A Visit To The Bank

The holiday now seems like no more than a distant memory. I have returned to so many things that need doing. My daughter in law made a marvellous job of looking after my plot when I was away. The one thing she was so unsure about was harvesting the now very fruitful space. She was able to cut lettuce and salad leaves and pick peas, but that was it. My onions were all ready to bend over and prepare for lifting and drying. My potatoes were all ready for cropping and a marvellous crop it has turned out to be this year.

She and my son have been off on holiday and this has meant my keeping tabs on his mail for his legal business, a task that took a few hours out of each day.  So one thing and another and I have as yet not managed to have a day at the paint since my return. I hope to put that to rights as soon as he returns home which will be this evening.

I have had a few occasions that have required trips to the bank over the past week. On one day in front of my in the line of people waiting to be served was a family from USA. They were hoping to change US$ into GB£. The exchange rate, as you all are aware I am sure, is not at all good for such an exchange. So he was letting me know loud and clear that this was the case. Telling me and everybody else in the bank that my lovely country was a costly place to visit.

This reminded me of the tale I was told very recently that just has to bring a smile to your face.

There was an Asian lady  in the bank
trying to exchange yen for dollars.
It was obvious she was a little irritated  ... . She asked the 
teller, "Why it change? Yesterday, I  get two hunat dolla fo yen.
Today I only get hunat eighty? Why it change?"


The teller shrugged his shoulders and said, "Fluctuations."

Taken aback for only a second, 
The Asian lady says, "Fluc you white people too"

My apologies for that but it really did make me laugh out loud.

One last bit of news.  Those who follow my blogs know that I am not a competitive sort of person!!!!! So it is with some humility that I share with you that I have just been told I have won the trophy for the best garden plot for 2011. All my work has not only given me wonderful produce but also I feel pleased and honored to have won this award. 

The pic is of my first cooking of my first crop of beetroot, and that little lot is not even noticed missing in the plot.

The Golfer and the Art of Seeing

A golfer was playing the last hole of his local golf course. The hole wasone with a long fairway that ran alongside a fairly busy road. He teed up his ball and took up his stance then  played his shot, but unfortunately he hit the ball off in the wrong direction. The ball flew off to the left over the fence and towards the road. Just at that moment a car was climbing the hill, the ball struck the front pane and the driver in shock swung to the right far too sharply. The car rolled over and another car coming down the hill could not avoid. There was an almighty collision. Both drivers were injured.


The golfer ,made his way clubhouse a very worried man. He saw the club captain and approached him to speak with him. He explained in detail what had happened and asked the captain what he should do now. The captain thought for a minute and then said, “If you just adjust your grip a bit further round the club handle that should solve your problem.”

Is it not amazing that two people looking at the same situation,or for the artist the same viewpoint, and yet both see it completely differently. It never fails to amaze me how the same scenery can be depicted in so many different ways. There are those who strive to show every blade of grass and those who hardly show anything at all yet capture the whole scene with just a few strokes of the brush or the pastel.

We will all as artists know which it is that best suits our style. That being said I think art is like life, the simpler we keep it the easier it is. As the ancient sage said, “Why try to climb over the boulder in the middle of the river when it is possible to swim round it and go with the current. I am always in awe when I look at so many works of art that capture an atmosphere and the scene, I am full of envy and long to be able to do the same.  Whether it is a detailed painting or an atmospheric interpretation the ones that seem to grip are those where we can see the heart of the artist.

If we are painitng, sculpting or creating just because we have to meet deadlines or fulfil commissions do we have time to put our hearts into the work? I frequently consider not doing any commissions for this very reason. How do others cope? Would love to hear your suggestions.