Mascarpone with icing sugar and sprinkles..We all enjoyed Colm Toibin's The Magician.

What else to do on a wet and sindy Sunday in August, but bake a few cakes and listen to some music.. Today's edition of Private Passions was particularly good.

I did have about 15 minutes of sunshine one day last week, but the real bright spot was the great news from MaryB and her obvious delight at getting home from hospital (see comments on last post).

..it raineth all around..

Trying to stay positive!

I don't remember where I read ths.  I don't take it to mean you should supress your enotions, but to try to maintina a baalance perhaps. It reminds me of an old slogan by an insurance company - We don't make a drama out of a crisis.

Do you have a saying or motto to help you when the inevitable crises befall you?

Sometimes when I can't sleep only a cup of tea and a slice of buttery toast will do...

We have these stores called TK Maxx which sell ends of lines, the most incredible kitch, italian and chiese foodstuffs, very torn jeans (shredded in faat) and some high quality brands at very reduced prices. An amazing place to wander in as they sell absolutely everything! In the spirit of treating the commercial world like a museum I occasionally go in for a browse..

I found this lovely towel

which is reversible

and this pretty plate.

I also got a new shower curtain and felt very happy.

I do still enjoy the podcast of this name.

A couple of wrm days and a huge thuderstorm this morning. Tbe brambles are ripeniing, the meadow areas are cut, the Rose of Sharon is berrying and the Perseid meteor  shower may be visible tonight.

..eat your heart out.

My friend Caroline Bailey does wonderful paintings of sunflowers, See here

..a Mark Rothko in this photograph?

I am fascinated at how the clearing of past projects  moves me forward to excitng new ones..

Clearing identity clutter is making space..

A question (you know I love a good question).

Where do you you feel most yourself? Your authentic self you might say.

My answer is in front of an easel with a brush in my hand, also with my camera in my hand.

What would your answer be? Then you might ask how can you be there more..

..for butterflies.

Perhaps they are all in your gardens?

There's a fine line between wild and completely out of control, and I think I may have crossed that line!

It's been too wet to strim the long grass but I will wait until the cormflowers have gone anyway.

The birds are very happy.

The evening light is lovely and I am on a  roll with clearing the 'identity clutter' now that I have got some moomentum going. It's proving to be rather ineresting...