Empty Spaces

I haven’t been able to draw in my diary this week – nearly every previous entry includes a caricature of Ned. He’s even on my welcome page of Facebook . When I was a child I was always drawing Snoopy (and bees) – if I’d been a generation (or two) later it might have been Gromit. I was going to make a buff fleece for Ned – he was a bit like Gromit – more human than canine. Today I’ve been baking cakes and  potting up my cucumbers. I missed my little friend hovering-up spilt flour and compost and generally getting under my feet – but then, I expect everywhere will feel empty without him for some time to come. Someone recently commented that in my diary I have perfected the image of Ned, got better at my husband, but am less consistent at representing myself ! Here are a few of my favourites ……


                        
                         
                                           

Ned

Sofa time turned into a big “love-in” with our dear Ned. Such a happy dog, with an exuberant enthusiasm for life, and not a moment feeling sorry for himself. This post has got to be the hardest I’ve written so far, and one that I knew I’d need to write sooner or later. Ned has always been by our side – partly because he loved our company and partly because he didn’t want to miss out on any food opportunities. Often mistaken for a poodle, he was a handsome Irish Water Spaniel always seen sporting a homemade jacket, due to his unusual lack of hair and tendency to over-scratch. It’s not until we looked back at photos that I realised how much he’d begun to age (he’s not alone which was also shocking!), but it is my sketchbooks that did it for me – each one I open has an image of Ned snoozing. I realise that there is character and feeling captured in a drawing that is simply not equalled by any photo .  I'll miss him so much x (you can click on smaller images to make them larger)

                            

 

Under the weather

Batten down the hatches and light the fire – it is flaming June after all! To be honest, the return of rain has given my back a rest – the weeds have nearly beaten me (yes I am still at it). A visit to the osteopath required next week, but let’s hope she doesn’t read my blog (I’ll be in trouble for over doing it). With the rain slashing on the windows and the wind howling in the pine tree, I have retreated indoors and resorted to household chores - the dreaded ironing pile and the accounts. Groan! Hay fever season is here again and my sneezes are arriving in multiples of six – the rain should have settled the pollen , so maybe I’m allergic to housework. We’ve been working hard while the sun shone – so maybe it should be sofa time for us this weekend!

          

On the Sofa

All of our visitors settle down on the sofa – it’s a bit of an old faded thing and it’s days are numbered, but it is very comfy. The dog, now also getting older, has claimed it as his own recently but will happily share it with friends. As a puppy he had his own armchair – consequently he knows how to sit on it – leaning back on the cushions, front leg on the arm rest and eyes on the TV, more like an old man than a dog! We try to squeeze on the sofa and he doesn’t budge, but the cat only has to look at him and he jumps off immediately. Here are a few sofa occasions from my diary.            

Jubilations

Well, what a weekend – lovely weather! We were lucky enough to do some patriotic stuff the week before when it was hot – lots of cake, lots of Pimms and no rain. I remember the Silver Jubilee well – in fact it marked my first art prize. I won a junior school competition to design a Jubilee plate – I drew one of those geometric flower patterns with a compass and coloured it in red, white & blue (of course). I remember getting very frustrated with the compass and staying behind in class to get it finished – I had a vision of how my plate was going to look and I wasn’t going home till I’d done it! We watched the celebrations in front of the fire, but take a look at Haidee-Jo Summers’ blog – as one of the artists chosen to paint the pageant from the wobbly bridge, she describes how it was on the day…. http://haideejo.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/diamond-jubilee-river-pageant.html