Another day out the ordinary

Went into the hospital, a day earlier than scheduled, to have my willy tubes and bags removed. What a relief and no odd sensations, but have stripped and exposed my lower regions so many time in the last few weeks, what's another female playing around with it all. Apparently my five wounds - Is that the right term for the places I had laparascopic gear thrust into my belly have never looked better.

Now the degrading bit, panty pads and control management. Must get my pelvic floor exercises going again, but not easy when It hasn't been possible for two weeks and the need to wee was ignored - hell, there was a bag doing all that. Got a busy time ahead so will be practising.

I have at least got two gallery wrap canvasses prepared for a new commission of two paintings, using two photos in Nepal taken from the same spot, but on in daylight, the other at dusk. Not sure when I will start.

Cheque received yesterday for the watercolour I shipped up North last week. Relieved to hear it arrived safely.

Whiling the time

This is the watercolour I was working on last week. It's titled 'Off the Bend'.

The accursed Strictly Come Dancing is on the TV and it's finals night. My wife is not far off addicted to it and yes we have another TV in the house, but I thought I would write in here aiming to get some odd jobs out of the way, like live chat to Kodak Help who cleared my cartridge jam for me. It took 45 minutes but it cleared.

I am looking for good quality reference photos available to artists for use as subjects. My en plein aire sketch books provide wonderful references, like a note book or diary but in pen and ink, but sometimes one needs an extra layer from somewhere else to augment the scene. I think I found some, but of course the printer had jammed. Got them now and might start work tomorrow, after the present wrapping session my wife has planned.

I then checked a pal who lives in an awkward place in a local town, dominated by railway, who might know if there is foot traffic access from the end of his dead end (cul-de-sac) to the river which would give me a lovely loop for a run/walk I am planning for the Hash on Monday Jan 4th. Negative answer so think again.

Try to concentrate on the issue

I really wanted to blog yesterday and got in and then started to browse. Again I was led into art blogs, none stop, continuous feed and all well and interesting, but by the time I had to go for dinner, I hadn't written a damn thing.

Anyone know out there why that's what happens when I click on 'next blog' ? Haven't got time now myself as dinner will be calling, I am tired after writing loads of Christmas cards and there is a match on TV tonight which might grab my attention - if I concentrate.

S'funny that

I am a bit knackered as we have had the delightful (sometimes, as proved today) - Maddy our two and half year old grand Daughter. She is a real cutie and we look after her two days a week to let her mummy do a part time job. It's no hassle but it tires us out. However as I am in recovery still, she found it odd I couldn't hide and chase with her and lift and swing and all the things grand dads do. Then madam took her off to church to see our five year old grandson perform the school nativity (wonder if all the adults were vetted at the door?) It was peace for me, but she disgraced herself on leaving the church (Maddy, not madam) the latter virtually throwing her into the house in disgust. Can you imagine this cutie doing such a thing?

When I entered these hallowed halls this evening and started to browse using the next blog tit, I got a whole series of art blogs. Now why is that? That is my main interest these days, but why? Then I spotted I had to log in, where normally I am straight into this page, odd again, but that might be Googlemeister's security kicking in. Of course I could remember my password, trying one which bombed me out, so I got help and reloaded and here I am, but now I don't feel like contributing much.

Painting in progress

Nearly - I say nearly, as you never know until it's all dry. I have looked at the watercolour through a mirror, the so called classic test where you can see things wrong and yes, I did spot one part which needed a tweak. It's a scene of race horses at a gallop coming head on and meant to be an impression of speed and power, and not an accurate anatomical image. Therefore there are lots of areas where detail is left out. Some horse purists have a go when they see this sort of thing, but I sell 'em so what's the problem?

It's like when I do my steam train paintings, some of the buggers try and count the rivets on the boiler! I ask you?

I had a visit from the district nurse this morning and was impressed. He was early, pleasant and helpful ( about male incontinence products which I need for two weeks). He is ordering some extra bits and pieces for me. I wouldn't have minded if the nurse had been female, I don't have hangups about that sort of thing, I have been seen naked in front of very large groups of people in my time, part of an act you understand. Tell you about it one day, the hidden broom figures.

