Tuesday 15 December 2020

“Learn something new. Try something different. Convince yourself that you have no limits.”

 

It kind of felt like 2020 was going to go out in exactly the same grey and stagnant way that it has been festering the entire year. I know I shouldn't moan, we're all going through this but having a mass of other rubbish thrown in to the mix was making this year one I was desperate to put behind us. Even without the lockdown madness this time of year has been a testing time for Opeie, shrouded by a mix of emotions and upset. I tried so hard the last couple of years to make 'Christmas' fun again but with no joy, so this year we talked and said 'no more!'. If this year has taught us anything it's shown us what is actually important and also what ever we decide to do (even if it doesn't fit in with other peoples views)... its okay. 

So instead of 'Christmas' this year we have decided to have a celebration of our favourite little creatures 'Beetles', With the build up being filled with beetle related creative activities to decorate the house 'our way'. We've been busy doing all sorts but my favourite thing so far has been decorating the wall in the LEGO room with a series of hanging beetles. This really got us pumped about the upcoming festivities.

What has really made this for me is how much it has taken the strain off of Opeie and has given him the chance to see the end of the year in a different light. This morning he said 'Dad, I'm so excited about Beetlemas!'... and that is all I needed to hear to feel like we are taking control of 2020 again.



Saturday 5 December 2020

'There are friends, there is family, and then there are friends that become family.'

 

Ive spent so much time worrying about Opeie since this whole covid fiasco started. Stressing about the impact that this situation is having in him, the fact that he's not seen some of his friends for a while and his general well being. The parent guilt is constantly banging at the door even though I know it is out of my control. As I stood in the house this week and watched him sitting on the shed outside with his besties watching the sun set I was reassured that actually, despite the confusing government guidelines and the massive change to our lives, he's actually got everything he needs. A calm, loving home, a doting dad, and the kind of friends that you could spend your whole life hoping for... (the excessive amount of LEGO is a bonus too). 




Sunday 1 November 2020

"We make up horrors to help us cope with the real ones."

 

                                                                       Day 1... (part 2)

With another 4 weeks of national lockdown starting now, I'm feeling like the only way through this is back to daily activities concentrating on creativity. The creative lockdown project really helped to keep us in a Calm and focused headspace while the whole world was falling apart. So for the next 4 weeks our home-ed will be focussing solely on a variety of creative activities base on a word of the day. It's been a really tough month emotionally and I think we both want to be feeling better about the path that we are on. I'm kicking off our project with our LEGO Halloween build for this year, an explosion of black and orange.

Stay safe people and keep on creating.




Monday 24 August 2020

"Don't get your feathers all ruffled. Just chill."

 

I can't believe it's been a month since the last post, its crazy how quickly time seems to go in this new world. I've been in such an awful headspace for weeks and really need to shake it off but on a more positive note, Opeie has been able to see his friends a little more and tomorrow he's finally going to see his bestie after not seeing her since march.  I'm so glad its happening now as I get the feeling that another lockdown (maybe just in Telford) is inevitable. Plus with the schools going back, I don't think we'll be seeing anyone that we know that goes to school for a few weeks to see what happens. I kind of feel like were at the start of some insane science experiment. 

Anyway, doom and gloom aside, we have been playing a lot of Animal crossing new horizons over the last few weeks. Opeie wanted me to join him in playing and despite looking at it and thinking 'there's no way I'm going to enjoy that!' it turns out its really bloody relaxing and has spurred on lots of creative projects too. This week we drew our Animal crossing characters and the villagers that we most wanted on our island. I love having all these pictures of ours around the house, they are a constant reminder of just how awesome our Homelife is.



Thursday 23 July 2020

"Sometimes brightening up the outside of your store is just the thing to perk up business, yes?"


Day 126:

Conversation in the house recently has been heavy on the Animal Crossing. Since picking up a copy of New horizons a couple of weeks ago Opeie has been busy building his island and creating and it has been so much nicer hearing about that rather than Fortnite. While he was having a chat with his friends yesterday I decided to build him Nooks Cranny. His smile when he came off the phone and saw it was contagious and leaving the build empty means that that smile can continue tomorrow when we are building the furniture together. Another win for those amazing bricks.



Wednesday 22 July 2020

"Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway."


