windscreen woes

The farmer was heading home in his trusty tractor the other day when he heard a sound akin to a gun discharging. A monster crack galloped across his tractor screen! There was no guilty passing car, and he could think of no reasonable explanation for this catastrophe. He made his way home, and put a full roll of gaffer tape to good use to secure the inner surface. Then, he removed the offending screen. Now awaiting the replacement.

I meant to tow my elderly (and frankly 'past it') tourer to Brigg today, to be auctioned away to its final destination. However, the terrible weather forecast discouraged me, and instead I finished cleaning the little Louth house, and interviewed another prospective tenant. Progress of sorts.

 

The appendix-less emergency NHS patient continues to improve now that the trouble causing organ has been surgically removed! The Baby boy has pushed off to Leicester to sit his final exams and the Big boy is also mid-exams, and additionally preparing for his China visit. Injections, visas, insurance.... you know the necessities!

 

We are anxiously trying to secure some rural Chartered Surveying experience for the Baby boy during this summer. Its proving a tad more difficult than anticipated. He has an interview in the middle of June, and several CV/emails being considered. He wanted 'Big Firm' experience if possible - beggars, however, cannot be choosers. Hoping he is lucky.

 

Off to work tomorrow morning (!!!) and then flying to Louth to interview another possible tenant, and also give access to a window replacement company. Its all go.

 

The farmer and I have put some eggs under a broody chicken today. This is quite a climb down from the 'not hatching any eggs' position we have taken since the Big Boy hotfooted it to Uni. Quite special eggs though. We have put 3 PEACOCK eggs under the hen! Oh, I do hope they hatch. Can't wait to see what she makes of them. Fingers (and toes) crossed for happy outcome.

 

Bought some kangaroo steaks today to feed to the old peeps at the weekend. Something else to look forward to! As they rub their hands and anticipate their usual Sunday Roast feast I shall be frying off the 'roo steaks to serve with salad and rosti potatoes. I feel a large offering of puddings may be required.

 

Have I thought about Art since I finished skool? No. Do I feel guilty? Yes. A bit. As soon as I find a bit of spare time I shall open a book/pick up a pencil. Perhaps.

 

Yours in procrastination - X

 

 

Good Old Grantham Hospital and the wonderful, marvellous NHS

We basked like sharks on a glorious day yesterday, in the warm sunshine,  Bank Holiday Sunday, pottering around with the horse. Baby Boy chopped two crates of firewood and we were all looking forward with anticipation to fulfilling a BBQ invitation early evening. Step forward fate. A much loved visitor, on their way to enjoy the balmy climes of the East Coast, was overwhelmed with pain, and paid an emergency visit to Grantham Hospital. Much ado later the traveller was blue lighted away to a larger NHS facility, and the trusty car piloted in hot pursuit by a Boy, leaving yours truly to wend her 10pm way home clasping McDonald's finest coffee and 'calories in a box'. Hoping that today brings us news of successful surgery, a miraculous recovery time, and other good things.

Home news: the tenant in the cottage where the neighbour has been sooooooooo difficult is moving out today. So, later we shall check him out, and put another advert for a new tenant in the window. Hoping I can find someone who will be less objectionable to Mrs Difficult next door. There's a challenge. The Wonderhorse will be ambling out again this morning  (second day on the trot -  excuse the pun - ) in this amazing sunshine accompanied by yours truly.

So, for now, adieu, I'll bring more news shortly - x

Call to WOMEN OF COURAGE AND VALOUR..............

Well, here is the appeal for help and assistance once again

And, here is the sketched impression of the finished product.

 

If you have the courage to do this, print it, and send it to me at Church Farm. ANONYMOUSLY.

 

In September, at Art College, I want to draw this imagery with as much skill and delicate beauty as I can muster, large drawings, probably in coloured pastels, and also charcoal and chalk, maybe as much as 6ft tall. The drawings are going to suck you in, make you stare and wonder.... is it that? Is it really that? Can it be so beautiful? Can they be so different?

 

However, without my own file of imagery I shall have to steal images from the internet, which I really, really, do not want to do. Obviously the finished drawings will be unrecognisable even from original photography, so I am not concerned that I might be contacted about copyright, I just have a wish that my model imagery is mine alone, and donated by anonymous  volunteers WHO MUST BE OVER 18 YEARS OF AGE.

