Karen: Ryan called me while out shopping and said he'd been naughty, and I thought he'd bought beer but when he got back he'd brought a great huge inflatable grim reaper for the kids halloween party. He thought it would be a great idea for the doorstep.
Pam: Oh goodness.
Claire: Did they like it?
Karen: It was ten feet tall and after we'd blown it up Jemima was so terrified of it I had to tell her that it's name was Sally and that it was actually smiling before she'd go out to look.

Pam: Siobhan was shell-shocked when she brought her baby home. I asked her if she was okay and she said "I've got to be a grown-up now, haven't I?"
Grandpa: Well, we've all been through it.

A pause

Claire: Yes, I remember those days.
Grandpa: You need a good clipping around the head.

Today there was frost in the garden when i woke up but the sun was shining so I decided to walk in the woods next door for the first time since I'd gotten here. It was beautiful and I saw two pheasants and several squirrels and stalked rabbits to try to get a decent photo down at the field below the woods. I was stalking a particularly tame bunny throw the undergrowth when I came to a clearing where the frost was so deep it looked like snow. It was beautiful. I stood there for half an hour completely still, and eventually the rabbits ventured back, and I watched them happily until it started to get dark and I had to head back.

And finally he shows his face

This and the squirrel I saw - happily chewing away at something while it's mate leapt about desperately trying to get it's attention - made my day.

The new leather boots and bag helped too.

first the teddy bears, then the giraffes.

Hempsted Forest

'Tis the month of my birthday! It's surreal that my birthday is so close. Not the "Oh no, I'm gonna be 20!" thing, I'm over that, I've had a year to get over that while everyone else my age turned 20 (except ling! my loyalest friend!). Just the "Oh, it's my birthday!" thing. I'm very excited actually, although I don't know why. I hope I can get back to Singapore before the 31st!

I have been painting for most of today, determined to master watercolors. It's much much harder than I thought, but I am learning, at least, I better be after painting the same picture ten thousand times. I'm trying to follow watercolorpainting.com's glazed wash tutorial which is supposed to look like this,



but ended up looking, sadly, like this,



and then like this,



and finally, (finally!) like this!



I'm going to take a break today and do colour pencils, but I might have another go soon. If you feel brave enough to try the same tutorial, send me pictures!

I miss Candy Chen and all her crazy friends. Perr-FECT!

Tally ho!

I've just been treated to the delight of watching my dad watch a travel program about London on TV. A travel program with an American commentator. Joy joy!

My father went through being totally disinterested, however retribution was near as he made regular scoffing sounds, began barking out corrections with increasing disbelief (TV: Fish and Chips eateries here are more common than even *dramatic pause* McDonalds! Papa: WHAT? WHERE DID THEY GET THIS PERSON FROM?), and a final culmination of outrage when the "old pal" the commentator called upon to tell her more about London turned out to be an Australian. An American and an Australian sitting in a London pub drinking pimms (TV "old pal" guy: Cheers! English people always say cheers! Cheers again! Papa: Real men don't drink pimms.) and educating us plebians on London culture turned out to be just too much for papa, i'm afraid. I don't think Discovery Travel and Living will get another hit from us for the next three decades or so.

I have finished saving the background of my painting exploit and it's full steam ahead - or whatever successful artists say! Huzzah!