25/11: STORM DAMAGE

The dividing fence between our house and our elderly neighbour's place was blown over in the recent wet and windy weather.   I hoped we'd be able to re-erect it but it turned out the builder (bless) had put the wooden supports direct into the soil - and we're on wet/clay soil.  As it wasn't raining this morning we went out to investigate but found that the timber was rotted and we had no option but to take it all down.    Going to have to bite the bullet and have a new one built (properly) once the weather gets better.

But we still fared much better than all the poor folks who live in beautiful South West England.  The floods have been quite horrendous and I feel so sorry for the people whose homes were flooded with dirty water.

Being the first dry morning we've had for a while, I did a bit of garden clearance and tidied away the hedgehog feeding station (they've hibernated now) and topped up all the bird feeders/water dishes etc.

Guess who was the first garden visitor to test the new fatballs?  

So, yet again, I wasn't as productive with my art/commissions as planned .. but I did manage a couple of hours and ... tomorrow is another day!!

The little girl/toddler portrait has now been approved after I slimmed down the face a little more ... this is the finished picture and it will be wending its way to my client next week.

The colours are more 'true' here as I photographed it in daylight

and the spaniel portrait - not as far advanced as I'd hoped but I'm getting the base colours down which is always a bit tedious (and messy) so looking forward to being able to start on adding fine detail.

This is a rubbish picture as I photographed it under fluorescent lights ... but its pastel on light grey pastelmat (looks very pink here).   Early days yet  but you can see what a pretty, interesting face she has.

Hope you've all stayed warm and dry and had a good weekend.