Reasons to be Cheerful.

I'm struggling with work. Now back home in Wales I can think of a dozen things I want to do and none of them include painting. I'm making excuses to myself and I avoid the studio where the unfinished canvas sits on the easel waiting for me. I sit by the window drinking tea with the sun on my back, listening to the radio, planning the evening meal, I'm happy. But that little niggle is there - OK, OK, OK, a couple more days and then I'll start back in the studio.

                                                   Reasons to be Cheerful. Oil on canvas

Waiting for the sun.

The Small Pictures Exhibition ends tomorrow and in a few weeks I'll need to send the gallery images of new paintings for the Summer Show. With some welcome afternoons of brilliant sunshine over the past couple of weeks and strong evidence in the garden that Spring is here - anything seems possible. If only the temperature didn't keep taking a dip downwards I could truly feel that hiberation is over! For now I need to carry on working and take comfort from the painting on my wall where the sun always shines.

 Here Comes The Sun. Oil on canvas.

The Bluebell Wood.

The route from Pontypool Road Station to my home took me through Bluebell Wood. 

Over the years this walk through the woods came to symbolise quiet contentment. I played there as a child, and later the many journeys I took through the wood often marked a milestone in my life.          

No phone at home, I returned home from France, where I had been working as an au pair, to surprise my parents. I can still remember the excitement. 

In the early hours of an Autumn morning, heavy with mist, we formed a small single file to walk through the wood to the station. My father helping to carry suitcases, my mother pushing our 10 week old son in a borrowed pram whilst clutching the hand of our 2 year old. The train to Newport was the first stage of a long journey which would end, later that day, in Helsinki. It would be a year before we returned.

As the boys grew up they came to know the wood well. Over time the single file down the path extended to include the dog, the cat and the cockatiel. They all became regular travellers with us on the train.

The wood is no longer there; houses stand where the bluebells flourished. 

I have no reason to return. It would be painful. Instead I look at the bluebells in my front garden and remember.

                                                   Long Ago and Far Away.  Oil on canvas.

26th February - my favourite weekend.

The boys are back in town!
It's time for the bi-annual ritual with my sons so it's Friday night at the Principality Stadium soaking up the atmosphere of Wales vs. France with cold beer, warm feelings and the sweet taste of victory.
We fight the crowds in town on Saturday to re-visit favourite places and then it's a Balti celebration at the Paramount back in Penarth.
Sunday morning we eat Scottish kippers from Ashtons, a fish market to rival any in Marseille.
Later on I cook a classic Sunday roast before the goodbyes as my sons head off.
We're talking about Paris next year.

Waiting for Spring

 At the moment the tulips are the only visible sign of Spring so I keep gazing at them throughout the day. It's cold and unfriendly outside. Even during the brief moments when the sun breaks through there's no indication that it's anything more than just a big tease.
I feel guilty complaining about the cold weather when refugees in their thousands are camping in the most appalling conditions. Their situation is dire and it only seems to be getting worse.  

Another time, another place.

  

As long as there's an easel, a good supply of paint and canvases, it's possible to set up and work anywhere.This was one of the nicest temporary studios I've had with plenty of light and a view over North London.

Back to Wales

Back to Wales and rugby. It's bitterly cold but the sun is shining and Spring can't be far away. I'm impatient for the cold weather to go and then I can stop feeling that I'm in a state of hibernation. In eight days time we'll be at the stadium to watch the Wales-France game and the excitement is growing.