Merry Christmas! Oil on canvas 8 in x 10 in

I have taken step by step photos of this and will share them in the next post. It's Christmas Eve, and I've a few more carols to sing.

Abundance of... Apples. (water colour leaves, student work)

On Tuesday, I tried  an experiment. My laptop had finally gone on strike (see pic below, all white-screen and no action....) so I wrote a blog post on my phone. This seemed all very sensible, until I checked what folks could see - it was all text and no pictures. Strewth.

The laptop, which was 'charmingly' described as 'aw, sooo retro..', by staff at the Apple Store (it's obviously geriatric at 5 years old, then),  had been telling me for some time that it's a bit tired (though it's used the word 'full'), so it wasn't a total surprise, but a bit sad all the same. It's lived a life,  has been dropped a few times, is rather tinged with charcoal and has a piece of masking tape holding bits of it together, but I love it so. It's like a faithful pet.

I wonder what makes us hang on to the Bitter End with machinery - is it the familiarity of working with it, or the evidence of my life that is stored inside it? I know for sure that when I get a new one, my life will be transformed and I'll wonder why I didn't do it sooner....

... now it's Friday. I've been to the Apple Store (have you got one near you?? Aren't they FABulous?! The leaders in customer service and smiling) I am now in that bridging place, where I'm all tooled up with technology, frightening myself in trying to become familiar with the all-singing-all-dancingness, so not normal service here yet,  I am waiting from the info from sad-laptop to be transferred to the new one, and the only apparently geriatric part is the user (er, that'd be moi).. I'd not be surprised if there's an App here to make my tea. (bag out please).

It's been an awesome Autumn here, with crunchy leaves still on the pavements and the days dry and mild. Here is some golden evidence from the season - a photo from the park and some lovely student water colours.

Ciara C, student

Linda B, student

Carolyn G, student

Liz C, student

Geraldine B, student

Up coming - oil painting workshops, Christmas vouchers for classes, and booking being taken for weekly classes from January. For info email julie@juliedouglas.co.uk

(and please be patient, in the light of my technology-challenges!) or call

0044-7730 560517