What a whirlwind few days it has been I love the long week –end breaks.

Is this nearly summer? I have my heating on high as I am so cold.

Sunday I managed to get a few ends of petenque practice in. It’s great to see the skill is returning many moons ago I was a real whizz at petenque it looks like it’s a skill like riding a bike it’s one you never loose! In the practice it was a revelation I am better at long shots than short ones. Again it was nice to be at a naturist club enjoying the late afternoon sun. The evening was spent watching local bands at a charity event. A friend who is in the band “Frocked Up” was playing. They are great playing ballads, 60s to the present day hits. It was a chilly evening once the sun went down maybe I should have tried my new Ceroc dancing to keep warm!
Monday I was at the local naturist club taking photos for a duo life modelling project. I have been luck to find a male life model who wants to work with me. We work so well together we have the same thoughts and ideas on how to execute poses so the artists can have interesting poses. We do life modelling, costume modelling and portrait modelling. I will be adding a page to my web site with more detail on the new venture. The shoot was fun as we were using a self -timer on my camera. We managed to get some great natural looking shots. I am sure being in a wooded glade helped as there are many natural props to utilise. I had one of my moments I had found a tree that was brilliant for sitting up against. The timer was set beep, beep. I rushed into position next to the tree. In haste my footing slipped next thing I knew I was unceremoniously sliding down the trunk of the tree, landing in a heap at the foot of the tree! Like all these things it happened really quickly. Yet left me laughing uncontrollably. Oh! Was I hurt? I had a bit of a sore back on Monday and a graze on my bum!

Thankfully the day ended with a lovely Bar B Q with lots of laughter. Food was really lovely and desserts were to die for!

Back to work! What a soggy one it was everyone came in looking really soggy! It was a long day sorting cards as I had to make hours up for the Bank Holiday day off. I knew I had something to look forward to in the evening another dance class at a different town. A new move was learnt all was going well until they had us doing it three times in a row. Argh! Ok it’s a man leading the dancing so really I should just glide around and have fun…. In reality I preamp the moves and that muddles the messages between feet and brain! My solution to this is close my eyes and trust the man, this way I can feel where and how I am being guided. It is only class 2 and things are falling into place.

Today I helping a friend do some wood work in their boat. Over the years I have been “trained “how to hold things and when to pass things etc. My friend was amazed I knew how to do certain things and instinctively knew how and when to help. The wood work looks good, I am so pleased to have helped! Think a trip on a summers evening with a nice chilled wine would be nice. It would be an opportunity to see if the wood work is still standing!

A male life model has just asked my advice as he had a lucky escape at the week end. He was life modelling with some elderly women over stepped the golden rule of not touching a model whilst posing. He very sensibly cut the class short. My advice to him was that was the best thing to do and put it down to experience. And to be very careful next time.
I seem to be some kind of “auntie” with life modelling. I am often asked for advice and help. I give answers that fit the situation. I have an ability to see all sides without being judgemental maybe its to do with the hypnotherapy training.

I was invited by a couple of friends to a glass exhibition that was on in The Cut in Halesworth. The Cut is an old malting’s that has metamorphasised into a great art venue.  The whole building has a welcoming feel to it.  Lunch was lovely a smoked salmon and cream cheeses sandwich served with lots of delicious garnish. The staff are all friendly and helpful nothing is too much trouble for them. The dining area has a relaxed, un- hurried feel.

The exhibition was interesting it amazes me what you can do with glass. Some were cast and others were made into wall plaques.    There was one piece that had us all mesmerised as the background of the piece changed constantly.

http://newcut.org

Friday night was dance night! I was at a charity ball in aid of Asthma at Dunston Hall a fantastic Elizabethan manor house.

The grounds are amazing they stretch into the gentle rolling hills of Norfolk. The gentle hills are punctuated with big old established trees. Looking at the grounds the setting would be great for an out- door life modelling session, the statuesque trees giving a solid back drop and the gentle green hills falling into the distance.  I am there! The Hall and its Elizabethan decor are an inspiration for a period photo shoot.

