Brief journeys - castles and kitchen gardens

Surrender to the mess

All those clean, fresh starts had made me forget what it was like, until now, to be messy and honest and out of control. To be real.

Sarah Dessen

Right, so here we are... after two painting sessions and two layers, these are the hot messes that I've created. Layer one, designed to just break-in the white canvas, created with a mixture of dribble and smoosh techniques (technical terms those!) using only warm colours. Layer two - an exercise where we were encouraged to play with our tools, familiarise ourselves with the way the paint moves and make as many and as varied a collection of marks as we could, scrubbing, twirling, dabbing, dragging, stamping, etching... keeping the flow moving, not stepping back to worry about what it looked like overall, not over-thinking, remaining unattached to the outcome and immersed in the process.... Many of these requests harder for me to do than one might expect. The need to "fix" after I stepped back by just whiting it all out with gesso and starting again was the hardest to resist but, in the morning, when I looked at them again, I was so glad that I hadn't. I'm just going to trust it, surrender to the mess and see how it evolves.

I added layer two to my canvases after a particularly horrible day and one of the most dehumanising visa application experiences ever (and believe me, I've had some - I could write an entire book of ways that these places manage to turn it into a torturous art form). I was feeling frustrated, tightly wound and tearful. I thought that I'd probably wait until the next day to catch up on my lesson but when I got in, I changed into comfies, made a cup of tea, grabbed a handful of nuts, turned on some music and gave it a whirl. I can honestly say I've never enjoyed painting more and liked the results less.

There are small bits of each canvas that I love though. Bits that would not have happened if I hadn't given over to the process. Things I would not have discovered about how I love to move paint around with my fingers and about how I like working with those funny little foam brushes and how it gets easier to do when you play the right music and stick with it through the resistant parts. I still look forward to the point when we're encouraged to blend and harmonise composition a bit more and add more light and dark contrast... I'm very pleased there are about 16 layers still to come and most of this will probably be covered up but oh, what a release it provided and how much better I felt afterwards. All that anxiety and anger was just gone: sublimated into painting joy.

I think there's a profound lesson in here somewhere, and it's about more than just painting.

When I can't be there...

...photographs and memories keep them close.

Nothing new

trite (trt)

adj. trit·er, trit·est

1. Lacking power to evoke interest through overuse or repetition; hackneyed.

2. Worn out by use.

I know there a gajillion pictures of leaves out there. I've taken at least a hundred of them myself and I've been wondering if I should even bother this year. I love looking at them but how many leaf photographs count as too many?

We wouldn't accuse nature of making too many pretty leaves though, of repeating herself, would we? 

And when she goes to the trouble of scattering them so beautifully at my feet, it seems rude not to pause and then photograph them, again.

Trite?

Maybe a little. But I just can't seem to stop.

* it's orange day in Poppytalk's  Autumn colour week. Check out the group's photostream here.

Colour week - it's a rainbow 'round here

The true harvest of my life is intangible - a little star dust caught, 

a portion of the rainbow I have clutched.

Henry David Thoreau

(1817-1862)

When I daydream about my perfect home it broadly includes a white, light-drenched space with a small lush garden and an ocean view. More often than not it's decorated with lots of natural materials in light neutrals, accented with rich but subtle colours. Strange then that I find myself living in a city-centre apartment, without even a tiny balcony let alone a garden, a view of a city skyline, not a lot of natural light, and decorated in quite dark neutrals and bright jewel colours. And I'm happy here. What both have in common I guess is that they are calm and peaceful spaces that reflect the things and the people I love. If I were living in my dream home I would have posted whites today. But what I see around me is a rainbow. And living in a rainbow is not such a bad place to be.

~ several years ago now I moved to the Eternal City to live for a few years and whilst there I met a kindred-spirit, someone who showed me the ropes, shared her days with me, and gave me some of my happiest and most enduring memories of the place. I had no idea at the time how profoundly this meeting would impact on my life. She and her husband returned to Canada, I went to France and then came to the UK but we remain friends, joined at the heart across the distance. Joined at the heart I like to believe, like the city where we met, eternally. Even at a distance she enriches my life, loves and supports me unconditionally and gifts me with her thoughtfulness and a warm deep wisdom, always when I need it most.  She has also given me some of the things I treasure most and love to have around my home, including this incredible glass colour wheel, made especially for me. When it catches the light, I think of her and the creativity that runs in her veins and the love that she embodies. And it makes me smile. Thank you E.

