One-handed life

Only yesterday, Sidney fell off the play equipment and broke his arm. I thought about it and said...I've only ever broken my little finger. Then I go and tumble down the stairs the very next day. All bandaged up. One-handed life for a while. Ben has been voted in as a school councillor. Very happy about that. A one year post. I hope he doesn't abuse his power.lol. He dresses in suits these days. Cranking the tunes this evening. Music is best medicine as are musicians.

Guests

Many travellers have passed through this year. From what I remember,  a Peruvian banker who had many tales. He opened my eyes to how life is in Peru. A very rigid social system. Maids and nannys who are not allowed to wear bathing suits at the beach. So he and his friends dressed up as servants and swam and played volleyball at the seaside in protest. A terrible bus system. Not a good infrastructure for the poor. And the middle classes having servants. They don't want their children to learn how to cook or wash dishes for fear that they will end up being servants themselves. He said he was surprised to see how people from all walks of life mix and mingle in the pubs of London. He studied at LSE for a year and learned how to do his own laundry. He then had an amazing tale about a girlfriend in Greece who was born on a sailboat half wait to Fiji. Her father abandoned them there on an island and they took ten years to get back to Greece where their home still stood on a mountain. They rebuilt it and still live there. Hmm.

The two philosophers from Milan. I was painting a philosopher's mug at the time for Carol's partner. It has a giant list of names painted all over it....and one for her son's poem which was brilliant. The guy from Denmark and his family, Jhoan from Caracas who worked at Central Bank. Now here for a year with his girlfriend. Mila from Australia who brought cheese from Holland. She was very cheery. The female lawyer from San Paulo. She invites us to the next Olympics. And Valentina and her lovely daughter from Naples. Somedays, school finishes at one o'clock. Hmm. Her husband's birthday cake sounded wonderful with even their kitchen tiles and desk and newspapers all replicated in edible sugar.




 

More tiles

A tile up on Rose court off Long Acre. One by Lincoln Inn Fields. One already taken before the cement set in South Kensington this evening. A nice show of watercolors. An interesting book maker from Lewes.. A giant book of military maps. Some quirky sketches from a general stationed in India in the 1800's. An unmarried general with a slightly frustrated imagination. Fascinating. Tiles do not go up easily in this cold weather. The Mime Festival has been good. The Pyjama Men at Charing Cross Theatre was very funny.

Pressing Buttons

Button theme today. Started with a blank calendar thinking of how busy people are. Lists, ticked boxes and then at the end of the week a button. All cleared, button and "press here to teleport to the weekend." Other versions....Press this button to eject the current government. Turn knob and import code to teleport to weekend. If you don't like weekends, adjust dial accordingly. Veronique is going to Paris in a few days' time for her sister's funeral, the one who smoked too much. She would like to take a government tile there to place somewhere near her sister's home. So it is applicable in many cases and changes meaning and emphasis according to where it is placed. My mother wants one. She is sick of Obama. An Obama blamer. Yeah buttons. some looking like the interior of a cockpit and some looking like oven knobs. Rob likes the Rob tile. Good. A roast chicken with Veronique today. Ben not well in bed at seven voluntarily. One week to get better. 

Winter surrounded by Lego

I've felt under the weather for the past week. The term grinding to a halt. Some things completed and some not. Last week, some guests from Paris. This week, Hal passing through from Barcelona to Portland. I took on too much since September, but next year, will keep things manageable and stick to painting more and doing other things less. Roy is ready to go riding and installing with me. I look forward to it and to showing Julian the works I've made this past week. It is a nice story to be found like that. It's encouraging. Ben's Christmas play is next week. He's not even a tree. But he is singing some songs. And he did have the honour of having an entire play written about him last term. Ben, the superhero who had lost his powers. Ha ha. His purple Lego bus has come apart. I want him to put it back together before he forgets how it goes. He is surrounded by Lego. I am still fiddling with the temperature of the kiln and hoping to find the right formula. On the phone with John in Chicago today. Looking forward to seeing them soon. 

Recent Thoughts

It is all feeding into itself. Things are becoming more defined as I go in several different directions having three esl students, two editing-proofreading jobs-one on design theory and consumerism....the other on population dynamics....two full days of the ed class that is a dull formality involving collecting and binding together numerous xeroxes and handouts....bike class, jewelry class, ceramics class, then the actual real live painting of ceramics for commercial sale. and then looking after the babby who is no longer a babby. He's seven. Making sure he doesn't overbid on things on ebay. And now, even Saturday is full up with the few hours working at Calthorpe with the 8 to 14 year old boys. and then a student at four pm for two hours. Things will chill out and thin out a bit after December. And for Ben's school, the principal said again in an unprompted enthusiastic tone, that yes, he'd be interested in my teaching something there...that we will discuss and I am best making a printed out plan of my intentions....artwise and I think now...most usefully...an esl class for the students who need it...in small group format. five or six maximum. that could be the niche for me really. no massive pgce certificate programme...just an inhouse esl teacher for the primary school level. I bet there's a need for that. Having the time pressure with the full schedule, I know what I like the best...I know this because I am unaware of the time when I am painting chinaware. I just want there to be more time. That is the key. That is what to look for. and also today reading through Michael's design articles...I could have stayed there all day. It was really enjoyable. that is the key. Stick to what you enjoy. And turn the bloody switch on the kiln and fire up those tiles. the gallery is interested. don't let them slip by. that's what I do. I get some interest and it is enough. I don't pursue it further. not lately. and look at this ....crap way to portray myself in cyber space...not exactly a marketeer am I? It's true. That was the bright flash I had today...that I would create a decent dyber prescence next year. Most obvious thing in the book...get a damn website.