Plodding on

I still don't know how to get images into this blog so have rather given up. I had a rather unfortunate evening on Friday. Lunch with cafe sketchers at Peter jones was good, then I rushed home and changed to go to fabulous fashionista sue kreitzmann's party at st pancras. I had intended to go with Jo to the last meeting place of the sketchcrawl going from the jeer wood space to backside.. Though it was not clear where they were meeting so I posted an enquiry. I suppose rather oddly, in retrospect someone from SLAM informed me that it was ending at some studios I had never heard of in Vauxhall. We hung around there until it closed before we realised that someone had sent us to the wrong place which was very annoying. We had hoped to see Janie Skuse and some other familiar faces. Pissups and breweries came to mind. I have to say the cursor on this thing is a nightmare also some kind of predictive text thing which turns things into nonsense. So I can't correct my fourth sentence which should read Jerwood to Bankside. Yesterday we sketched at the National Gallery. Trafalgar Square had been taken over by football fans so did a brief sketch before retiring to the National cafe with Francesca. Then went and did another at the Salisbury in charming Cross Road. Passed through Cecil Court on the way home and purchased Rather flashy necklace which I proudly wore when Lucy and Philippa arrived bearing masses of food which the proceeded to cook. Delicious as it all was I managed to gain 1lb this week, sadly. My new guests arrived today from Provence. Just about managed to make the place presentable in time. I shall again attempt to visit the Jerwood space today before the current exhibition disappears.

Stuff

Is stuff I can see while watching or pretending to watch television in the evening. Usually pretty boring. But useful drawing practise in the sketchbook. Caught a couple of my punters while they were doing their postcards the other day. Dorothy came around for a gin tonight. I need to get on a stepladder to try and retrieve my Cornelius Cardew biography for the guy I met at Brixton, but it will take a day or two for me to summon the courage to do this. Of course I may have chucked the book out and it will be wasted effort, but I have a feeling I kept it. The only way I can get snaps onto my blog is to photograph them and put them onto my laptop or somehow join this thing with my laptop so they go on to that, then write my blog from the laptop. I might try this soon as it is a bit boring without any visual content. Just heard that Jo Malone is opening her first Jo Loves shop in Elizabeth Street on Friday, so may well get along there. I can try things out, which would be a welcome diversion in my old age.

Finally

The boiler is in, and after a week of awful noises like a jet taking off and some pipe work adjustments from the plumber, it is working well. Now awaiting the guy who is supposed to be painting my front wall and windows. Spent all last week at the Brixton Drawing Project. Run by Janie Skuse, it was great fun to spend time doing large messy sketches in this old furniture factory, cleverly converted by Andy and hired out for all sorts of occasions. Janie managed to raise the money with crowd funding which is an excellent idea. I fell by the wayside and purchased some totally amazing old brass dining chairs. Made in Italy they are called Chiavari. They look a bit gorgeous in my living room though I am tempted to sell a couple. They fetch hundreds of dollars in America and have sold on Ebay here for up to £350 each. However I intend to hang on to them for a bit and enjoy them. I cannot find out when they were made, could be nineteen forties to sixties, but they have a real charm. Just one looks so elegant in the right place. Also discovered some wonderful French watercolours based on honey which apparently the impressionists used, so have succumbed to temptation and ordered a few. Calledl'Aquarelle by Sennelier.

