Saturday 24th July - Water

Woke up to thunder and rain. What a relief after the last few days. We had taken a gamble on not watering the garden last night, and this time it paid off.

Luckily it didn't last for too long - now, at the end of the day, it has become hot and sunny again.

 Sometimes I imagine what I would pack if we suddenly had to deal with imminently being flooded out; what would we salvage? For a start, we'd take the computer upstairs, and any important books and papers. 

Then collect passports (I think mine is out of date), empty my drawer of medicines into a bag, along with portable oxygen concentrator. Toothbrushes, soap, towels, shampoo (I can deal with anything as long as my hair isn't getting me down!). Cats into the cat box, and all the cat food. Scoop up the loo rolls and a tube of germolene which represents my sum total of First Aid equipment. Then food - would we have time for the little storm kettle? It might be useful. Blankets. Pillows.

 

Ah yes, and all the myriad computer and phone chargers... never forget the chargers!

still sort of on the subject of water,

Here are some splodgy watercolours; I have got hold of a thin book by Hazel Sloan called 'Learn to Paint  Watercolours Quickly' and am copying her pictures. 'You can read this book in 30 minutes,' she says, but you will be painting before you reach the end.' True.

I'm looking at her flower sketches at the moment, sloshing the colours on, letting them run together and saying ' well, that'll do,' after a minute or so. I want to use up anA4 sketchbook I started as an experiment, much larger than I have used before, and I don't think I really like it. Or do I? It might be growing on me.

I divided this page into six at the beginning of July, intending to do one square per day, but the picture I painted in the top right square was so awfully awful that I cut it out and threw it in the compost bin, which is why there's a bit of a sunflower showing in that square from the next page.

I did the poppies at the beginning of the month; paint first, following a you-tube tutorial that I half remembered. Then I went over it with a pen which turned out to have sparkly brown ink in it - yes, I'll do that again!

'Try twisting your brush to make the leaf shapes more interesting' she says.

I've got to be a bit careful if I go in for splattering when painting indoors, as the white curtains are a bit close to where I work.

They aren't meant to be 'real' flowers, just 'flowerish' flowers.

Yesterday I set up outside; this end of the garden is in the shade until around lunchtime.

 I wasn't sure how useful a ceramic hot drinks container, given to me as a 'thank-you-teacher' present was going to be, but it is brilliant - there's no risk of rinsing my paintbrush in my coffee any more!