 

I have two wonderful, glorious and courageously submitted images already, and, of course, I can add my own, making three - but I wanted five, or six (or even more).

 

Do you know anyone who might be brave enough? Is this appeal for a photograph something you could talk about to other women? Ask yourself this: why are we so uncomfortable thinking about our vulval area? Why do we squirm with embarrassment and revulsion? Why don't we look at it? And, more to the point, why do we not celebrate it and all it represents?

 

I want my final year at art college to ask these questions, and more, representatively, through my work. And, once again, you can help.....

 

I know its a big ask. I know. XXXXX

 

Here's hoping.

More neighbour nasties

I have a tiny cottage in Louth, which has been let for 4 months to a very nice young man. Sadly, the next door neighbours seem to be determined to dislike him, and do him harm. There has been a cycle of increasingly exaggerated texts to me, from the neighbours, telling outright fibs, which peaked yesterday in a flurry of hysterical messages advising me what an awful landlady I am, what a waste of space I am, and how they were going to the Police today. Well. I got to the Police Station first this morning, armed with a transcript of all these wretchedly emotional texts, and I was swiftly followed by my tenant, who was actually assaulted yesterday morning by the husband of this pair of horrors.

They will now receive some sort of official action from the Police, and I shall be off to my Solicitor to commission a 'do not contact by any method' letter shortly. I need this letter to be on the newly created incident file at the Station. Then, when they contact me again, the very nice Policeman should go round and give her a warning for me too.

I do hope that she now settles down, and doesn't try to escalate her behaviour to even greater heights of aggressiveness. Life's too short.

We attended Dore Gentlemen's Club Annual Ladies Dinner at the weekend. We didn't get to bed until after 3am (oooohhhhhh, late for us!!!!) and the remainder of the weekend is a complete blur owing to the shock of going without a night's sleep! Toooo old for all that!!! Actually, I think there are a few photos on my camera, must have a look when I have a moment.

Baby boy has taken his first final exam. Waiting for him and the lovely D to arrive, from Leicester, for further revision and study in preparation for the next torture - whoops, I mean exam.

There don't just seem to be quite enough hours in the day at the moment, and I have a list of stuff to do that is very long, and varied. Hoping that later in the week the clock will slow its speedy and inexorable circling of the dial, and I shall have time to draw breath and get organised.

And, as an added irritant, I have a blasted stone chip on the car front screen. Drat and double drat. Must find time to get that repaired/glued/patched? I have no idea, but it needs doing. Putting it on the list...........

kiss, kiss XX

jumping and horse whispering

A busy weekend. After the amazing success of the pop-up restaurant outing on Friday, we took the lovely D and young H, with Skipper and Bobbi, to Field Farm Cross Country course. They had an interesting time, the weather was blustery and Skipper revealed a morbid fear of jumping over holes in the ground/dykes. We shall overcome this by placing his breakfast on the other side of a 'coffin' jump every day at home, and have constructed the hazard already. He will be jumping for his breakfast. Both equines jumped very successful clear rounds over a show jumping course (which was a bit of a revelation to Skipper in itself) and we wended our tired and sweaty way home in the late afternoon. In our absence the baby boy purchased a new mattress and made his bed...... now that was a surprise!

The water complex

Bobbi, who today jumped ONE METRE 15 cm!!!!!

D. and Skipster (just getting the hang of it)

It was a long day for an unfit young man......

 

Today, having constructed the coffin jump, D. and I made our way into Skipper's paddock. He was laying down and watched us approach through sleepy eyes. I hung back. D. had a remarkable interaction with Skipper which I was delighted to witness (and photograph).

 

 

 

 

I feel a bit like a divorced wife. I watched these two canoodling for about 30 minutes. I think there must be something going on................ I shall keep my eye on my boy and hide the suitcases!

 

I'm afraid all this excitement caught up with yours truly today, and I have had a loooonnnngggg nap this afternoon. Joy.

