Just thought I would update my blog in diary form for the summer holidays as we will be mainly at home this summer.
Began yesterday with creating web pages for Paul's Parachute Regimental Association branch. Nearly finished. Will put link on this blog when uploaded. Watched Remember Me DVD last night. Excellent film - very moving, great script, filming, acting. What more can I say?
Saw Inception with Hannah and Paul a couple of weeks ago. Good concept - clever film and some interestingly strange perception shots. Had to put Blackberry away out of sight in a zipped up pocket of my handbag so i don't keep checking work emails! Didn't realise it was such a habit.
Tues 27th July
Gardening today. Waiting to hear if Hannah has an internship in London. Going to do some work now on creating a website, blog, twitter etc for myself in case I'm going to need to set up my own consultancy business.Investigating lots of other websites and coaching courses.
Wednesday 28th July 2010
Today is the day that Hannah heard she has a paid internship in London! Excellent news. Now the job is to find a place to live etc etc.
Rest of the day ordinary things that I don't usually have much time to do - Wednesday communion with Paul, called in to the WIC to catch up with Julie to see how it's all going and to see if I need to follow anything up as chair. Shopping in Chi when Hannah heard the news so went to Nando's to celebrate and think through the next steps. Just made a crumble with plums from the plum tree in the garden that appeared from nowhere last summer. Simple joys.
Thursday 29th July
All day spent on computer and phone looking for a place for Hannah to rent in London. Just a little stressy. Will go to London tomorrow to look at a couple of places.
Friday 30th July
Exhausting and satisfying day in London. Appointment to look at room with kitchenette and shared bathroom. It looked ok and Han thought she would be able to live there for the 6 months. Good value, close to tube, can park the car in street so able to be more mobile, park at bottom of the street for jogging. Shopped in Oxford street and Tottenham Court Rd. Looked at where the office is in New Bond Street. Very posh area of London. Meal at Nandos and home very tired but pleased at organising next stage. Hannah very excited about job and living in London.
Saturday and Sunday 31st July and 1st August
Weekend away in Devon and Sue and Simon's farm. Exit 45 all got together and played a great gig in the village hall for Alice and Charlies birthdays. Photo smilebox on blog below. On way back Paul and I visited National Trust property Kinston Lacey. Amazing house and beautiful gardens especially Japanese Tea Garden. Just a reminder though of what this country is built on - stark division between rich and poor. Seems almost voyeuristic to go and visit a stately home filled with masterpieces by Titan, Rubens, Van Eyck etc and survey the way they lived and somewhere behind closed doors others still do.
Hopefully some of the photos will be inspirational for sketching and painting.
Monday 2nd August
Up at 6.15 today to take Hannah to the early train for first day of work in London. Went to the job centre for Hannah to find out about other benefits. Came back and spent the rest of the day making phone calls and filling out forms. What an eyeopener to the world of government bureaucracy. Then Hannah's Blackberry went wrong so had to be back and forth to Vodafone as well! Typed out Paul's PRA minutes as well in between.
Tuesday 3rd August
Another 6.30 start to take Han to the station. This time I was really awake and alert when I cam back and spent the whole morning reading a crime thriller. The more phone calls to Vodafone, agent for flat, texts to Hannah at work, websites for bed/mattress delivery. Then went on to doing 'stuff' on the computer for Paul - Titles for 70th Airborne DVD, label and case design and collection cans. Created two Smileboxes of the weekend in Devon. I love the creative part of working on computers.
Wednesday 4th August
Slightly later start of 7.30 to the day as Hannah has the morning off to go and sign her rental agreement etc. I've come back to read gardening magazines, update the blog and the plan is to now do some painting. painted for much of the day in between finalising Han's move arrangements.
Thursday 5th Aug
Continued painting and finished in the evening. Quite pleased with the result. Will add photo next week. Shopped for things Han will need for the flat e.g. utensils, saucepans , bed linen etc etc.
Fri 6th Aug
After dropping Han to the station Paul and I then packed up the things Hannah needed for living in London and then I drove her car to her new flat and we picked up[ the keys for Hannah, unloaded the car, sorted some of the things for Hannah and then caught the train into London to meet Hannah for lunch and to leave her the keys. I have to admit that it all felt a little strange. Different to when she first went to uni, somehow this feels more grown up and for real. Felt quite sad that night but at the same time excited for Hannah and the next stage of her life. Very proud Mum.
Saturday 7th August
Painting day in Littlehampton with teacher Pat Harvey.
http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/yourgallery/artist_profile/Pat+Harvey/33810.html
These days are a real treat. I thoroughly enjoy them as well as learning so much that is new to me. Today focused on buildings and watercolour. Paul and Hannah went to see Charlton play and thank goodness they won their first game of the season. Turns out that the pub i painted at my class is one that Paul recognised as being just down the road from his friend Ronnie Matthewson. How amazing is that out of all the photos of buildings in London that Pat would choose that one for us to paint!
Sunday 8th August
Finished creating Paul's PRA website. Very satisfying to be creative and useful at the same time. Link is http://www.worthingpra.co.uk/
Monday 9th Aug and Tues 10th Aug
Not really sure where these two days went. Prepared a sketch for the next painting I hope to do. Read a bit, watched some t.v. organised for the flat tyre to be fixed. Surely there must have been more than that! Maybe this what it is like to be retired ... you just enter another time zone. About to do more detailed sketch and then a tracing for the next painting as it is a more complicated building which needs care regarding the perspective etc. Cooking Moroccan lamb couscous at same time as phoning vodafone for about the 20th time regarding Han's replacement phone.
