...they have taken my paints. I had a set of very expensive oils that reacted with canvas when charmed to produce a moving picture rather like a wizarding photograph but painted, and they have taken them away. Luckily my wireless is a Muggle radio that is fixed to pick up both our and their programmes, so that remained, but they took my paints ( Read more... )

Sitting before me, pristine and gleaming, the foil glowing rainbows, is my West Ham season ticket. I have access to all home games now, from now until the end of the fixture list, and now we are back in the Premiership I expect great things of the boys. Villa at home is the next game, it's a Monday night but then what is the point of being an ( Read more... )

I have funding. This is an impressive feat since I have never been able to convince the fund to actually do such a thing before, but I have the means necessary to be able to paint what I think could be my masterpiece. Those who live in London, is there any way that you could possibly find any photographs you may have of the riverside, both modern ( Read more... )

The cricket is proving soporific and any painting I am trying to create ends up looking lifeless and dull - Ginny, I have a pretty little sketch of you, would you like me to owl it? It's in the manner of a Leonardo cartoon, red crayon on parchment ( Read more... )

Finished that painting. Don't contact me for the next few days as I shall be deep in the land of Nod, with Cain and his tribe ( Read more... )

Some rather strange lady has commissioned a portrait of her dogs, which is all very well, but she will insist on sitting staring at me while I do the preliminary portraits and talking about Africa, and "how marvellous ethnicity is, isn't it Mr Thomas? You blacks are now terribly empowered, which is simply wonderful, eh?" She means well, but she's ( Read more... )

Closed season is particularly upsetting as I do not see football for so long. Thank goodness for the tennis, however, which is a fascinating part of these two weeks. Having tickets for today (wonderful) I shall go and peruse the matches, though without a British player left in the draw I am supporting David Nalbandian. A tricky player, excellent ( Read more... )

Open letter to my mother ( Read more... )

I apologise for my lack of communication, but my mother is ill. She has bronchitis, and I've been at home trying to persuade her to visit the doctor. Finally she's gone, but it's a rather bad case and therefore if you need me I'll not be at the flat, but with my mother ( Read more... )

My black eye is slowly receding, though having painted it (on paper, not my face of course) the colouration was fascinating. Mostly purple, but there were greens and blues there, fading to a yellowish colour, and it was am impressive exercise in the use of tonal blending in a small area. While artists can be excellent, nature is infiniately more ( Read more... )