The event was a black tie and posh dresses! I went with a group from Meet Norwich (, we all gathered in the room where the event was being held.  The room looked amazing every seat had a helium filled balloon attached to it. As we waited to be seated looking around it was lovely to see everybody in their finery. Today the art of dressing up to go somewhere special seems to have been lost.  Ah the balloons were popped after the first course as they contained raffle tickets! The evening was great fun good food, great company and lots of dancing. I tumbled into be at 2.15 Saturday morning!  

http://www.dunstonhallnorwich.inf

Meet Norwich is a social group in Norwich that is for people wishing to make new friends and do different activities. When it first started it was for singles to meet other singles with no pressure the ethos being to meet and enjoy an evening out. It’s not a dating group however if you meet “The One” that’s fantastic.

http://meetnorwich.ning.com

Wow! I had a Ceroc lesson and it was great fun I never stopped smiling all through the lesson.  I never knew dancing was so much fun. My dance partner was amazing! He has been dancing for years, he has the moves and lots of encouraging helpful tips. I am so glad I am a lady as it’s the man who is in control of the dance. The men’s faces when this is pointed out is one of;  “yeah! I am going to enjoy this!”  I will certainly be going back as it was so much fun.

As life modelling is a fickle job I have a job merchandising greeting cards. This week we put Father’s Day out. I should have gone to the pictures in the evening with a friend. She picked me up we decided where we wanted to eat (we chose one we thought would be good. Sadly the staple of the pub is pork!  Neither of us eat meat the veggie option was ok nothing special), half way through her meal she was unwell and went home. There is always next week to do the cinema. I really fancy Pompeii. The evening was spent with a glass of wine looking up contacts to do life modelling, photography and portrait modelling.

I have spent a few hours ringing possible leads for life modelling, some have been very positive I am pleased to say.  It’s when times are slow liker they are at present it reminds me I have come a long way in 8 years.  When I started life modelling I was in a mobility buggy due to a back operation years earlier. No one knew I was in a buggy as the days I was life or portrait modelling I took lots of pain killers. The only clue was not a lot of walking; my left foot would not go to the ground and walking with a stick very slowly. People were surprised when they saw me in a buggy. I started walking 3 years ago un aided, handed my blue badge back   and started living again. I will never take walking for granted ever again. I cured myself with EFT (emotional freedom technique) you will find more about this at

http://eft.mercola.com.

I learnt level 1 &2 with a master Jaquie Crooks in Leicester;
http://www.beacontraining.co.uk
she is very inspirational and gentle. I was lucky to be one of her “helpers” she started me on the road to recovery, releasing limiting beliefs and old un- wanted emotions. I remember the class I was at I was doing a life class and it was a laying pose when my mind wandered to healing myself. I thought about emotions I felt related to not walking. They were frustration and anger. I did rounds of tapping in my head feeling the pressure points as I imagined my fingers tapping the key points. As I did this, flames lapped at my face. I calmed them down. When the pose had finished I gingerly got up and to my astonishment I could put my foot down, no pain and I could walk normally. I went for a beach walk the Saturday I took sticks and never used them. That was a key point to how I view life, every day is full of new adventures and laughter.

Met a friend for lunch we always have lots to catch up on, we had been in the pub 4 hours when her husband rang to see if she was ok!  I love long lazy lunches.

What’s happened to the hot sunshine? I went to as local auction today. It’s in Fakenham a market town. Lots of interesting bits were in the auction. There was a lace table and pillow in the auction. It was tempting to stay for it but I am not sure if the table would fit in my home. (I did lace making many moons ago I need to start it again as I found it very relaxing). In the event nothing was spent in the auction. A wander through the town and market was next. There are lots of charity shops there. I always take a look as you never know what props you will find. Today was a lucky day! I have been looking for a wedding dress (I have the gloves and parasol) for modelling for something different. Eureka! A dress was found and a veil. All I need to do now is make a posy (I am a trained florist) and I am ready to model in costume as a bride. I have a great male model who says he will be my “groom” for the session.  The afternoon cheered up so I spent it at a local naturist club playing board- games (I need to hone my ruthless streak, I use it in Backgammon no problem yet with other games I am a pussy cat)! And boule a game I love, I used to be really good at it (is there a competitive streak emerging she said with a twinkle in the eyes?)   Sadly I lost the skill through not playing. However after a few ends the skill is coming back. Let’s hope the week end is so I can go back to the club for a few more ends of boule.

