Happy Monday guys,

This week I realized I'm super annoyed at my ability to cause mess I’m that person that could make the worlds biggest mess in an empty room without having a clue how I did it. It’s almost amusing, until I realize I’m gona have to tidy it up! 

You should see my studio. I should be on that Hoarders Buried Alive program as my lovely friend, Lou, pointed out

I'm also kind of annoyed at my super ninja ability to catch mystery stains, and often enough their off the inky hard to remove from your skin variety. I just managed to get one on my brand new work uniform! Urgh!

This next bits really bad but I had to say it :)

Today I'm exhausted with my exhaust! Not only has it decided to be old and break it's making my car sound like the paralytic granny of the boy racer world which is just wonderful!

Being a typical woman I have no clue about cars, nor do I wish to have a clue. That’s what car doctors are for. But I do know that this needs fixed. I'm not keen on having my impending presence announced from a mile away! 

Oh on upside I learned to bind books and its awesomely fun!

As many of my regulars may have noticed recently it has been a while since I last posted up a blog and for this I really am very sorry.

Two weeks ago the most amazing man passed away, my Granda, George. At the astonishing age of 93 many of you may not believe me when I say it was very sudden and unexpected, but it was. He was a truly brilliant man, who taught me and my siblings how utterly awesome Granddad’s can be and I must admit I have been feeling a bit as if the rug has been pulled from under my feet since he passed. When I was telling a friend about him she told me it seemed as if it never occurred to me that he wouldn't always be here and she's right it never did. At 93 he was a pillar in our family, around which most important family events where planned because he adored being involved in anything and everything and in many ways had a more active social life than myself, which is pretty astounding for a gentleman of his age. 

Last year, when I presented him with a copy of the above print titled 'George' (obviously named after him), he was thrilled. It may be a little unflattering to title an image of a giant mammal after a loved one but he totally understood where I was coming from. 

The image that I initially worked from to produce 'George' is a photo that my Grandfather took when he and my grandmother, 2 aunts and father lived in Africa many years before I was born. And many of you who know me well will remember that elephants are my favorite! Much, perhaps, like my Granada. To me they symbolize wisdom, intelligence, permanence and an amazing understanding of the importance of family and kindness. All characteristics that go hand in hand with the 'Original' George. 

Again I apologise for my lack of bloggyness and indeed my Granda would be a polled at me letting the side down like this, as he often said 'When your dead, your dead" so he'd no sought be wondering why I'm making such a fuss! But it’s difficult to get over the loss of someone who's been so influential and above all supportive throughout your whole life. 

Today I phoned my Great Aunt Sally, who I haven't spoken to in way too many years, as I have been meaning to for the last week and had a brilliant conversation about Granda, I was thrilled when she told me that she had worshipped him as a child as all little sisters should. We'll never forget the happiness and amazing memories that he's left us with.

Blogs will be back to normal on Monday and I promise the next one will be happier!

Hey Guys,

Have you been watching the winter olympics? i have and i have to admit all though i have very little sporting talent myself and last time i tried ice skating i ended up using my 10 year old cousin as a leaning post, it wasn't a proud moment, i am really enjoying watching the events in Sochi. 

But you can't help but feel that theres a bit of a cloud over The Games, with many Olympians boycotting in protest agains Russia's Anti-Gay Laws. I completely understand where their coming from and it can't have been a decision that was made lightly given the constant training and extreme self disaplin that they must have. You guys are amazing! but personally i'd rather have chocolate.

You've probably already seen this one but it still makes me smile. :)

So I had a fun filled weekend of work! Yay! 
Add in a few horrendous headaches and backache due to a slip on a skateboard so comical that would make Bart Simpson proud, and you get the picture of how rubbish it was.
Hope you had a better one!

Major moan today is men’s lack of understanding of a ladies need for chocolate. My father and brother are both well versed in surviving the mental mood swings that go off periodically in our female invested house. But Matthew seems to seriously underestimate our need for chocolate and ate it all. Bad move. Poor man was cowering in his room for a few hours. Oops! Sorry Bro!

My other moan is Mornings! URGH! Why do they exist and why do people want car at 9am on a Sunday? Admittedly I’ve had earlier morning and on a much more regular basis but I’m totally out of practice and they suck! Especially without chocolate!

Ok Guys and Girls apologies again! I wrote this yesterday but being a technological genius and all I may have forgotten to post it … SORRY! To make up for it I have found the cutest compilation of photos ever! Click here to see it.

If you read my blog you'll already know I have a tendency to be a bit of a walking disaster on legs. Well the past week has been no different, I'm already a vegetarian with an egg allergy who has severe hay-fever and an allergy to dust but just so happens to live in the middle of a field, last week while visiting the dentist I discovered that I don't have some weird mouth disease I’ve just developed an allergy to the dental floss I’ve been using for over a year. YAY MORE ALERGIES!!!

This was the same day that I almost knocked myself out with my giant bottle of conditioner while in the shower and some how managed to do a classic comedy cliché and walk full force into a glass door! It hurts a lot more than you'd think. I hope you guys have had a less pain filled week!

I did however get my wonderful friend Emma to photograph my new Mokuhanga (Japanese woodblock prints), which have caused my 60-year-old father to energetically shout What Does The Fox Say every time he sees me … we live in the same house. They are pretty though!

Does anyone else get this overwhelming urge to shout, scream and punch people on a weekly basis? Well at least it isn't daily, right? I'm actually normally a very calm person but for some reasons Monday's just bring out the the worse in me, if you regularly read my blogs then you may have guessed this by now.