~ we've already visited my bookshelves once this week and I return to this one now because it's a rainbow of colour and content. My book collection is vast and eclectic. I love books. I enjoy electronic media but I hope we never ever move away entirely from books made of paper and ink. Books that we hold in our hands, that we keep on shelves, that we revisit like good friends for years and years. Those who love books will get this. Those who don't will not. Let's just leave it at that.

~ last night a friend turned thirty and we celebrated with a party where everyone was required to wear a wacky wig. Fancy dress for heads. It was fun - great fun. This gift bag, hanging on my living room door was waiting to leave for the party... where, like it, there was a swirl of rainbow colour and style. I love to wear a party wig and I think that every opportunity to do so should be taken. Wig-wearing releases the alter-egos of people, usually their bolder, sparklier sides, and I love to observe those at play. Mine was red, very bright red, and curly and big. Very big. I was channelling someone who might have hung out with Dolly Parton in her big hair heyday and it was fab. Perhaps I'll model it for red day of our next colour week.

~ There's something magical about a kaleidoscope, isn't there? I'd like to collect them and so far I have two. More than one is a collection, right? This tiny one, a souvenir from a visit to science museum, offers up a rainbow both inside and out. It always makes me smiley.

~ today's breakfast. Breakfast is my favourite meal of the day to eat out - love it - but I'm not always very good about eating it at home. I know that's not good, so since I've moved I'm trying to make an effort to do so more regularly and one of the ways I find makes it easier for me to stick to this resolution is to make it up on a little tray. This morning I started my day with some red berry tea, cereal with milk and a sparkling blue sky - perfect.

And that rounds up colour week. I've enjoyed having the opportunity to look for the colourful comfort and sparkle in my living space. It's interesting to see one's own world through the lens with this kind of emphasis. It's shown me things and made me think about them as I might not otherwise have done. And it's given me something positive and creative to focus my attention on, which is always a good thing and just what I needed. Like Thoreau, I realise that the true harvest of my life to-date is intangible but that the things that surround me remind me of these, and facilitate the creation of them too - love, friendship, fun, learning, contentment... happiness. A rainbow of beauty and emotion. Thank you to lovely Lisa who initiated and hosted our colour explorations and to everyone who popped by to say hello, and who shared the beauty of colour in their worlds for our enjoyment. It has been a pleasure.

A happy, rainbow-filled weekend to you!

Colour week - orange sings a happy song

Orange is the happiest colour.

Frank Sinatra

(1915-1998)

Yay for orange day! Orange is oft quoted as being people's least favourite colour but it's one of my three favourite favourites. To me it's vibrant, creative and a colour that sings a bold and happy song.  Which is why it's the colour of my blogging space. I also wear quite a lot of it and it has crept into my home decor too, providing little pops of colour that always lift my spirits. I tend to be drawn towards the richer, golden and amber oranges rather than the bright citrus-y end of the spectrum but wherever it sits in the range, orange makes my heart sing right along with it.

~ open shelves in my new kitchen provide storage for my amber glasses and orange tealights, which make their way down onto the dining table for some meals. I love coloured glass and have a small but precious collection of it - precious only to me, not in actual material value, because for years and years it was a no-go area or one to be argued over. Glass was clear, shirts were white, shoes were black... It's a long story. I won't bore you with it. I just celebrate now that I can have glasses in any colour under the rainbow I like. And I do.

~ I am not a coffee drinker. Tea is my thing. But, whilst living in Italy for some years I did develop a taste for the occasional really good cup of caffè and more especially a little caffè espresso or caffè macchiato. These beautiful demitasse cups and saucers were a gift from a special friend for my fortieth Birthday some years ago.  I love not only to use them when that occasion arises but also to look at them when they are not in use. SO pretty.

~ This little floor cushion in front of the french doors in my living room is one of my favourite spots to sit, especially when the sun streams into the room in the afternoon and creates a sunspot that my feline sensibilities are drawn to. I was hoping to catch it in the sunlight but unfortunately we haven't had any in the past few days, so I'm afraid you'll need to use your imaginations on that one for now.

~ Another section of one of the pinboards in my kitchen. It was not designed to showcase orange, but there it is... in postcards from friends, flyers for upcoming musicalparkpicnic opportunities, an invitation to a wacky wig party that I'm attending on Friday, and even in the sarong that I'm wearing in the photograph of two of my siblings and me on a beach in our home town... happy oranges, all.

