Spring

I am delighted to report that Spring has finally come to Hepworth Towers. This last winter has been the hardest I've lived through since the one after my mother died in October 2008. It's done now, thank goodness.

(such a sky and such a sun
i never knew and neither did you
and everybody never breathed
quite so many kinds of yes)

(extract from the e e cummings poem sweet spring is your time is my time is our time)

This week I found a clump of violets that had self seeded at the edge of our patio.

And the wood anemones are out on the Trail.

My sweet peas are cracking on

And that painting book I bought at the art gallery in Sheffield has bump-started my painting that had recently stalled. It's packed with inspiring stuff and towards the end there is a chapter entitled On Display in which the authors encourage the reader to exhibit their work.

So that's what I'm going to do. I'm dithering over a date at the moment. This morning in bed I was counting in my head how many pictures I have to exhibit and it comes to 30. I think that makes a reasonable exhibition. And the three friends I have told have all been very enthusiastic, which is so encouraging.

Before the exhibition, though, I'm going to Wensleydale with the sibs for a long weekend, and then at the end of the month (health permitting) I'm flying to Colorado. The two good things about this belated trip are that there will be more colour in the landscape there, and I shall miss the coronation and the annoying run up to it. Yippee!