Mad as the Mist and Snow

Daily Painting - 29th May, 2013. By F. E. Clark.

Sky pressing down – darker than the land,
Ash grey rests eerie on white

small stone, by F. E. Clark, 2013. 

Mad as the Mist and Snow - it has been a fortnight of frustrations, form filling, of mist and fog and false starts. I am not as far along as I would like to be.  I growl and sigh and panic - the Wolf Moon of January fills up, glows and begins to recede again.  There may not have been any snow, just rain, howling gales, frosts,  and I am cross and out of sorts, the way forward has definitely been shrouded in thick fog!

Our road trip to see the Northern Lights was unsuccessful - though we returned home marvelling at the moon and it's cold silver beauty.

I have been laid low by a virus and have had to slow down, whilst there are ideas to be captured, lights to be chased and music to be danced to. 

A plan is needed - a cunning one - a plan to get back on track, catch up - or is it?  In a strange way things seem to be ticking over on their own:

I have had time to read - from my tower of lovely books:  Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson,  The Owl Service by Alan Garner, The Story of Beautiful Girl by Rachel Simon.  I swear something bad happens to my brain when I do not have time to send it off into the world of a book for a while.

My postcard painting 'Bad Moon Rising' has finally reached Florida, 7 weeks in transit, I guess it took the scenic route.  All the art from the Twitter Art Exhibition is being sold in aid of The Centre for Contemporary Dance, in Orlando, for special needs dance classes, each piece will be sold for $35.  Can you remember the last time you danced?

The small stones (short pieces of observational writing) January Challenge continues, I am posting here,  I have been feeling rusty and flat, but still, one of my small stones from last year - above, beneath the picture - has been published in A Handful of Stones Blogzine.

On my windowsill - Cado the seedling from my avocado stone is thriving with several sets of leaves, my Hyacinth bulb has finally blossomed -  beautiful white, and our pepper seeds have sprouted into seedlings.

Seeds sown are germinating, paintings painted are finding their own way, stones written are returning to remind me that I can write.  Things ARE ticking over.  Now, pass me my next book.......

HAT STATUS:  Still seeking a story telling hat - suggestions so far:  A Victorian Smoking/Leisure Cap, A Sherlockian Hat, and a rather odd looking knitted Koala Hat.

PAINTING STATUS:  Daily Paintings only.  Red painting for Redroom settling into itself, I shall return to it soon.

WRITING STATUS:  The January Challenge is still on - posting here.  My local writing group - the Deeside Writers -  reconvenes next week - have my piece written and ready to go.

READING STATUS:  YES!

COFFEE STATUS:  A tiny piece of luxury at home - Lebanese ground coffee, from the Algerian Coffee Store, made in our Italian stove top Moka pot

F. E. Clark, 19th January, 2014.