Day 125:

I love it when Opeie shows me a picture he's found on the internet and says "Can we build this?". Mainly because it means an afternoon of sitting down with the LEGO and working something out together. Its rare that he ever wants to add Technic functions into builds but this kinetic cowboy build by Tankybrick had really got him excited. So we watched their video about 50 times to try and work out the functions. After building pretty much the entire thing no matter haw many times we watched the video we couldn't work out the final piece that got the horses moving as the video wasn't very clear. After a stressful 30 minutes or so of trying all sorts of different elements we finally cracked it. It definitely wasn't the same piece, and the horses the finitely don't run as smooth as theirs but overall it came out great and ended up being a fun afternoon building with my bestie.



Sunday 19 July 2020

"You're gonna need a bigger boat!"


Day 121:

I have been so rubbish at writing and taking pictures since my birthday and I really need to get back into the rhythm as it was doing me the world of good mentally. This week has been lush hanging out with Opeie, painting and playing LEGO. Opeie is loving his LEGO photography at the moment so we've been putting a lot of time into that. Hopefully these pictures are all going towards something amazing. Watch this space.



Saturday 11 July 2020

"Forget the past; look forward to the future, for the best things are yet to come."


Day 113:

Every year for as long as I can remember my birthday has always felt like just another day of the week, this year was different though. There was a feeling in the air that I wasn't expecting on the build up and as it got closer I felt myself feeling all warm inside. Opeie had been busy doing some top secret prep for weeks and my unexpected warm fuzzy birthday feeling was definitely coming from their excitement. By the time the big day came today I felt like I had already had my birthday twice over because of the first two days of the three day celebrations.


You know you are on to a winner when not only do. you receive a thoughtful toy from your childhood but also new patches for that magical toy (which are always battered because of their age). And Opeie couldn't be any cuter, knowing exactly what to get me because he is so bloody awesome. By the time we were ready to head out I was feeling like a princess.


As we drove out of the road to start our journey to Lake Vyrnwy, I spotted pictures of myself all over the place, Opeie had clearly been having a blast getting ready for today. I liked to think that everyone one on our road thought I was a young dad but now they all know that I'm a crusty 40-year-old.


Lake Vyrnwy was a little busier than we expected but we found a quiet spot to have a picnic and a good stomp while Opeie took photos for his next comic. On the way home all I could think about was that delicious looking backed cheese cake that Opeie had made. Today was perfection, it was so nice to have a clear head for a few days. Hopefully next year the world will seem a little calmer. 



Friday 10 July 2020

"Don't ever, never say we're through, We gon boogaloo"


Day 112:

Day 2 of the birthday celebrations has been awesome and I'm feeling so loved. It's a shame I don't turn 40 every weekend.  I woke up to coffee and breakfast in bed again, more lovely presents and then we backed up the car to the river in Jackfield, opened the boot, dropped the seats and lay in the back drawing. I feel like Ive already had my birthday twice over and its not until tomorrow. I've been treated like a princess. I'm currently banished upstairs and I'm not allowed to go downstairs until tomorrow, I have no idea what those lovelies are up to.

I was so chill today that I didn't even think to get my phone out to take a picture, so here's a song instead.  



Wednesday 8 July 2020

"Change, like sunshine, can be a friend or a foe, a blessing or a curse, a dawn or a dusk."


Day 106-110:

I've really not felt myself over the last few days so I decided to skip a few days, I've not felt very inspired and if I'm honest 'getting through the day' has been as far as I have got. I feel like this whole Covid thing has changed me and some of those changes I really don't like. I think part of this unmotivated feeling is because of the news, I do my best to avoid it but for some reason a few nights back I ended up sat in bed reading and the ridiculousness of this country hit me hard. I'm hoping for a relaxing, creative few days to get me out of this funk. 

On a plus note we found another female Lesser Stag beetle, which made us both smile.





Thursday 2 July 2020

"Perfection is attained by slow degrees; it requires the hand of time."


Day 104:

For many of us the last 100 or so days has forced us into seriously changing the speed in which we are living. Ive always been fairly chill but I've seen the people around me have to adapt to this new way of getting through the days. I had high hopes for the lockdown period, I was going to learn new skills and pick up things that I had put down a long time ago, and although I definitely have learned some new skills and have tackled some new projects, this time at home hasn't been as productive as I had invisioned because of concentrating on our emotional wellbeing. I lay in bed tonight thinking about how much creative fun we have had, I have really been empowered by the things we have been doing and Its been awesome watching Opeie get into his drawing too, I've been putting a lot more thought into how his home education is going to be going from this point and I'm really excited to see where it goes.





