Waiting Room

Here are a few sketches I did in the hospital waiting room. I only had a blue ballpoint pen with me!

Ouch!

Look what I've done! Broken my toe! It was all so quick I don't even know exactly what happened - but it involved me getting tangled in a bath towel, screaming, blood and general drama and agony. I thought I had just ripped the nail at the base, which is where all the blood came from, but an x-ray showed I've broken the bone too. I don't have time to have a broken toe. Luckily I haven't got to be in plaster or anything but it's really painful, and so annoying hobbling everywhere. And as for my dancing classes, well I can forget it for a few weeks. Now I'll never learn the Pussycat Dolls routine!

Anyway hopefully it won't take long to get back to normal - I mean Wayne Rooney got over it quite quickly didn't he? Although he did have Sun readers sending him healing vibes, and the World Cup as an incentive. I can't say I wish I had either of those...

PS - So this picture it will enlarge! Now I am paranoid. The computer clearly hates my artwork and is glad I've broken my toe.

Pre-Exhibition Stress

It's amazing how just trying to take a few simple photos can make it look as though your house has been ransacked by burglars (who then decided to go somewhere cleaner and with things worth stealing).

Anyway, thanks to Brad's brother Tony (to whom I am truly, truly grateful) I now have some photos of my work so far, some of which I hope may end up as postcards to be sold at the exhibition. (Which is at the Crypt Gallery in Seaford, 6th - 20th December, by the way!). Above is Mossycoat & Mother again. Here's Rosalind, made in homage to Rosalind Franklin, scientist and discoverer of the DNA double helix (as embroidered on her skirt!)

And here's Mossycoat who you've probably seen before...

And here are a couple of Superheroes I made the other day when sick of failing at everything else. Hope you like 'em.

Tony, Val and their gorgeous baby daughter Rebecca have been here in Newhaven for the week. Singing the "Iggle Piggle" song with someone so bloomin' lovely, squidgy and cuddly is enough to cheer anyone up, even me. I highly recommend it!

Once again the pictures won't enlarge when I click on them. Why? Why do computers hate me?

Dogs and a Hunchback

Yesterday I finished a doll, and in the evening, determined to tick every item off my checklist, I made ten peg dolls. Now I sport an attractive hunched back. I couldn't look up at the ceiling if you paid me. I'll post pics of the dolls in due course.

I've had dogs on my mind today. I really want one - I had promised myself one for my 40th (a pug) but I resisted temptation. I'm not going to get one, because I don't know what my work situation will be in the new year so I wouldn't want to leave one alone for hours on end. (Believe me I know what it's like to be in this house alone for hours on end!)

When I did an illustration course with Pam, I was developing a book for young children about dogs (Thin dog, fat dog, hiding-from-the-cat dog...etc...). But darn that Emily Gravett! She went and did one! (And very nice it is too.) Serves me right for being so slow...not that it would have been published anyway, but, you know. Anyway here are a couple of sketchbook pages from said non-project.

At the bottom next to the pug is Scruffy, who my friends and family might remember as my former parents-in-laws' dog. He was so kind and gentle and still features in a lot of my drawings, even though he died over ten years ago.

I've had trouble getting the pics to enlarge when you click on them. I don't understand why and my hunchback hurts too much to try again. If anyone knows the answer to this mystery, do let me know.

Halloween Fun

Well I managed to get over my pumpkin envy, and did a spooky window display...



The beautiful Corpse Bride dolls were a birthday present from Pam...aren't they wonderful? Joe carved the butternut squash and I think it, and the mini pumpkin, ended up looking just as good.

It was lovely to hear children outside calling to each other to look at the window, and parents too - it reminded me of doing the windows at Bags of Books. (sniff...sniff!) It's really nice to feel that you are brightening up people's day!

After giving sweets to lots of trick or treaters we dressed up and went to our friends Jenny & Gary's house for a great Halloween party. There was lots of hilarity over the traditional games like apple bobbing, the doughnut game and musical chairs, with the added twist of it being men against women! (We may have just been pipped this time but you wait till next year, you cheating blokes!) Here are Joe and Lucy in the big Musical Chairs Final,

and Charlie in the Doughnut Game.

Tomorrow it's a day of serious work. If I haven't posted to tell you I have made a pair of doll's legs and a batch of peg dolls then someone please tell me off!