~ every girl should have a basic set of tools and these are mine. Thank you Ikea, provider of everything I never know I need until I wander through that marketplace of yours (the orange candle on the coffee table in the photograph above was acquired this way too now that I think about it - that mountain of scented candles near the exit catches me every time). As you can tell, this is not the most sophisticated of toolkits but does most things I need to tinker around with myself and I love that they are encased in orange.

So there we are... orange in my apartment, adding warmth and comfort. Not all there is, but those that popped out when I looked around quickly and a little orange goes a long way. I did look for bits of yellow too - as this is yellow and orange day - but yellow is not really a colour I have in my space... strange.

Off to explore the other colour-weeker's offerings for today. Hope you're having a happy, orangey Wednesday! See you tomorrow for a little purple-shmurple...

Too soon to dream...

...of picnics?

Probably. But I can't help myself. We've had a few hours of sunshine this week and immediately I begin to think about lying under trees, cloud or star gazing, eating delicious food in the fresh air, in the company of friends - heavenly. Without doubt it's one of the main reasons why I'd like to live in a warmer climate again. 

The gorgeous images above are from a blog called Ruffled and they're actually styled as wedding inspiration - exactly the sort of wedding I'd like to have if I ever married again. Exactly. But it would be just as lovely for a casual summer picnic with friends wouldn't it? It actually reminded me of many a picnic I have had with friends... Oh, I do so love a picnic. Have I mentioned that?

I also love wedding blogs: pretty dresses and shoes, love that's almost tangible, gorgeous parties, creative details... what's not to enjoy? Great inspiration for any occasion and every day, not just weddings. My favourite posts are always the real weddings like these from Green Wedding Shoes.

Marie of Blushing and Sweet has highlighted some lovely places to browse (and that purple petticoat and shoes she's posted nearly made me cry with pleasure - perfect for a wedding or a casual picnic I think!). In addition to those she's recommended, another of my favourites is Snippet and Ink. If you feel like losing yourself in dreamy prettiness for a little while... 

I do.

Let the majority rule...

Framed?

Unframed?

In the spirit of democracy and as I've been dithering about it and simply cannot choose for myself because I like both for different reasons, I'd like to enlist your help in deciding how to present photographs here from now on, and I'll go with the majority vote. I quite liked the look of the framed version of my recent inspiration board and I wondered if I might extend it to all my pictures. Or most at least, as at some point I might change it up again. I really appreciated your thoughts on the larger size, which I'm enjoying, but which of these formats do you prefer? The framed or unframed versions?

I tend towards a preference for quite a lot of white space but I appreciate that I work on a little 13" Macbook so what I see will be different to what many of you might be looking at.

I've been tinkering around with the look and feel of my little blog space over the past few weeks and although it's hardly a dramatic overhaul, I have finally made a few updates I've been wanting to try for a while - inserting post dividers; tidying up the sidebar; putting up a menu linked to some pages where I can record and access some of my favourite quotations more readily; working out how to tweak the HTML to create a background for the entire space; creating some linked images out to other spaces like my Flickr favourites and my other little blog project... and it's been fun playing around with it. I can't explain how excited I was when I actually managed to figure out the HTML for removing the border on my header - it's a little bit sad really - I'm so untechy and easily thrilled when I learn something new.

Anyway, I think I'm quite happy with it (although, as always, I'll need to live with it for a bit to be sure and am delighted to have your feedback either way) but now I'm at that crucial point I sometimes reach with my paintings, where I'm not entirely sure whether to fine-tune just a fraction more or leave well alone. And I simply can't decide about this photo format thing. I appreciate it's hardly going to upset the universal balance either way but if you feel inclined to chime in, I'd value your input... otherwise, it may just be decided on a coin toss. So, what do you think?

Unframed?

Framed?

These pictures were taken recently - the top set at a local art gallery, where I go for tea quite often. They have a tiny but lovely collection of iron and bronze works, including the little study of Eve by Rodin (bottom centre of the mosaic) who looks a bit like I feel on a Monday morning. And the bottom one taken on an early morning crossing into the City over London Bridge looking east towards Tower Bridge and a wintry sunrise, a view which makes a Monday (or any day of the week) feel just a little bit better.

It's been great to read the lovely lists of what you were up to at the weekend and although it hardly feels like I've had a pause to speak of and here we are at Monday again, there's no stopping the march of days, so, deep breath and off we go again.... 