Wednesday 1 July 2020

"Create with the heart, build with the mind"


Day 103:

Opeie has been all smiles today because he has built one of his favourite teddies. Jonathan (or pinky butthole as we like to call him) has been a mobile pillow for Opeie taken all over the house for him to lie on. As he is so loved Opeie decided to immortalise him in bricks to show his appreciation. I bloody love LEGO!!!



Tuesday 30 June 2020

"Passion surprises. One doesn't search it. It can happen to you tomorrow."


Day 101-102:

Yesterday seemed to fly by and I didn't take a single photo so I'm lazily adding these two days together. Last year we visited Attingham park a few times around this time of year in search of the Lesser stag for Opeies photo collection of found beetles. Each visit we came away with some photos of some interesting new beetles but sadly never the Lesser stag. As we walked home yesterday through the woodland near us, we turned over logs looking for beetles and there she was, sitting there waiting for a photo. I love how things like this can really make our day and we can now cross off Lesser stag from our list. Next up... we still haven't found Opeie's favourite, the elusive violet ground beetle.







Saturday 27 June 2020

"Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties."


Day 99:

The plan for today was to go for good stomp around snail beach, we made pizza and wrapped it up for lunch but when we arrived the weather just didn't want to play ball so we drove a little further up to Stiperstones and dropped the backseats so that we could sit in the back of the car and paint. Before we could start painting though Opeie asked whether we could do a drawing activity he had created where we design products for a supermarket based around themes. I love things like this as you end up drawing things that you would never usually think of drawing. 



Monday 22 June 2020

"The toad, without which no garden would be complete"


Day 94:

When I popped out in the garden last night I saw this little cutie quickly disappear under the shed. Tonight when I walked outside they were obviously feeling a little braver and came over to say hi. Our garden is only really small but backs on to an undisturbed piece of land with a stream so we get all sorts in there. The frogs always freak when I pick them up but this little dude happily sat on my hand for a photo shoot, my toady encounter really made my evening. 



Sunday 21 June 2020

"When one has not had a good father, one must create one."


Day 93:

Fathers day has always been one of my favourite days of the year and this one was lush, I got breakfast and coffee in bed, a lovely card and most importantly lots of cuddles. The weather wasn't great but we managed to find a spot by the river in Jackfield where we could park, open the boot and paint in the back of the car while it thrashed it down, perfection.





Saturday 20 June 2020

"The art of photography is all about directing the attention of the viewer."


Day 91 and 92:

Opeie has really been getting into his LEGO photography for his latest comic idea. He's been in the garden with all sorts of kits and bricks creating scenes for each picture and its been so lovely to watch. As I really wasn't in the mood to write yesterday I decided to use two of his photos for today. I can't wait to see the finished piece, its starting to look really interesting.





Thursday 18 June 2020

“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.”


Day 90:

Homeschooling (in our usual way) went out the window pretty quickly when all this crazy started. For most of us the days have all just merged into one big oddity, Ive lost all track of days and time and in my foggy head I'm now stuck at 'before Corona (BC)' and During Corona (DC). It's get harder and harder to motivate Opeie in the way I would have BC because he misses his friends so much. So I now just fully focus on what makes him happy. His latest idea for a comic has been keeping us busy in the LEGO department, focusing on set designs and letting our brick creativity flow. This should be a pretty awesome project, stay tuned.




Tuesday 16 June 2020

"The more violent the storm, the quicker it passes."


Day 88:

Last nights awful lack of sleep meant that when I got up I just wanted to get out. At times like this I feel so claustrophobic and I just can't breathe. Opeie and I decided to pack a lunch, books, and sketchpads and head to Titterstones (our own peaceful getaway). The weather wasn't great but we drove up as high as we could get, opened the boot and listen to the thunder, it was pretty beautiful. 
I hope these storms pass soon (all of them).



Monday 15 June 2020

"Insomnia is a vertiginous lucidity that can convert paradise itself into a place of torture."


Day 87:

Life is really starting to get me down, It seems like the only thing I can get right these days is being a dad, which to be fair is a pretty good job as I love that kid to bits. It doesn't look like I'm going to be sleeping tonight as my head is so busy and I'm struggling to clear the noise, so I decided to paint, because it's one of the few things that seems to calm me these days. I'm so thankful for this creative brain of mine, I feel like I'd be a wreck without it.




Sunday 14 June 2020

"The essence of pleasure is spontaneity."


