Bring spring

I loathe and detest this time of year, thus justifying tautology to myself at least.  Still, there are some signs of spring: the snowdrops are coming into flower, and other bulbs are starting to show signs of life.  While we wait for the buds on the cornus to emerge, we can at least enjoy the bright red bark, a rare streak or two of colour in the February garden, particularly when the sun shines on it.  A trip along to Hartfield for a lime green one soon, I think.

The snow has at least gone for the moment, but I was glad of four wheel drive on my trip to the hobby last week.  To be honest, it was only really useful for getting out of our street and into and out of that of the colleague I'd offered to pick up, since we used the main roads rather than my usual country lanes.  I was able to use my usual route again yesterday, finding it flooded, as usual after the thaw.  Nothing too dramatic: maybe a tyre's depth.  But on the way home, some arse in an Astra came through the largest puddle from the opposite direction at enough of a lick to raise a wave of mud that went all over my car, leaving me blinded until the wipers caught up.  I'm rather hoping it was a petrol car, and that the electrics were drowned.  I know: my generosity of spirit knows no bounds.

After art club today, Martyn took the car along for a wash - fortunately the complimentary one after the requisite number of stamps on the loyalty card.  I was having my eyes examined meanwhile: the annual inspection.  Evidently, though pressures remain on the high side, the nerves look healthy, and the pressure readings haven't changed significantly over the years since I was first referred to the clinic, so the optometrist has discharged me, and just told me to have a normal sight test and examination once a year. 

As for the art efforts, Martyn did another nice floral piece, in the foreground, rather more formal than  last week's.  I knocked out a quick canvas of the ruins of Whitby Abbey.  It was rather harder work than last week's little Swiss landscape, but it does nod in the direction of our current project theme, Heritage.  The ever creative Joan brought some delicious shortbread biscuits, so ars gratia artis shows itself in many forms.  We'll perhaps invite Miss to come and preside over a project crit some time next month - and hope that Joan will have been baking again!.