Wherever you are and whatever you're facing this week, I wish you a happy one!

♥

Talk of travel...

...makes me happy!

Not as happy as planning a trip and travelling itself, of course, but it does lift my spirits just to think about somewhere interesting and exciting to go to. Or to talk about it. Or to share a conversation with people about places already visited, by them, or me, or both.

Today at lunchtime a colleague and I chatted about his forthcoming visit to India, where he will be attending a family wedding in a few weeks. We talked about his holiday plans and he shared with me how he felt like a new sector physically opened in his mind, one not previously accessed, when he first travelled as an adult to somewhere that he had not been before... His whole demeanor - usually quite reserved - changed as the pleasure of what this brings him was apparent in word and tone and gesture. He apparently went to India quite often as a child and in his youth but always to visit his family in their homes. Fly in, one city, one town, fly out. Only a couple of years ago did he and his wife travel over and take a little extra time either side of visiting family to explore the country a bit more. And the travel bug bit him. Good and hard. Fortunately for him, it bit his wife too.

We had a lovely chat. We compared notes and reminisced about places we've both been and shared experiences and adventures from places that one or the other has not yet been. We talked about our travel wishlists and regretted that a lifetime would probably not be long enough to fulfill them unless perhaps we could find a way to earn a living as travellers and live out our days that way.

Mostly we talked about India and South East Asia, as we have more common ground covered there, and it made me long for the colours, sights, smells, textures and flavours of these places. The heat.

These things make me happy. Even just talking about them makes me happy.

As do the colours that conjour them in my mind's eye - rich red, saffron yellow, golden orange. Gorgeous!

Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living.

Miriam Beard

Two of the greatest gifts we can give our children are roots and wings.

Hodding Carter

(1907-1972)

Let your memory be your travel bag.

Alexander Solzhenitsyn

(1918-2008)

To see what's making other people happy today check out the happy week list here...

[Flickr credits]

Optimistic Oranges and Yellows

Colour weeks are brilliant! I'm so loving seeing how everyone interprets the day... And having fun finding colour in my own little world.

I know that many people love yellow but struggle with orange. It's often quoted as a least liked colour. But orange is one of the colours that makes my heart sing - the second of my three favourites. For me, it's the colour of creativity and optimism and always lifts my spirits. And orange speaks to me of Africa. 

I don't own much yellow, but orange abounds in my wardrobe. Just small touches but, with its vibrancy, a little goes a long way...

Earrings on a painted lady - strangely, although I love orange, I'm not as mad about yellow. Love it in flowers but that's about it. I bought these little glass earrings specially to wear to a wedding though. It was a request on the invitation that everyone wear "something yellow", as it's the brides favourite colour. Along with the earrings I also wore an olive green silk dress, a red, yellow & olive patterned wrap, a little red satin clutch bag, and a pair of red wellington boots. Err, yes, that's right. Wellies. Definitely one of my strangest wedding outfits to date but also one of the loveliest weddings I've ever been to. The ceremony took place on the edge of a lake in a national park in Wales and although it stayed dry for the hour or so we were outdoors, it had been raining hard all of the week before and started again shortly after we all tramped back down the hill and piled into Landrovers to head indoors for the party. Wellies were a must! At least until the dancing started... I must say that it was one of the sweetest, happiest weddings I've ever attended and the sunny splashes of yellow in everyone's outfits made it feel like the sun shone all day. I've only worn the earrings once or twice since but they always remind me of the occasion, so I hold onto them. Here they're lying on a square of my beautiful heirloom quilt (which deserves a post all of its own), made by a special aunt to reflect me and my life, including my love of butterflies, travel, Tango and Africa... and which she named, Dance of a Painted Lady.

Orange warm and fuzzies - this orange felt flower was one of the very first things I bought from Etsy. Oh, little did I know then what an addiction that site would become and this lovely shop remains one of my favourites. This small orange beauty lives for most of the year attached to a winter coat and she really brightens up many a grey day. Here she's resting up for the summer alongside a tiny carved bowl that I bought back from that trip to Sri Lanka mentioned yesterday, and a graceful dancer, sent to me as a Birthday gift by one of my lovely brothers, when he was living in Belize for a while. All three make me smile inside. Every day.

Citrus bling - these are two of my favourite beaded necklaces - the one casual and great with a pretty dress or jeans at weekends, and the other more formal and often worn with winter woolies or, as it's plenty long enough, as a belt over a chocolate brown tunic to work... A little bit of citrus brightens up any day of the week.

