Busy day

We read a lot just now about the beneficial effects of shared artistic endeavour - I'm thinking especially about choirs, but in my case my painting classes are also social affairs, and they're both on a Tuesday. This means that I feel Tuesdays run on the kind of fairly strict lines that I used to associate with the timetabled school day, and because of this the first thing I feel when I wake on a Tuesday is ... stressed. Absurd, isn't it, when you consider the benefits these activities are reputed to bestow...

That notwithstanding, I have to say that once I got myself organised and out for my painting class, I really enjoyed myself, even though I was late because I decided it was too nice a morning not to walk there. But today I finished the careful ruling of lines to vanishing points, made several corrections to the perspective of my vaulted ceiling arches, redrew my tall trees to the correct size, and began to paint ... So far, I've done the sky and one cypress tree which actually bears some resemblance to living foliage, and I'm happy.

Before we gave up on the day and ate our insanely early but extremely delicious dinner*, we had a short walk round the West Bay and came up via the side of the old town wall, at the top of which are several of the old houses that nestled round the castle. That's where this blip was taken - it's often hard to visualise what Dunoon was like before Victorian expansion, but this, minus the bollards and the half-hidden lamp-post, makes it easier. 

And finally, choir. It's been causing us quite a lot of stress recently - combination of people having to miss rehearsals and our efforts to set up a concert in the new year - but the rehearsal tonight, despite our having no sopranos at all, was really good, really hard-working, gave us a huge laugh and caused me to surprise everyone, not least me, with a perfect high F. 

I'll not do it again. It might kill me ...


* Chilli and prawn pasta, followed by honey/lemon baked figs. Divine.