Nothing But Frippery On This Blog Now

I have another blog for the Graceful Death Exhibition. It is intended to be for you to comment on the paintings as I do them and they go up on the site, and for anyone to comment on their own experience. It is a good idea, and I think you should look at it.

http://www.agracefuldeath.blogspot.com/

A Norweigan friend made the following video of me and the paintings in my studio here, 8 weeks after Steve died. I will put the link here and see what you think.

www.youtube.co.uk/craftsmank

Now. On to the Other Stuff. I have just been away for a few days with Alan in the New Forest. It was, to put it mildly, wonderful. Alan has a sixth sense about finding places that really relax and live up to expectations. I had never seen the New Forest before and like all newcomers, was agog at the horses, cows, donkeys on the roadside, on the road, in the fields, in the gardens, on cricket fields, up trees etc. Animals have right of way and it is quite refreshing to think that even as advanced as we are, in our fancy cars with our sat navs and mobile phones, that these animals are as ever, uninterested, clueless as to our satisfaction with our human progress, not in the slightest affected by the kind of car we are in and what we had for breakfast in our posh hotel, they just trundle out into the road looking for whatever it is they are looking for. It certainly isn't inspiration, a business deal, the next step in their personal development, or even a meaningful relationship. They just plod out of the one garden, into the road, have a long think standing there, and trundle off into the next garden prior to going back to the heath lands of the New Forest, and having a bit of lunch. Come to think of it, it isn't too different from Alan and me on our holiday.

We went to museums, to towns and villages, and finally to a walk across the cliffs at Lulworth Cove to Durdle Door. I have not been there since I was about 11. I thought it looked smaller but then I would. I'm grown up now.

So back to my studio. It is silent, Yes! Dear friend in Dublin knows all about silence in the house when the kids are occupied elsewhere. I have paintings to do all day today. I am suitably dressed and look like Worzle Gummage. No I look like Professor Sprout in the Harry Potter films. And so, a masterpiece must be done. Can only do so many masterpieces in a day. Sigh.