The Omo People

Sushi

Almost every Monday evening when the drawing group meets in my studio, Sushi insists on getting into the act, posing beautifully with the model. Christine had to move around him to keep in the picture.

Meanwhile, even though Sam (alias Tofu)'s owner contacted me three days ago, she has yet to come and collect him. He might be a permanent Tramizal fixture after all.

Jupiter and its moons

We saw Jupiter and its four moons tonight through my telescope. It looked rather like this picture, though I think the moons were in a horizontal line and there were two stripes on Jupiter.

The Lot has the clearest skies in Europe and is an ideal place for observing the night skies, especially now in August when meteor showers are easier to see.

I love looking up at the skies, but tonight I was talking to a friend who is completely unsettled by the night sky and its stars...and the concept of infinity.

GREAT NEWS: Sam (alias Tofu)'s owner called me today. He has a home after all. Sad for us though; even the cats were beginning to warm to him.

Bumper crop of tomatoes

This is one day's haul of tomatoes. We have been eating so many tomatoes in so many ways that I swear I am beginning to turn into a tomato. I am giving them away to anyone who will take them. Mucella, a mining engineer from Turkey who came to take some private painting lessons last week told me that her mother, an excellent cook, halves them and places them in a five inch deep pan (I have used plastic tubs), salts them, and leaves them in the hot sun for about a week. Twice a day she stirs them. At the end of this period, one strains them to remove the skins, bottles them covered with a small layer of olive oil and the tomato sauce is not only delicious but lasts the winter. Apparently the acid in the tomatoes preserves them. I don't know about this. Mine are fermenting wildly...