Back at the Workshop

How lovely it is - I'm so happy to be back in my workshop, with all familiar tools and stone around me.

The show was so busy, barely a moment to draw breath, a big thankyou to all visitors and all my co-exhibitors. On the last day I spent time listening and watching the demonstration by Richard Keeton - I am in awe.  His work is beautiful and he works beautifully.  The demonstration was to show the techniques involved in dry point etching and I have never seen a copper plate so carefully and lovingly inked, wiped and printed.  He's very inspiring!

Here's one of his paintings, a watercolour, Old Bantams,  I think my favourite in the show.   I can only apologise to him that I have reproduced it so badly here.  If ever you get the chance to see his work, do - it is exciting and powerful and very beautiful.

I've learned a lot from this exhition, about exhibiting, showing work and about being a professional artist - again thanks to you all for welcoming me and being so open and giving of time and expertise.

Anyway - back at the workshop.  Just a few days has seen such changes.  Pigeon young have flown and I have two more eggs!  My goslings are now quite grown and only have the tiniest fluff remaining on their pristine new feathers.

Vegetables galore - so exciting, I'm picking strawberries, gooseberries, cucumber, courgette and broad beans!  Herbs are exploding out of their bed and netting surround - the geese are fond of plucking destructively at my lemony herbs and parsley, so it is fenced off.

It all needs a bit of tidying and weeding and getting under control!  The cucumber tasted amazing - I had a whole one for breakfast!  Runner Beans have run to the top of their canes - do I pinch them out now?  Or train them  to come down?

Yes, must have a weeding session, huge nettles with huge stings, docks and others I don't know the name of, that don't pull up easily.  Weeding in the rain, tending my vegetables.  Bliss.