Easing into Christmas slowly....

A few months of various health problems, my usual painkillers being unavailable - which I found quite oddly disorienting - then I wandered into a persistent infection.

And I've turned 72 - so I suppose none of that is especially surprising.  However: I have completed a very late Christmas card, herewith, and have several drawings to be turned into paintings.

At last, having retired from most of my offices in the Labour Party - not an entirely happy decision, but I was getting too frazzled with it all - I have read more books than you could shake a stick at, if that struck you as being a good idea, in the last few months.  

If I can finally shake the remains of this infection off, I might even do a bit of work in the New Year......

Two oils - Always trying to improve!

 Well now - I've painted two new oils in just one week: this is following the tremendous heat of August, when I really couldn't paint (or hardly breathe) at all, plus a number of other things that got in the way.

From here on, I'll be taking advantage of my new found freedom from external obligations to post, I hope, at least two paintings per month.  

The first is Leaving the Nature Reserve, St Lawrence, Isle of Wight:

The second is Tennyson's Monument, Tennyson Down, Freshwater Bay, Isle of Wight.  Both 16" by 12", all reasonable offers (think ca. £100 unframed) considered.  

 Freedom, Freiheit, Libertad, Liberté!

I have at last retired as Secretary of the Isle of Wight Labour Party.  Four years in the last stint, 20 years in total.   I don't regret it - it was a privilege; I enjoyed a lot of it; but it gobbled up too many years, too much time, and I could never stop thinking about it....  This really is a job, irrespective of the party involved, that should be fully salaried -- to some extent at least, a Parliamentary democracy needs functioning political parties: and they need to be properly run - and you think just anyone can do that?  You err - yes you do; ooh err.... 

Seventy-plus year olds often do these jobs: because younger people don't have the time, given there's no money in it.  Talk about getting the politics you deserve..... 

I know I'm going to keep thinking about it for a while, but it's others' job now.  So - more time for painting.  And I look to everyone I know to keep me up to the mark.  Provided I can have a few weeks' rest first.  We are not as young as we were, here at the Batcave.

Oh, and I've managed to lock myself out of Facebook again - I may get back in; I may not bother.  I just know everyone would want to know that....

 February 18th 2022 

Entrance and Exit - my first watercolour of 2022