The Malaguti is a cutie

The trouble with restoration projects is that, while old things can be made to appear new again, they tend to carry on working just like old things.
Take the Malaguti 50cc moped, for example. My hubby has carefully restored it so that it looks great, but attempts to make it work at the speed and efficiency of a modern machine have made, well, yet more work.
Looks great, though.

Teen shopping

My daughter, A, is going to France next week to stay with a French family. So, today we have been clothes shopping in town, in all the shops I avoided for so many years. All the High Street clothes shops with loud, blaring music. (makes me sound middle-aged, I know, but I have so many memories of "fashion disasters" of years ago that those crowded boutiques don't do much for me.
Anyway, we came away with several pairs of Dolly shoes, a jacket and some accessories and even some gifts for the family.
A jewelled compact for the mum, a Mini mug for the Dad, and a football scarf and some Uncle Joes Mint Balls for the French correspondent (he's a boy. There were no girls left) from a delightful shop called Past Times.
A capuccino for me and a hot chocolate loaded with cream and marshmallows for A, and we finally left.
But not before popping in to the book shop for Revision Guides (it's exam time soon) where I found myself drawn to a book about Dita Von Teese.
Only momentarily, though. She just looks so stylish and stunning. Oh well, back to the cooking.

How did they get here?

Our foray into Spring was short lived and it's yet another wet, freezing day albeit with a slightly lighter evening.
But the field behind my house has attracted several new residents - and I'm not sure how they got there.
Two sheep and their offspring have been sheltering in the barn and i can't see any gaps in the fencing/hedge that they could have got through.
I got as close as I dare to take a photo, I heard that sheep can be protective of their young.

And the title is..untitled

At the gallery today, I suddenly realised I hadn't titled my work. I'm not a fan of "untitled" by and large so I only had 10 seconds or so to come up with something.
The best I could do was: "Metal jug with wheat" for a still life. Then "Colours advance and recede, 1 and 2" for two abstracts.
When I got home, I had to google wheat as I was not entirely sure whether it was wheat or grasses I had painted. (I did the painting a while ago in a class.)
Oh well, wheat will have to do.

Two new paintings

I've done two small paintings for the gallery I belong to - it's their show next month and they have asked for contributions. It's always difficult; you do a painting and it seems ok, then someone else sees it and you're waiting for their reaction. If they don't say anything they don't like it.
However, when you're an artist you do your work for you and in fact it's irrelevant if anyone else likes it or not. As long as it has meaning.
So, my two little abstractions are done and off they go to the gallery tomorrow. Wish me luck.

Early evening sky

I love looking at the light changes at this time of year. The sky just seems to lift and get lighter in the early evening and the promise of Spring seems to be here at last.
"Over all the mountains sing
Winter's over, welcome Spring." (from: Mountains Melting by Don Rehling.)

Up to my eyes in suds

My washing machine has broken. On Sunday I tried to change the programme just after it started and it didn't seem to like it. A little further inspection and it seemed the catch had snappped.
Normally, the appliance repair company I use (they're a sort of, one-shop-fix-all country company) take about three days to get out to you, a further three days to order the part and then another week to come back and repair the machine.
In the end, we decided it was probably time to get a new washer as this one must be nearly 10 years old.
Having no washing machine means instant chaos at my house, as on average there are several loads a day going through. I am mindful of environmental issues, however, and I don't wash towels etc straight away.So I have found myself using the launderette in the nearest town centre, in the meantime, something I haven't done for years. It seems too personal, being there with one's smalls in such a public place.
Clearly, I have been out in the sticks a long time.