Tuesday. Life In Here is Shaped by Life Out There.

The bricks are exciting, they are at the fun stage. Next, the structure of the windows and doors. Whoo whoo.

I come in here to work and be whimsical, to be creative, to be thoughtful, to be Antonia. There is so much going on outside this studio, so much in every day life with the people who live in the house with me (the children) and with treasured friends who live their own minute by minute lives full of Things and Stuff. Today I am in my studio, with my boiler suit on, covered head to toe in Correct Attire, and full of thoughts and worries about other things to do with life outside this hut.

I had to wade through water to get here, my garden is a pond. In here I have my tea - and today I chose a black and white spotty mug which suits the day. In here, I think - my son's shoes are wet from yesterday, and he will not wear them so he is hair drying them. How long will that take, why when he is about to go to school does he have to do this, what do I tell the school? I am on standby to take him aged 15 to school through the floods by car, he has missed the bus, when he should have gone and I should have my endless time stretching before me here in my studio. I am on standby for when the shoes have been hairdried dry. Then, I am full of love and worry about some friends who are suffering and want to make their world good again. Not possible, not possible, but I love them and want to be in charge of making everything better than ever for them.

My daughter is still ill in bed, but is well able to look after herself and my other son is at school wanting to come home.

For these reasons, the fact that the bricks on the Ross House have reached the fun stage is possibly the studio knowing I need some encouragement and handing me something easy to do while I let all the other stuff settle.

I wonder if my son has melted his shoes and has to have the day off school because of it.