There is no choice

I had a day's leave today, but of course spent a couple of hours poring over student figures in the hope of avoiding people being made redundant - it was good news for some and the fat lady has not yet sung.

I then went, via a quick adjustment or three from the chiropractor, up Leith Walk to call on that excellent artist and blipper Stewart Bremner. I went to collect the painting that I had won in his great Giveaway. It was nice to see him and have a bit of a blether, mostly about the complex and irrational immigration rules imposed by the US and the UK.

It fascinates me that the painting looked quite different in colouration from the image I'd seen on the internet and of course it looked different again once it was in our flat and on the wall beside the wonky bookcase. It'll probably look different every day, which is how it should be. The light in our flat isn't very good (and made worse at the moment by huge, green, unproductive chilli plants on the windowsills!), but I think this a good place for it.

Stewart checked when he had painted it - Jan '11 - so it was easy to find the blip of him working on the graphite detail! It was so cold, he was wearing mittens....

Thanks for the cup of tea, SB - and the splendid painting.