Never chuck anything away! I made this rather groovy background by dripping alcohol inks onto acetate a couple of years ago when I was going through one of my periodic, tiresome, "I am an artstamper!" phases. I kept the offcuts and finally found a use for them this week. This is a page for one of those Papermill DIY calendars. It's my youngest on a merry go round last weekend, calmly observing the health and safety instruction beside him, even though the ride is not moving . He gets that strand of mindless conformity from his dad. I, as I'm sure you can tell, am FAR more rock'n'roll, hem hem.

I am doing very well with my calendar this year. I bought it in August, and am up to March already.

I went to see my surgeon today, about my back. It is a month ago today since he sliced me open and popped out my damaged disc, and he wanted to check how I was healing. I took my new book on art journals with me to read (whoop! whoop! tiresome "artstamper!" phase approaching!) while I was waiting to be seen. The nurse showed me into his room and told me he'd be in in a few minutes. I sat down and hurriedly flicked through the book, choosing the best page to be caught looking at when he entered the room, so as to like, impress him or something (I really did do this. God, I'm such an arse). Then I sat with a rod straight back just to show how seriously I take postural issues and waited for him to arrive. He didn't show after a few minutes, so I did another flick through and chose another, even more impressive page and posed again. Then I got a text and had to put the book down for a minute while I replied. He walked in to find me huddled, squinting, over my phone, the book completely obscured by my duffle coat. Consequently he will never know the artistic goddess that dwells inside the middle-aged lumpen frame he saw slouched before him. I am sure if he had seen the book he would have understood and would not have casually told me I could stop resting up and could go back to work anytime. Grrrrrrr.