Bleak Devon & A Rant Over Most Things

“Woman spend £80,000 on shoes” so spouts the Daily Mail today, ‘The average woman spends three months of her life and nearly £80,000 shopping for shoes, a survey reveals today” I mean, £80,000!!!!!! Damn! What IS the world coming to? Well, I’m not one of them! Well, actually, I did buy three pairs the other day in Bluewater, but only because that day I seemed to have a fetish for all things beige! Walking trainers from Timberland, cheap trainers from New Look and a pair of rather trendy ‘Gola’ plimsolls. And ALL in the colour beige (not to mention a pair of trousers and a cardigan all in the same colour), but still, ALL of that money for shoes? I think it’s disgusting, that and the people mad enough to carry out these ridiculous surveys. But I suppose women have always loved shoes, I mean, as it says in the article ‘you never have a fat day when you go shoe shopping’ good point, but I am NOT the average woman and frankly I feel a little insulted (ignore the three pairs last week), I NEVER shop for shoes, I’d understand if it were clothes but then I’m sure the figure would be considerably greater!

The weather is foul. I take back what I said about loving this wet weather, well, I don’t, I despise it! I just can’t do enough paintings or read enough books without taking my mind off about the bleakness outside. My old beaten up old trainers (£4 in New Look a year ago. . .) have become so saturated with Devon rainwater that my socks are permantely wet, God knows why I didn’t wear boots, but boots I feel only work in a farmyard not your back garden! Anyhow (almost said Anyhoo, someone shoot me if I do!) The pictures today are dim, no light, colours, shape of any kind, just dull, drizzle, dim, bleak, misty, even the snow drops are drooping! Yes, spring is 4 weeks late goddamn it! And so no blissful walk or exercise for me today, just dreary painting and reading, even though the book is good, I still feel bored and achy and SO hungry yet it’s the inevitable soup tonight, nothing quite dampens your spirits as soup. But tomorrow it’s a night out at our local (local?! 6 miles local) pub ‘The Duke of York’ At Ildesleigh, made famous by the BBC in ‘Down to Earth’ one of those feel-good programmes that are aired on Sunday nights, with despicable acting and awful cast, but I only watch it because it’s filmed round here! Plus even Rick Stein went there for food in one of his numerous cookery programmes, or the best of British, which he plugs (good on him!). It’s a friendly pub, log burning fire in the winter, wooden tables and benches and a menu that hardly ever changes but then it’s good food and great atmosphere, and EVERYONE smokes so I don’t know what it’s going to be like when the smoking ban comes in to force in a year, even the bar staff smoke for God sake! Ok, I’m ranting, but it’s about time too! Ok, getting self-conscious now, will stop.









Oh I want the sun, please, the sun. Even all the birds have stopped singing, there’s nothing to sing for! Ok for ducks, but that’s all, but then they don’t sing, they quack. And did you know that Blackbirds only start singing in spring until they’ve established their territory with their mate? I think I did know that, but last Spring feels so long ago and in my diary this time last year, well, actually dated St Patrick’s Day (17th March) I had noted down how hot it was and how the sun shone all day, everyday. Spring then was more like summer, why not this year too?

Well, that’s all folks. Looking back in what I’ve said, I don’t think I’ve said anything, just rambled, which is me all over!

Love and rain (AAhhh!)

Emy xxx