Exhibition at the Chateau in Lacapelle-Marival

For the second year, I have been invited to participate in the summer exhibition at the Chateau in Lacapelle-Marival which opens at 5:30 on Thursday evening. The exhibition is curated by Jacques Rival who has done an excellent job since he took over a few years ago. I dropped off my paintings yesterday and was very impressed by the work I briefly saw. Some of the other artists taking part are Jean-Pierre Rodrigo Subirana, Thierry Carrier, and Jörg Hermle (example shown) and I feel pretty honoured to have been included in the show.

There is also an "artist's market". The maximum price is 150 euros, so you can pick up some some really fabulous sketches and smaller works by these artists there.

The exhibition will be open the whole of July and August between 10:30 and 12:30 am and 3 and 6:30 pm.

Done with the blues

Hey hey! Through persistence and diligence I have managed to track down my iPod! Dropped it in the plane and some kind soul picked it up and turned it in to Lost&Found at the airport.

Kittens have found a home- together. Yeay.

And my fab buddies cleaned up SIX Tony's at the Beacon Theatre!.

Landing home with a thump

Got home to Rignac to find these little critters in my laundry basket. Someone obviously had dumped them in my garden, knowing that I wouldn't toss them into the gutter. I have found a home for one but if anyone in the vicinity would like a kitten please let me know. They are extremely friendly and sweet and playful. I already have three cats and a dog.

The next thing was realising that somewhere between Stansted and Rignac, I lost my iPod. Can't imagine when or where it was taken or I dropped it.

And then this morning, cottage tenants who had booked for two weeks left abruptly without paying. Had to rush off to hospital due to cat allergies they said!

Trouble comes in threes, so let's hope this is it for awhile.

The Three Bears and more...

I was to arrive in England the day after the Edward Ardizzone show closed at the Illustrator's Cupboard Gallery in London. He and Ernest Shepard have to be my favourite illustrators and I was bitterly disappointed. However when I emailed the gallery, I was told that they would be happy to pull out some pieces to show me if I stopped in. I arrived on my last morning to find that the gallery only opened in the afternoon on Saturdays, but just as I was about to trudge off dejectedly, a young woman arrived and inserted her key in the door. She welcomed me in and pulled out all the pieces. What a treat to be able to pour over the pen and line work, and see where and when Ardizzone had reworked a small part of a picture. Sigh, if only I had a spare thousand pounds or two I would have gladly exchanged them for one of these exquisite little treasures.

A bit of Peter Rabbit country for 29 euros RT!

One of the great things about living in Rignac is being a 29 euro RT flight from London, so I pop over once or twice a year for some bright lights. Though this time I was collected at Stansted and whisked off for a few days in Suffolk for a bit of a seaside holiday: lots of long beautiful walks along the coastline and saltwater estuaries, fishcakes and ale in village pubs and scones with clotted cream in teashops, a visit to Orford Castle and another to the small museum about Dunwich, once the second largest port in England which has over the centuries collapsed into the North Sea. On the way back to London we explored Constable country on footpaths and country lanes. This is the England I learned about as a small child in books about Winnie-the-Poo and Mrs. TIggywinkle...

PS Can anyone explain what a "permissive footpath" is please?