Busy, Birthday, Broken...

Sooooooo..... I haven't been around much recently, as it has been absolutely chockablock with these things:

Last week of Amelia's Autumn half-term, including tuck shop cake-baking; a book and reading week; a karate-grading (and new belt - yay!); open day at school and other events.

Family to visit (my mum and Amelia's dad Andrew) for the last couple of weeks, which was so, so lovely - I just wish I could have spent more quality time with my mama! We did get to visit this bit of London together though:

Then we went to Tate Britain and met with t'other Jess and her lovely mama Miriam at th Pre-Raphaelite exhibition! Yes we can now say we have seen the ORIGINAL Millais' Ophelia,

 

... Rosetti's The Beloved and Henry Wallis' Chatterton. I'm not quite sure why we didn't take photos together, but it was a bit (VERY) crowded in there.

Amelia's VERY belated birthday party, which turned into a Halloween party. Just eight extra little girls for games, music, a movie (Labyrinth!) and dinner.

 That isn't so very difficult, is it? I mean, there are enough of us to help out, so it should all go smoothly...

 Oh. Right. No not everyone gets a prize at Pass The Parcel - only the winner...and why isn't the dinner cooking? Is the oven broken? Oh no! The movie is too scary for you? REALLY?! Oops! Scarred for life!

Now I understand why more people don't do that, and hope one day soon to return to normal.. Still waiting...

Somehow, on this day, our internet went down, so I couldn't do anything with the shop, and could only occasionally reply to customer's messages, and spent an extra fortune on internet connection through my mobile network. Never good, but needs must...

Oh and then a couple of days after that, as I had been promising for months, Amelia's friend came round for a sleepover.

There they are, with a midnight feast!

It took five days, which seemed like a lifetime, to get back online again, thanks to Rob, who unravelled what the cabel guy was saying over the phone when I couldn't fathom anything.

 

On Sunday, I met up with long-lost-best-friend Audrey, dinosaur expert and her fantastic mummy! Well done Aud for taking photos!

Still not sure if I prefer this one....

or this one...

 

The Natural History Museum is one of my favourite buildings in the world.

Just look at these climbing monkeys and love them (also in the foreground in the photo above)!

After saying a sad farewell, Amelia and I headed home for a cosy evening watching some Monty Python with Rob. Then just as I was saying goodnight to her (she was at that moment under her bed, reading a book - the bed is elevated as you can see in the sleepover photo up there ^ somewhere), I cracked my head on the wood and bent my neck back. I thought it was OK that evening, but yesterday and today have been agony. I can't turn my head, can't lift my arms, can't sleep....and can't paint, as my neck is in a weird position (and yes I've tried putting the canvas at different angles...to no avail)! So that is why i've been catching up with computery things today instead.

This is my current to-do list:

...and now I would like to sleep, but really shouldn't...no. I'll try painting again, now the ibuprofen has kicked in again...

Thanks for reading! Hopefully, it won't be quite as long til the next blog update...

 

Toodlepip!

xxx

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Few Animal Paintings

"Terrys Heart Jumped As He Realised He May Have Left The Gas On..."

 

Hello there! This is Terry, so named in homage to the great wildlife man himself, sadly missed (mostly by we in the UK). See what I cleverly did with the name there?

 

I have a soft spot for these little guys, as the town I grew up in - Southport, on the northwest coast of the UK, and the nearby reserve of Formby has been quite a refuge for them.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW PAINTING ON ETSY

 

I've been saddened to read that Hesketh Park, my local park where they thrived for a long time, is now mostly home to greys.

Oh! I feel sorry that the greys are now classed as vermin - it isn't their fault...but still...there it is...

 

50% ($37.50) from the sale of this item goes to the Red Squirrel Survival trust: http://www.rsst.org.uk/

Found mainly in Europe, red squirrels are now highly endangered due to the influx of grey squirrels, which carry the squirrel pox virus, to which greys are immune, but reds are not!

Please help the little reds out by either donating your own amount, or purchasing this unique piece for your lovely walls :)

 

Some more facts (taken from the red Squirrel Survival Trust website):

They have four fingers and five toes.
They can be right or left-handed when eating a pine cone.
They can swim.
Reds’ coats moult twice a year, once after winter and then in the late summer before the weather gets colder.
They moult their ear tufts once a year, in late autumn

 

How cool is that?!

 

Oh yes...and I've finally put these smiley fellows up for sale too. I've named them Billiam and Sven!

"Billiam Had Really Enjoyed His Early Morning Fry-Up"

 

CLICK HERE TO VIEW PAINTING ON ETSY

 

and...

 

"Sven Was Excited About Attending His First Fencing Class"

 

CLICK HERE TO VIEW PAINTING ON ETSY

 

I kept these two for a few months because, well, I just found it tough to let them go. It isn't usually a problem I have - not with my human portraiture anyway, but the animals, that's different... So if you're out there, good customer, please be sure to treat them well. I have a feeling they bring good luck! ;)

 

xxx

 

 

Hot Prairie Fire and all the Colours In Between

Unintentionally, this post has turned out very red-and-yellowy. How apt for our season :)

 

I've been working away on a new painting. Here are a few glimpses. I thought  would have had it finished by now, but Amelia has had a couple of days off school poorly, so i haven't had quite as much time as I though - AND I always mis-time these things, so it will be finished when it's finished. I'm pretty sure we're close...

 

Ever dependable Gardener's DelightTomatoes are ripening in the conservatory :) yes - this year, I just went for the good old faithfuls instead of the usual rare varieties! Yum!

 

...and these chillies are crazy hot! They start with that lovely, capsicum taste, then the tingle begins... Now, Rob isn't one to turn down a good chillie challenge and can usually take the heat, but this is a tough one! If you're interested in trying it out for yourself (or surprising a loved/hated one with a bit of spice!) the variety is Hot Prairie Fire. My friends in the US can also find it on Amazon...and you ovely peeps in Aus, there are some on Ebay too ;) OK. I would love to list every country and continent, but that could get crazy. I'm sure you can find your own if you're at all interested and live elsewhere).

 

 Since Sunday, Amelia has been trying something new. As I got to grips again with the sewing machine (hadn't touched it in three years), we decided to make a little mini cushion, onto which Amelia begged to sew 'something'. I remembered we bought a little pack of pink buttons from Liberty's last year (also have a look at their children's wear - woohoo, but costy!!).

She did get a little frustrated when she realised she had gone and made loops and put the needle in and out the wrong places, but I kind of love it like that. It will be lovely to keep these little mementos and see how her skills develop over time. I can't wait to see her finished product!

 

I've packed and parcelled all orders to date, so had better get off to the village Post Office, then back for a little scintillating karate uniform ironing for Amelia's class later!

 

Toodlepip!

xxx