Back again

New boiler coming next week. Busy with one guest pro tem but drawing fairly frequently. I can only get these on to Facebook and twitter as nothing else seems to work including my Flickr and iPhone accounts so have rather given up on these. Waterloo Zeitgeist is finishing for this year and I have removed my few pieces. Given a commission to draw a house but not sure whether to do it. We shall see. Became quite warm drawing Szandor outside the cafe today at Lincoln's Inn Fields, since they have the heaters on. Don't think they will be sufficient in the middle of the winter.. It was good to see Jules and Jo today. It's Cafe Sketchers tomorrow at St James Park. I am really looking forward to this. On Saturday we are going to meet at the V&A Museum of Childhood at Bethnal Green. It really is great to have so many days out drawing. Despite many setbacks I think my drawing is improving a bit now. Though I am not happy with my drawing of the bands at Brasserie Toulouse Lautrec. I may try concentrating on just trying to draw individuals and see if that improves things. I do have quite a few more guests coming, but fortunately no further bookings since I have increased my price. I am having the window frames reprinted at the front of the house and need an electrician to look at some of the wiring when I can find someone competent. Meanwhile one visit to the quack has resulted in: three prescriptions; one further appointment; having to make an appointment for a shoulder x-ray; an appointment for blood tests and another follow up appointment with the GP. You can see why I am reluctant to darken his door. Hard to fit it in with my drawing commitments which are so much more interesting.. By the way, I now have three large fish in one container, four smaller ones in another, and six babies in a third, so if anyone wants some they know where to come. Fish breeding has come to me rather late in life.

Landlady loses it

Well, I have been feeling somewhat overwhelmed by the company of complete strangers in my tiny flat and have been looking forward to a few days off at the end of the month. I then had a request for just before Christmas. I am like a chicken with its head cut off at that time of year, so declined to have the guest and cancelled dates on my calendar between 15 December and 3 January. Almost immediately afterwards I received another request for October or November. This was quite a long, gushing letter from someone who adored my flat, my cat, etc etc. and wished to get up really early in the morning and wanting to have a kettle in the room. And wanted to stay for two weeks. Unfortunately experience has told me that the more gushing the letter, the more demanding the guest; that I can't stand people getting up until after me, which is why I get up very early indeed, so that I can be out of the bathroom by seven; and that the kind of person who wants a kettle in the room is likely to hoard supplies of food in there. I think I have definitely now got host burnout. I replied to decline this request. Then I took a couple of days out of my calendar after every guest visit, to give myself a bit of a rest. Dear me. I was rather annoyed with my current guests, when they hung around the house all day today. However I felt a bit sorry for them when they finally explained that one of them had been unwell since last night, not a great thing when on holiday. Fortunately he was better later, just as well since it is their last day.

Losing track

of what I am doing. Winnet was great and I must try and post a few snaps. Before seeing Winnet Jo and I drew around Westminster, first the Jewel Tower and then the Portuguese places at Vauxhall Cross, which are great. Can't get in to my Kooky Days blog, so will post things here pro tem. Jazz jam last night and some sketches below. My life becomes more complicated by the minute. What I really need is a good electrician, as I think the power circuit to the basement is more than a little dodgy as it keeps cutting out. I blame the damp in the outer walls. I am trying to resurrect my dehumidifier since the excellent Mitsubishi one owned by Dorothy costs over £300. Dear me. Noticed that the London College of Exhibitionists has reverted to its former name of London College of Communication. I suspect that new and aspiring students, many of whom are no doubt from other countries, may have failed to find the place when arriving for interviews. Definite lack of communication here. Oh well. The country is going to the dogs, as my grandfather would have said. This looks a bit vibrant. Guess who had some cheese and wine? Jazz jam.

Winnet and Cabaret Verite

Well, Jo and I sat at the Brasserie, and sketched. Winnet was performing. She is an ex dancer and actress and is now a singer. Her son Thomas and daughter Ava, also play and sing in her band. The songs are very strong and the treatment is quite dramatic, which is excellent, and the musicianship was very good. We thoroughly enjoyed the evening, but Winnet is hard to draw as she does move a lot during the performance! Jo was very impressed and wants to go there again. I got the spare room ready for my next guests having bade farewell to my American actress, who sent me a kind note from New York. My new people are pop singers from the Netherlands, very young, and very excited about their first visit to London. In the evening I set off for Brasserie Toulouse Lautrec. The performers were Cabaret Verite, which was great fun, with some excellent singers, and I did a bit of sketching as usual. Nolan keeps introducing me as the 'residential artist'. Dorothy could not join me but I messaged her to come if she changed her mind, and tell the people downstairs that she was with the residential artist. Jason very kindly bought me a G & T at the end of the evening, after which I staggered off into the night. May see if I have the energy to go to the jam session tonight, to practise my new technique of superimposing images, which seems to be my latest 'thing'. We shall see.