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    I have been watching Stewart work on this painting for a number of days now. He's saying it's the first time he's done a mural, but actually he has an unfinished one of the Lescaux cave paintings on a bedroom wall so maybe it's going to be the first completed one. I had a reasonably good idea of how I wanted the "picture window" to look. The colours and shades were clear to me but whether I explained to the artist clearly enough, is for him to say. And so the scene has changed from blacks and greys to blues and greens and eventually to the orange and yellows of the sunset and reflections of the light on the water. It is as if the photo I had in my mind is now transposed onto the wall. It's an outstanding piece of work and very effective. To me, the non visual artist, this achievement is incredible. If I write half as well as Stewart draws and paints, then I will be more than pleased. The journey from the start of a painting is similar to that of ...

Watch out at the supermarket checkout. Prepare to be assaulted with advice about eating fruit and vegetables as The Government  plans to make us eat what they say we should, come what may. Look out for the green painted line on your trolley which shows you where to put your “healthy” produce. If you’re looking for pies, crisps and cake, then look on the higher shelves where it’s more difficult to see them. High fibre and low calorie stuff can be found lower down, at eye level. You WILL eat “five a day” ! Make your children walk to school and they might get Top Shop vouchers or tickets to the cinema. Bribery?  Of course not. Stop unwanted teenage pregnancies by entrusting your screaming, teething toddlers to them for a time. That’ll teach ‘em to have safe sex. And so it goes on. This is the coalition government of David Cameron who said that they would interfere less in people’s lives. Well, not so’s you’d notice. I quite like the latest tv advert for the Co – Op. The  c...

Do electrical appliances have a mind of their own ? A strange question, yes but I do have good reason to ask. My washing machine has been gradually breaking down over the past few months. It used to wash and then spin dry every time it was used, then it began to spin when it felt like it and then didn't even bother trying. It just made the sound of spinning but didn't actually spin and I was left with a load of dripping wet clothes.   So I ordered a new machine online and am waiting for it to arrive tomorrow.   I thought I might as well give the old machine one last try, and guess what ? Yes, it washed and spun perfectly. Of course I had to try it again - in fact I have used it 5 times now since I ordered the new one. Every time it has worked perfectly. I can't cancel the new one but I just know that if I did it would go back to not spinning. I daren't give it to anyone for the same reason. So the scrap man will be getting a washing machine in perfect working order.   ...

Twitter. Must be the buzz word of the year beating  Kindle or I-pod hands down. I am trying it, though I can't for the life of me see the point. Another time wasting tool/activity almost certainly, but I am perfectly capable of doing that without another "application" to get to grips with. Would I be any worse off if I don't Twitter ? Probably not and probably in my case better off as I am renowned for letting information overload get to me. I am judging Writer's Talkback's One Word Challenge Competition this month - first time as joint judge so I could do with getting on with that instead of looking out for news on who's doing what, to arrive. I have somehow managed to be "following" Alistair Campbell (??) and I haven't the slightest interest in what he has to say. I expect the feeling's mutual but I may have to tweet something to him anyway, just for the hell of it. Still no resolutions in mind. Give another day and I might ha...

It's that strange time in between Christmas and New Year where I feel I am in limbo - but I don't know what I am waiting for.  It's officially the fourth day of Christmas, according to the song anyway. No one has given me any calling birds yet but I didn't get a partridge or any doves or  hens over the past few days either. And I am certainly not expecting any gold rings tomorrow. With three and a bit more days to go till New Year, I suppose I could be waiting for that, if only sub -consciously. But if that's the case then I might have to think about making resolutions, and that seems a bit like putting myself under pressure to achieve something. If I don't achieve what I intended to, then this time next year I will be feeling a complete failure and I don't fancy that again ! So, no resolutions (yet) and no particular plans for the near future (yet). To be able to take each day at a time is a precious thing. At this moment that is all I hope to do. I ho...

Write-Place Blog Spot: Keeping the Peace : "Seems like The Police have recently seen sense in the way they interpret the law - Section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986, to be precis..."

Seems like The Police have recently seen sense in the way they interpret the law -  Section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986, to be precise. Quite rightly of course, this part of the act makes it an offence to utter ‘threatening, abusive’ words ‘to cause harassment, alarm or distress’, but new guidelines say that police officers need to be a bit more thick skinned to carry out their job effectively. A street preacher was arrested, held for seven hours and charged with a public-order offence after he told a gay PCSO that he believed homosexuals were acting against the “word of God”. The charges have now been dropped and he has been awarded £7,000 plus legal costs in compensation and will get an apology in person from the Chief Constable. The right to free speech allows people to express unpopular view as long as their behaviour is not unreasonable or violent so it’s about time that beliefs can be expressed which provoke debate rather than be an offence. The police bank account could...