Tuesday, February 28, 2006

More Links, I'm Getting Good At This!!!!

Wow, hey guys, just a short one tonight, I'm so tired from Bluewater
As you can see on the website, it's a very involved place and I must have walked for miles!
I did take some pictures but I'll upload them tomorrow when I'm not falling asleep. My feet ache, my back aches, my eyes ache and all for shopping!!!!!

The lorry has been found from the Kent raid and 11 people have been arrested, I'm sure ALL the wrong ones!£2m fo r raid information Wish I lived in Kent now!!!! Oh well, that's all I can do tonight. Packing tomorrow, then Devon, Devon, DEVON!!!!!!! On Thursday. Can't wait!

Goodnight all (and sorry for using colour yesterday on the post, got a little carried away with Firefox, shit happens!!!!)

Emy the tired xxx

First Link

Before I go to Bluewater I must try my first link. This is Clacket Lane
The band who played at our MA show at KIAD last September. The best band I've seen live for quite some time. Check it out!!!!

Later

Emy x

Monday, February 27, 2006

Is this A Foolish Thing To Do?

good evening, just downloaded Firefox

Why? Because Safari is crap for blog, isn't it?
I'm going to have SO much fun with this now, it's all new and odd to me and I hope I've made the right descion!!!! Only time will tell.


Goodnight and God bless


Emy xxx

I WANT SNOW SNOW SNOW!!!!!!! (but wait until I'm in Devon)



This is THE VIEW from Greenwich Park.

No snow, no blizzards, no cold wind, no arctic conditions, now why doesn't that surprise me?!

Today I went to see my Nanna, at first she didn't recognize me, then she realized and said 'I love you' which immediately made my eyes tearful. From a strong, independent woman to a frail old lady, who is bed bound and can hardly speak is very, very upsetting. She has only just gone down in a matter of 2 years. Oh, I don't want to talk about this. . .sorry.

Bluewater tomorrow, for those who don't know the place, it's a giant shopping centre that looks like the Kingdom of Oz, sitting in a HUGE disused chalk quarry at Greenhithe, Kent.



Apart from shopping, it's filled with restaurants, bars, cafes and a 13 screen cinema.

I need to go there for shopping (yes), but shopping for presents, not only is it my folk's Wedding Anniversary 39 years! on 11 March, but it's also Mother's Day on 26 March and I have NO idea what to buy them and very little money. Oh well.

2 dates for you diary. Tomorrow 28 it's Shrove Tuesday, Pancake day and 2nd March Thursday it's World Book day and over the next few days I'll be telling you my favourite authors and a little bit about them. So first off:

Raymond Chandler

Born in Chicago, but educated in Dulwich College, England. He became America's finest detective novelist, writing books such as 'The Big Sleep' (immortalised by Humprey Bogart and Lauren Bacall in 1946), 'Farewell my Lovely' and 'The Long Goodbye' all about a private detective Philip Marlowe depicting gangster America in 1930s. Fantastic stuff. Well worth a read.

Anyway, that's it for now. Eastenders in 10 seconds, so more authors tomorrow.

Lots of love and sweet dreams,

Emy x

Sunday, February 26, 2006

Scary Facts and Wine and Disappointment

Hello all, bit of a hangover today, so pictures to follow from last night.

But first, something for you to think about:

Three things you may, or may not, know about the cosmos:

It is believed that:

1. The original 'matter' which created the 'big bang' was a massless particle, infinitely smaller than the full stop - period to you Tucker- at the end of the sentence.

2. Our galaxy is one of trillions of billions of galaxies in the expanding cosmos. In comparison to all of the galaxies put together, the Milky Way is the size of a grain of sand set against our entire planet.

3. When we look at many of the stars with the naked eye, we are seeing them where and as there were 10,000 years ago.

These facts I have gleaned from Brian Greene's 'The Fabric of the Cosmos". But you'd better read it for yourself to check I've remembered them right.

Oh, and Greene also recounts a famous joke!

There was a professor of astronomy called Fritz Zwicky working in California during the 1930s whose appreciation for symmetry led him to call his colleagues spherical bastards because, he said, 'they were bastards any way you looked at them'.

Ok back to 'A Little Too Much of Wine'



mmmmm, I would rather you all comment about the cosmos!

