These Days

I've been good. I've done next to nothing other than work towards the exhibition, but my progress has been slow.

Though I'm not sure of my views on posting pics of work before the exhibition opens, most exhibitions I'm involved in takes place in Nelson, and most of you are not in Nelson, so I figured a sneak peek of bad pics won't do harm.

The postcard series was finished tonight. I am pleased with these, though there were dinks and nicks on the frame I hadn't noticed until recently.

I managed two woven pieces but I don't know how I feel about them. I hope to do three or four more and then choose the best three or four. These two are temporarily/loose fitted into the frame just to see what they are like. On a good day, I can do one of these; sometimes they take two or three days. There is one other work I'd really like to do, on the "I hate Getting Old" theme; I'm not sure if I'll get there, but if I can, it'll be such a "typically me" work we can laugh out loud together. Promise.

I miss weaving on days when ideas don't flow, but when I know what I want to do I can concentrate, even enjoy. Watercolor is still a bad, most difficult medium, but still I think I am making baby-steps progress.

Dear Simon has been keeping me company; I must have watched all eight episodes at least three times; Van Gogh, David and Rothko many more. I also found the Bernini episode interesting; while Mr Schama extols the artistic merit of Bernini, I prefer Boromini's aesthetics.

When drawing/painting wasn't going well, I was also feeling terribly defeated by our moderately bad health, a string of perceived bad luck, and NZ politics. But a new exercise, where Ben pull my right leg five times every night, has worked and yesterday I climbed up the stairs without stopping and resting for the first time in ages; today, I walked normally for most of the time we were in town, getting more paper.

Tomorrow Sam. Annabelle and I meet to iron out more admin stuff. From Monday to Thursday I work on the woven pictures. On Friday we get interviewed and photographed by the local newspaper arts editor.

Saturday and Sunday, our friend and his friend visit Nelson. His scarf will have to wait until the Northern winter, but like some of you, we've known him since we started the Nelson photo blog nearly eight years ago. And we are thrilled. We foraged for tiny New Zealand- and Nelson-made pressies so I can put together a tiny welcome basket. Ben and I are making a list of things to do in town on Saturday, in the wider region on Sunday, and another of good cafes and things to cook, so we can play it by ear on the weekend.

I am keeping my fingers crossed Monday - Saturday next week will be drawing/painting only. Then on Sunday two weeks from tomorrow, we hang the exhibition.

Yikes.

But I am working so far in advance of my due dates I have really surprised myself.

And you'd be pleased to know my biga has matured and behaves totally predictably as long as I feed it regular flour, but I can also manage wholemeal, too. The breads are still hit and miss, but some have come out great; two loaves went into the wood burner to keep me warm.