It’s been a week. Of illness and sore throats and feeling like shit. I’ve no idea of where the spiteful virus came from, knocking me for six with its casual ease. To start with I thought it was just the first cold of the winter, but two days later when I felt I was swallowing razorblades, I felt the easiest option was to give in, rest totally, and recover slowly. Thursday was the low point. No energy, no appetite, no interest in anything, and no voice! Just a bare strained strangulated whisper of communication and the medicines mounting up in the bathroom, lined up as fervent hopes of soldierly battle against the lurgy attacking me. They rallied forth as valiantly as they could, and by Friday I felt amazingly a bit better, although still very weak. By Saturday, I was bad again, with a racking cough, and a lot less energy than normal – working at 70% of my normal busy and active self.
Which was a bit of a shame, as I’d got visitors. One of them my fella’s son on a rare visit from Australia and his delightful girlfriend who I’d not met so far who resides in Brighton. Their love affair is a difficult one due to the nature of financial rewards in one country, and not the other, for one of them, but not together, at the same time, on the same continent. It’s a shame as they’re such lovely young people, and very much in love. I apologised to her for my incapacity, and she brushed it off with her charm and good manners and was an excellent house guest for their brief overnight visit. When her man and my man went out to collect the Thai take-away that was deemed choice of favourite food for dinner, she asked to see my studio, which I gladly showed her, in my reduced state. She loved the “Tree of life” painting that I have hanging on my studio wall, as the reminder of that greatly complicated painting I did a few years ago for a client. And, surprisingly to me she didn’t see that there was couple hidden in the landscape, and was astonished when I pointed it out to her. But, it was a few minutes later when her eyes fell on to a print of another painting I sold recently, that her mouth smiled, and she made the comment “I LOVE this ONE!!!” she said as she nodded towards it, and I grinned at her, and said that everyone always does. It causes a lot of smiling faces from both men and women. She nodded and said wasn’t surprised “It’s really cool!” she said in that way that I knew she meant it. And she added that she would happily buy a canvas print of it, when I can sort out the pricing for it. I said I’d let her know when I am able to fully price it and find a suitable printer to manufacture them for me . And the picture? The one that always makes people smile? It’s my painting of “Kiss” – the original I sold to a Lord in Sussex earlier this year, who was reported to be a fan of my work by his secretary after he had received it and had it hanging on his wall. I mentioned this to my young visitor, and she urged me to mention on my website how many people from around the world have sent me strongly positive messages regarding loving my artwork, or the way I portray things in my paintings, or just how much they admire my talent. I am touched by their affirmation of their love of my work, and after my visitors had left on Sunday, I spent three hours or so sourcing the best of the many comments, so that I can add them to the other Testimonials on my new website.
Its nearly ready to go live. And has had many hours of hard work from me, and my webmaster, to get it to that state…….