Greenwich market, today and yesterday with my friend Gemma where I saw such a STUNNING cardigan, but a little to expensive for my credit card, so down the hill to the market this afternoon with my mum, hangovers galore and it was GONE! Just shows you must ALWAYS buy these things when you see them. I'm VERY upset.

Snow and arctic conditions on the way next week, but then, that's what they said last week. So Devon still hopeful.

Lots of love and kisses,

Emy x

Friday, February 24, 2006

Flowers For Spring

Hey, can someone please explain me the rules of Curling. The Canadians have just won gold for Curling and I have NO idea what it's all about, so, please, anyone out there with knowledge?

Still no snow, snow in Kent, yes, but none here in London town. But oh for Spring!!!! Spring spring, spring!!!! I want to see Tulips, I want to see daffodils, I want to see the green buds of the Hawthorn

But instead I have a very strange alien looking plant in my back garden, in fact, the ONLY flower in the garden and NO flower guides are telling me what it is:



And another picture:



Does anyone have any clue on what it is? Suggestions or answers please. I'm stumped. As much as I may like these fllowers, I've got a feeling they're not native, I DON'T WANT THESE, I WANT THOSE! (below)



But then I suppose in order to have Snowdrops, you should plant them. . .whoops!

Don't ask me why I'm obsessed with flowers today, it's probably because I'm fed up with the bleak winter days and want to see some colour, like, for instance (I promise you, this IS the last picture of flowers. . .)



These are my favorite flowers, not only do they look delicious, they smell delicious, that sweet smell reminiscent of Spring, just like the Budelia of Summer. And can anyone guess what they are? Suggestions please. Answer tomorrow.

Right, one small thing about the infamous raid in Tonbridge on Wednesday, where £50 million was seized in a depot. The funniest part of it is that one of the persons arrested yesterday were attempting to open an account with the Portland's Building Society in Bromley (I went to school in Bromley!) for £6,000 in used notes with a stamper marked 'Tonbridge' Now how BLOODY stupid and, in fact, hilrarious is that?! Honestly some people!

Thanks for reading and thanks for putting up with the flowers, you just wait until the cows come in the summer, or until I'm in Devon, which possibly could be happeningng as early as next Thursday, whoopeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jumps up and down,

Emy xxx

Thursday, February 23, 2006

I Would NEVER Have Guessed

Hey guys, yes, today I have to report to you something I could never have imagined. Yesterday in the Daily Mail (I would give you the link but I still have NO idea how to do it!), there was an article about this country . . .now, wait for it . . ..

‘Truly great Britain is voted the world’s favourite country’

??????????????

That must be wrong somewhere! How is that possible? A survey of nearly 26,000 people in 35 countries have voted UK as the best in a ride range of categories, from sport, culture and politeness.

??????????????

I thought this country was hated. Take for example the annual Eurovision song contest where the UK gets nil points from every country in Europe, yet countries such as Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic were ‘so enthusiastic’ over the UK.

The Top Ten Nations:

1 Britain
2 Switzerland
3 Canada
4 Italy
5 Sweden
6 Germany
7 Japan
8 France
9 Australia
10 U.S.

What’s going on? Of course I think it’s great, but TOTALLY unexpected, my eyebrows have been raised in wonder ever since (they’re beginning to ache now!). Can anyone explain this to me? Do people agree? Comments please.

The French were voted the rudest and the Americans ‘were labelled the most ignorant’ (sorry Tucker, that’s the Mail not me, I DON’T agree with that), though funnily enough thanks to Tony Blair et al the lowest ranking in terms of ‘governance’ was UK, now why doesn’t THAT surprise me?!!!!!!

But still??????????? From a country that still holds the old tradition of the Ravens in the Tower of London. Because of this bird flu madness, the birds have now been locked in the tower, like their predecessors Anne Boleyn and Sir Walter Raleigh!!!! There is an ancient warning, even pre Charles 2nd that if the birds ever left the tower, escaped or destroyed then the towers will crumble and Britain would fall. There has to be 6 birds for the ‘magic’ (?) to work. I think it’s a beautiful legend yet silly in this day and age! Still, your comments please!!!!




Today, no snow. Sleet in the morning that turned into snow, though they say it’s meant to be snowing tonight but they ALWAYS get it wrong!

