Sorry I am not used to starting these weekly blogs. I am used to just adding daily chit chat in lots of little blogs. I decided to keep everything in their own blogs. So each pet portrait will gt it’s own blog and so on. I think it’s easier to follow for you and also to link to should I decide.
The week started off as normal with my Monday morning nordic walk. I love starting my week off with this, and I have started to get over the guilt of walking instead of working. I am so used to not taking time for myself it has come really hard to me. However I am really beginning to see the fitness gains. I am definitely much fitter and my legs are more toned and have muscles I never knew I had! I don’t think my glutes have stopped aching since I started walking with Liz. Yesterday (Thursday) I surprised myself. I walked the notorious Yorks Hill. The group talk about how hard it is, how lactic you go, being unable to talk. I can tell you all of it is true! Liz my instructor sent me down the hill on my own as I am the only one not to have walked it and knew how much I wanted to try it. So off I set on my own and set my timer when I started. Liz said the fastest it has been walked is around the 10 minute mark.
it starts off gently enough…. lulls you into a false sense of security. Then it starts twisting and at each twist it gets steeper……on it still goes…..and goes! Starting to feel the burn, but digging in! It’s a wooded hill and suddenly you can see the light at the top, or so you think, that is when she throws in her curve ball. Damn it must be 1:4! Short but sharp sting in her tail….But the rest of the group were there to see me to the end and gave me the encouragement to do finish up! I literally couldn’t talk, my face matched my hat and my legs were like jelly but I did it!
11 minutes and the victory cheer which I just about had the energy for! I am so relieved I have done it. It was starting to bug me I hadn’t! No more. Yorks Hill has been conquered, and not a too sad a time for someone who took no exercise until the end of Sept!
The pressure is building to get the pet portraits completed for Christmas now. 1st of December today, just in case you hadn’t notice. I went for a nordic walk this morning, got absolutely soaked and it was straight back into the studio, after drying of course, and working on the large horse portrait I have to get done. I hope to get 90% done tomorrow, which reminds me I need to find a little hedgehog photo for a reference for the painting!
I have another sketched out ready to go on the easel and a CKC spaniel half finished, I have another to do and then it is on to my last couple of portraits, two framed ones, a dog and a horse.
Sunday has been a busy studio day. I was up early this morning and in the studio at 7.30 am to continue work on the horse portrait I am working on. I managed a good 7 hours in total I think. That’s a long stint painting wise and I can assure you my eyes are feeling a little tired. OK very tired! I was up and working earlier than usual on the weekend as I went to the cinema this evening. First time in over 3 years. I had a great evening out with a friend and we watched Bohemian Rhapsody. Brilliant. I am a huge Queen fan and there will never be another Freddie Mercury. I really do recommend you go and see it.. Even if you aren’t a Queen fan it is a great film to watch. I literally cannot belive the likeness to the band members they got either. Fantastic bit of casting there.
My hsuabnd was lucky enough to have seen them live twice. Unfortunately I was too young to have ever been fortunate enough. I don’t think you can class it as a regret but certainly if I could have had the chance I would have snapped it up!