Mostly still here
These are amazing - machines and buildings made from cut paper by artist, Laura Cooperman.
I am tired today. Yesterday I cooked dinner and had a massage, and just that was enough to knock me out. Plus I started up on my low dose amitriptyline again last night and I slept through the night for the first time in weeks, so apparently it does do something.
On Wednesday catvincent and I had a lovely day out looking at cats at two of the cat and dog rescue centres. Poor Constantine has been pining since we lost Methuselah last month and now that I've got the Ormskirk exhibition out of the way I feel ready for a new cat. So we went kitten hunting...
We liked the Holly Hedge Sanctuary better than the RSPCA. It was much friendlier and more homely than the rather more brusque RSPCA, although the animals were well cared for in both places. We didn't find the right cat although there were several really lovely ones. I fell head over heels in love with a grey tabby male who looked like some kind of pedigree. I would have taken him like a shot but he was being rehomed with his friend and we only want one cat not two. We're a two cat household, any time we go up to three something happens to the third cat. Also bringing two cats with an existing relationship into the house would probably disconcert Constantine quite considerably. He is definitely missing cat companionship, having never been a solo cat before, but we don't want him to be pushed around by lots of newcomers. We're looking for a cat that won't be overly dominant with him, which is why we ideally want a kitten.
We were also very charmed by a beautiful female tortoiseshell at the RSPCA, she was extremely adorable and affectionate but we felt that she might take over the house too much. She seemed like she'd be better in a house with no other animals. She'd been a stray and was clearly in needs of huge amounts of love and attention and having checked the RSPCA website again last night I see that she is now listed as needing to be an only cat so it looks like our instincts were right.
So no new cat yet. However, Holly Hedge have seven kittens who're going to be available from the middle of next week and two of them are tabbies. This is good because a tabby kitten is ideally what I want, although I'm open to the right cat regardless of age or colouring. They're in isolation just now so we couldn't meet them but we were given a very cute picture and we'll be going back to meet them next week. Apparently there will be some more adult cats coming out of isolation then as well, so there are options. I'm happy to wait for the right cat rather than just bringing any old cat home.
Oh, and on Wednesday I also designed, printed and trimmed business cards for the Chapel Gallery show (which opens tonight if any of you live near Lancashire).
Having finished and posted the business cards I now have nothing more to do, which feels very odd (but kind of nice). Sure, there are plenty of things I could do, even some things that I should do (like setting up the blog for The Diary Project, for example) but there's nothing that I absolutely, definitely must do. I feel a huge sense of relief. I know that it won't last because there are things coming up in the next few weeks that do need to be done (my tax return for one) but it gives me a firm sense that taking some time off is the right thing to do. I'm still making art: I'm carrying on with the black thread drawings that got derailed when I had to switch to doing the red thread drawings, plus I'm doing The Diary Project everyday. Later today I'd like to do more of the little ink drawings, I haven't done any for more than a week and I'm missing them. So there's plenty to be getting on with, but it can be done at a relaxed and leisurely pace because there are no more deadlines to deal with. And that feels great!
I am tired today. Yesterday I cooked dinner and had a massage, and just that was enough to knock me out. Plus I started up on my low dose amitriptyline again last night and I slept through the night for the first time in weeks, so apparently it does do something.
On Wednesday catvincent and I had a lovely day out looking at cats at two of the cat and dog rescue centres. Poor Constantine has been pining since we lost Methuselah last month and now that I've got the Ormskirk exhibition out of the way I feel ready for a new cat. So we went kitten hunting...
We liked the Holly Hedge Sanctuary better than the RSPCA. It was much friendlier and more homely than the rather more brusque RSPCA, although the animals were well cared for in both places. We didn't find the right cat although there were several really lovely ones. I fell head over heels in love with a grey tabby male who looked like some kind of pedigree. I would have taken him like a shot but he was being rehomed with his friend and we only want one cat not two. We're a two cat household, any time we go up to three something happens to the third cat. Also bringing two cats with an existing relationship into the house would probably disconcert Constantine quite considerably. He is definitely missing cat companionship, having never been a solo cat before, but we don't want him to be pushed around by lots of newcomers. We're looking for a cat that won't be overly dominant with him, which is why we ideally want a kitten.
We were also very charmed by a beautiful female tortoiseshell at the RSPCA, she was extremely adorable and affectionate but we felt that she might take over the house too much. She seemed like she'd be better in a house with no other animals. She'd been a stray and was clearly in needs of huge amounts of love and attention and having checked the RSPCA website again last night I see that she is now listed as needing to be an only cat so it looks like our instincts were right.
So no new cat yet. However, Holly Hedge have seven kittens who're going to be available from the middle of next week and two of them are tabbies. This is good because a tabby kitten is ideally what I want, although I'm open to the right cat regardless of age or colouring. They're in isolation just now so we couldn't meet them but we were given a very cute picture and we'll be going back to meet them next week. Apparently there will be some more adult cats coming out of isolation then as well, so there are options. I'm happy to wait for the right cat rather than just bringing any old cat home.
Oh, and on Wednesday I also designed, printed and trimmed business cards for the Chapel Gallery show (which opens tonight if any of you live near Lancashire).
Having finished and posted the business cards I now have nothing more to do, which feels very odd (but kind of nice). Sure, there are plenty of things I could do, even some things that I should do (like setting up the blog for The Diary Project, for example) but there's nothing that I absolutely, definitely must do. I feel a huge sense of relief. I know that it won't last because there are things coming up in the next few weeks that do need to be done (my tax return for one) but it gives me a firm sense that taking some time off is the right thing to do. I'm still making art: I'm carrying on with the black thread drawings that got derailed when I had to switch to doing the red thread drawings, plus I'm doing The Diary Project everyday. Later today I'd like to do more of the little ink drawings, I haven't done any for more than a week and I'm missing them. So there's plenty to be getting on with, but it can be done at a relaxed and leisurely pace because there are no more deadlines to deal with. And that feels great!