My gran is out of hospital and back to her nursing home and believe me she’ll be back in that hospital again in two shakes of a lambs tail!!!!! I suppose they NEEDED the bed! And this bug she caught, well she seemed to have spread to her fellow inmates (!) at the home!

I can’t think of much else to add so I’ll sign off now and I hope you are all well and happy,

Lots of amore (that’s love in Italian!)

Emy xxx

Wednesday, February 22, 2006

Depressing (If You're Happy Scroll Down to the Pictures)

Well today has been the most depressing 'weather days' this year (& the year is only into its second month!). English weather - God, you've got to love it (er. . .NOT!) - this is the third day of wind, dullness, bleak, overcast, dark, wet and pretty cold. Why can't it just snow and be done with it?! Everyone cheers up here when its snows, it's such a rare occurrence in London, everything stops; roads are closed, schools, offices, shops. . .and then we all go out for snow fights, building snowmen and generally messing around, we ALL turn into children again and everyone SMILES!!!!! I tend to hibernate in February, I watch people from my window, all with grumpy faces, and I feel like Winter will NEVER end, ironic as February is the shortest month, well it actually feels like the longest!

My grandmother is still ill in hospital. She had gone back to her nursing home a week ago from hospital but then she was back again within 24 hours. Now the tests show that she had got a bug on the ward, not surprising really, as my folks saw her today and my mum told me that the 'isolation' ward she was in was filthy, disgusting, it looked like it had NEVER been cleaned. What's wrong with this country's hospitals? How the HELL can they get AWAY with it?! Poor Nanna, she's so depressed and lonely, she can't eat, she can't sleep, she can't talk - she didn't even recognize my mum - what a shit old life she's having. Who the hell would want to live into their 90s? My great friend Shirley once told me that when she turned that old she would throw a HUGE party, lots of food, lots of wine, lots of great friends and most importantly LOTS of drugs in which she would take herself and die on a MASSIVE high!!! Can't be bad I say!

Sorry this blog is rather depressing. I'm just restless and I NEED to paint and in order to do that I NEED to go to Devon pronto. If it wasn't for my gran, God help her, we would be in the West by now. In the West where the air is clean, the land inviting, the birds singing for Spring and the sun ALWAYS shining (actually that's not strictly true about the sun shining, it DOES shine but then it does rain A LOT, but there it has a meaning. When the weather is rough it's so atmospheric, when the wind howls down the chimneys and the rain lashes against the windows, it's so exciting and dramatic, it really feels like being on board a ship!). Oh Devon, I am coming down soon, please believe me and when I'm there I'd let the photographs talk for themselves and show ALL of you why you're MAD not to live in the West (actually don't you DARE come down! I NEED my space!!!. . .obviously you can come for a holiday . . .)

Ok to finish off with are 3 pictures of a Devon summer to wet your appetites, enjoy!







Well, ecco a lei!!!! (There you go in Italian!!!!)

Love and fun and smiles and sun,

Emy xxx

Tuesday, February 21, 2006

Sheep and Mad People or Mad Sheep and People


Ok random picture of a sheep, random freaky picture of a sheep that is! Taken, where else, but in Devon under a full moon (though you can't make that out, but it's there somewhere). I'm not so fond of sheep as I am of cows, but I still love them. Sheep I find hilarious creatures and especially as a child, holidaying at my friend's farm, Dunsbeare - yeah in Devon - which is a field and a wood and a field and a field away from the cottage (we don't measure things there in distance, only over land, well I do . . .) where I would always go and see the tame ones with biscuits, they were never peaceful, they always played rough, all pushing and shoving for the best custard cream and standing on my toes and knocking me down, terrifying for a 9 year old! Especially when they saw me coming one day, they all ganged together and chased me across the field, I had NEVER leapt a gate like I did that day in my life, even being chased by cows (yeah, I find sheep scarier then cows!) WEIRD I KNOW!!!! Although I've met some darn nice, clever sheep. Take the sheep my friends have now, Pippa and Chrissy, my friend Sue dots on them, they really are like part of the family. Even though they are fully grown they still leap and dance like new spring lambs! It's a pleasure to watch them and film them when I have the chance!





And here's a picture of Sue and her sheep, Katie (Sue's daughter) if you're reading this, I hope you don't mind me including your mum and her sheep in this blog, it's just the world SHOULD be told about these delightful little creatures and their number one fan! Which Sue is, oh yes, like me with my cows, Sue's never happier then when she's with her woolly friends and I can see why!