What a fantastic week end warm sunshine and clear blue sky.

Saturday I spent in the city looking for a posh dress for a Ball I am going to. Why do dress sizes vary so much I am the same body yet the size variations are vast. Without too much searching a simple black number was chosen thinking accessorise with red shoes and hand bag the ensemble will look classy.

Lunch was had at the Bell Hotel sitting outside (finding a seat was a challenge as everyone wanted to be outside). Thoughts of Paris wandered into my mind. Quite where they came from I have no idea!

On the way home I met a friend who joined me on my walk home. We walked along the river and to our surprise we found a woodland glade with trees with branches that had fallen used as seating. Here was a brilliant place to take life modelling photos as the dappled light from the sun and reflections from the river were amazing. The glade was in a very private spot so we know no one would be offended with the impromptu photo shoot.  As we were life modelling in the glade gently gliding down the river a mother swan and her cygnets passed by. The reflections on the water were lovely.

A trip to a local naturist club is how Sunday was spent how lovely to be clothes free and enjoy the warm sunshine. Factor 50 was used today there are signs of a gentle tan emerging. On the way home, through the country lanes that are so pretty this time of year, I reversed to let a van pass. Reversing was excellent unfortunately I missed a ditch and one of my back wheels was left dangling in the air!. I got out gave the ditch a good stern talking to! Luckily a passing driver pushed my car out of the ditch there was lots of revs, spinning wheels (all I kept thinking was these  are new tyres)  and smoke. With a surge the car was free. Many thanks to the fellow driver, who I will be eternally grateful to for the assistance.

Today the fledgling life model is doing a portrait class. I have been giving advice on what is expected in a portrait class. The tutor asked for a plain top so that was nice and easy advise on! In a portrait class you get into pose, it’s a mix of what the tutor is looking to achieve from the pose and the models comfort and ability to do it. Tutor and model work closely together to get the right pose, one that is comfortable and one that is interesting. Sadly a smile (I know a male model that has a permanent smile) is not something that can be held for hours. I always look sad and really grumpy as my mouth turns down. The longer the sit the sadder it looks! As soon as a comfort break comes a big smile comes across my face, eyes twinkle and face softens. All the artists know what a happy soul I am.  Once the head is in position eyes need to focus on a spot that is not going to move preferably looking slightly up wards. I find the eyes get tired when this happens I blink to get moisture over my eyes and then roll my eyes every which way to loosen them. Once this is done eyes return back to their position. A few times I have been caught out whilst focusing as either an artist will block my fixed spot or the tutor when they come to gibe guidance.

I remember one class a lady was getting uppity that my eyes and head were not back in position after a comfort break. All the other artists had said it was back to where it was. I moved my eyes and head a fraction! This happened most of the class. When the lesson had finished I was busting to see the portrait. Oh how disappointed was I? The picture was not what I was expecting it was like a Picasso on a bad day!

The fledgling model has just called to say the class was interesting. Hopefully I will get to see the pictures that were taken of the paintings one day. A good excuse to catch up with a hot choc!

A valuable lesson was learnt the eyes were focused gazing into the sun making the eyes dry and sore!

Sitting here enjoying pains au chocolat, my thought wandered to three wonderful photo shoots I have had in the great out- doors. It must be this still, warm about to be sunny day.

