The Face of Christ in a knot of Wood

Late to rise. Short walk. Long day. Checked emails. Just stuff from amazon stuff from various illustrative advertising sites. Tax form filling. Washing up late breakfast debris. Lighting two fires. 2013. Auld Lang Syne and now the end is near..........Sinatra sings I've lived a life thats full I did it the wrong way, regrets I've had too numerous to mention.  Dinner on the go. Another whiskey. I've had my fill, my share of boozing? What an earth is he on about? I've just been asked how to spell vindictive. She's blaming her phone. It's changed everything to Spanish. It's doing her head in. It's dark now. The log fire is warm on my back. The tree lights transport me back to fake trees and watching Some Like it Hot  for the first time in the front room in a back street terraced cottage in Twickenham. My daughter is cooking the last meal of the year. I feel quite relaxed, the whisky has been pumped round the circulation. Probably not a good idea at six oclock in the evening to be in 40% proof state of mind. Worse idea is to be typing this drivel (can't help my sentimental self?) so my 50 odd on a good day blog followers follow the stream down to the cellar steps and to the coal pile. Time for a refill. Dexter is at my feet staring into the log burner. His eye sight isn't so good these days. Light some candles. Trivial Pursuit board games and Jools Holland. Sausage Casserole cabbage and brussels I'm goin' back to Legnica....  and now it's The Kaiser Chiefs - whatever became of them nannananananaana? Now it's Nadia by Nitin Sawney, the songs playing in alpabetical order probably a New Years resolution not to be random. Saw him at the Royal Albert Hall a few years back, just magical. Magical? Inspiring-maybe? Better way of describing the feeling. New Years Resolution? To try and keep away from this blog site? My bloody work is all over the place like a disease because of it.
My friend James has just arrived baring gifts of an extremely generous nature - it's going to be a good year. Happy New Year Readers bleeders good deeders. God Bless us All.

Sorcerers.

It is Christmas. Next through the slit in the door is this impressive looking childrens book catalogue from ALADIN. It features non other than Birgitta Sif's beautiful debut book Oliver. Birgitta developed the idea while she was a student on the Cambridge MA course in picture book illustration. I feel privileged that I witnessed Oliver from inception........I see she's in good company. I met publisher Klaus Humann in Munich last year, fittest publisher in the universe, I mean fit as in healthy and athletic.

Lionel Messi is my favourite artist.

Surprise. A second book delivered by air mail from Paris. Maybe I won't attempt to learn the French after all. Sergio Aquindo's sinister looking volume in these frenzied witch hunting times make my doodles look like Mabel Lucie Attwell.....
This is an obsessive work. Classical drawing/engraving of the beer bellied cross hatching technique dredged from a museum of dried skin and reptiles. Merry Christmas one an' all. Thank you Mr. Aquindo for your gift. My personal librarian is currently squeezing you in alongside the aquatic section, your neighbour is a turtle.  

Beatrice Alemagna. Chapter 2.

Time to learn French. Time to get my tongue around another language. Mime is embarrassing. See if your're kind, good things come to you. Presents by air mail from Paris. An autographed portrait. I am very fortunate. I am inspired to draw trees.