When we first got there and viewed our surroundings, we were a little anxious that the food would be a reflection of what we saw.  How wrong we were!
Wherever we ate, sometimes the facade was crumbling, and at times we had to avoid piles of discarded chicken's feet in the gutter on our way there, but once inside, we were in another world.
A main meal was the equivalent of five pounds sterling. This would be meat or fish, with rice and beans, plantains in many guises, salads and vegetables.  After our food in The Falklands, where vegetables were an expensive rarity, this suited us down to the ground.
And in between these culinary feasts, we walked everywhere, taking in the beautiful views.

On our last day, we ended up in the most touristy regions, where the facades were repaired, the sun was shining and the food was three times the price.  I preferred to wander away from this after a while, to where there were no 'pretty pictures', but rather glimpses of the living Havana.
Colour everywhere, a mixture of  dwellings next to dereliction and splendour scattered throughout.

I would gladly return, just to wallow in that glorious mix of past and present, rum and beer, rice and beans and always, always music.
This is where the Cuban photos stop, but do give me a call if you have an urge to see the rest.
Come round on a sunny day, and we can sit outside and enjoy a Ron Collins as we view them.

Then after that I can drag you into my shed, and bore you silly as I show you my current painting, and talk about all the ideas I have.  Perhaps I need to give you more than one Ron Collins, so you are more 'pliable' to this.

 So what is going on in my shed?
Last week, I completed a series of 12 illustrations for Nigel White, for his book which should be published around Easter time.  It was a very enjoyable commission, and I spent many a happy hour drawing smug-looking goats, and cheerful Guinea pigs.  I will show you these, but after the publication of the book.

You may remember that I completed another commission from Nigel, not too long ago.  This drawing was instrumental in getting the Mission Tent accepted as part of this year's Great Dorset Steam Fair. Exciting times ahead for Nigel and his team.   http://www.missiontent.co.uk/

 Knitted creations have also been produced.  Henry is a year old this week, and when we go to see him, I will give him a smart jacket and hat.

Beatrice is a long way from being one, and knitting for her does not take so much time, or wool!
 As I now possess all Mum's button collection, each time I a garment, I see if I have suitable buttons before going to the shop.  I did find 5 shiny metal buttons for Henry's outfit, but he needed 6.

 But Beatrice was luckier, and I found the last two remaining buttons on this button card.
There are not many babies today whose outfits include buttons that were 'Empire made!'

My latest painting is a very exciting commission, and includes Frida Kahlo and her monkey.......

Millie and Bertie.......

As well as flowers, Crucifixes, beach huts and teddies.  Plus I to listen to Radio 4 whilst combining these elements.  Being an artist is not always easy.  It is frustrating at times, and extremely lonely.

When you are not able to paint and create, it is hard too.  But there are times when it is truly enjoyable, which help to make up for the rest!

So, if I manage to get you in my shed, softened by the application of a few Ron Collins, I can also tell you all about this year's significant drawing.  This will include a dolls house and paper dolls, many changes of paper clothing, and a range of accessories....I can't wait to explain this in detail to someone, I think Mr Cooper would be pleased too, if I find a fresh victim!

Now I am once again tuned in to Radio 4, I will leave you with a radio snippet which struck a cord with me.  So much so that it has become the 'thought' for this blog.

'Try to spend at least a decade of your life wearing just what you want to.'  This does get easy as you get older, and today I gleefully added rainbow laces to my frosted pink DM boots,  Thanks Juliette for the laces, and Mark for the boots.  

So don't worry too much about what others think, it will never be exactly the same as you.  

Just please yourself in an area that you can, and hopefully also enjoy the sunshine.

See you all very soon.

 This week's blog incorporates two countries, and also two tenses. A farewell is said, but a future project is welcomed. Leaving the past and the future to one side now, let us return to the two countries part, and to our epic holiday adventure.
Now, where were we?  I remember, still in the Falklands, only now Mr Cooper and I weren't staying with Ali Bonner and Sarah Cooper, but now Mr and Mrs Bonner ( or Ali Bonner and Sarah 'Coops' Bonner, to be precise.)
Here is where they live, and where we were staying.  Look beyond the house, and you will see two stretches of water.  That is one of the many beauties of Stanley, just being able to see the sea from just about anywhere.

