Back to the 80's

Half term presents the perfect opportunity for rationalising cupboard space whilst bracing oneself for a mother-daughter shopping trip.  The former activity unearthed some drawings I did 25(!) years ago, the latter left me feeling like the subject of one of those drawings...

ooooh they didn't have park and ride when I was young

was that my ringtone?

is it me or is it hot in here?

I think a latte and some chocolate tiffin would revive me

I'll sit with the bags while you go and try it on

LOT 1351

Sold to the lady with a fascination for rust. 

Ten hens... no eggs

Brrrrr... first frosts this week and nobody's feeling it more than my half dressed chickens.  Tiring of bald patches and empty nest boxes I'm hoping a daily dose of Poultry Spice will perk them up. It comprises, among other things, powdered ginger, turmeric, fenugreek and aniseed.  Mmmn... now they sound like the ingredients for a nice warming squash soup that would perk us all up.

Image adapted from my Kitchen Garden range of cards

Flower Power

If you're a fan of all things floral, check out Rona Wheeldon's gorgeous Flowerona blog where she's currently featuring some of my flower paintings.  I can guarantee that after a good rummage around her site you'll be nipping straight outside to cut a lovely bunch of dahlias. 

Going, Going, Gone

Hot on the heels of the fish van, Saturday romps to a crescendo as the hammer falls at Gaze’s weekly auction.  By 10am all the twenty year old Volvos in East Anglia and the occasional dressed down celebrity have converged on Diss to rummage through a kaleidoscope of collectibles. Juggling tape measure and latte, bacon buttie and bidding card the frenzy begins. It's the most exhilarating form of recycling I can think of, one man's bundle of rusty old tools reinvents itself as the subject of my next painting.

Friday, Fish-day

There’s a frisson of excitement every Friday morning when the Lowestoft fish van comes to town. Steve, whose eyes are as blue as the ocean, offers fish fresh from the ocean and will happily talk gutting and grilling, while weighing out bloater and bream.

Spent a happy few hours in the garden this weekend, it’s looking very “on trend”, layers of contrasting textures with accents in jewel tones....

Wedding Anniversary

For those  who remember our wedding day, the weather, if nothing else, will have stuck in your minds. Today’s spirited, autumnal bluster is a pale shadow of the scene twenty-one years ago. I could wax lyrical about marriage...... or I could take my brushes outside and capture the day in colour.

"Under the influence of all this loveliness, almost I am persuaded to love autumn best, and forget a lifelong allegiance to the spring-time of the year. Such infidelity could be brought about by nothing less than a month like this, so wondrously, serenely beautiful."

E.V. Boyle, October 1899

Additional images, William Morris