Day 86:

Ever feel like you are living Groundhog Day over and over? I wake up some mornings thinking 'well here we go again'. I'm so used to being spontaneous, jumping in the car and driving wherever in search of adventure, This whole lockdown thing is slowly sucking the life out of us. So In order to combat the ever growing rutt we are trying to add a little crazy back into our life. With the weather looking like it's turning a little, we decided to bring the trampoline indoors and use it to build a den in the LEGO room. It's partially filling that void but we are definitely desperate for our lives back.



Saturday 13 June 2020

"Treat your friends as you do your best pictures, and place them in their best light."


Day 85:

Ive distanced myself from FB since all this lockdown craziness started but today I signed in and was greeted by this and it really perked me up. This smug face (because of that amazing boy of mine) hasn't changed in the 9 years he's been with me. Becoming a dad was my defining moment and it has shaped everything I have done since that special day. Ive been through happy times, Ive been through heartbreaking times but he's been there next to me through it all. Theres not a person on this planet I could love more, my best friend



Friday 12 June 2020

"The greatest healing therapy is friendship and love." ... 'and LEGO'


Day 84:

Today was another one of those days that can just do one. When these days pop up you can guarantee that myself and Opeie always turn to the LEGO for a pick me up. Those magical bricks have some crazy healing power. 

Hoping for a few happy days please.



Thursday 11 June 2020

"To practice any art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow. So do it."


Day 83:

I don't know what we'd do if it wasn't for all the creativity in the house, it seems like we are always drawing and painting these days. Since becoming a single dad the evenings have always been the hardest for me and this whole lockdown thing has just magnified that. That feeling of being alone and disconnected is horrible. sketching has been a huge way of taking my attention off of that and has helped to keep me in a much more positive headspace. It's been great to look back on all the things we have created and I look forward to putting it all into a fun photo diary for Opeie to look back on. 



Wednesday 10 June 2020

"Art attracts us only by what it reveals of our most secret self."


Day 82:

I never really understood why people created self portraits? It always seemed like such a bizarre thing to do. Currently though we are living in a pretty bizarre world so as I enjoyed creating the picture of Opeie  earlier in the week so much, I thought I'd give it a go. Its definitely not something I could see myself doing again but I'm glad I had a go. I'm really loving this new style of drawing, we may be mid lockdown but this limited life that we are all living has definitely unlocked my creative side and given me a real hunger to keep those creative juices flowing.



Tuesday 9 June 2020

"The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul."


Day 81:

We've been out and about taking photos of Opeie's LEGO minifigures for an upcoming project of his. I really love how we've managed to get through these bizarre months by being creative every day. I like to think that by the end of all this Opeie will come out of it a lot more confident with his creative abilities and even more open to trying new things.



Monday 8 June 2020

“The true secret of happiness lies in the taking a genuine interest in all the details of daily life.”


Day 80:

I have absolutely loved cruising around Telford with Opeie on the Raleigh choppers over the last few days. It''s not only been us with the smiles on our faces either. We've had people honking at us, giving us thumbs up and a few people stopping for a (distanced) chat about how they owned one when they were younger. It turns out that these little beauties are happiness on wheels. 








Saturday 6 June 2020

"It takes half your life before you discover life is a do-it-yourself project."



Day 78:

Today we all went out on our new rides and it was lush. I was so gutted selling my chopper years ago when I knew that Opeie was on his way and after picking one up last weekend, me and that retro loving boy of mine couldn't stop thinking about riding it around the park. So I sold my mountain bike and went hunting online for choppers for ourselves. We managed to find a couple pretty easy and picked them up on the same day. Since then we've been tinkering, adding parts and cleaning them up. It's like I always say, it's good to have a project or two on the go, and now we can head out on some seriously stylish adventures.





Friday 5 June 2020

"Evolution is a light illuminating all facts, a curve that all lines must follow."



Day 77:

I found myself parked up on my own for an hour today which is unheard of. My first thought was to put the seat back and have a nap with my music on but instead I grabbed my sketchbook and started my piece for todays #creativelockdownproject. Id told Opeie earlier in the day that I was going to draw Charles Darwins head and he needed to pick me a Pokemon body for him. I figured he would pick one of the cute ones but instead chose Rayquaza, it ended up working perfectly I thought.





Tuesday 2 June 2020

"Inspiration exists, but it has to find us working."