Another beauty of Stanley is the sheer diversity of the gardens.  Walk a little further away from the Bonner residence, and you will find a garden full of extremely happy gnomes.  Some have laughed so much they have fallen over, but all of them look extremely happy to see inquisitive visitors.

Another garden not far away again seems to be more traditional in its contents, showing an abundance of potatoes and poppies.

If you look to the right a little, you have a typical 'Stanley back garden' view.  Sheds, painted corrugated iron, beautiful muted colours set against the best background ever, sea and sky.  When I was little, there were lots of rounded corrugated iron sheds in the countryside, perhaps that is another reason why it felt so comfortable for me, to be in Stanley.

Not all of the gardens are there to grow vegetables and nurture gnomes.  Some house a few sheep or the occasional horse.  In one garden we saw a dog, a cat and a sheep all sitting together, watching the world go by.   This one looks as if the sheep have just wandered out of view.  On the bank beyond the water are the names of all the protectorate ships that have been in service in The Falklands, such as Endurance, Beagle and Dumbarton Castle.

It is lovely to be sitting here in West Sussex, writing away, but looking at the photos I am posting has made me feel very nostalgic for The Falklands.  Stanley has such a charm, and I am already looking forward to my next visit.  In the mean time, when me and Mr Cooper move from The Gables, perhaps we could find a small house somewhere, with a red corrugated roof.......

Moving definitely away now from West Sussex, and returning to The Falklands.
One thing that surprised me (apart from the ginger cat Banshee, who surprised us all, several times a day) was, when you left Stanley, how isolated all the other dwellings were.  There were the occasional hamlets, but mainly, houses on their own.
 Below is a fairly built-up area outside Stanley, and was in fact the last evidence of civilisation before we went off-road to penguin-land (Volunteer Point)

It was in fact a very civilised place indeed, for not only were there some excellent toilet facilities there, but a very delicious 'bake safe'.  This housed tins of cakes, and a tin where you put your voluntary contribution.  And, just like the excellent facilities, most unexpected and very welcome.
I wonder how many regulations this bake safe would contravene in the UK.  Each cake tin had a label to say what was inside, but no list of ingredients or allergens.  Surely there should be a sign saying that although the cakes did not contain any nuts, they were baked in a kitchen where nuts were used.  If you just took a cake and didn't pay, would it be your own fault if you began to 'bloat', or if you did pay, could you actually sue the kind baker?
It was a real treat to be able to enjoy such a kind and practical idea, without it being surrounded by a whole list of 'don'ts'.  Another reason why a stay in The Falklands is so refreshing.
Refreshed and fortified by home-baking, we said goodbye to roads, and set off once more to Penguin Land.

I did warn you last time that we visited Volunteer Point twice, but don't get overly anxious.  I do have lots of photos of penguins, and you are more than welcome to see them all.  So, give me a call, and arrange a time to drop in for tea, cake and photos.
For my blog, I have chosen just two of my many favourites.

This one is of the smallest chick I saw, perched on its parent's feet.  Soon it will be back nestling under its parent, sheltering from the summer wind.

This one I love, as it shows a group of King Penguins performing a variety of antics.  It is almost as if they had decided amongst themselves to put on a show for the tourists.  All it really needs to complete the scene is to have one in the background attempting a cartwheel.

Our two weeks in Stanley came to an end all too quickly.  Me and Mr Cooper had had such a good time, and were not looking forward to leaving, but leave we must.
 We had planned to stay for five nights in Havana on the way home, Cuba being a place we had both wished to visit for many years. (It does take me and Mr Cooper a long time to get round to doing certain things, but going down the pub is not one of them!)
So back on the plane, this time to fly to Argentina, then onto Punto Arenas, and from there to Santiago for a brief overnight stop (four hours)  The next part of the journey was undertaken with mounting excitement, as we then flew to Lima, Peru, and from there, onwards for our five hour flight  to Havana.

We knew we would be entering a different world, and after staying in Stanley for a fortnight, the contrast was even greater than if we had come straight from the UK.

In my next blog I will be exploring Havana in more depth, but today I will leave you with just a little taster of the things we experienced.

Of course, when you think of Havana, one of the first thoughts is of those beautiful classic cars, brightly coloured, and in constant daily use.

Then, all the other modes of transport you find in different cities outside England.  Here we see a bicycle taxi, where two of you can explore the sights of Havana, or simply pay to get from A to B.  Also, behind it, a local bus, which looks as if it would get from A to B with some difficulty, but they were a regular sight, rumbling by in clouds of smoke, and packed with locals.