 

Button bracelet - this beautiful bracelet was made specially for me by the bride of the above mentioned wedding. She's an artist and her husband is a musician and we share a love of these things, and vintage buttons. She has a big collection of them and after the first time we met, at a New Year's dinner hosted by a mutual friend, she sent me this in the post. It also has green and red buttons on it and each one is special and different. I was so touched and absolutely love to wear it. She also made one (with a little less glitter!) for Gareth when they first met and he said that he knew then that she was the girl he would like to marry... and when he did, I wore this touch of yellow to celebrate the day.

 

Autumnal pashminas and shawls - no peek into my wardrobe would be complete without a hint of pashmina loveliness. And this orange lovely is one of my oldest and a firm favourite. Remember this and this? Well, that one and that pile and this pile combined are still not the whole collection. Yes, yes, I admit, it's an obsession. But really, they just make such practical sense for a girl who always feels a little chilly in this Northern climate and who gets a bit grumpy when cold. It's a service to the community really to ensure I'm able to keep toasty. And they are just soooo pretty, aren't they?

Keys to my home and heart - okay, not strictly a wardrobe item but this is something that I carry in my handbag every day and its decorative nature and the way it sounds and feels makes me happy whenever I have it in my hand, which is several times a day. My apartment keys provide access to my home... and the keyring with the traditional style beading and the African sea bean (a seedpod which is often found washed up on beaches) is a daily reminder of Home, where it comes from, and where part of my heart will always live.

Apple blossom - a corsage, which I bought last year at a Christmas market and which works in so many ways to accessorise an outfit. Here it's cheerfully decorating my little MacBook, another recent addition to my life. Although it's also not an accessory in the traditional sense, I do feel like the Mac is now part of my essential daily wear too. I had no idea I could ever truly love a piece of computer technology. But oh, how I do love this little beauty. I've always been a PC girl. Not through any conscious choice really but because it's what I had to work with. And it served me well, don't get me wrong. I don't regret our relationship for a moment and we still work well together. But when a friend was looking to upgrade his laptop and and offered me his Mac, I couldn't resist. And I have to say, I think I'd find it hard to go back. This is love. Tastes change with time and Apple is now my favourite flavour.

Amber sunlight - okay... the window is grubby (blush) and the glare is a little bit much (although I do love it when those flares are caught in the lens) so apologies for those but the sunlight is part of the point here. This amber pendant was given to me by a school friend about 25 years ago. We stayed friends after school even when she moved to Beijing to work and then to Frankfurt to marry. Then she moved again and we lost touch, as sometimes happens. I still think of her fondly and I know if we bumped into each other again, we'd share a pot of tea and chat in the same friendly way as before. This pendant always felt like it needed the sun to properly set it off so, many years ago, I strung it with these beads and it now hangs in front of a window wherever I am in the world, where it catches the sun beautifully, throwing amber light into the room and distracting me from the need to clean the windows...

A sunshiny and optimistic Orange Wednesday to all!

♥

Follow the coral brick road...

Just dreaming.

[Flickr sweetness to be found here]

Marigold and Monsoon love

I grew up disliking marigolds. Poor little things. They never did me any harm but I associated them with stiff and unimaginative municipal plantings and a weird smell, which apparently keeps flies at bay. And in my mind's eye they were always yellow. I love orange but I've never been that fond of yellow. Don't hate it especially, just don't love it. Except for that canary yellow jumpsuit I had in the '80s... but that's a story for a different day.

So, the marigolds... how our relationship has evolved since then. I travelled beyond municipal flower beds and encountered them in different contexts. And when I think of them now, I think of markets, of temples, festivals, garlands and the combined smell of jasmine. I think of sunlit adventures and orange-hued joy, of henna, of celebrations and of dancing. Funny how that happens, isn't it? Horizons stretch and tastes change as we are changed.

I changed. And now I love marigolds - unusual smell, sometimes-yellow petals & all. I am transported by the sight and scent of them to warm and happy places.

And this weekend, I was reminded again of my love of marigolds when I re-watched one of my very favourite movies - Monsoon Wedding. It never fails to make me laugh and cry and dance around the room, but it's worth watching for the marigolds alone.

[Credit for Flickr loveliness here and movie poster found here]

Would you like to take a holiday with me?