So i had a lovely and relatively calm weekend and a great week before hand (how can you not when you get lavished with presents and cake?) but for some unknown reason i would dearly like to punch something or perhaps someone today … and no I'm not pregnant Dad!!! This being his go to question when myself, my sister and on one bizarre occasion my brother inexplicably have heightened emotions (in Dads book emotions are best expressed quietly with minimum fuss and preferably out of his sight and ear shot) that require him to peer out from behind his news paper in order to demand instant silence.

Maybe it's the Monday Blues, or maybe i'm not trying hard enough to suppress my latent inner 'hellfire' (this is a quote from some movie that my sister constantly quotes but i unfortunately can't remember the name of). this sunken mood isn't being helped by the continuously rubbish weather and the fact that i can not stop painting f-ing fish! AAAAARRRGGHHH!!!!

On the upside I got to speak to a guy who sounded exactly like an automated answering message, however he insured me that he is in fact a real person. His voice just made me chuckle :)

You know those really annoying people who get way too over excited about their birthday even though their adults? Well I'm one of them! :)

Not only do I get to pig out on birthday cake that for once I didn't make, but I get fancy theater trips, nice meals, a day off work, pretty flowers and presents!!!!!!!! Yay!!!

Birthday surprises are one of those things that my family plans but never succeeds in keeping a secret because they’re so excited they want to tell me. One of which was going to see the ballet Hansel and Grettle on Thursday with my mum and wee sis who are excellent ballet going company of you don't mind the constant struggle for armrest space, and them nicking all your chocolates. Which oddly enough I don't ... much.

However I did get a brilliant surprise which remained a bit of a mystery for well over 3 hours until I discovered who had sent them were the gorgeous flowers from a local florist that where delivered to my home this morning.

The downside of being an adult is that life must go on birthday or not and what with mine falling on a Monday this year, most people are working and I have to attend to the normal day to day drudgery that is responsibility. :(

Despite this I’ve had a great birthday so far and being surrounded by some great if slightly drunk friends right now is only making it better! Plus I got new shoes so the world is right again!

Since starting work as a chauffeur, for two brilliant if challenging young ladies I have once again been confronted by my old nemesis … early mornings! 

Those of you who know me may already know that I kinda suck at mornings. Just about the only thing that can get me out of bed before 10am, without wishing to stab anyone is usually the promise of travel or possibly chocolate.

However after discovering that work leads to money which in turn can buy lots of pretty paper! It’s a printmaker thing, don't ask. It may also help that I really enjoy my job (most days anyway). 

But who in their right mind is a morning person!? These people are strange creatures who actually enjoy waking up early to 'make the most of the day'. No offence but I’d rather have a lie in. Besides, in Scotland at this time of year there isn't any daylight until 11am anyway so I’d rather make the most of the night thank you very much.

I reckon that work, school and any appointments should all take place after 12pm and it should be made illegal to leave your bed for any such reason before 9am.

 Who’s with me?

I thought that the holiday season was meant to be a time to relax and enjoy! While, this year I have had a few brilliant days, they have been interspersed between crazed busyness and family disasters!

While most of the business has been to do with my new job which I am really enjoying and settling in quite well, although my feet do hurt, some has also been the sort of stress you have when you're worried sick over someone. 

Christmas lunch was amazing and surprisingly good fun but it was somewhat marred by my brilliant grandfather (George) falling and injuring himself but being the thrawn old bugger he is (I say this while smiling because I wouldn't change him for the world), he refused to go see a doctor until after lunch. The up shot to this was that he'd had some time to get a few drams in, against my Mothers advice, which somewhat numbed the pain apparently. While not being the wisest of actions this is my Granda through and through. At 92 going on 93 I believe he has earned the right to do as he wishes and apparently it made the 5 hour wait at accident and emergency a bit more bearable! 

Not that I’m suggesting this as a good idea for future hospital visits … well not much.

Over the last week I have barely had a second to myself which while I don't mind too much is going to make me a nightmare to be around if I don't get the chance to do some lino cutting soon.  I can feel the tension building up. Time to stab something! Would be best if it's lino and not flesh

To top off the last week of stress, today I returned home from work to discover that due to a rather giant lack in judgment 2 copies of my elephant lino print (also called 'George") have been ruined which was not news that got taken well! (There may have been some shouting and inventive language) but luckily I’m very much like my dearest Granda and a few drams made the rage go away :)

I hope the rest of 2014 is less stressful! And only involves artistic stabbings. Only time will tell.

 

Merry Christmas everyone!

At this wonderful time of year you would think it impossible to want to rant. Think again!

Firstly why does everyone leave their Christmas shopping to the last minute? It’s not like it's not a well known deadline and secondly why do we suddenly feel the need to fill our fridges with so much perishable food that a large army of hungry leprechauns wouldn't be able to finish it all before it goes off?

And what sort of idiot would decide to make all of their Christmas presents by hand?  Yep you guessed right. That sort of idiot is indeed I.

I’d have been well ahead though if I hadn't also decided to suddenly start two new jobs again this must have been a mad moment of inspiration that has resulted in my severe lack of any spare time to perform any acts of artiness. On the plus side I am once again able to afford food and shoes! 

Tonight after working all day I once again rekindled my avid hatred of all things framing and I am still putting off that individual kind of hell known as wrapping. 

Why do we do this every year? To quote Albert Einstein 

"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

But seriously Guys have a great Christmas! I'm just hoping I can last that long before I give into temptation and go on a homicidal rage :)