The Streets in Havana are amazing, for many diverse reasons.  Here we can focus on the colours,  and catch a glimpse of children on their way to school.

And here, it is not so hot on the coloured buildings front, but we do see a resident on their way to work.  We saw him in action later on too, if 'action' is the appropriate word for what he does.

Many things were amazing about Havana.  We were so happily amazed at the cost of eating-out, and rum cocktails and beer that we spent a lot of time happily eating and drinking, as it was a very cost-effective way to spend the day.  And after a lack of vegetables and fruit in The Falklands (although we did enjoy the low cost of drinks, especially in The Rose) it was a real joy to be able to eat salads, fruits and plantains at every meal.
One evening, as we enjoyed a drink in our hotel's bar, I spotted a couple seemingly enjoying a mixture of Fanta and beer.  'Surely it must be like a delicious orange shandy?' thought I, and Mr Cooper very reluctantly bought me one.  He was right to be so reluctant, it was horrible!
There are times when I should listen to My Cooper, (but not as many as Mr Cooper thinks I should.)

In my next blog I will focus on drinks we did enjoy, such as Mojitas and Ron Collins.  Of course these were drunk responsibly, and interspersed with trips to musuems and art galleries.

Although my blog has been, for a time, very much spent enjoying the delights of The Falklands and Havana, we have been back now for nearly three weeks, and things are always changing.  My kitchen workplace has changed, which has made my regular job harder, but the same old crew are still there.  So much harder has my job become, in fact, that my first day back was very nearly my last.  If anyone out there is on the brink of designing a kitchen for a restaurant, please give the washing-up area two sinks, two draining boards and taps as well as a spray, plus a dishwasher, of course.  If you think one sink, no taps and a tiny draining board is the way forward, just come to the Greyhound and try it out!

Leaving my workday moans aside, and returning to real life now.
Before I went away, I was so pleased to be able visit my Aunty Sally, who had been ill for a long time.  I took Mum to see her too, and luckily she was well enough on that day to see us both.
It was very hard when we left, as I felt that was the last time I would ever see her.
Aunty Sally sadly died whilst we were away, on the eve of Sarah and Ali's wedding.
Last week we all said goodbye to her.

A very sad time.  Some changes in life are inevitable, but that does not make them pain-free.

I started this blog because it was all about me writing my cookery book, 'The Green Donkey Cookery Book'. This is to be all about the cakes and puddings I enjoyed from my childhood, primarily baked by my Granny Beba and her three daughters, Joan, Janet and Sally.  The blog was actually started to record all the happenings and artworks I was/am creating that were hampering the actual writing  of the book, as it had not proceeded much beyond collecting and trying-out the recipes.
Aunty Sally was very instrumental with providing me with recipes from the past, especially as she had the care of Granny Beba's handwritten recipe book.  Aunty Sally was the most prolific cook of the three sisters, and undoubtably also the best at pastry and cakes (sorry Mum and Aunty Joan, but you probably won't be reading this anyway.)  Having tea at Aunty Sally's was indeed a joy, and we were given cakes there that we never had at home.  Aunty Sally actually used to pipe decorations onto cakes.....we were lucky to get silver balls and hundreds and thousands.

The other day, Mr Cooper said to me, apropos of nothing, 'Socrates once said here are only two things you can rely on not to change, in life.  One is death, and the other is change itself.'

So I think now it is time to change the focus of my year and my blog, and stop saying I will be writing a book, and start doing it (after I have completed the two commissions I have to do, and created this year's significant artwork, and my entry to the Jerwood and The National, and planned my sessions for working with Mind....)
I will just have to work at weekends too.

 My blog won't change much, but it should start to include some illustrations for the book very soon, plus hopefully a sense of mounting excitement, even if it is a gradually mounting sense of excitement.
If you know you have been pushing something to the back of your mind, instead of actually sorting it out, perhaps stop pushing it away, and start doing whatever it is you know you really should be doing.  My son Sam shares a house with his Dad, who has fairly recently added two kittens to the household (success all round) but also a piano accordian, something he has been meaning to learn for years (success for George)
So let's accept the changes we have to, and create the changes we need, to enrich the lives of ourselves, and those around us.
And also to remember in our hearts, those of us who are now longer with us.
Gone, but not forgotten sadly makes more sense, the older you get.