Inspiration

I watched the film Julia and Julie last night and was enthralled. I am not into cooking, in fact I have difficulty finding the kitchen in our small house. Luckily madam loves to cook and I love to eat.

The film did inspire me to do more in the blog. It's many years since I kept a diary and this won't be one, but I think there are enough interesting, daft or rude things going on my daily grind which maybe worth writing about.

Ref the film, didn't Streep make a wonderful characterisation of Julia Childs? That warbling voice - just delicious.

Wee bits continue, although a cold has crept into the scene, so my snozzle is like a tap and every sneeze really hurts inside. I wonder if it is pulling at internal stitches.

I am going to try and continue with a watercolour painting I started yesterday of racehorses. It is like several I have completed and sold and as I aim to do much more painting in the new year, that subject seems like a nice money spinner. I need the funds as the Numpties who run Southampton City Council are terminating my annual contract in March. A much loved part time job which pulls in the princely sum of £6000pa is being scrapped, but they are appointing a new Director of PR at £87k having spent £400k with outside consultants advising them on the appointment.

Good news this morning on opening my messages is that my remaining painting of the three I submitted to a current exhibition in Winchester is to be sold (That's it above)

Need to organise things as I can't drive since the op.

See ya'

Wee bits

Having just returned from hospital minus a prostate gland which proved malignant but contained, I think in my recuperating period of about a month, I will visit the blog more often. The laparascopic (keyhole) surgery went to plan on Wednesday 9th Dec in Royal County, Winchester (where else?)

I would have liked to have seen and maybe shown you the awkward little bastard, but maybe I should have asked the surgeon first. Apparently it's about the size of a conker with a hole through, as if for the string, but actually rings the urethra.

So now I have a bag attached to my leg which collects my wee wee and needs emptying at a rate of a hundred times a day it seems like. This will be in place until Christmas, when my main present is to have it removed together with the tube up my willy draining my bladder. Too much info maybe.

For a week prior to going in for the op, I was instructed by a delicious young Nigerian physio on how to exercise my pelvic floor muscles. Now bear in mind that these are the same muscles a chap uses to stimulate an erection, so while I was trying them out opposite this chick who insisted on looking at my crotch during the trial, it was an odd experience - but I managed.

Over 24 hours at home, certain occurances make me think there is a niche market for the aftermath of this op or any others where a bag is necessary. More later.....

Grumpy ripped off at Giverny

I didn't want to go to Monet's gardens in the first place. I hate looking round gardens and the wife knows this, but we had some time to kill last Thursday before making our way to Calais and home. Yes - I am an artist but I have read all about old Claude and seen his masterpieces and the pictures at Giverny are not the originals anyway.

To keep the peace and with nothing better to contend with we found the place just a kilo or two from Vernon. Not difficult due to the traffic and hoardes of people. The car park leads you to this impressive modern building and you queue to pay 4€ (anciennes ie wrinklies rate) entrance. OK good deal I thought, then you follow the queue round a sort of museum/gallery and out again. Of course you have to see the famous gardens, water lilies included so you follow the crowd down a lane to the entrance to the garden.

Ah ha! Pay again, 12€ each and no concessions. I had a right go at the Frog lady behind the screen, knowing I wouldn't get anywhere and paid up. At least I had satisified myself showing displeasure at being there and the wife not liking a scene as she calls it.

The house and gardens are OK but crowded and full of old people who are regardless of any other folk on the narrow paths and stop and hee haw for ever. I managed a shot of the place to satisfy Madam and one of her on the bridge. I like the incongruous inclusion of the artic truck in the background as it rumbled past on the main road. Then I managed to extricate us.

Rip off compounded by the fact that his atelier is now the shop!

