Remember 'Duel'?

Do you remember the film 'Duel' where an unseen driver in a rusty old truck terrorised a person in a small car? Well, I thought I was experiencing something similar, albeit in different circumstances. Where I put my A-board every Sunday to advertise
Ted Coney's Family Portraits, there is a large, rather wonderful but menacing motorbike parked. I never saw the owner but he always parked very close to where I had to padlock my board to a bollard. A couple of times my board had been moved around and once a dent appeared in it. That could have been the windy weather ofcourse, but I dreaded getting into a confrontation with someone alot bigger and younger than me.
However, this week I spotted him and went over for a chat. Although he was very big, a nicer chap you couldn't hope to meet! We had a talk about Durer's prints and renovating victorian chapels and he has very kindly agreed to park slightly away from my A-board. What a relief!

No, I Didn't Win

I heard officially the other day, that my application to East of England Tourism to enter
Ted Coney's Family Portraits for the Small Visitor Attraction Award had been turned down. I didn't even make the short list! Still, it was only based on the paperwork I sent, as noboby visited, so if I can get that right next year, maybe I will make it to the next stage. I take comfort from the fact, that when I was at Hills Road, we didn't win The Queen's Anniversary Prize the first time. In the end we did, went to Buckingham Palace and I ended up telling Princess Anne that it must be like living in the British Museum. On reflection, maybe thats why we didn't win this time!?

On the Hertage Trail

Inspite of all the publicity, I did not get that many on Sunday for my Quiz/Trail for Heritage Weekend. Perhaps it was too close to the last time I did it. You live and learn! However, it was good to try it again and tweak the questions. I also made more money for Teenage Cancer Trust than last time by not charging an admission fee but asking them to make a donation. I had this Sunday off from opening Ted Coney's Family Portraits and enjoyed my family visiting, instead. Hope I'll get some bookings next week.

Mid-Season Boost

Ted Coney's Family Portraits is in the local papers again! As well as little bits in both papers about my Quiz/Trail for Heritage Weekend on Sunday, I got the story in, about my preparations for my next painting. I had been photographed with the Morris Minor last week with drawings I had made of the inside of the car which I shall be eventually be using, when I develop my ideas it's 80th birthday picture. The painting will show the Morris as a time machine moving between the 1930's and the present day.
The photo in the newspaper definately showed the car at it's best and will hopefully give me some good publicity for the gallery.

The Shepherd's Dream

The Sunday Times Home section had this interesting article on shepherd's huts last week. They look like gipsey caravans and are on wheels. People now use them as dens, offices, studios etc. though Shepherds did actually sleep in them during the lambing season during 19th and early 20th centuries, apparently. Anyway, in my long term strategy to make
Ted Coney's Family Portraits bigger over the next 20 years (I need more space for my ever growing collection of paintings) this gave me a third idea of how to acheive it. My first two involve extending into the loft and buying a room from front house but this idea is cleverer yet.It is true, I still need to make the garden a bit bigger, but wouldn't it be wonderful to have my studio in a shepherds hut? My current studio could then become an extra gallery space for finished paintings. I could also have a folding daybed in there, another little dream of mine.