Holidays and Sales

Funny how its worked out... 7 years today we bought our Van ''Bunty'' ..and today Bill was busy peeling off the plastic sign writing ready for her to be sold on to a home that will use her instead of her being stuck on the drive doing nothing.... We will be sad to see her go-- she has served us faithfully, never let us down once.. Will make a great camper van conversion or horse box conversion.. Will post up more photos  when she is cleaned right off and 12 months MOT on her...

We  are off in the morning on holiday down to Bude  Cornwall.. we are mixing business with pleasure as we will also be delivering  4 paintings to Angela, a collector of my work in nearby St Ives..  It will be the first time we have met, having always sent the paintings via courier previously, so we are looking forward to it very much.. We are spending 4 nights in Bude then travelling back up to Weston Super Mare for 2 nights there.. Looking forward to a relaxing time away with our friends... Lol, it can't be anything other than relaxing as I can't bloody walk anywhere..so lots of sitting on benches people watching for me..and looking forward to chilling with a glass off wine or two back at the caravan in the evening.

I can see why she has chosen the paintings she has... most  have a coastal theme to them!

It will be lovely to see where my paintings will be 'living'

Brown birches-one of my favourites!

Grand Sale

Well the sale was a great success...we raised £800 for the O'Connor  Haematology Unit at the RSH....which considering the weather was just brilliant! The weather was defiantly against us with the first week being torrential rain..and it wasn't much better the second week with lots of showers around..Bill was a true star-- covering everything up with plastic sheets and uncovering it all every morning.. he said it was like being on the market again!  We met some lovely people from all over -including a couple from Perth--who bought a 12in x 24in Stormy Poppies oil painting-- hope they got it back OK!!! It was going in hand luggage I think...Most of the tiny paintings went and the 10in x 12in paintings too.. Plus two 36in x 36in paintings.. The Swallow Falls on the far end of the stands went to a lovely couple up the road along with another 36in x 36in one called Waters Edge

The waterfall and the  orange landscape both sold too..

This one was painted by me in the first few moths of starting to paint..lovely to think its gone to a new home--

only a couple of these left now-- they flew off the tables..

This one sold to a chap who only called to pick up some tent pegs we were selling on a FB page... it was leaning against the marquee when he pulled up and he fell in love with it--again its a very early one! 36in x 36in. So we have made quite a bit of  storage room with the sale...

I only have a handful of greetings cards left, and I shall keep those for myself.. We have been selling everything off--the marquee has gone, fold up tables gone, display stands gone,, So we are getting the garage back quietly..Next thing to go will be the van... that will be a sad day, but we have no use for it any longer...Going to get 12 months MOT on it first, Bill will take off the vinyl sign writing and she will be for sale.. My Bill has worked so hard bless him... I'm as much use as a chocolate teapot when it comes to anything physical now.. so Bill has done it all..can never thank him enough.. I am going to be painting in a new style shortly-- it does not involve brushes and should be easier to do for me..watch this space...

Sue and Richards Workshop

After having 6 months rest I decided I would try a small workshop at home.. I had my perching stool to sit on  and lowered my easel to try and help my arms.. Extra steroids, Tramadol and a liberal coating of Volterol on arms and legs and I thought I was well prepared for it..!   Sue had never painted before and hubby Richard had painted with me once a few years ago..

Although Sue insisted she wasn't in the slightest 'artistic' she followed my instructions and soon had a lovely painting.. Richard had used acrylic last time so this was completely different for him.He too soon had a lovely painting on his easel.. The time went very quickly...but I soon realised that I wasn't yet well enough to teach.

Richard adding the finishing touches to his painting here..

Well done both of you! Lovely results!   It was lovely to be teaching again ,but there is no way I can carry on teaching this year anyway..           I was in agony   afterwards and could hardly move the next day--even with taking extra tablets. The specialist has tried me on Amitriptyline and now Pregabalin, neither of them have done much at all, except knock me out cold which is not good..so I am now looking at going back to teaching perhaps next year-- fingers crossed... In the mean time I will continue to put my work on my websites, and I will be starting some new works soon-- completely different to what I have been doing but will be easier on my arms,, watch this space..