Something from the Shining (so I am told)

We hashed at The Bramble Hill Hotel yesterday with H4 and what a hidden gem this 'could' be. An amazing rambling pile in exquisite gardens just out of Bramshaw. My wife and I used to drink there in the early days of our marriage. Before the drink driving thing came into being, but that's another story of what we did in those days. One of the guys whose jaw dropped on arriving, he lives not far away and didn't know it existed, said it resembled something from The Shining, which I know is a film but I haven't seen it. I suppose on a dark and stormy night, you would think twice about venturing up its long narrow rhododendron hedged drive and knocking timidly on the door.

Whilst they warned that a lot of hashers would turn up the didn't gear up and the bar service was abyssmal. I got there first and had no problem. It was the hottest day in the year so far and we all opted for the garden, but once again they had not geared up for any visitors regardless of us. One or two cheap plastic tables and chairs, no parasols. It spoiled the ambience and you could tell by the disappointed reaction of folk turning up for their Sunday lunch.

Apparently it is owned and operated by a genteel old dear and only opens 3 days a week, so I suppose she ain't going to spend much on the place. Pity.

Look it up if you fancy a good (by all accounts) Sunday lunch and maybe a room.

A feelgood gesture

In my part time occupation I work with a 27yr old girl sometimes. We know she is a camper and likes Rufus Stone but yesterday I found out she is a LandRover fan and also goes to steam rallies with her dad who has a 52 Series 1 Landy. Apparently last weekend she was helping him fix the steering on it, so they could go to a steam/vintage vehicle rally near Winchester, one which I would be attending if it wasn't for the drinking and running weekend we have planned and paid for.

As I sketched an old Landy on my outdoor painting session on Monday, I have given it to her today as an present. She was quite chuffed and gave me a hug. Hmm! Let's see what else I can give her.

Jobs/Chores/DIY?

Got to paint the kitchen now the plaster has been repaired. The paint is purchased, the roller and tray are in the garage, dust sheets ready - but I am not! As usual with all things DIY I hate them and am crap with my hands, but have done all of it over 40 odd years of marriage.

The shower tray needs resealing in the bathroom which is above the kitchen (that's why I had to remove some kitchen ceiling and now have to paint it). When we installed the new walk-in shower cubicle, I followed the instructions in the box correctly for the tray. When the plumber and I tried to install the glass walls, they wouldn't fit. A lot of moaning at B&Q finally got the manufacturers to admit they had supplied the wrong fitting details and they sent a fitter to overcome the problem at their cost plus a significant compensatory settlement. That certainly worked aesthetically, but practically it is not satisfactory. The plastic tray flexes, not with our combined weight I would add and as it isn't fitted correctly the silicone gradually loses its grip on the tiles and I fear water ingress at points. So I reckon about every 3 years I am going to have to do this.

Stuff today

Been quite busy instead of lounging around today. I would like to decorate the kitchen, but first I had to determine if the shower was leaking from the bathroom above. So I had to bash two holes in the kitchen ceiling and expose all the gubbins underneath. It has been damp, you can see a touch of rust on some nails and some discoloured plasterboard, but a fair time ago and all dry now - good news.

Now I have to repair or get someone in to do the job - I hate and bodge DIY, but it shouldn't be expensive. The next phase is the paintwork but that's easy, the kitchen walls are all cupboards and tiles and I can reach virtually all of the ceiling from the floor as it's low. Then..I need to rout out the silicone seal round the shower screen and reseal it, because it looks a bit dodgy and madam is reminding me of it. That's a messy slow job using a silicone eater jelly and a Stanley knife and it must stay dry and then the shower can't be used for a day or two. Oh well down to the children's houses for a washup.

This is a work I did at my mate David's palatial studio on Wednesday.

Its using 4 acrylic inks plus acrylic white on cartridge paper using an old credit card on the edge for all lines. Under the colours are several pieces of newsprint to add texture and interest. This roughly follows the technique perfected by Ray Davis in our art group. I used a ref pic from an art mag which was a very good oil painting on the bar Pickle Barrel, in Chattanooga.

Reluctant gardeners world

Because I tried to smarten up the lawn before we went skiing by mowing for the first time this year, I found that the moss was so thick and dominant, the mower struggled to cope. I decided at that time to let a LawnFeed moss killer do some work whilst we were away. Back home a week later I could see it had left a lot of blackened areas as it should but still not a total jobby, so I was resolved to a 2nd bash at it in about 4 weeks time. However last Thursday, we tried to rake the grass or what was left of it, but damn! that is hard work, blisters would have risen and shoulders would have frozen, so we stopped.

