Evening all! Well I don’t know about you lot but, for a change, I’m pooped. This week, however, it is for a good reason. You see, I’ve just got back from a day at Twickenham watching the Barbarians play Fiji with my pa. It’s the first time I’ve been to a rugby match – and the first time I’ve managed to coerce by dad down to London on his own – and I thoroughly enjoyed it. And, by the end of the match, I felt qualified to shout at the referee as much as everyone else. I mean, another video referee? Come on, man! Since last week’s blog, things have been, as always, busy – but in a good way. As well as enjoying the delights of London, from a spa and afternoon tea at the Montcalm Hotel (who knew finger sandwiches could be so good!), checking out Artist’s Who... private view in Bermondsey (on until 3rd December – so hop to it!) and today’s addition to my list of pastimes, I’ve been sampling the delights of our second largest city, Birmingham. I popped up there last weekend to check out the Christmas market (very nice), enjoy a curry in the Balti Triangle (Al Faisal’s to be exact – NOM!) and dance the night away (two nights running – oops!) and had a great time. But, you know what? Sorry Brum, but you’ve got a long way to go before you come anywhere close to my lovely London. However if you decide to donate that DKNY handbag I saw in Selfridges to Shelly Berry Original, I may be persuaded otherwise... In other news, I’ve been painting again. In fact I’ve been painting the same painting again. I decided that my latest offering needed touching up a bit - according to some people it doesn’t look any different, but I’m happier with it. But my palette is still out, just in case I decide to play with it a bit more. Oh, and keep an eye on my Tweets this week too for some special offers at the Shelly Berry Original Etsy shop, especially if you’re struggling for ideas writing that Christmas shopping list. Right, time for some ukulele practice – yep, added that to the list of hobbies this month too. Laters!
1 Comment
It’s Friday! The weekend is here! And today is my “work life balance” day so, rather than dragging my ass to the office, I am sat in my dressing gown talking to you lovely people. Cool, non? So, what am I going to do on this gloriously wet spring morning, you may ask? Well I have a gratis lunch booked at 1pm (keep your eyes peeled on Capital Life for the review!) and then I think I’ll treat myself to the stupidly expensive May Ray exhibition. At £14, it better be good. You see, that’s the problem. Going out can be an expensive experience – which in general I am cool with (well, you have to be in London!) as long as I have a good time. Last week I made the mistake of going to see the Folly Mixtures at Madame JoJos – okay, so it was only seven quid, but by the time you’ve bought your dinner in town and had a couple of glasses of wine, the cost starts to mount up. I wouldn’t mind if the show had been organised to the extent where you could see the stage without standing on your chair (no, I’m not even joking) and if JoJos hadn’t filled their venue to such a ridiculous extent that I am pretty damn certain that it breached a number of health and safety regulations. And, if the show had had a bit more to it, we might have stayed beyond the first half... I know people have been saying it for ages, but maybe staying in is the new going out after all. Last weekend I had two really great evenings quaffing wine and munching takeaway/cheese and nibbles in the front rooms of two of my chums, talking Tooting (it’s hip, dontcha know?), men (ha!), the trials and tribulations of that thing we call work (uff) and everything in-between. I admit, in the week I have been a bit of a hermit too – but this does mean that I have been busy making stuff! After a very painful introduction to cable knit (sorry sis) I managed to create a lovely cosy headband (modelled by Mr Pink) just in time for spring, and also threw together my “Bag Lady” carrier bag holder – and am thrilled to announce that I can remember chain stitch from my home economics classes at school. Yay me!
The jury is out as to how far I shall venture into the wide world this weekend, but, if the weather doesn’t start to improve, it may not be far – which means that at some point I shall have to stop procrastinating and compose a letter to be sent to the two literary agents I have chosen to approach. Yes I am scared – rejection is never a nice feeling - but I guess a girl’s gotta to what a girl’s gotta do to get what she wants out of life. Anyways, I’m off now for a lovely bath before facing the world – and whether you decide to stay in or brave the weather, have a fabulous weekend. Adios! It’s funny old world, isn’t it? This time last week, I was knackered. I’d been out four nights in a row with only Monday night off to recover after a week of hedonism with my mate Lisa (There’s a rumour going around that we’re not good for each other. Can’t think why.) and, after a gruelling week at work, I was more than ready for a weekend hibernating in my flat – and very nearly cancelled my catch up with fellow arty-type and good friend Laura. Laura was pretty knackered too, but like the troopers we are, we hauled our arses out of our pits and met for an exchange of collages (I’d left a couple of creations at Laura’s last time we met), a mooch around the South London Gallery, tea, cake, and a bit of mutual mentoring. You see, Laura and I have “buddied up” and meet once a month to talk about how we have been getting on with our respective projects – and offer moral support when things haven’t quite gone according to plan. We both work full time, have busy social and home lives and often find focusing on our creative pursuits more than a little challenging. Laura admitted that she had not done as much of her “to do” list as she had hoped – but had the excuse of a new voluntary job, manic work schedule and an addiction to Coursera – a directory of free online courses on anything from philosophy, social networking and mathematics. Take a look at your peril – Laura is currently signed up to about half a dozen courses... So, last week was busy. This week, however... has been pretty dead. Other than a rather dull evening meeting I’ve been in every night – which, whilst relaxing, does lead to a bit of cabin fever, along with an over-indulgence of jaffa cakes. Having said that, it has been a rather productive week. I’ve caught up with my writing (novel number two is at about 12,000 words and counting) and have been getting on with a bit of crafting. Not only have I made my mum a snood (modelled by Dog below) and a rosette-style brooch to accompany her ticket to see Carmen for her Birth/Mother’s Day treat, I’ve made Breezy, a metre-long beast of a draught excluder commissioned by a chum who has unusually wide doors. And tonight I’ve titivated my collage “Fist” yet again... keep an eye on the “Art” section of this website for its unveiling once I decide it’s finished.
|
THE JUICEHere you will find my latest news, including what I have been up to and what I have been writing (and making). Hopefully you'll like what I have to say - and perhaps I will motivate you to get creative too... Archives
August 2015
Categories
All
|