Someone or something flying in the air

Pleased as I am to be looking at over 150 posts in my year of 'breakthrough' painting, it is also a somewhat disturbing proposition to be still looking at well over 150 more. It makes me think of my original inspiration, writer Julie Powell's year long blog and cooking fest. working through the recipes of Julia Child. Looking at the film based on it while flying to Vietnam I was impressed at her achievement; now I view it as nothing short of miraculous. The discipline to get on and write, and in her instance cook (in mine, paint) every single day is hard won to say the least. So many things conspire to steal your time and attention - and I am speaking as someone with no children! Wowsers, I really do have a great deal of appreciation of anyone who manages to bring up kids in a reasonable manner; still not sure I could have done it and remained sane and at liberty.

Listening, at last (first had to feed cats, but away shopping and talk to both mothers) to a new Richmond Fontaine album; I have been in love with another one of theirs for a few months and this is essentially more of the same in a good way. Kind of bleak, but great lyrics and music. I don't think I am able to enjoy music without good words even if the music itself is monumentally accomplished. I am one of those people who pride themselves on knowing all the lyrics to their favourite songs and have to listen to things over and over with this aim in mind; notable exceptions include the first Kings of Leon album, where Mr Followill's accent is so thick and indecipherable the sleeve notes are the only way. Then you have to listen to the album over and over going 'oh yeah, he does say that....kind of..'

Bought Stu a new Rome-related book in a charity shop; once you start the floodgates are open and we will probably one day have a truly extensive library on the subject. This one is by Thucydides; the History of the Peloponnesian War - I have to assume that Stu will know what this is all about as I have no idea, but I'm sure he will enjoy it at some point. I have bought so many now he has a backlog and is still meandering through 'Lives of the Twelve Caesars'.

Also had a wee spluge in a fantastic craft/art/random shop and bought three coloured pencils (really cool big chunky ones), two greetings cards and a blank calendar for illustrating at some point in all this spare time I don't have. Fact is, this felt like such a major, extravagent purchase, which is cool in itself. It's really worthwhile cutting right back so that the tiniest treat seems gargantuan. (Such a great word and I so rarely get to use it in a sentence.) Both cards are illustrations/paintings of figurative nature; one a pen and ink of a girl in pyjamas sitting with a giant owl by Frans Wesselman, the other a not dissimilar girl with a bird on her shoulder by Catriona Millar. Makes me happy and terrified that there are so many talented artists out there that I have never heard of. Happy that I can keep discovering and learning, terrified that I will become lost in a sea of great artists and vanish without trace. Which is why I battle on day after day on my little blog, rowing with my little oars across the vast expanse of featureless sea waving my hanky on a stick and a hand-written paper sign saying 'Hello, would you like to see my pictures? Maybe a passing tern pausing to soar down and have a read before sweeping away again on the next breeze; maybe a turtle popping its head up from the briney depths and slowly reading the line before blinking and submerging again. Maybe a sea duck bobbing slowly by, cocking its head and asking 'May I have a look?'

Birds, angels, flying fish; I definately have a thing about wings.