The cost of hiring a scarifier and an aereator was horrendous and madam said no way are we spending that on a lawn. I then remembered one of my more wealthy friends... you know the ones with ride on mowers and every gadget going. Sure 'nuff - old JT had a scarifier he could loan me and would bring it to the club at Romsey that night. Having lashed him 2-1 at snooker (maybe I should have let him win) but the rich old bugger had come out without money so I was already funding him his beers, we transferred this cute little domestic level electric Qualcast from a large 4x4 boot to a small Peugeot 3 door back shelf.

I went at it all Friday, the little machine struggling with not a big back yard as the yanks would call it. It took about 15 passes, 8 bags full of dead stuff plus the thatch and a trip to the local dump. It really needed an industrial job, but madam had said no. Anyway, I didn't burn the machine out and it now sits waiting for another, hopefully less demanding bash in a few weeks.

In the bloody meantime!!!! having driven to Romsey the previous night, I noticed the car starting to blow like a stock car or boy racer would love, but not a little 206 French family motor. Did I wake the neighbours up at 11.30pm Thursday night? I knew not or cared 'cos I was so pissed off with cars this week. Kwikfit kindly informed me I need a complete new exhaust system including the catalytic mon dieu!! Also one new tyre immediately and two more should be changed next month. As if I was made of money.

Looking forward, Live for today

Planned a lot of our holidays already this year. Ferry to France and back booked for the campervan and a weekend at a brass band festival on the Loire, then on on to near La Rochelle to join the family at their beach campsite for a week. After they have gone home, we will roam up through France for a week to embark from Calais.

Bloody motors

Had the campervan booked in for a minor body repair - no, not a little bump on my behalf, but a fatigued broken bracket that holds the wrap around of the rear bumper. Took the bus home using my free bus pass of course, after dropping the van off and on arriving back at the ranch, Carole announced she was off to the library and shops in the Peugeot. Seconds later she asked me to listen to 'orrible noises and I did. The front of the little car seemed ill on small reversing and forward tests and undriveable and the pain was down in the wheel arches, like as if the brakes had jammed on. In the end I had to call recovery, who declared broken coil spring and lucky it didn't break on the motorway coming back from Gatwick as it could have gone into the tyre. They took me to our usual mechanic. No problem, will get the part and do it tomorrow. OK.

Madam then used her bus pass to do her trip, we are on a very convenient couple of routes. I had to cancel my dental checkup appointment (bus not suitable).

She returned, the phone rang, the Peugeot was fixed and the van was too. Luckily the latter garage had sent a driver for me, so we both went, the two garages being about two minutes apart.

We got home with two repaired motors and a total bill of £150.00 !!!!

Bloody motors.

Blast! Dammit! and what a cock up

Doing all the things you do on back from hols, like unpacking, catching up on emails and viewing the photos, only to find the latter is impossible as they are not there. How can I have deleted them without knowing? I didn't reformat the card, I did delete some earlier ones from months back but not the whole damn bunch of this holiday. They did include some rather good action shots, party stuff as well of course and just the odd one or two colourful pics of us having a little drinkie poo on some sunny mountain restaurant terrace. Can't even prove I was there now.

Try something else

Thought I would try posting one of my pictures. This is hot off the easel and still wet. A little oil titled "Come on Robert" based on holiday and garden photos of family, but entirely composed by myself. I will give it to my son and his wife as a present. Awwww! People will say that's not like that mercenary old cynic.

Another thing to try

Blogging for the first time. Just back from a ski trip with my lovely missus and finding it hard to adjust as everyone does after a holiday. Only a week in Claviere on the Milky Way circuit in Italy, with a one day step over the border into France. We tried a second day having liked it so much and the Frogs refused us entry. I argued saying I did not have a broom secreted about my person, but they said pay up or go back - so we said up yours mon merde and we did.