Day 74:

I went to bed last night with the intention of having a creative morning but when I woke up and got going I had zero motivation to to do anything. This is frustrating not just for me but also because it can have a knock on effect to how Opeie is feeling too. After passing back and forth a few messages as I drank my morning coffee I was flooded with inspiration. I went straight for my pens and within 10 minutes me and Opeie were sitting in the sun and our creative juices were flowing. All it takes sometimes is the right person to get you going and its lovely to be surrounded by creative people..



Monday 1 June 2020

"“Dare to love yourself as if you were a rainbow with gold at both ends.”"


Day 73:

Ive said it so many times since this lockdown started, The #creativelockdownproject that has really kept me and Opeie in a happy creative headspace and I don't think I've ever been this creatively motivated in a long time. Its been great to really reinforce to Opeie that art is everywhere and it doesn't have to be something that has taken a chunk of time to create, to make people smile. as the creative word today is 'books' Opeie decided to search through his collection and make a book rainbow. It certainly put a smile on my face.



Sunday 31 May 2020

'A project keeps the wheels of creativity spinning'


Day 72:

After talking about going out on bike adventures it was clear we needed to get everyone on board with our plans, so today we went and picked up a bike for the female member of our posse. Both Opeie and myself ended up a touch jealous of said bike (especially after I had sold my custom pink one when Opeie entered the world). Im sensing our future bike adventures may have just taken a more retro path, watch this space, I feel a project coming.





Saturday 30 May 2020

"Wherever you go, go with all your heart."


Day 71:

Today was one of those days where everything just seemed to fall in to place. A mixture of great moods, fun, creativity and a picnic in the woods. Last year Opeie and I found a really lovely area not too far from where we live which we've used a few times to sit and do home-ed work. This evening we decided to take the garden parasol, a blanket and some art supplies for a relaxing peaceful evening under the trees. Just what we needed to take out minds off the current madness. We took loads of pictures of our paintings but this little guy that joined the party (with his heart shaped markings) really summed up how I was feeling.



Friday 29 May 2020

"Froggie jumped all over the stage that day"


Day 70:

Today at chez Twinklestar during the busy lunch time period one of our customers requested a frog sandwich so I had to think fast. Hopefully he didn't notice that it was a green pesto and gherkin sandwich as he munched it down, but he left with a big smile on his face.



Thursday 28 May 2020

"“Somedays you eat the bear, somedays the bear eats you”"


Day 69:

After a pretty crappy few days I started to feel myself again today, Opeie clearly picked up on that too which really made all the difference to our day. We went for a really long walk around Jackfield and sat in the sun... with Mr.T and talked about everything. Turning my phone off really helped too, I'm finding it really distracting at the moment and need to remind myself that its not something I need to check all the time. Today has been a good one and I'm going to hold on to that tightly.



Wednesday 27 May 2020

"The creative adult is the child who survived."


Day 68:

One thing that I have loved about this lockdown period is the projects, tackling those little jobs that I'd either been putting off or just didn't seem to be able to make time for. Last year when Opeie was deep into his beetle project I decided to up-cycle a bureau for him, beetle style. A place for a Coleoptera enthusiast to keep his entomology books, research material and beetle hunting items. Typical individual homeschool kid never used it and kept all his bits in various sections of the house, so today I thought I'd reclaim it for myself and use it for all my painting and sketching things. Opeie helped me repaint it, the feet had been waiting to be done since I painted it and we found all the creative bits we needed to really make a fun space for me to create. It was the perfect little project to start pulling me out of my funk and it was great getting my sidekick helping too.



Tuesday 26 May 2020

"Smile is a good reply to the dark world."


Day 67:

Life can throw some serious curve balls at times. The last few days have been awful, If it wasn't for the endless smiles caused by Baby Yoda being delivered today I think I may have had a mini breakdown. One thing I can always rely on is this little dude being there to pick me up when I'm having an emotionally challenging day. Being a dad (especially to this superstar) is what life is all about. 



Monday 25 May 2020

“True emotional healing doesn't happen without feeling. The only way out is through.”


Day 66:

I used to be one of those people that would think 'bloody hell another blogger hash tagging 'mental health'. A few years back everybody seemed to be jumping on some sort of mental health band wagon and I really didn't understand it. It turns out that I'm an idiot, and the reason that everyone was talking about it back then was because it was the start of society really giving it the attention it deserves. The last two years have been an emotional rollercoaster and have really made me appreciate how hard it is sometimes to stop myself (and Opeie) feeling like we are emotionally sinking. This Coronavirus has become testing to most peoples emotional health and when there are other issues in your personal life too (especially ones that are unnecessary) it really adds to those negative feelings. Tonight is one of those nights where I feel like I've been on the verge of tears for quite sometime, So, as todays word on our #creativelockdownproject is 'Afloat' I figured my brain and emotional wellbeing were the things that I'm always trying to keep above the surface. 

