Magpies and sunflowers
Bev’s Diary Sunday. 10. August 2008.
It’s about 6.30am,
I am up with the birds who are very quiet this morning.
It’s NOT raining, the sun has risen with long low bars of cloud and bright bits where it’s peeping through.
The cows beyond the pools are still in mist, but the poorly cow I have, with her calf close by, is sitting down in a warm ray, chewing the cud.
I slept well last night, though I think the smoke alarm had a practice at one point.
The night before I was woken feeling furious.
I had been dreaming I could not turn the radio off, or in this persons house I could not find it, to switch it off and so started hurling things across the room.
Waking I realized why.
I had gone to sleep listening to the bedtime story and it had gone onto the endless news channel.
I guess the Russians in Georgia were also invading my sleepy fantasy life.
Wednesday I had a great Workshop, I do beleive, I do believe from the participants appreciative vibe afterwards.
The people did brilliantly and worked hard too.
Prior to the day I went through my usual, laid back, laid back, er bit laid back, bit less and ahhhh panic panic panic. Inside anyway.
Spent whole day preparing till finally decided on plan and worked till 1am, but was alright on the night as they say in theatre land.
It’s been a joy to date paintings with 8. 8. 08. while listening on radio to Opening in China of the Olympics and wish I was there.
Here are two of paintings I have just done, the sunflowers; I merged with them, because it was soooo gloomy outside on Saturday.
I think sunny today maybe.
Saturday evening Jess and Beth visited,
they’d bought wedding rings in Birmingham’s jewelry quartre, they are sweet.
Though when we were cooking it got sparky so I said, oops are the rings going back?
I think getting married is high stress and they are worried it will change what is such a good relationship.
I guess it could but I hope not.
Maybe arranged marriages take that stress away at least.
Won’t go there, as really I don’t know anything.
PAST.
I decided to visit Jenny after the workshop on Wednesday.
First though, I saw a new friend who did some neuro linguistic programming with me, examined’ Blocks in my way, visualizations…
I said to her I want to make TV programmes about what I do, the workshops, creative process etc. etc.
So we wandered by the River Onny, role playing and dispelling the invisible negative voices that haunt some of us, me especially, voices that say, not good enough, who IS she, etc.
They went floating down the stream and merrily merrily merrily and I get on with my dream.
AND SO
dream it was at Jennys that same evening, greeted by a little wild Mallard duck giving me a very tickly pedicure.
A saucy Magpie who flew in and out the house and perched on heads and tweaked the dogs tails to annoy them.
Also landed on food bowls etc. to annoy us and even teased the cat, unwise that.
You need a tough tum to dine at Jennys, a little less than Le Caprice, her food was brilliant though, all from their garden and I am still here
Two other old friends were dinner guests, it was they who brought Jenny the tiny fledgling Magpie a few months back.
Wine and converasion flowed with the odd comments and demands for food from the caged female parrot, ‘Colonel Bird’, ‘what about Colonel?’ she’d question from the back of the room when different dishes were offered around the long Pitchford Hall table and she was given small tasters.
So birds galore.
Aa at about midnight we put on wellingtons and went outside to the old barns to lock up the chickens.
They were all perched in the hen houses, nose to tail along the beams, such a snug safe sight.
They shook red combs, blinked beady eyes and ruffled tail feathers. Jenny collected a few eggs, they are off lay just now.
She has so many hens and is discouraging brooodiness.
One such female had hidden herself in shrubbery outside with one egg.
‘Naughty girl’ Jenny chided and carted her off to the sin bin to cool off.
Another she had to leave tucked below corrugated iron as she’d been successful in hiding for longer and already was incubating several eggs.
I was surprised, usually Jenny’s happy with their breedng programme.
62 is enough she said flatly.
And we left the warm barns, went back out into the soft dark rain towards the yellow lit windows.