I've known many a sheep at Dunsbeare they used to have a flock of several hundred, but there were always a few tame ones in the orchard, nibbling your fingers, chasing and nudging you!

There's a lovely passage in a book I read recently called 'The Pig Who Sang to the Moon. The Emotional World of Farm Animals' by Jeffrey Masson, talking about a woman who has lived with sheep all her life and "loves them beyond all measure, simply because they are sheep, (and) remarks on how comical they look when she calls them by name. They race towards her, jumping through the clover with all four feet a few inches off the ground at once." Beautiful and I've witnessed the same with Chrissy and Pippa!

Well, that's enough about sheep for one day. You just WAIT until I get onto cows, I've only really just scraped the surface with my Bovine friends! And expect a lot more pictures of both animals when I return to Devon (soon I hope, I miss it so, I dream about it most nights!) (I really MUST get a life) so here beneath this paragraph is a picture of one of Dunsbeare's bullocks taken at Christmas time, isn't he the most adorable animal you've ever set eyes on?



Comments please about sheep and cows (and please no jokes about how tasty they are, and no, I don't eat them myself so it WON'T GO DOWN WELL!!!) Ha!

Well that's it for now and hello and goodbye to one and all!

Emy xxx

Monday, February 20, 2006

No Sale

Ok, Biggin Hill is definitely not for us. What a dump! I’ll admit, I am a snob but then I have always lived in Blackheath in nice houses, gone to the better shops and eaten in fancy, modern, class restaurants.

I don’t know how these estate agents survive, how do they sell houses? First and foremost the blurb you get for these houses, nice glossy paper, smashing photography, they must spend a fortune all because the houses they advertise don’t amount to much. Take the first one we saw in Biggin Hill, dark, dim and for a Georgian House (one of the only few older houses in the district – the rest 1960s build) run down, dilapidated, overlooking a main busy road to the back and to the front a pot holed road, was that on the blurb? Not on your life and the WORST part was that the owners at replaced the staircase with a black metal spiral one, not keeping with the house itself, I mean, for God sake!!!! I wouldn’t like to fall down it after a few glasses of wine! Plus they had put it in after they had got all the furniture up so HOW are you meant to get it down again? These people have NO brains! Sad. The second house, a few miles from Winston Churchill’s Chartwell (I never realised Chartwell was on the road!) looked lovely in the picture, it was taken from the back, the reason being (which they fail to tell you) that if you step out your front door you’d immediately be hit by a stream of cars, buses, lorries, this house was RIGHT on the road, NOT set back, literally RIGHT on the road!!! Which is a real shame because it was really nice and spacious. In it housed a very old causality, an aged cat who was run over and had lost her tail!!!! I mean that says it ALL!!!! So that part of Kent is not for us!

So back to the drawing board. How can we possibly leave Blackheath? It can’t happen, and it’s not going to happen!!! What we need is a small foothold in this area, something we can live in for a few years while we gradually extend the cottage in Devon. When that’s done we can then use the London home as an investment and rent it out and get some money back. It really is the ONLY way around. I’m not going to leave this area, ever, at all!!!!

Note, some of my friends will not leave any comments, one in particular, Gemma, don’t ‘feel like a twig’ if you’re the only one doing so, as you don’t have a blog of your own it really doesn’t matter! You don’t even have to leave a comment just say ‘hello’ which can show to all the other people reading this (apart from Tucker) that I DO HAVE FRIENDS!!!!! So next time, the space is yours to fill.

Ok got to go now, Eastenders is on in a tic, can’t miss that!

Lots of love to all and happy smiles

Emy xxxx

Sunday, February 19, 2006

Wet, windy day in SE England Part 2

Ok so I know how to do that one, it's just how to do 'tracking' I have NO idea, can someone help. . .please!

Not much happening. I have a bit of a hangover from last night but nothing serious! The key is to drink LOADS of water before you go to bed.

Oh well, looking at houses tomorrow, it'll be interesting I suppose. Who knows?

Included today is a late night, actually, early morning doodle I did the night I couldn't sleep last week. It's an odd one, quite architectural don't you think? I might do a painting of one!




