A Different Year Full of New Things

Okay I've got a bit of news and for once it's not great news as I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer just before Christmas. Which as you can imagine after all we went through with Polly's illness, was not what anyone needed. I have been debating whether to put anything at all on social media, but I've always been a rather straight forward person who just likes to say it as it is and for me hiding things or having to tell people every time I meet them, is more of a strain. So there, it's out there.

I am not going to dwell on being poorly and write about it in great detail, which is not to under value, on any level the good that those that have posted and written blogs (such as `#YouMeBigC )about their experiences, have done. As they give great comfort to people , as well as most importantly enabling there to be new conversations about what it means to live with a cancer diagnosis.

And so that brings me to what I want to say.

I'm going to have a VERY DIFFERENT Year and that is what I want to cherish and focus on. I want to celebrate how the arts get people through the tough times and help to distract people from their worries.

Re work ... I have had to cancel Chelsea Flower Show for the first time in 15 years. Which is both a bit scary but also a huge relief as I will be able to continue my year of painting 'The Wonders of Water' and not have to stand up for 12 hours a day!

I will be continuing to paint but will post paintings on my website and email more as well as have work in galleries and at Chantry House Gallery, Ripley at the end of the year.

I have arranged to go down to our local paint a pot place called ‘Clay Fever' to paint a jug every week on a Friday! I will be posting about this on Facebook I thought that I could call it “It’s All About the Jugs! It made me laugh and currently anything that does that is just fine by me. It will get me out of the house as I’ll have to walk there and it will be a nice thing to do if I am not up to painting in my studio. I am going to write some new poems. As we went into hospital the other day I received a lovely email about a very exciting project which couldn't have arrived at a better time. So I'll be revealing more about that in the weeks to come.