Four eeks and a holiday

Last week we went to France. We had to. We hadn’t had a break since August (Christmas and all it’s attendant busy-ness doesn’t count) and I thought my head would explode if I didn’t. Stop. Doing.

Bliss. A few days doing not very much of anything, except eating croissants and macaroons (not together)

drinking the local wine (rude not to) and taking hundreds of photos.

The dog even tried out his new chariot in anger. Well, more in anxiety than anger although it did get a bit toothy at one point. Kind of his own wine tour of Burgundy, if you like, but with an extra h in it.

We stayed in a medieval village, all crumbling yellow stone walls and roses and irises everywhere. I have a thing for iron railings and stone carvings, and have to snap them, much to the Child’s chagrin. Almost as bad as my seaweed photography habit.

There was a private pool we could visit too, but ‘twas a bit nippy...

I came back with my husband’s cold, which quite frankly we would have happily not re-imported, so had some more enforced down-time for the rest of half-term. I did catch up with some light reading and even managed to pootle up to London to see the PRISM exhibition in it’s new venue. And my head is finally clearer (if not my nose – TMI?).

So now it’s onwards, the last big push before the summer! Armed with my clear head and new inspiration I need to tackle some biggies before I can rest again: I’ve got my first ever talk to a quilting group next week (eek!), my first ever article for an e-magazine to write (double eek!!), Art Trail in the middle of July, and the prep for my first ever Missenden Abbey summer school (triple eek!!!) – all to be fitted in-between invigilating exams at the school.

We’re also nearly a “go” on our elaborate plans to create a bespoke studio space for me: I’m definitely feeling like I need my own space to contain all these spinning plates; the corner of the dining room just isn’t up to the job anymore! But it does involve doing this (quadruple eek…)

(That red line is a hole in the wall, or will be...and yes yes, hopefully it will  have straight edges!!)

I did promise pics of finished student work from last term (which is fabulous) but that will have to be next time. That'll do for now!