Talk to you all soon,

Emy xxx

Wet, windy day in SE England

Ok now am going to try out these template things, as I haven't had a chance to catch my friend Tucker to ask him how to do it I'm on my own and will probably suffer the consequences!!!

Your Animal Personality

Your Power Animal: Eagle

Animal You Were in a Past Life: Whale

You are active, a challenger, and optimistic.
Hard-working, you are always working towards a set goal.


Ok lets see . . .

As promised, pictures, WHAT AM I LEAVING???!!!!









Ok here are all the pics, all taken from either the heath of Blackheath or Greenwich park, apart from the houses one, which is where I live now. So Canary Wharf, the Dome, the Royal Observatory of Greenwich, the flower garden of Greenwich park and Henri Moore sculpture in the park, all included. . . Am I mad to leave? This is right on my doorstep!!!! Comments please. And sorry about poor photography, bleak day.

Love Emy xxx

Saturday, February 18, 2006

Oh What A Life This Is

Hello people, I’m sorry its been a few days since I last blogged, just been busy or tired and even though I now have the delights of broadband I just haven’t found the time.

We (my folks and myself) have been seriously discussing where we’re going to live. We’re currently residing in London and also have a second home in Devon. But the overheads of keeping two places going are getting too much plus we’re seriously running out of money. So something has to change. My Dad and I belong in Devon while my Mum is a city chick and would find living the country life boring and uneventful. So for years we’ve been stuck and never has us 3 decided on something.
It’ll break our hearts to sell the cottage so London must go but we’re going to keep a foothold. Blackheath is stupidly expensive so now we’re decided on Kent.

Kent, the garden of England, not so now as they’re a dozens of motorways criss-crossing the county, but there are still some lovely pockets left. Kent has always played a big part in my life. I went to school in Bromley, Kent – 13 years of school runs; I did my Art Foundation in Chislehurst, Kent and my MA Fine Art in Canterbury, Kent. And where do we go for days out in the countryside? Yes, Kent and where is the nearest Waitrose? Yep. You’ve guessed it . . .Kent. Important little place don’t you think? So yesterday we drove out to Biggin Hill, Kent to look at Estate Agents. Biggin hill because my Mum & Dad somehow got into a conversation with a man in a shop who said he had just bought a house in Biggin Hill for a song and recommended us to do the same. So off we went, this guy was lucky. We want 4 bedrooms, an en-suite, a utility room, a studio and LOTS of space because we have boxes and boxes of crap that needs to be stored. We’ve found 3 houses of interest, which we’ll be seeing on Monday, so watch this space! If we manage to find somewhere then we’ll let the cottage for holiday lets and get some income.

I live a life where I have two of everything. 2 beds, 2 washing machines, 2 dishwashers, 2 sofas, 2 laptops, 2 chest of drawers, 2 mirrors, (6 tvs), 2 tables, EEEEEKKKK. . .what a life! Its got to stop!

Well I can’t think of much else right now and I haven’t even got any photos to show you, so I’ll take my camera with me later because my Dad and I are going to have a walk in Greenwich Park so I can show you where I live or, if you like, what I’m leaving. I’ve lived in Blackheath all my life, all those 26 years, and of course I’ll be sad to let it go but it’ll never go away, I’ll be back to visit, it’s just time to move on.

Pictures later.

I promise, I won’t leave it too long, definitely today.

And you know what I did last night? Two things. One I managed to wipe 5000 songs from my itunes at midnight (thank God for back up files) and I had my window open in my bedroom and the framed picture of all of us at the KIAD ball smashed on the floor after a heavy gust of wind. I cried my eyes out (probably because I haven’t cried for weeks) but that really was the LAST straw!

Emy xxx

Wednesday, February 15, 2006

Broadband, AT LAST. . .

Hello all,

Well, I'm a happy bunny today, have finally signed up to broadband after 4 years of dial up connection and now discovering the delights of itunes and spending FAR too much money!

