Go on smile, we're trying our best to keep cheerful in these times of constant bad news. Anyway, we had a lovely shed night, talked to our friends on the phone, and survived another week. Here is my artwork of the week, the subject being Marine/Nautical.
I think you can tell my inner mood from these two paintings. Anyway, next week the subject is 'food' so shouldn't be so depressing.
Generally we manage to stave off the blues and keep each other going, plus I had two Zoom sessions with my poet friends this week and that was very pleasurable.
Our Shedcast was a little crazy, but it was what it was:
Hello everyone, Well the snow went and the rain came, storm Christof brought high winds and flooding to some parts of Yorkshire, but luckily we live on a hill and apart from the ground being a bit waterlogged we were not affected. Today we have blue skies though there are a few clouds about and it is still very cold.
The Covid virus is still raging through Britain and the hospitals are now under great stress. People are dying at a rate of well over 1000 per day, and still there are reports of large gatherings for weddings, parties, and even funerals. The police are now handing out heavy fines whenever they happen on these events.
The vaccine is being rolled out at a fast rate, up to date 5 million people have received their injection. So, we hope and pray that this will begin to show results in the next few weeks.
David and I have kept ourselves busy this week with our respective projects, my art and music and David's reading and gardening. I did catch him up his ladder pruning the tree with his old saw and I was glad when he'd finished that little job, the last thing we need now is a fall. But he's safe and sound (well almost sound) and the tree looks much better.
I did a bit of baking yesterday, making bread is a very earthy thing to do, and it tasted delish too. My tin is full of chocolate tray bake so we are all set for the week ahead.
The art project went well, 'Childhood Memories' it was good to revisit a time, long ago, when I used to work the bellows for my granddad, Joe Royston, who was a blacksmith. I remember my mum once saying, if Jane had been a boy she would have been a blacksmith. That would not have mattered these days would it?
Down the pub - The Art House
All together in The Art House
Garlic Bread a la Jane
Childhood Memories
We will be back next week, God willing, so until then,
Well, it's been a very creative week what with painting, song writing, an afternoon poetry workshop on Zoom, a bit of reading, and, what seemed like, a lot of cooking, so today I am going to try to relax and hopefully play my cello.
The heavy snowfall we had a couple of days ago is still on the footpaths, but the road is clear. Today we have blue skies, so fingers crossed there will be no more snow. It is very cold outside, however the house is toasty warm.
I think the best news of the week is the vaccine roll out, already more than 3 million people have had the jab. David should get his in a couple of weeks. Of course the bad news is the terrible rise in deaths, last week saw over 1,000 people a day taken by this terrible virus, and word is that the next ten days will be even worse. So, the message is to stay at home unless you have to go to the supermarket, doctor's, or for exercise. Of course some people have to work, they can't all work from home, they are heroes, the NHS workers, the supermarket workers, dustbin people, delivery drivers, police men and women, teachers of Keyworkers' children, etc. May they all keep safe.
So, with one eye on keeping alive, and the other on the developing events in America with the inauguration ceremony of Joe Biden coming up next week, and the National Guard standing ready after Trump followers ran riot and stormed the Capitol building, it should prove to be an interesting week.
A big HUG from us both. Well, it's been a week what with Covid-19 going off the scale, and Trump whipping up his mob to storm the Capitol Building in Washington, not to mention a few hold ups at Dover due to new Brexit paperwork. It's enough to drive you to drink. We were just on the verge of cancelling our monthly wine order when things began to look a bit grim again. 1,325 deaths in the UK during the last 24 hours, that's over a thousand a day for the past three days and the word is that it will get worse during the next two weeks. Heaven help the hospital staff.
Good news! The vaccine is being rolled out at a good pace and we should all look forward to better days come the summer. I say well done to Boris and his team, they have all had a lot of criticism but who knows who could have handled this crisis any better. At least the opposition have backed him up and put aside their Boris bashing on the point of a lockdown.
Painting project of the week this week was 'The Year Ahead' here is my interpretation:
An imaginary highland scene
The Year Ahead - is it sucking us in, or spewing us out?
And this is us about to head out into the snow for our daily walk.
So to our weekly Shedcast - it really is just our way of getting through the loneliness of lockdown,
We shall be back in the shed next week, God willing and a good supply of bevvy. Till then, keep safe and keep smiling.
So now let's just get on with it and make 2021 the best year ever. It's up to us after all to choose to be happy and not grumpy, but sometimes 'grumpy' feels so good. The main thing is that we don't allow it to last very long. On that note I am beginning this 'New' year with special optimism. There is food in the larder, we have a lovely warm house, and our very special shed, plus family and friends whom we love and know love us. And the icing on the cake - the birds are singing in our garden!
Happy New Year to everyone!
My art project this week is - The Year Ahead so that's a challenge to keep me occupied. Last week I produced a painting of our son, David Jnr, I am quite pleased with it, though I know it could do with more work, but I am learning all the time, and really enjoy splashing the paint about.
Meanwhile, David is already on his third book since Christmas.
We shall be taking a breath of air today, before settling down to watch The Greatest Showman on TV.
