Delurking briefly

From my current self-imposed internet exile to update you with the following.

1/ I have moved into my abstract period although I expect to be going back to representational work soon,

Acrylic on canvas. I did indeed have a specially big tube of magenta. I am going to hang this in the kitchen

Partner in the 'misery and drink in Prague' period, in his kaftan. The champagne bottle looked more phallic whatever I did so I gave up. When I write my own self-help book it will heavily feature why you should never get involved with anyone who has ever owned a kaftan. That will probably be the first chapter

2/ I have encountered a terrible new hazard on my morning cycle commutes which is more than a match for me, it is all very difficult,

Hello nervous cyclist. Our eye is upon you. We especially enjoyed you cycling through that fresh cow pat

3/ Please google and watch 'Henri the existential cat' who is on Youtube if you have not already done so as he is very funny,

4/ I want to recommend a book called The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron because it is brilliant. It is about getting over barriers to expressing yourself creatively and I think Partner and I are both hoping my ultimate creative expression is not going to express itself through enormous sculptures rather than, say, small pictures of daisies, but obviously we will have to see where we end up as I must be Untrammelled. I have got two caveats for you which might or might not be deal breakers: first, it is a self-help book, and I know self-help books are a bit naff. It is not as naff as it could be, but there is still a bit of bugger-I-am-reading-a-self-help-book cognitive dissonance you will have to get through. Where's the shame in that, though? If you're already so perfect that no improvement is possible then don't sit next to me, as Mae West didn't say. And secondly it talks about God, not in a way that it wants to convert you to Christianity, but, there is a lot of talk of a universal life-force, so, if that kind of thing irritates you (look, I'm a Pagan, I read books where you have to go dripping honey about as offerings for the Fae, I can cope with a bit of universal life-force) I am putting you on warning that you will find it annoying.

If you can get over the self-help God thing though I really think this book is good. I am forcing my brother Dan to buy it (have you ordered it yet Dan? Don't think I'm not going to check because I'm ringing you later), and what will Dan's ultimate creative expression be? I do hope it is not modern interpretative dance but then I am just being negative and Dan will be told how to deal with naysayers like me in Chapter 2.

5/ Have a lovely week, everyone. I am quiet but thinking of you all (and boring myself to death cutting out patchwork squares for a skirt). Enjoy the nice weather x