The bluebell shoot was on a chilly May day, we parked in a village church car park. I love village churches they seem to be in great locations and the grounds are usually not as manicured as the ones in the city. We (David the photographer, who is a real gentle giant!  He is over 6’ and a real gentleman and me ) had a route march to the bluebell wood taking us through fields, past a gently trickling stream and eventually the woods. The smell of the bluebells was divine it gently filled the air. The sea of blue flowers peppered with white wild garlic was breath-taking. The trees leaves were unfurling allowing the dappled sunlight to filter through. We walked the narrow meandering woodland path as we walked our chatter was interrupted by the snap of a twig one of us had stepped on.  Oh choices where do we do the shoot it all looked perfect.  We started a shoot on a tree root that was shaped like a hammock. We wanted more from the shoot so we ventured deeper into the woodland. The perfect spot was found the dappled sunlight lit the woodland floor below the light was amazing. One thing I had not mentioned this was a Saturday morning with lots of dog walkers using the wood. We started the photo shoot in costume. When we came to do the nude modelling the clothes were on and off in a blink. One picture was set up the photos were about to be shot when along the path we spotted an elderly couple walking their dog. I was up and dressed so I did not offend them. We had a great time so many laughs and some amazing pictures.    Once the shoot had finished we toddled back over the fields back to the church. It was open so we had a look inside the rustic flower displays did not disappoint.  I am a City & Guilds trained florist, I love flowers and appreciate the beauty of a beautiful flower arrangements. At present I choose to do arrangements as gifts and funeral flowers.

http://www.modelmayhem.com/1822495

The other shoot was in Clacton again in a wood! I was again very lucky to have a shoot with Martin who contacted me and offered to do a shoot to enhance my profile. He took my “freedom” picture it is a photo that inspired a friend to carve “sun goddess” out of his pruned tree. The tree had come to the end of its life and was pruned back leaving branches looking like arms in the air. She looks amazing in his garden.  I digress back to the shoot ….. From the field the picture was taken we wandered into a small wood the smell of musty decaying wood hung sweetly in the air. Here Marin had me leaping off logs, hugging trees, lying on logs and generally having fun. We finished in the woods then went to his studio for more photos the memorable ones are the ones playing bubbles ann my back as a helicopter landing pad!

http://www.gozphotography.co.uk/home%20page.html

I remember driving home looking over a field to see a hot air balloon gently gliding in the warm evening sun. At the time it was a dream for me to go in a hot balloon. A year or so ago I fulfilled that dream it was amazing. A tale for another day I think. Time to get ready for Saturday I wonder what it holds for me.

Oh what a beautiful morning! Oh what a beautiful day!

A thought of going to the beach and soaking up the rays is really high in the thoughts today. A few house viewings then beach….as they say all great plans are made to be broken!  I found myself at How Hill a beautiful spot on the Ant River. It was the home of the Boardman family who found the land on their honeymoon and decided to build a really impressive house on it. It has commanding views over the river and marshes. A wind pump has a commanding view too! Toad Hole Cottage is at the foot of the hill at present it is being restored. It’s an old eelers cottage it’s really twee. It gives a flavour of how life was lived years ago. I can imagine the cold bleak existence for the poor family. The river was not too busy a few swans gently glided by. They are so graceful I love it when they put their wings up and glide through the water.

All the jobs and diversions (I get easily distracted!) were finished then the clouds rolled in and a chill in the wind appeared. So the beach plan was scrubbed. It would have been so nice to enjoy the sun. The bag was packed with factor 50, towel and a drink. I was hoping to get some photos of life poses. I am sure there will be an opportunity in the next few days to enjoy the tranquillity of the beach.

What happened if you never went to the beach I hear you cry! MM decorating the porch that was   rubbed down the edges painted all ready to paint. That was started over a month ago! The wall papering is just being finished. House is looking very smart! Just to rub salt in the wound the warm sun popped out again just as the decorating started!

What a fantastic day! A day of life modelling at two different classes both were great groups to model for. The first class had a sporty theme to it. I took my beach ball (that has decided to deflate for some reason) and bat. I took a towel to use as a drape. This was my interpretation of going to the shower after a work- out. I use the term loosely as I have not stepped into a gym in years! The second half of the class was sitting poses.

Once the class was finished I had the afternoon to enjoy the sunshine out of the wind that still has a bite to it. I must admit I am a fair weather girl.

