Yoo hoo view...

I can't believe how amazing it is to have the scaffolding gone and my view from my studio table back again.  Of course I will be much less productive now as I will return to spending large chunks of time just gazing at the sky! :-))

I bought some new watercolour paint - Kuretake Gansai Tambi Graphite Colours - Japanese watercolour paints which are really lovely and very cheap!  result :-) I have the larger set with more traditional colours, but these graphite colours are very muted and I can't wait to paint with them.  They have a very clever little feature in that once they are dry, they can be buffed to a graphite lustre.  Interesting.  

Managed to do a colour swatch of them while I waited for my friend Fiona to arrive, with her mum Margaret and sister Lorraine.  Fiona has completed another painting commission for a well known client and friend, and had asked me to photograph it for printing, which I was happy to do.  Unfortunately I am not able to share it yet but hopefully I will soon.

Margaret has painful arthritis so while I was photographing Fiona's painting she and Fiona went into the pool in the hope the heat of the water and the buoyancy would bring her a little relief.  We had tea and cake once they were out again and I am delighted that she felt fantastic afterwards.  So much so she's now talking about playing golf tomorrow.  Not bad for an octogenarian! 

I was very organised and while we had tea and cake I finished editing the image and was able to send it to the printer before they left.  Fiona messaged me not long after they got home to say the printer had contacted her to say he had started the print run.   Relief all around as it has a tight deadline.

David was out at singing rehearsal, which has started again after the usual summer break.  First concert in over two and a half years coming up in September, which is a belated 40th anniversary of the group (should have taken place in 2020.)

It will be an emotional night as they are also celebrating the life of their musical director Ronnie who passed away just as the pandemic took hold and who was the founder and backbone of the group.  I am sure they will do him proud.

This evening I watched the introduction to the first exercise in Module B of my drawing course.  The subject is sunflowers and the medium is charcoal. I think I am going to really enjoy this, although not sure when I am going to fit it in!  

Tomorrow I am getting organised for Gail and LeeAnne coming on Thursday, then when they leave on Friday I will be preparing for John and Norma coming for the weekend and there is talk of a golf widow's lunch here on Monday (but that might not happen)  

I think I will have to be up very sharp tomorrow :D