update

2011 was a busy year in more cases than one. We became grandparents twice over. Our grandson Wulfstan was born on April 23rd and our granddaughter, Georgina, was born on December 23rd, so we will have no excuses forgetting their birthdays. Painting took a bit of a backseat. I entered for an exhibition in London with some friends which was a waste of time, largely because I had not sent out any invitations - I only had 8 and in any case my mind was on other things. As I write, I am trying to decide what to exhibit in an exhibition nearer home this March. I fear this again will not be very well attended, and buying paintings will not be very high on anyone's agenda at the moment. People are more concerned about their fuel bills and what the future holds. Fortunately the winter has not been too bad - so far. We have managed to survive without the heating for the fourth year running. We turn it on when people come and stay and then find ourselves stripping off because of the heat!

The snowdrops down the drive started flowering in December and are still going strong. We have had a couple of cold spells which have held them back a little to prolong the season. The Tenby Daffodils are in bud and our hellebores are beginning to make a show. I have just about finished a painting of another Amaryliis or hippeastrum which I gave myself - Waitrose were selling them off cheap after Christmas. I hope I can get an image of it to put on this blog tomorrow.