Happy New Year

I'd like to wish all readers a very Happy New Year indeed. May 2009 be filled with light and colour, inspiration and creation, health and happiness, warmth and love. I'd like to leave you (once again) with this lovely quote from T. S. Eliot: For last year's words belong to last year's language. And next year's words await another voice. And to make an end is to make a beginning.

More filming

Although we haven't fully finished the editing work on our first DVD - we thought we'd push ahead and film the second DVD anyway. We made sure our schedules gave us a full free day, with no interuptions. We managed to film everything we needed and even had a couple of tea breaks in between. We have learned so much from the first film - all sorts of little things that make a big difference. Having my kitchen roll already torn into strips saves time, having a soft covering on top of my easel platform stops the sound of the brushes being laid down. I'm sure we'll still be learning new things when we are on film number 20 !

Back to normal

Christmas must be well and truly over - the letterbox rattled this morning and I was pleased to receive an invitation to take part in a Spring exhibition. Plus, the confirmation for a week long solo exhibition has been received, this will take part in the late summer. I've already been working on paintings for the solo exhibition and am just over halfway there with new content. Good job I have too, as these events soon come around.

Days off?

Even on days off, it's never really a proper day off, (thank goodness). Today, whilst shopping for my very last minute bits, I bumped into a student of mine, who promptly booked herself into a class in the New Year. When I returned home, I had a quick coffee break in front of the PC and checked my e-mails. Some last minute orders had been sent in and they are now packaged up ready for posting. The phone rang - another 2 bookings for a February class. It's nice to juggle the non-painting side of business in with the Christmas preparations. In a mad last minute decision, I thought I'd really get ahead of myself so I have an easy day tomorrow. So - the bird is now cooked, ready for carving. The sausage/bacon rolls are cooked also and the stuffing balls have been made and they're cooked too. The table has been fully laid and looks a treat. The white wine is chilling and the after dinner mints are cooling in the fridge too. The icing on the Christmas cake has hardened nicely, my containers groan with mince pies, cheese scones, buns, fruit cake, sausage rolls and biscuits with reserves in the freezer. With 4 days of entertaining ahead of us we're looking forward to every minute.