 

Sleepily yours. X

 

 

owlishly clever

This is a female owl. She's not dead. We watched her swoop down straight into a dyke side. She paused there (and I took my photo). Then, with a great flap of her wings she rose into the air clasping a MOLE! She had ferretted it out from beneath the tangled grasses. In the mad scramble after my first photograph I missed all other opportunities to snap the evidence. Sorry! It was an amazing moment though/ Absolutely memorable.

Happy hunting! X

supperwithrosie

Check out supperwithrosie on facebook. A pop-up restaurant in Louth, Lincolnshire, cooking one Friday and one Saturday evening per month in a private (and sumptuous) home setting. Absolutely, taste tinglingly amazing. There was an excellent feature about it in this month's Lincolnshire Life with rave reviews which were absolutely spot on.  Heartily recommend. X

mmmmmoles and my art......

So, I know that summer is here, because every time I step onto the lawn another mole-hill has risen through the greensward. I try not to worry about them, I like moles, I think they do a great job etc, etc. However, there are acres and acres of weed strewn land around this tiny garden - and it does annoy me a teeny bit that Mr Mole chooses the trimmed and mowed lawn rather than the wasted land around it. I have tried mole-scarers, oil, mole pellets and moth-balls. I shall continue to calmly rise above it all, even as Mr Mole tries my patience!

 

My prolific and multiplying amaryllis has begun her cycle of flowering again. Two spikes at maturity just now. Expecting more flower spikes later in May. In the summer she will need splitting out and her enormous babies potting on (again). Any volunteers for new homes for her offspring are more than welcome to collect a potted up bulb. Please let me know. Last year's babies are all flowering now, and I hope they prove to be as indestructible and generous with their flowerings as the mothership bulb. I think I have had the original bulb for about 20 years. She goes on and on. She lives in a 40 cm pot in the utility room, in full sun, and once every few years I change her soil. She is generous with her rewards. I confess that I do have a chat with her most mornings. Is this what keeps her going strong?

And so. This is one of my three final Art College pieces. Yes, it is what you think it is. Carefully mounted and framed, I shall be delivering it to college, and hanging it for marking tomorrow. The other two pieces are the 'clock' (photo to follow) and the huge fabric sculpture representing female genital mutilation.  I shall take a bunch of photos of my studio space tomorrow when its all hung/displayed together. Everything else I have produced and made is shoved into a giant plastic folder and called Developmental Studies (30% of the marks). My Art Shed is absolutely overflowing with 'developmental studies' and I think that this time next year will see a gigantic art bonfire in the yard. If there's anything you might like to have in your home bespeak it during the next 12 months or it will be ash.

 

James had a surprise lady visitor last night, whom he was delighted to see, of course. As a result of his success he is paying for the Farmer and me to go out for dinner on Friday. James' treat! What a good dog. Fingers crossed for a happy outcome in 8 weeks time.

 

The yellow horse has had a couple of strolls out with me aboard this week. We were accompanied on our last outing by the Farmer and his bike, and all three of the hounds. It was an interesting attempt at a dog walking exercise. The spaniels thought it was heaven as they got to explore miles of dykes and other people's hedgerows, the poodle thought it would have been easier to sit in the saddle with me. We managed about 4 miles with a modicum of harmony, however, think it was all a bit too stressful to be repeated.

sunshine all day....

my lovely little peahen on the shed roof against today's bright blue, clear sky. I sat/laid in the garden (on and off) for almost 6 hours...... the sunshine was glorious, hot and constant, and a very, very slight breeze prevented me from roasting to death. It was an extravagant and selfish way to spend the bank holiday, and I LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT!

f*nny clock face....

the 'f*nny clock' face is now made, a 50cm diameter wooden circle, covered in rich, red felt, with long black hands and fully functional (of course). Off to college tomorrow to attach my 12 porcelain do-dahs as numerals. Have to confess that the farmer has been instrumental in its completion, wielding the motorised sawing thing like a demon, also drilling holes and assembling the clock mechanism. I am absolutely delighted with it. Hoping against hope that the pottery kiln is baking away tonight so that the tiny lady-parts emerge, glazed and gorgeous, tomorrow. Fingers crossed.

lovely lady

*screams* ANOTHER IMAGE HAS ARRIVED! As gloriously beautiful and perfect as the first, I shall call it Empress. Oh yeah!