Starting a new week again today rather than Monday! I think the other post was getting far to long! Oh hang on a minute, it is actually Monday isn’t it?! See this is what the bank holiday does to me, I am all over the place. As I am walking tomorrow instead it hasn’t helped, it really does make it feel a Sunday today!

Today has been a framing sort of day. It’s tough working a bank holiday when every one else seems to be out having fun, but guess what? They are all going to be back in their offices tomorrow and I will be walking around Bough Beech in the sun with friends, so it really is swings and roundabouts isn’t it?!

So Bronte’s portrait was framed and you can see the lovely frame she is in over in her blog post. I also packed up Indy’s portraits, not quite got to packing up Bronte, I need to check one more time in the daylight, but it won’t take long when I get back tomorrow, and then it is off to the post office.

I think this week will be a watercolour week as I have quite a few to get done. I have a commission with a big deadline for the beginning of May to, but that should be OK as the frame is here. Speaking of frames I have an order to make also. So tomorrow will be pretty much an admin, itty bitty, get myself set up for what is left of the week!

I can’t believe the kids are back at school tomorrow. Despite the demands, arguing and other stuff that happens over the school holidays, I will miss them like crazy. The house is always so quiet and empty the first few days and it really takes some getting used to. Although since I own two of the yappiest dogs in the world I am sure they will fill the void soon enough. Let’s face it, it’s nearly bank Holiday weekend and then at the end of my we have whitsun half term so they will be off again very soon.

What a lovely day again, a little cooler, but I am not sorry when walking in the heat it is quite tough. I had a lovely Nordic Walk with the gang again. We walked near Bough Beech, a local nature reserve. You can’t get to the lake shore because it is protected, but that is not a bad thing really, considering us humans seem so destructive. I have been reading that Orangutans will most likely be extinct within 10 years if we don’t do something soon. I can’t believe what we do to this amazing gift of Earth. It breaks my heart and I am now determined for my art to do something to help. Even if it is just a small amount every little helps, and I can’t just sit around doing nothing anymore. It frightens me for my kids future and what animals will even be left. It makes me sick to my stomach to think about it to be honest.

Today has been an admin day as I mentioned Not much pet portrait painting, but I hope to do a watercolour this evening, or at least get it sketched out. A cute little dog that has crossed the rainbow bridge called Rocket. I have framed Bess and she is ready to be packaged up and I need to do another post office run with Indy’s portraits tomorrow. Bronte went today. Dollar’s horse portrait will also be going tomorrow. I think it is going to be a big watercolour painting week actually. I do have a double Australian Cattle dog portrait to do and a pug, so look out for those as I will be doing blogs on them when I start. I think I will do a separate blog for the watercolour pet portraits, or should I say Jolly Splashes, I keep forgetting to refer to them by their new name!

Today I made my second work out walk of 2019. Oh my word my lack of fitness is really shows on these intense walks. I can’t wait to get it back to the levels I was at before Christmas. It will happen in time. The pain is worth it. No pain no gain is so true and despite feeling exhausted I really get a warm feeling in all my muscles and, well the endorphines are flying.

I made my 4th trip to the post office today with Bess’s portrait and I have another two to take tomorrow if I get them packed up in time. They are Rockets and Winifreds and Poppy’s portrait, they can be viewed over in this blog.

Big shout out, does anyone get pinterest, or how it drives traffic to your website. I am resurrecting mine, it’s been neglected for I don’t know how many years. I heard it is good for driving traffic to your website, but no idea how. The other one I need to sort out again is Instagram. I used to use that a lot, but that also faded away. Here is the link to pinterest should you be interested!https://www.pinterest.co.uk/sarahsportraits/

I had grandiose ideas of doing lots of watercolour paintings, well one, tonight, but I have to say that walk has caught up with me. I am shattered and unless I get a second wind I think it is a chilled night and early morning for me so I can get up and get on. So much to do with a client coming to collect the triple cat portrait so I actually have to make an effort to tidy my house for visitors!

Next week is back to the pastel pet portraits. Actually this weekend. I have a double Australian cattle dog portrait to do and a pug also. It will be nice to get back to the pastels. I do still have two dog portraits in watercolour to do though. I think my orangutan painting has helped me decide some of the colour schemes. I just want to play around with the some deeper blues maybe. We shall see.

I am shattered tonight. It is a quick blog. I have a client coming early to collect the portrait and I haven’t managed to even seal the back and string it yet due to the pesky specs! I have to stop now as I am driving myself to insanity and it will be better in the daylight, so yet another early start. I am not going to lie, that workout walk has caught up with me well and truly today. Aching glutes for sure, and of course I decided to do add to my misery and do some squats today, as the kids asked what they were. I want to get back to those and my press ups, and ab work outs. I never really got started, but I want to build my muscle mass if I can, without going to the gym. Using my body weight and maybe some resistance bands instead. We shall see!

Arrrghhhhhh, I think sums up my day. Well the first part at least. I had a client coming to pick up a portrait, fine. I have had it framed since before last weekend, or so I thought. But no, specs…..specs everywhere. I saw some last night, attempted to remove them, but gave up because the light went. Oh this morning was stressful. I even had my daughter helping me, she was stressed by the end of it too, and she is a pretty chilled kid, or nearly teenager. I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown it felt like. Also me being one who likes to do things the hard way, I have ditched the nicotine patches, two days now, so I am feeling the nicotine cravings and they are making me very tetchy. I did leap off the 14mg patch. I got fed up of relying on them, and I have broken the habit side, so really I may as well rip off the band aid, or patch and be done with it. What do they say, 3 days for the worst of the nicotine cravings to be gone? I will let you know. What is funny is I have always wondered if those patches actually work, but I have to say, they really do take the edge off any cravings. Hopefully tomorrow is going to be a better day! At least Monday I should be able to nordic blast those cravings away.

Tomorrow I hope to have Filou’s pet portrait underway or even finished, I did the mini sketch with the colours today. Didn’t add the pen. I wanted to go on to the big one but decided it was getting late and once I start I can’t really stop, unlike the pastel pet portraits. It is easier on the canvas ones as you can re-wet the paint and blend it better, but once it has soaked into the paper it can be quite hard to do so, especially opaque colours. Anyway I shall update more on the watercolour pet portrait blog tomorrow!