Friday 11th July

Today is not a birthday for anyone I know. It is cold with a high of just 13 and 7 the expected low. My eyes are twitching from too much screen and we are all on a frenzy to clean. Clothes from the wardrobe and boxes of things to send to the op shop. Yesterday a door knocking fund raiser came in out of the cold. I made him a coffee and gave him some gloves and sent him on his way. Nice lad, obviously chose not to read my do not knock poster on the door.
Today I am pleased to say we are up to date on the washing after the machine repair man came Wednesday and removed the paperclip from the pump which had prevented the machine from working.  $88 later I was thankful it was a simple repair job. I now have a basket of things to whip down to the dryers at the laundromat. Not quite dry when the rain came down but we had managed to get several loads dry in the brief bout of sunshine.
I was expecting visitors at 2pm and had different visitors instead. A young mum dropping in some baby clothes for another young mum due any day.
The lawn mowing team came and left without mowing because the grass is still too short since the sheep ate it all. That saved me a few dollars.

I have not been writing this week. I have instead been drawing and tidying up the art folders on the computers and transferring my art to pinterest. http://www.pinterest.com/ceciliaaclark/ 

Driving to dinner on Friday evening was an adventure. I was supposed to stop at one house before arriving at the other but I was caught in a downpour so heavy I could not see in front of the car and missed the first driveway altogether. My windscreen wipers were flipping back and forth to no avail and the little car aquaplaned in the sheets of water across the road. I finally arrived at my destination as the rain eased and was able to get out of the car without a drop of water on me.



Saturday and Sunday flew past without a blink and today is crawling along in comparison. I went out for afternoon tea on Saturday after four hours of grocery shopping and driving around town running errands. Leaning in and out of supermarket trolleys and clothes dryers is not good for me and by Saturday afternoon the pinch in my spine had become a red hot poker and I found it difficult to enjoy the company of my friends. I went home to find the plumbing backed up and in spite of a plunger and caustic drain cleaner I could not make a difference. On Sunday I finally called the plumber when the drain was overflowing into the lawn which is probably terrific for the lawn but not so terrific for the aroma. The plumber rang to let me know he was babysitting and could not come until Monday. His apprentice turned up at 10 not 8.30 as promised. I had had almost no sleep with the pain intensifying in my back and the big boys being noisy on their keyboards and finally a call at 4.02am to let me know a baby was making his way into the world. Too little sleep and I don't believe the plumbing issue has been dealt with but time will tell.

All this means I have not written a thing for over a week. Well that is to say, I have written a picture book draft and I wrote a short story based on weird thoughts I was having last night but my novel has made zero progress. I will rectify this as soon as my back allows me to sit longer than a few minutes.

Okay before the week is up here is the 52 week art challenge on the theme of Feather. Titled; 'Fascinators' and is done in pencil on cartridge paper.