In the evening my second life modelling class here I did 2 half hour poses both with a twist to add something to the pose and picture. There are a couple of favourite poses I do. Tonight I tried a new one and it was really comfortable. The padding was brilliant!   If I sit on my hip I find the floor finds its way through the padding the new cushions were just right. Ah, a nice half hour tea break it is a great time to look at the pictures and chat to the artists. The second pose was a laying on my front with my legs crossed behind me. It was for half hour however the artists enjoyed drawing the pose so we did it for the hour. There were some great pictures from the pose.

The life modelling time has been a great time to cogitate the next move and putting things in list of priority. I love the profession for that as it really is self- indulgent time.

Today I heard some things like “It’s not a good picture of you as you gave difficult poses!”  “You are amazing” and “you are a delight to draw” I am really flattered by the last two comments.

It’s the end of a fun day its 11.20 time to get some sleep. It’s a morning of house hunting oh the wonders of Zoopla and Rightmove! then who knows it all depends on the weather

Hello again!

What a busy few days it has been. Saturday I was on a boat trip starting in Wroxham. The day started auspiciously rain and more rain one of those days you think “It’s been good all week could you not be sunny for a special day!” There were about 30 of us on the boat, as we boarded the clouds melted away the sun made a very welcome appearance. As we started the tour our guide pointed out key points of interest he had a great voice that was calm and very clear. Our trip took in both Salhouse Broad and Wroxham Broad. The Broads are man- made from Peat digging many moons ago. The pinnacle of the trip was a stop at Hoveton nature reserve. It really is a special place the wild flowers were out, tadpoles swimming in little ponds, giant sedges (a grass)  sitting regally on the marshy land, butterflies flitting around in the warm sunshine and the terns skitting over the broad the male feeding the female who was on her nest. The reserve has a boardwalk you follow no muddy boots, hooray! It certainly was a tranquil way to spend a Saturday morning.  The trip was rounded off with lunch at the local hotel where 4 of us sat in a big window seat over-looking the river at Wroxham. The boats floated by people came and went it was a perfect way to finish the day.  I love people watching and was fascinated by a group of lads outside on the terrace one by one they guys vanished to re appear in a fancy dress.  Their boat was moored up where we could see a cardboard cut- out of a man jammed in the window.  Curiosity got the better of me I went out to find out what they were doing! It was a Stag party they were having a fun time oh! The cardboard cut- out was Dave who could not make it in person!

The evening was seeing a Queen Tribute act in a local town. I thought the evening was an outside event and went dressed for the out- doors. We got there to see a marquee for the event! How under dressed did I feel.  If it were a naturist event  that would not have been an issue.  Hey Ho! The group was ok it got better in the second half. What a great evening dancing and singing the night away.

I piled into bed exhausted. Certainly an amazing day ranging from the wonders of nature and tranquillity to a rocking evening!

It was an early start on Sunday I went to St Albans to celebrate my sisters big birthday. I picked dad up then went to my sisters surprise party. Ah bless! Poor thing was in shock most of the evening.

Monday I was going to go to my beach for some me time and relax on the beach. Nude time would have been so welcome as a gentle colour would be nice to have for life modelling for the summer. I am very careful using factor 50 as I burn easy. I remember doing a photo shoot on the beach for a naturist magazine. The shoot finished then it was enjoying the beach and sun. Yipee! It was a hot sunny day we chatted and watched the seals.  We left the beach mid-afternoon as we walked back to our respective cars  my skin felt hot and tight. That evening my body was on fire I had burnt myself to a crisp and boy did I know it! After-sun did not work. Over the coming days the skin turned various shades of red then peeling. I will not go into more detail it was not a pretty sight! The summer school I worked at that year life modelling certainly had more colour than they expected.  All the pictures were heavily red!  That was a lesson learnt hence factor 50!

Tip for the sunburn I was told Manuka honey is good for burns. It is it takes the sting out of the wound. I have a lasting memory of sitting on my lappie, nude   covered in Manuka honey trying not to get everything sticky.

Well, I never made my beach as its time for me to move house I have out grown where I live. The estate agent came early afternoon. He was great friendly and knew the patter. I sussed him out as when we finished doing the tour his language changed to a selling great NLP. He was rumbled as I noted the change having been trained in NLP! I decided to put the house on the market there and then. I have no idea where I want to go all I want is a private garden where I can relax in the sun. It’s very exciting….