A pretty boring day today, in bed mostly, you know, time of the month so have almost finished reading a WHOLE book, it's Dodie Smith 'I Capture the Castle' the same lady who wrote 'A Hundred and One Dalmations' and it's a good read. I finished the previous book yesterday and learnt the dark secrets of the family. . .finally! And I've been outside a lot with Bernie (keep up. . .my pet Blackbird!) he's fine, he told me he has a mate for the Spring! Yes, I do talk to the animals, there's nothing wrong with that is there? Sometimes animals are better company then most humans and when you don't feel your best it's nice to be around them. It's always been said that if you have a cat or dog it's good for you, they make you happy and immediately you feel uplifted. So, yes, I was uplifted by Bernie. And I'm ALWAYS uplifted by cows:



Oh well and I won't even be in Devon for a long time just can't get down there because of my gran in hospital, the house is going to be decorated outside and will take 2 weeks and I'm on a special diet called detox and there's no chance in hell I can keep that up in the West! Always have friends to see which includes fattening dinners and there is the BEST fishn'chip shop in our local town, Torrington and can't even have that!!! Oh my life is SO shit!!!!

That's it today, I'll promise you all that this will get so much better one day, but nothing in my life is worth mentioning which would make a good read. Sorry, just fuck, fuck, fuck, I'll end it there.

Emy x

P.S. Does anyone read my blogs? All those who haven't left a comment must do so now, it's an order!!! All those who have then thanks and kisses, but do leave more!! xxx

The cottage picture Old Chapel Cottage, Devon

Monday, February 13, 2006

Good evenin, it's 19:36pm here in UK and 11:36am in US

Hello people,

Well I phoned the third college and the woman said that she owed me a huge apology for sending the wrong rejection letter but I still didn’t get in. Oh hum, ok never mind, what can you do?

Not much has been happening today, saw my Grandmother (Nanna) I call her, in London’s BIGGEST hospital, Kings. Blimey this building goes on and on, they keep adding bits to it, it’s never-ending corridors and doctors and nurses running here there and everywhere. Nanna looks comfortable but I think she wants to die now, shes had enough, she can’t talk, she can’t walk, it’s all over. But then she is a toughie, she is a Pasmore (her family’s name) and I feel she’ll keep going.

I’m reading this book at the mo, ‘Facing the Light’ by Adele Geras, who usually writes children’s books. It’s SO involved, it’s a big fat book full of one HUGE family who have come together for the matriarch’s Birthday (the grandmother) who has lived in this huge house surrounded by paintings by her artist father. It’s one of these books which keeps hinting that all has not been or is right in the family, mysteries and shocking revelations which have only been touched upon but will only come out in the last pages, so you have to keep guessing, that’s fine, I hate books when you can predict the ending but it’s so infuriating when you don’t know what the hell is going on, so hopefully on the last page, pg 503, I’ll know!!!!

The temperature outside has visibly shot up many degrees and this morning really was the first time that Spring maybe in the air, although there’s the rest of this month and March to battle through, not my fave months. Soon I’m going to go to Devon myself for a week and stay with my friends at their farm (as I have no car there I can’t stay in the cottage). The picture today (er, sorry guys no picture, it's failing to upload so will be posted tomorrow) is our cottage, Old Chapel Cottage, two bedrooms, one lovely, spacious studio, a garden visitor, a hare, called ‘Summertime’, a multitude of birds, voles, stoats, weasels, rabbits and the odd fox if the gamekeeper hasn’t killed every last one and an outlook of pure farming country, giant hedgerows buzzing with bees and butterflies in the summer and pastoral and arable land. The sights, the sounds, the smells, and wow I’m there right now in my head, completely lost.
Back to reality, back to the capital and a fucking police helicopter circling overhead!

Love to one and all,

Emy xxx

Sunday, February 12, 2006

Rain, wind, rain, wind, rain, wind etc



Hey guys,

Wow, I SO want to be in Devon right now painting. It’s been a horrible, bleak, wet day and instead of being cold I want to be sitting in front of a roaring wood-burner relaxing. That’s why today I’ve included pictures of my beloved West, the cottage and the chapel on the road (yes I did increase the contrast . . .sorry).



Today I’ve spent with my friend Shirley, I walked over to her house across the heath and through Greenwich Park. I’ve bought myself one of those calorie stepper things; you know the ones that count your steps, calories burned and distance travelled. As I can’t afford the gym I thought this would be a good idea and it is! You’re meant to do 10,000 steps a day and I’ve done 11,161! So I’m REALLY happy. I also went swimming with her and did 20 lengths but the pool was full of screaming children so won’t go there on a Sunday again AND it’s the start of half-term.

