Seasons Greetings

Life is anything but predictable right now so joining in with unpredictability I decided to show my Christmas lights (above) in a whole new way.  I like it! I swished the camera from left to right and captured a brief moment in time.

This December has been like no other.  Despite the negative news in the media I have found people on the street to be friendly and going out of their way to say hello, cars have stopped to let me cross the road and there has been a genuine 'Christmassy' feel that I haven't experienced since being a child. 

I am ahead of the game this year.  I have bought most of the presents I need to buy, caught up with some major household chores, crossed loads off my to do list and we are only at the 10th of December!

Instead of running around like a headless chicken I am working my way methodically through the month taking my time to choose and wrap presents, meal plan and generally keeping on top of things.  It feels so good to be in control for once!

Classic Fiction

I've not read a book in ages.  In need of some healthy escapism between book pages, I took myself off to the library to seek out a book by Charles Dickens.  I was looking for 'A Christmas Carol' for although I know the story and have seen the film versions, I have never read the book.

Better than finding 'A Christmas Carol', I found a book called Dickens at Christmas which not only contained A Christmas Carol, The Chimes, The Battle of life, The Cricket on the Hearth and The Haunted Man but also stories that he wrote for the special seasonal editions of his periodicals.

I was going to start to read the book on December 1st on the lead up to Christmas, but knowing how slow I read and the fact that I only have it loaned for 3 weeks (it has been reserved) I am going to start to read it tonight.

A Long Walk

I went for a long walk today.  I didn't intend for it to be a long walk but I got stuck on a path and had to keep on going until I reached a sign post!  In all I was out walking for two and a half hours.  I was completely alone for most of the journey - not a soul to be seen and hardly any wildlife too.  When the occasional dog walker passed by I breathed a sigh of relief.  Being alone isn't a problem, it is the thought of being mugged or attacked that is.  Part of the walk took me deep into woodland and I'll admit that I muttered a few prayers under my breath as I trudged on not knowing what I was walking towards.  I was unsure what path to take once the path widened and branched off into different directions.  Luckily I got my bearings and chose the right path.

When I eventually arrived home I was relieved to be unscathed by my journey in the wilderness!

More Painting Practice

I painted this in between preparing dinner today.  In fact, I painted two but preferred this one.  I followed a simple tutorial on skillshare.  The video was simple but assumed that the painter was already familiar was certain techniques.  I enjoyed doing this one and look forward to doing my own versions on a theme.

Multiple Landscapes

I've been trying out something different today - painting multiple landscapes at one time.  I painted straight onto paper without sketching first which is new for me.  I am the world's biggest critic when I look at what I have produced but know that many artists have a lot of work that they reject before putting their best work forward.  I am hoping that the more hours of practice I put in, the better my work will be.

I enjoyed the process of painting today - despite the outcome and time completely ran away from me.  Time to make tonight's evening meal now and put the paints away for another day.

Christmas Tree Girl, Angel Cat and a Dog

 My Christmas Tree girl looks a little snooty!

Wasn't so pleased how angel cat turned out but I am sure I will develop my skills the more I draw and paint.

The top two paintings took quite a bit of time to do over the weekend, however, the doggy sketch and quick watercolour over the top took minutes.  Guess which one my husband liked best?

Another Angel

I sketched another angel today.  I need to add some further detail but this is as far as I got.  I like the serene look on her face.  I shall probably keep on drawing and painting angels until I no longer need to practice them!