Be kind to each other, It really makes a difference.



Sunday 24 May 2020

"There must be something in the water"


Day 65:

You know those days that can just f#€* off? well today was one of them. I seriously need to wipe it from my memory and have a nice do-over tomorrow. Despite the day being an absolute flop Opeie and I still managed to build something colourful for our daily creative word, which was 'Rainbow'. I'm definitely looking forward to more colourful days.



Saturday 23 May 2020

"Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you."



Day 64:

It was one of those rare occasions today where I found myself actually having a bit of time to myself as Opeie happily played with his friends online for a couple of hours. My first thought was 'clean the house?' yeah right! I grabbed a coffee, the watercolours and some music and sat on my bed with the windows opened and painted my do-over for the piece I wasn't happy with yesterday for the #creativelockdownproject word 'bugs'. The word made me think of an afternoon cycling up the Long mynd when we spotted some Bloody-nosed beetles for our ongoing beetle collection. I bloody love beetles!



Thursday 21 May 2020

“This is the way.”


Day 62:

I never really thought that much of Star Wars, always swayed towards the super heroes instead but over the last few days we've been watching the Mandalorian and I'm pretty hooked. So as todays word over on the #creativelockdownproject is 'Kindness' and Mando is so lovely to Baby Yoda 'this is the way' we went with our pieces. I am loving painting, its really keeping me in a lovely headspace and all this creativity is working wonders for Opeie too.



Wednesday 20 May 2020

"A smile is a curve that sets everything straight."


Day 61:

As I lay in the woods today staring at the lush blue sky through the gap in the trees, I concentrated on my breathing and really took some time to think about how lucky I am. I have an amazing little family and they really make me smile. The last 60 or so days have been a rollercoaster of emotions and although we're still here in the midst of this madness, we're still smiling and that's so important.



Tuesday 19 May 2020

"Well, I, happened to... Find me a buggy Coming out from under a rock in the grass, yeah..."


Day 60:

Im not really sure why but I seem to attract shield bugs, they seem to find me and then just hang around. Todays little chap landed on me while I was painting on the trampoline. He did his thing and I took some pictures and then put him down on the ground and moved to paint over on the garden sofa. The cutie followed me and landed on my watercolour palette before finding its way back onto my hand. I like to think that it knew all about our love of beetles and just wanted to join the club and get a bit of attention. Nature is amazing!



Monday 18 May 2020

"A hero is somebody who voluntarily walks into the unknown."


Day 59:

Todays #creativelockdownproject word is 'Hero' and there is no one more heroic than the people out there risking their lives so that we can all be safe in our homes while this awful virus is taking so many lives. These people are just getting on with keeping the world turning and taking everything in their stride. I for one feel so grateful for all that they are doing for us.





Sunday 17 May 2020

"Some days, the supply of available curse words is insufficient to meet my demands!"


Day 58:

Todays #creativelockdownproject word is 'Unfinished', the original plan was to start a new piece and leave it incomplete but I walked past my disappointing piece from the 'Music' day and realised that that needed to be my piece for today. No matter how many times I drew Opeie's mouth I just couldn't get it right, so I had just rubbed it out completely and he sat on the shelf mouthless... unfinished. 
I really didn't want to attempt that mouth again only to be left frustrated so I gave that little potty mouth of mine a fitting replacement and the piece made me smile again.



Friday 15 May 2020

“Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.”


Day 56:

I need to keep reminding myself that despite the bizarre situation we are all currently living in, it's not all doom and gloom and there's always time for mucking about and having a good chuckle. Being in a relationship with someone that not only accepts my insanity but also encourages it and adds their own  bit of madness in too really does make all the difference. I'm feeling pretty loved up today.





Thursday 14 May 2020

"Adventure is not outside man; it is within."


Day 55:

Over on the #creativelockdownproject that we have been taking part in, the days word is adventure. At first it made me think of the adventures that we've been missing out on, the trips to the beach and all the places we like to pull up to and paint. Then I reminded myself that 'adventure' is what you make it. So we grabbed our Minifigures and went for a good stomp for a couple of hours, the perfect mini adventure for a lockdown day.