Icy stares

I keep meaning to leave the crazy wintry conditions alone but it impinges on my life so much at the moment that I can't help myself. For starters, it has awoken the demon in me that thinks it is acceptable to eat half a Soreen malt loaf in one sitting if one has the excuse of harsh walking conditions. Secondly, I am annoyed with our little Siberian season for distracting so many people from the gainful occupation of gallery shopping, thus probably depriving me of sales and publicity in the crucial pre-Christmas period. Stop looking at the snow! Get over it and go into nice warm galleries!! YOu NEED my paintings for your loved ones this Festive season.

That felt better. Pointless, but better.

I have taken to standing and having a bit of a stare at the burn (small river) out the back of the house; the hills beyond and the sky above that. Tonight Venus was shining away insanely brightly and the whole area was darker due to the clear sky; weird how the cloud is both warming and lighting - without it the air is almost painfully cold tonight and the city much darker. 'The woods are very dark and deep and we have miles to go before we sleep...'

Meant to comment yesterday when I was rambling about the lovely ivy-clad poplars; it is now that I need a proper medium-format or plate camera to set up in the wilds and just open the shutter for a few minutes at night; I just know that the digitals, for all their cleverness, couldn't capture the light like the old boys. The light is so fragile and delicate, the hues so subtle and shifting. I do miss the 'old' ways of photography as I first learned it; developing myself and enlarging in the bathroom cupboard, messing with exposures, photocopying negatives and printing obsessively over and over until I had the image I was hunting... Don't get me wrong, I'm loving digital for a whole raft of reasons too but I loved the craft and the dirty-handedness of black and white.

Day off from any form of money-making activity tomorrow so am intending to turn my sights to considering the next year and the potential creation of our own business; it is daunting but mind numbingly exciting at the same time. I have a huge big fat pile of ideas and notes but I have also got to look at all the practical stuff, which is my job now. Without the boring bit out the way I will never get to play...the time is now - the weather is on my side to hole up and bury my head, so lets get the show on the road. What to call it is my other dilemma; I had a name in my head for months which is now ringing doubts; back to the drawing board or go with the instinct? It came to me in a dream and that is nearly always good enough reason for me to do anything..

Oh, and a tree stole my hat this morning; pacing along minding my own business and watching my icy footfalls and 'whoosh'!! Hat suddenly ten feet back down the pavement... a wily twig had hooked and twanged it away from me in an instant of devilishness!

You need to watch those trees....