Tuesday was work the afternoon sorting the house out for sale. The bathroom cleaned hovering and dusting done, everything all tidy relax!  Then I get a phone call there’s a house viewing! How fantastic is that!

As you can imagine my head is doing a bit pre occupied as so much has happened this last few days all very life changing in a fantastic fun way.

I must go I have been up since 5 (a lovely sunny day here in Norfolk) I need breakfast and a shower as today is life modelling. Two great classes so I know it will be a fantastic day. Next time I will let you know how the life modelling classes went.

What has happened to the sunny warm weather? It certainly is not ideal conditions for  sunbathing nude on the beach. The weather pattern is something like this, ah! lovely warm sun, oh no! its windy and you get pebble dashed with the sand, then to top it off the heavens open! To return back to warm sunshine! Don’t you just love the British weather?

I got soaked on the way back from a meeting yesterday. I met a budding life model who is new to the area and want to join the profession.  My advert had been spotted on Gumtree. We met in Caleys (a café with chocolate featuring heavily in the concept. Caleys is an old established chocolate manufacturer here in Norwich. Here is a link to the history of the industry;
http://www.heritagecity.org/research-centre/industrial-innovation/caleys.htm

I remember the chocolate smell wafting through the city. It was a sweet sickly somehow comforting smell).  in the old Gaol House a beautiful black and white building just off the market.  Two wonderful hot chocolates  were bought to our table. Here we chatted about the life model profession and what it meant to both of us. We are both naturists so doing a life modelling feels natural to us. I was asked about poses, how to stay focused, props and if the poses already used were good.

I am rather flattered to be asked to guide and chat about life modelling and portrait modelling. One other model who contacted me for advice has started to call me the “life modelling wise sage”!  I know the fledgling model went away happy with a spring in the step and a head buzzing with ideas.

Being asked for guidance takes me back to the first life classes I modelled in. One mistake I made was doing a sitting pose legs crossed, my elbow resting on my thigh and on top my head was resting in my cupped hand. (I am sure there is a pose like it on www.paintedmodelling.co.uk) as the elbow started to dig into the thigh  I started to noticed the legs dying through lack of blood flow. The pose seemed to last forever. That was a learning curve; do not rest an elbow on the thigh!

Today with years of experience instinctively I know what to do to make a life pose interesting and what to do with arms and legs! If I start feeling pain I do self-hypnosis to block the twinges out ( I am a qualified hypnotherapist and NLP practitioner).

Today I met a friend at the prison for morning coffee we just made it in the door when the heavens opened up.  Seeing the umbrellas thought turned to; parasols, blue skies, the warmth of the sun, that wonderful sun bleached sand and crystal clear blue sea with diamonds dancing on the surface. It is good to dream.

I have just read this paragraph I was at the public café at the prison not visiting anyone in there!

This evening for some mad reason I decided to try a new recipe. I really fancied something with lemon in it. I found a new recipe that sounded lovely. Mixing the ingredients and sampling the mixture every step of the way. It was something I learnt in childhood sometimes the raw mix is nicer than the cooked produce.The mixture was poured into a prepared dish and put in the oven. It was half cooked when a light bulb came on I had forgotten to put the milk in the mix! It tasted nice however I feel the milk was a crucial ingredient as the  cake lacked any depth to it. Was like eating lemon fluff.

I will stick to life modelling its more forgiving than cooking!

Time for a well-earned glass of something to start the week end feeling!

