I expect a lot of people are wondering what to do next.

Right now I am working on day by day as long term is impossible to plan for.

I’ve concluded that ” honing my skills ” for the time being is the best thing I can do. Who knows what will happen over the next few months. But a portable skill is useful to have. So I should carry on writing and experimenting with painting what I like. ( I have enough Pisticci paintings to be going on with.)

Learning to speak better Italian would be useful too, but am past the stage of learning from books….I need practice in the real world.

Now that I have a rough idea of how much money I can manage on there is no reason to feel I have no time to experiment on my own stuff.

So today I got back to writing again. I think I need to do it. But I have a plan for something special.

Then my latest portrait left and I decided that never again will I try and please someone by accepting an inadequate photo . And I think I am teetering on the edge of chosing who I will paint and who I won’t. It satisfies no one if I paint something that I am not completely happy with from a rubbish photo and then feel compelled to say ,yes ,when the person asks for a discount .

What a difference when someone choses something I have already painted and obviously likes it. Had a lovely time this afternoon delivering one. Even if the rain did stop and I didn’t get to do ” singing in the rain” on the way there.

My small plan for this week is to get some prints made from my new paintings and carefully put them in the mounts from which I have removed older prints .

It has been a bit thundery and some rain this afternoon. But more of a ” let’s go stand in the street and cool down in a light shower of rain” type than a torrential downpour which becomes a river running past my door.

So that is another day past nearly……

Trying to make every one count. And today’s highlight was showing someone photos of my other house with the “fake ” windows etc and making them laugh by saying that it would be a terrible pity if guests arrived at my house and the bed was just painted on the floor. There is something special about making people laugh .

Am still smiling about that…..