In Preparation for An Exhibition

There are somedays when I feel sorry for myself. Thankfully not that often. At some stage I'll come round to, I probably deserve it, I never took much care of myself when I was younger.

I hear my grown up kids discussing the latest health theory. They are all into high protein, low saturated fats, good & bad cholesterol and then there's fitness, exercise & mental wellbeing.

I don't remember any of that when I was their age. There were Jane Fonda videos and concerns about eggs. There was probably more, I just don't remember it coming on my radar, I was having too much fun 🤭

I have had so many health tests, MRIs, prodding, poking, extracting and a whole ream of diagnoses. I don't talk about it much, it makes me seem like a hypochondriac or a medical thesaurus.

On top of the usual, my rheumatoid arthritis has flared up again. I think I'm lucky as I don't get it all the time, it comes and goes, this last period I've be free for 3 years. I'm told I have it in my genes, but basically, it's because I'm fat & smoke. That means I don't have any excuse.

I'm not sure why I'm telling you all this. I suppose it's just on my mind at the moment & the state of my mind does effect my creativity. I can still stitch but it's like having an annoying toothache in my shoulder & I'm trying to ignore it. If I don't move around much it can almost go away. The physio thinks I'll make a good improvement, and I do feel better after my 1st session.

I have a local group exhibition starting on the 1st August. I have to deliver my work on Monday. One of the kids said they would drive me, damn shoulder has put me out of action for the moment.

I think I have nearly everything organised. My pieces are packed up and ready. You would have seen most of them in my posts over the last couple of months. The "Odd Balls," the 6ft "Scroll," the "Sacred Tree, Ancient Stone" stitched sculpture & 2 stitched books.

My daughter Mair put a "zine" together. It is something she does as a hobby. It is like a small magazine, this one has 24 pages. The Zine has loads of collaged pictures from my stitched books and some of the stories and poems I've written while making them.

I hope to have some copies available for the exhibition if they arrive from the printers in time. Any left over will go on the website.

I really love collaborating with my kids. They all have their own styles and aesthetics but they also have a good idea of what I like.

I can't really concentrate on writing at the moment, possibly the painkillers. I'm going to keep this short.

I hope you all have a creative weekend and hopefully I'll catch you again soon. 🤠👍

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