Am phoning up that 3rd college tomorrow and taking them down a peg or too, thank God no-one was in the PGCE department on Friday cos I was SO SO SO ANGRY!!!!
I could have killed them, and I did leave a rather nasty answer phone message!!! Also will be visiting my Gran in hospital who’s not very well, so nothing really exciting going down.

I hope everyone has had a good weekend. Job hunting tomorrow and painting too in my TINY room here.

All my love to one and all,

Emyxxx

Saturday, February 11, 2006

A rant, and it's about bloody time too!!!!!

Hello everyone, this is a rant about Post Compulsory Education and how stupid it is. A few years ago you could teach without a training course, so that’s why I did an MA thinking naively that that was still the case but I was SO wrong. Now the godforsaken government of this country says you need to be trained for a year and it’s not just teaching it’s all to do with business, politics, and pages and pages of abbreviations there is actually NO joy of the subject, no nothing.

I applied to three colleges in the South East, two didn’t even give me an interview, saying I didn’t fit in with their ‘criteria’ what do hell does that mean? I have good school grades, a BA and a MA, I’ve carried out work experience in my relevant subject and apparently (according to my refreee) he gave me glowing reviews!
One college gave me an interview and so I went along and encountered unbelievable obnoxious people, not just the staff but also the applicants, I’ve never seen a bunch of people so full of themselves and I’m sure they shout over the rooftops, ‘ME ME ME!’ So three hours later I left knowing full well I didn’t stand a chance in hell. I was told by the girl sitting next to me that there were only 2 places available for my subject and this is the UNFAIR bit, there were 4 of us wanting to do the same subject (ok Art & Design) and two were already doing MA Fine Art at the college so obviously they would have higher priority over anyone else. DISGUSTING. Plus the fact that 95% of these places are filled up with people who are ALREADY teachers, those who have taught for years yet now have to have the qualification to continue. So people like you and me do not have a chance in HELL! I’ve read that this country is crying out for young teachers of ALL professions, well they’ve lost one, and believe me I would have made a GREAT teacher, my best friend Mary has been telling me that FOR years!

Now still with no money and no future I’m about to apply for post- graduate jobs in Art & Design, working in galleries and museums. To get my own career as an artist I NEED TO EARN, painting is my life and yet I don’t sell anything even though when people see my work they wonder why I don’t sell, well to all of you, WHY DON’T YOU PUT YOUR MONEY WHERE YOUR MOUTH IS!!!!! STOP WASTING MY BLOODY TIME!!!!!

Though I do have one BIG problemo, where to live? My studio is in Devon, yet I spend most of my time in London. If I get a job in London, I can’t go to Devon and vice versa, anyone got any suggestions?

Oh well, I’m sure it’ll all work out and no I didn’t get into the third college, they had the cheek to keep me waiting for a decision for 3 weeks AND sent me the wrong rejection letter . . .’we’re so sorry, we WON’T give you an interview’ BUT I’VE ALREADY HAD AN INTERVIEW YOU FUCKERS!!!!! Disorganised bunch of twats . . .

Sorry, I don’t usually swear but I think it’s justified.

Eeek

Anyway, drinking tonight and eating lovely food after a months diet, least I’ve got rid of the Christmas weight!

Lots of love to one and all (Saw my dog fox this morning, he’s a looker!!!)


Emyxxxx

Friday, February 10, 2006

A Defence for the Urban Fox

Foxes. Urban foxes. The reason I'm writing about foxes is that last night I had a strange encounter with one. Because of the pain in my teeth I had to take an aspirin and as aspirins always do it kept me awake all ROTTEN NIGHT! Plus they ALWAYS give me a stomach ache so in the end I had to go downstairs for a sandwich.

