Prosperous and Creative Soul Year 5

savingholmes

Thanks Jwil, Beanie, Blackcats, TG, Powers, Humdinger, GlassHalfFull, OpalGirl and Merlin.

In a very ADHD way - (I am by the way it's not a slur) - I have 4 large paintings on the go that I only started this week. 3 x 90 by 70 and 100 x 76. They all have an underwater, surrealist theme and I'm very excited by them. I'm trying to do my base plotting out colours and forms layer and then refine as I go. I feel I have finally 'got' how little info you have to provide on the face to suggest features - providing you get tone and value right. I hadn't realised how much I'd been struggling with that until it suddenly came together.

I'm hoping the hardest decision was what to paint - and that it will be more plain sailing from here on out. Time will tell. I also have lots of ideas for my book - my biggest issue is time. I was part of an exhibition opening yesterday so that felt good. I have three pieces in it for the next 6-8 weeks.

Money wise - I need to return some things that were broken or not-fit-for purpose to a shop. Possibly some other frames - as I found others that were good but cheaper. 

Tomorrow I'm going to see DD. She's not having the best time currently - and needs to borrow some money so my savings will take a hit. She has traditionally always paid back though so hopefully it will be okay. In better news she's now fully qualified - and should get offered a perm job soon with a 50% uplift in salary. They've also given her a work's van. I'm going to see her for lunch tomorrow.
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DS emigrates within a couple of week's or so - so I've swapped my day off next week. I will stay at my Mum's on the way and catch up with her - and then see him the next day. Ideally I should sort a cat sitter. I need to work the day after I see him though - so need to see how to balance everything. I need to check if I have enough leave left to take any. He also wants to see me the following week when he's due to be closer to me - when he goes to see wider family on his Dad's side. Then I may not get to see him for close to a year... 

So not likely to have that much time over the next week to work on art or writing which is a shame - as I am currently in hyper-focus mode and have loads of ideas and don't want to lose flow.

My dryer is currently broken - so still need to sort that.

The art side of things is keeping me sane and reasonably happy. Best get to bed now though!! Just seen the time! 

debtfreeoneday

Happy new diary. 

AgathaSquirrel

Happy new diary!

It’s lovely to hear your plans.

Where is your son emigrating to? Half my family live in Australia. FaceTime helps.

savingholmes

Thanks Agatha and DebtFreeOneDay

Agatha - He's going to Oz. But he has new family through marriage in the US - so will be going there first plus a couple of other trips of a lifetime thrown in. They're a busy couple.

I've got a washing load on - and will then hopefully be able to take it to DD to dry. If my dryer isn't fixed by then - I can do the same when I go to my Mum's - although I'd probably take washing powder and wash it there too as she has a separate washer dryer while DD's is combined.

I really need to look for a handyman again and an electrician - as the 'weight' of odd jobs waiting for help is getting me down a little. Either that - or as a minimum I need to learn to drill so I can put up some ledges for my many art works. My house also seemed to have deteriorated into a 'bombsite' as my Mum always called it growing up. I'm always surprised how I can go from relatively tidy 2 weeks ago to out of control -but somehow I manage it frequently. TBH there are too many things I'd rather be doing like art and writing. It wasn't helped last weekend either as I turned my foot over and sprained it so have been limping all week. I know daily chores are the answer but not got there consistently yet. 

I'll do the dishwasher again and then tidy up in the back L-shape enough to hoover. That will make things feel better when I get back from DD's and then hopefully I can do a bit more. I still need to get dressed and take my ADHD med too. 

I bought some little Xmas gifts yesterday - along with some more canvases - but it all came to more than I thought - so I need to check what I bought and consider if I should return any. I'll put the earlier returns by the door too - and hopefully that way I can make myself do them. 

I have lots in flower in my garden which is nice - some winter flowering things like my two fatsia japonicas with balls of white flowers, a spiky mahonia with upward thrusts of yellow flowers, a yellow flowering winter jasmine on a climber, lots of Christmas rose / white flowering hellebores. Plus some winter flowers that haven't given up the ghost yet like some spikes of periscaria orientalis cerise and pink and white fuscia. Even my tall campanulas started reflowering recently.

Some potatoes that I never got around to harvesting are going great guns - so I'm wondering if I need to move them inside as it's due to freeze at some point next week? I also need to check some onions which I also planted and forgot about it. Initially they didn't come up as it was too dry - and surprise- I don't consistently water. But then they did all sprout a few months ago - and then I forgot them again... 

beanielou

Exciting times ahead for DS. Hope DD is ok.