Swallows and sausage sandwiches (not together).

A bright, then grey start to the day.
Still no sign of our Swallows…Chris Packham on Springwatch tells us that they are late due to the Icelandic volcanic cloud. That the Swallows are flying against the Northerly wind and that it is this that is making them late for their date back at the Cornish lodgings, but I’m not so sure. It seems much more likely to me that the Swallows have stayed in South Africa in order to watch the world cup and will fly back soon after the final.
Answering emails, arguing with HSBC on the phone and clearing the studio ‘once and for all’ while listening to Damian Rice fills the morning.
As I write, I study the Fatsonia Japonica outside my window. It has such an amazing pale lime green stroke lemon yellow hue that I can’t possibly think of how I would ever go about mixing it in paint?
An email pops up on my screen, its from my friend Liz Kessler, now if you haven't heard of Liz Kessler, Liz is the author of the Emily Windsnap series of childrens books and with over 2 million copies sold worldwide and the books translated into 24 languages, I recommend that you get down to your local bookshop!

Anyway - right, that’s it; I bet Liz Kessler’s writing studio is immaculate and gorgeous, so here goes…where is the phone number for Bu-Mar skip hire?

But lunch first.

Up through the garden and in through the decking doors, the house smells like a fairground, all sweet with onion and rich sausages.
So, sticky sausage, slow fried red onion and tomato sauce sandwich it is then, with seedy bread to soak up the juices.
Oh, and a mug or two of tea.

It is warm and dark today; one of those ‘needs a thunder storm sort of days’.

A good day to blitz the studio.

A trip to the dump (maybe more than one) and a trip to B&Q are on the cards, before finally getting down to painting St Michaels Mount for the National Trust project.

An evening of homemade pizza with a rich herby tomato sauce, chorizo, Parma ham, onions and mushrooms; a glass of bitter golden Whitstable Bay and a shared bottle of very cheap but very smooth and fruity Australian Red.

Enjoyed while watching Mexico stuff France, ha, ha, ha, ha, falls off chair laughing.......