The boys

I decided to bring Harry a very intellectual present this time. Ergo, drinking glasses.




Tom is too young for drinking glasses. He likes his bevvies in a bottle.

Weekend in Brighton

We have a good system for my visits to Brighton. I drive down on Friday afternoon stopping at M&S food shop on the way. I pick up food for dinner - not exactly ready meals but definitely easy prep. The boys go to bed at 6 and 7. We eat at 8, half an hour of Corrie and we are in bed by 9. This is not only desirable, it is essential because Boy 1 is up at 6AM and doesn't understand the concept of a lie-in or even a slow start. He needs his cereal and he needs it NOW. I have to get it just right - the correct bowl, and the amount of cereal to put in it. He seems able to judge it by the flake. When we have cereal in bowl, I pour on the milk and it has to be blue milk (full fat). Then it is time for spoon choice. He has various coloured plastic spoons all of which have to be got out and lined up. Is this a pink spoon morning? green? yellow? Only Harry knows and only Harry chooses. I then slouch around with a cup of coffee while he wolfs down the cereal. We take a break then to build train tracks before coming back for toast. By then, Tom is awake and having his first pint of the day. All this early activity is nice for me because I then so appreciate my own schedule when I'm back at home.

20 Days

That's how many days I haven't written my blog and I know you regulars are missing it! I haven't even finished the two watercolours I started on my last trip to Earnley. They are sitting in the shed/studio waiting for me to find the time to work on them. Ha Ha. That should read waiting for me to stop wasting time wool gathering and ruminating. My TV watching is all up to date it's just the writing and painting that suffer. Of course now I have the short day excuse. Don't ask me how that excuse works because I do have electricity. Anyway, I thought it was time to update this blog.

My back garden is covered in fallen leaves. The colour is a good red/orange/brown but they need to be removed and it is a big job. I could ruminate while I rake but luckily it's raining today. Also I have a couple of people coming for part of a lunch. This is a friend I met at BK and she and I and Kathleen are having lunch today - main course at Kathleen's followed by pudding at mine. Kathleen and I live next door to each other so we don't have to take a bus to get from fish pie to apple crumble.

I'm having dinner tonight with one of my local councillors. She has become a good friend. On Friday I go to Brighton for a weekend with the boys. Apparently Tom is mobile now so they have put him in a cage (a playpen) but Harry delights in announcing that it's time for Tom Tom to go in the cage. Harry will be four in about three weeks so he needs a birthday present. I suggested to his mother that I would buy him an electric car, the kind you ride in, but she vetoed this without a second thought. I'm disappointed because I always wanted one of those when I was a kid. Oh well.

Earnley again

I had another excellent watercolour course at Earnley today. I had to go because the place is closing next month and I needed a final shot of bed, food and first rate course. The drawback was driving home this evening in the rain, the dark, the rush hour traffic and only a hazy sense of direction. Actually, I followed the route perfectly and arrived home at 7PM. Of course I was exhausted so I meandered down to the Dong Dong for a glass of wine and a plate of noodles. I love that place - cheap and friendly. Thank god it's not closing. I still resisted doing pictures of fairies and dragons and concentrated on the techniques. I'm working on two pictures, one of Rosie sitting on a lion and one of Harry jumping. I shall post them when they are finished.