Autumn Riverbank

Autumn Riverbank
Originally uploaded by Rona Gregory

Finished my third canvas!  Autumn River Bank.  Inspired by the colours used in  a wall hanging in Birdham Village Hall I got the idea for this piece.  The original, by an unknown artist, featured water and pear shapes which somehow worked for fabric but not for paint.  The colours reminded me of autumn leaves and so this is the result!

Having a fantastic Mum

is something we sometimes take for granted.  There's nothing like a spot of emigration to focus the senses and heighten emotions.  With our departure date fast approaching I allowed myself to dwell a little longer than usual on the thought of leaving my mum so far behind.   This was not pleasant and something I've been very successfully avoiding so far.  Usually I try not to think about these things too much because it hurts.  Mum, on the other hand, will tell me to pull myself together.  During one of my little tearful 'glitches' recently she quite firmly told me to 'get a grip because she'd bought me up differently'.  Mum isn't fearful at all, telling me I have a life to lead, things to do and see.  She reassures me that she'll be fine and is already saving for her first visit to Canada which, she says, will be next summer.  Her reasoning is that by the time we're settled enough to receive house guests the weather will be far too cold! That in my book is a mum in a million.  I suspect she feels differently on the inside but she'll not let me in on that one!  That's my mum.  Always encouraging me to follow my dreams even if those dreams put an ocean between us.

As I reflect upon our lives as mum and daughter I realise how very lucky I am.  Never has mum 'told me' what to do.  Don't get me wrong she listens to my dilemma's and will offer practical help if she can,  but she never says 'you should do this' or 'you should do that'.  Her favorite offering is "It's your life love, only you can decide what you need to do".  Despite feeling frustrated occasionally, usually when I lapse in to the role of a child and simply want someone else to make a decision for me, I will be eternally grateful that I have learned to take responsibility for my own life. I just wish sometimes I could take a leaf from her book and let my own son do the same instead of being one of those irritating mums who think they know best and are very keen to tell you.  Sorry Phil!

 So I dedicate this blog to my mum.  Thanks mum for absolutely everything and for simply being you.  And Phil, well I promise to try harder to be like your nan!

The simplest pleasure of all...

is spending quality time with old friends. This weekend we left behind the stresses of trying to sell a house, choose a shipping company, pack up and so on. We spent Easter Weekend with friends in Morley, Leeds. With our pending emigration all shopping is banned so we set off instead for a weekend of culture!   Leeds Armoury was our first port of call. One word. Fantastic!  Well ok, three words. Fantastic and Free!  This is well worth a visit, spread over some 5 storeys,  there are so many displays by the time you reach the fourth floor you're on sensory overload!  The Coal Mining Museum in Wakeford was our second visit.  Again this was FREE!  The generosity of the North knows no bounds.  We traveled in a cage some 140 metres down to the pit face and spent an enjoyable hour or so wandering around in the dark with a lamp!  Our guide, Mick, was very knowledgeable and even offered to black our faces with coal to prove we'd bin down't pit.  I felt the rather fetching white hard hat and light complete with battery pack belted around my waist was quite proof enough!  My thanks to Jacqueline & Kev for their hospitality.