Bank holiday Monday Itook the train from Norwich to Manningtree . The train was late leaving as one of the crew had not turned up. Was it the driver, someone from the buffet? It was not the conductor as he was keeping us up to date with the late arrival. We eventually started our adventure.  An hour passed when at last the mud flats were in sight, Manningtree was only a heart beat away.  As I strode out of the station I had no idea where I was going. Not being great at map reading the one at the station was lost on me. I strolled in the general direction along lanes, tight paths flanked with bustling hedges that were heavily scented with hawthorn perfume  then along the meandering river. The first glimpse of Flatford was a tantalising peek of Will Lott’s cottage nestling in the trees.  There was a wall along the river bank where I decided to take a break take I the cottage and watch the mother duck swimming with her 10 chicks. Looking in the opposite direction the bank was covered in tall, lacy cow parsley  dancing  gently in the breeze. For a fleeting moment thoughts of doing a life drawing session amongst the cow  parsley appealed. The contrast of the delicate flowers against a solid human form.  I gathered my thoughts back to the now and continued my walk .  Flatford was bustling with tourists hiring rowing boats (some budding oarsmen were more skilled than others!) , people watching the river, the field was full of families having picnics, there was an air of tranquillity amongst the gentle bustling.  I made my way to Will Lott’s cottage there I sat on a set of stairs again what an idyllic setting to get the paints out and do some portrait or costume drawing.  The backdrop is amazing, the reflecting gently flowing water, the trees and the imposing cottage. A traditional celebration took place in a garden with an old house the ladies were in traditional costume of Constable’s time . The Morris men were dancing, crafts were being demonstrated these ranged from; making a May headdress, bee keeping, felt making, stone carving and much more.   Oh! I sat watching the Morris men enjoying the dancing and sun when they stopped and asked if anyone wanted to do a simple folk dance with them.  Next thing I know I was being asked to dance. It was a simple reel dance it was soon mastered. I must say I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I need to look up folk dancing classes.  My picnic was enjoyed in the wild life garden. People watching and watching the children getting excited when they found a bug that was on their question sheet. Late afternoon it was time to get the train home.  The cow parsley on the way back was stunning for some reason, it was gently swaying in big swathes along the path. I stopped at a field that had sheep and cute lambs in it. One lamb was so cute he just stood watching me watching him! Now the frustrating part of the day  has to be; as I arrived at the station the train was just pulling out! It was a chilly hours wait before the next one home.

Why was the city so busy at 12.30 on a Tuesday afternoon all the car parks were busy that meant the Castle Mall car park was my only option to park in. Time was slipping through my fingers I needed to be at the class for 13.00 as a model time keeping is so important everything revolves around you. Nothing starts till you are there! Oh no! there was a slow queue to the Mall the reason being 2 floors of car park are shut due to refurbishment.  I made the class on time giving me time to talk to some of the artists. It was an unusual class as there were 3 models all doing portrait.  It certainly produced exciting pictures . A few that were done of me had me looking reflective and serine.  When I was doing this class it got me thinking about my first portrait class I posed for.  I was sat facing a huge mirror so I had a great view of the artists building up their portraits. To this day I find it fascinating there are lots of talented artists out there. The class finished time to find my car, now what floor did I leave it on? I walked up and down the stairs trying to find Cherry (my car). We were eventually re united and I could go home and enjoy the late afternoon sunshine.

Today was going to be the start of getting fit for summer.  The thinking today was; having lunch with friends (at the café in the prison so there are lots of hills to cycle up. I know who said Norfolk is flat)? In my head I reasoned; nice lunch then a cycle that is a great balance. Mm thoughts are one thing actually doing was another. I removed my bike from the garage, it was the first time it had moved for 2 years. I blew the tyres up and great news they stayed hard. I washed the accumulated dust and cobwebs off my  bike and slowly discovered a long lost friend! By now I was getting excited about riding my bike, it was a nice sunny day and no time pressures. I turned the bike upside down to oil the chain and all the joints that make it run smoothly. Oh no! on closer inspection of the tyres I noted the tyre had perished and the inner tube was bulging out of the weak parts. It was with heavy heart I wheeled the bike back to its home. My job next week is to get the bike serviced ready for the summer. How did I get to the café I hear you all asking… blushing here … I took Cherry (my car!).   The meal was  lovely great food and great company lots of chat and laughs. Perfect. Tomorrow there will be lots of walking as I am taking my sketch pad and paints on a train journey to Flatford Mill. It will be lovely to see where John Constable created his famous works. I had a quick peek at Flatford a few weeks ago when I was working at a portrait class in Dedham. I did a quick walk , more like a run, across the un touched fields in my lunch hour. That first glimpse of the Willy Lott’s home I knew I would return very soon.