PAINTING PROGRESS

I have made good headway during the last month, and I have seventeen paintings ready for the Duff House exhibition. I hope to have the eighteenth and last one finished by the end of this incoming week. I call this one the magnum opus, as it depicts a crowded harbour in a great deal of detail, and is taking so long to complete.

My framing has arrived from a supplier in Nottingham, and my trusty framer Keith Hughson is now bringing his expertise to bear on them. While I'm not bad at creating stuff in 2D, I'm useless at all forms of DIY, as my flat can testify - even my wallpaper is covered in blood (my own, I hasten to add!).

All the travel and accommodation arrangements in connection with the exhibition have been made, and the ferry fares paid for. I'm looking forward to my trip - the last time I was in this part of Scotland was in 1958, when I was ten years old. We had a family holiday, based in a Buckie B & B called Redburn House, and we toured the region in Dad's old Wolseley. At that time there was an open-air swimming pool at a place called Tarlair. I have no plans for any skinny-dipping on this occasion though!