An Island's Soul

Feel like a little weekend getaway? After all that snow this week, I fancy somewhere warm and sunny...  How does a destination with elephants and orchids and temples appeal to you?

If you do, and it does, I'd like to point you in this direction... to where the incredibly talented Fifi of Fifi Flowers Design Decor has chosen to create a dream come true (virtually) and take us on a trip to Sri Lanka, illustrated with some of her beautiful paintings and some of my photographs.

Last year Fifi asked readers to submit some photographs of a favourite place or movie location, along with some explanation of why it's a favourite.  She would then choose one (or two) pictures to paint (she paints prolifically and amazingly) and publish a virtual holiday or movie-based getaway. She's been doing this for months (Saturdays are travel days on Fifi's blog) and we've been to many wonderful places - Martha's Vineyard, a French vineyard, the Amalfi coast, the gardens of Giverny... And for today, she's chosen my destination - Sri Lanka. Thank you Fifi - I'm so excited!

Sri Lanka really is one of the most special and beautiful places on the planet. I went there with my mother at a time when my world was in pieces and I wanted to escape for a while. It what was just what my heart needed. Soulfood in every sense. 

Today I'm happy to enjoy it again virtually but one day, if the opportunity arises, I want to go back to Sri Lanka... Would you like to come along?

My desk is not just a space for work...

I want to make good on my promise to Laura, who tagged me a while ago, to share what my desk looks like.

I was going to photograph my desk at home but these days, like Laura, I tend to work on my laptop (on the sofa) more than at my desk, which is now covered with paper and crafty goodies. So, as I'd retrieved my camera from a friend's to take snow pictures and had it with me, I thought I'd take some photographs in my office instead.

(click if you want a closer look)

• Every day begins, continues, and ends with tea in my sweet little momiji mug - a secret santa gift bought for me the Christmas before last. I love her. And I think she loves me too. She always smiles at me so prettily.

• Potted plants don't do well in my office - something to do with the aircon I think - so I have cut flowers instead. These roses are such a beautiful, uplifting colour, and they have a slight but delicious scent too.

• Tools of communication and development, and a little window to warmer climes for when I don't want to look out the real window, across a wintery square.

• As well as boring-looking project plans and schedules, my pinboard has pictures of my loved ones, my official Obama '08 badge all the way from the States, quotations that inspire, and postcards from here and there. It's an ever-changing collection.

• Piles of books everywhere, a digital photo-frame (another gift) with more pics of loved ones and places that make me happy, and more tea... Do we detect a theme here?

My colleagues tease me a bit about my desk. I don't work happily if it's not neat - at least at the beginning and end of the day - in between I don't much mind. I love stationery ('specially if it's colourful) and files are my friends. I often generate piles of work in progress but when I leave for the day, they must be neat piles. It's one of my things. Weird, I know. But it works for me. I like my desk. It always feels like I'm coming home when I get back to my office after travelling away and find it all friendly (and neat) and waiting for me.

I work at my desk but I also meet and chat and laugh there, enjoy colour and order, read and learn and grow, think of people I love, dream of places I'd like to go and remember fondly places I have been.... And, let's not forget... where I drink a bit of tea. It's not a neutral space.

Now, in the spirit of tags but not in the tradition of them, I'm not going to tag anyone in particular but I'd like to invite you to share your desk if you feel so inclined. I'd love to see it.

Brief journeys - a conference - there and back

Greetings lovely people!

Home from the conference in Newcastle and this is what I saw...

[Click to enlarge if you'd like a closer look]

• Beautiful pre-dawn as seen from a cross country train, heading North East

• It's a four hour trip each way so some en route entertainment helps pass the time - a guilty pleasure - House, season four

• I prefer rail travel where it's an option - not dissimilar but somehow more comfy than flying and, in this case, quicker

• Time for reflection

• Newcastle skyline from a 7th floor conference suite - enjoying the winter sunshine between their presentations and mine - unfortunately didn't get to see much more of it than this

• I need to keep toasty to function - pashminas get me through winter - and colour and pattern warm up my inner day no matter what the season

• Amber, wood, seed and shell - textures from Africa - a distraction if boredom sets in, although this session wasn't too bad

• Day two - sunset from the 17:40, heading South West towards home

Looking forward to a few days in my own space before I need to set out again. Next week, Glasgow...

Right now, sleep. I hope.

P.S. Pics of the weekend wedding to follow once the official photographs have been published