Sunday 31 January 2010

Northumberland Beach Holiday

Just back from a wonderful weeks holiday in Northumberland; our first holiday with our son. The back door of the holiday cottage opens out onto a wide expanse of sand, with the waves crashing close to the back door when the tide is in. Most days were spent drifting from breakfast to coffee to lunch and on through the day while watching the tides drift in and out. It was a very welcome break. Debbie spent time with sketch book, pen and paint, with the view from the kitchen being a continuing source of inspiration.

While we were away, I tried the boiler out on pellets (rather than wood chip) with the hope it would burn for a whole week on one hopper. As we pulled in back at the Lund following our week away there was a thin stream of smoke from the chimney – a big relief. We’ve also taken a bulk delivery of freshly chipped pine, still trying to find the best fuel for the burner. A balance between price, moisture content, chip size, and whether it’s in bags, bulk bags or tipped. This was tipped, and I still can’t get my head around how the driver managed to get such a huge tractor and trailer into such a small space.

We open the doors to the gallery again on the 6th Feb. The timing feels right; we’ve had time to redecorate, bring in some new and exciting work, have a family break and a ‘breather’, and return refreshed and ready to head into 2010.


… and the cabbages seem to have made it through the winter. Amazing.

Monday 4 January 2010

Snow and a New Lick of Paint

Like many people across the country, we’ve been out with the camera capturing some images of the amazing snow and ice. This is our first Christmas living at the Lund, and it’s magical to have such a dramatic snowscape.
A lucky escape for Debbie… shortly after walking out of a shed next to our house, the shed roof collapsed with a suitably dramatic creaking, crashing, thud. The weight of snow was just too much for its old wooden frame – it was second hand when it arrived here many decades ago, so it's had a good life. Looking on the bright side, we’ll have a cracking view out of our front room when the carcass is hauled away…
We’ve taken the plunge with the roller and paintbrush over the last few days. Following four years of a white and grey ‘neutral’ gallery space, we’ve decided to warm things up with a bit of colour. White was the easy option when we opened, and of course it’s very traditional ‘gallery’ colour – but it feels great to be adding some warmer tones on some of the walls.

As for my veg - I am trying to be optimistic, but it will be a hardy cabbage that lives through this:


The snow might look nice, but as for many people it can also be an inconvenience. I was hoping to head on a roadtrip – picking up new work from the south coast, Bath, and Cumbria. But with the next wave of snow and ice heading in, it’ll be on hold for at least a couple of days.
With such a cold spell, I’ve been keeping fit by feeding the boiler with woodchip; it’s eating a full hopper every day. So I may be buying in some high energy density wood pellets for the next few weeks to make life a little easier.