Keeping busy...

ATC's for a swap

...on the theme of 'Ophelia'

 Art Trading swaps at www.willowing.ning.com

and then some of the weird little characters I've been painting in one of my art journals this week...

I have now been taking the Duloxetine for two weeks. I can't explain whether I think I am better or not. It's strange, but I can't decide. The one thing that stands out is the havoc it's been playing with my sleep patterns. I am now awake from about 5.30am and can't get back to sleep. I usually get up and make a cuppa, then manage to fall asleep for a few more hours. I feel lousy when I wake up and take ages to get going. Then, by about 3pm, I'm so sleepy that I have to go for a nap which lasts a few hours, after which I feel 'drugged' and unable to function for quite a while. If things don't improve at the end of next week, I'll have to get in touch with the doc and sort something else out.

I am also suffering from a chest infection which is not conducive to sleep as I have a tickly cough, so am unable to lie supine, but have to prop myself up on two pillows. I'm now on the third lot of antibiotics in as many weeks (the first two for the dreaded underarm abscess) and now some penicillin for the chest infection. I'm quite annoyed that I'm actually ill, as being a hypochondriac and imagining all sorts of illnesses rather than actually suffering with them suits me much better!

Please can I be relatively healthy next week? Thank you.

Portraits

I can't seem to stop drawing these faces at the moment. but as they give me a huge buzz, why not?? This one is called 'Catalina' which is a name printed on the book pages I used at the bottom of the portrait. The flowers and clay motifs were kindly sent to me by Pam in an ATC swap on willowing.ning.com

This one, called 'Mad as birds' has words by the poet Dylan Thomas (whose house we visited some time ago in Laugharne).
"A stranger has come to share my room in the house
not right in the head, a girl as mad as birds"
I was at the library yesterday and found a wonderful book, 'The Wales that inspired Dylan Thomas' with the most amazing photography by Brian Gaylor, with a foreword by Dylan's son, Aeronwy Thomas. If you like Thomas' work, check this book out, it's well worth it.

This one is called simply, 'Purple Girl' Drawing and painting these stylised faces gives me great pleasure and calms my currently troubled soul. (I also have far too many old book pages which I need to use up!). 

Art Course

This is the first spread in a new art journal I started over the holidays. It came about after I googled art journal and art courses. I found a good site by a lady called Tamara Laporte. The link is http://www.willowing.ning.com/ 
or the badge is at the right, click to join.
I have had a 'block' lately and haven't been able to do any art, which was getting me down. So I joined this site and watched the video and suddenly I was eager to start again. This course which is called, 'Art, Heart and Healing' ran fairly recently I think and has now finished, but she is leaving it up indefinitely so you can join at any time. She also runs monthly challenges and swaps from time to time. She has other courses available (not free, but reasonably priced, considering the amount of information you get) one of which is starting soon I think. Well worth a visit!