The moon was shining brightly so I went outside and sat on the bench, taking in the sounds and smells of London at night. . . Plus having to put up with the infernal dim of a police helicopter circling above my head with full searchlight (as it does most nights over Lewisham - did you know that Lewisham's Police Station is the largest in Europe? They even have horses!). So there I was minding my own business when an almighty bang clamored at the end of the garden. Something large and heavy had leapt onto the fence and dropped down into the garden. I froze. A fox. A dog fox. He padded slowly up to the pond, took a drink and then sneezed. Then he saw me. He stood stock still and cocked his head to one side, our eyes met - he was a handsome looking beast in the moonlight, red golden fur, bushy tail and bright gleaming eyes. He looked at me for a few moments and then drank some more water (he must have thought that I was a statue!). Then suddenly he turned his head to one side and barked (yeah, sorry, to the moon he barked) and an answer came from the railway and then he began to screech. I mean really, did he honestly have to do that? Many people describe the sound of foxes make as kind of like someone being brutally killed or a cat drowning. To me it sounded both. So lets assess the situation here, not only were my teeth hurting, my stomach aching and a bloody helicopter circling now also a fox screaming less then 2 metres in front of me, that REALLY took the biscuit, so I thundered "ENOUGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" At once he stopped and looked at me. He didn't move, not for a long long time. Then he shook himself, jumped the fence and away into the night. "Wow", I thought to myself, "Wow, I told him to shut-up and he did!"

I love foxes, they're clever beings and very protective of eachother. But most people do not like them, they're a nuisance they say, especially in London where there are so many. There's even an article in the Evening Standard about a man who shoots 30 a week in the capital. I would like to take a gun and shoot him. Urban foxes are unused to guns here and don't save themselves. There are all these stupid articles every so often in the paper "A FOX ATTACKED MY CHILD", "A FOX ATE MY CAT" Rubbish. All a load of complete and utter rotten rubbish!!! The truth about the fox is that WE trespassed on their territory . . .not the other way round. They were here first, long before we came on the scene! We've imposed on them . . . DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?!!!!!!

PLEASE leave a comment when you've read this (anyone?). I'd like to hear your views about these beautiful creatures who suffer so appallingly because of us. Thankyou.

Right, yesterday I don't think I answered my dentists question, and I'm not sure how to answer it. So I'll leave it there.

The pictures for today, one taken in Scotland, where I was this time last year (can't believe it's already a year!) and some more cool cows of Devon, cows like you've never seen them before!!!!





I can't think of much else to add to this. No sleep last night and now cooking all day with my Mum preparing for dinner with a friend tomorrow. Ok, yes, I still live with my parents, which I can't change as yes because I have no money to live elsewhere. Life it sucks, but then so do most things.

Emy x

Thursday, February 09, 2006

Dentists, who do they think they are?


I've had a harrowing day. 2 hours at the Dentist, which is all the way in Highgate (North London) and I live in Blackheath (South London) so have to pay that stupid congestion charge £8, it was £5 but dear old Ken Livingston decided to change it. God bless Ken (er...NOT!) So 2 hours 2 flippin hours! A root canal, I was in SO much pain!!!! Advice don't ever eat sweets! EVER and when you have kids only give sweets to them on a special occassion.

Right, enough of that!!!! The weather has been cold, but glorious sunshine and that word glorious does not look right! What do I care, I have warned you all about my spelling and am too lazy to look it up in a dictionary! Anyway, I've had already some lovely comments from yesterday's blog, more to my email (by the way guys those of you who are not joined to blog can leave a comment regardless) and today I want to share with you a beautiful picture of a group of Devon cows, taken last year in the West who in an instant became firm friends (they had names but I won't go into that now). I would see them everyday with an armful of hazel and elderberry and they would gallop up (YES cows gallop, pretty fast!) and say hello. I love them, they're all individuals and they accept me in the herd every year. Strange to be a cow, but pretty relaxing.

Ok got to dash now, the next blog will be longer, just stressful day been had and need my hot blanket and Iris Murdoch book!

Lots of love and all that type of thing,

Emy xxx

Wednesday, February 08, 2006





Hello all, I am new to this game and I have NO idea what I'm doing. If the picture I've downloaded is on the screen, then it's a miracle, I always walk blindly into things and hope for the best. My bottle is ALWYS half full (actually its empty tonight, I was thirsty). The picture shows myself when young, around 6 or 7, with my first ever cat Tulip standing in my parents bedroom. Note the dust on the frame.

Today has been my usual drab day of cleaning. Spring cleaned my room and the sitting room. Then off out in my car "Julia,", I will download a picture of her very soon, she's my best friend. My first ever car and I'll keep her forever! I would also like to introduce you to Bernie someday, my tame blackbird who eats seed out of my hand every morning, but everytime I come out to take pictures of him, he flies off, camera shy I suppose.

Well I can't think of anything at the moment, sorry for it to be so boring, just wait until I get broadband (thank God) and I won't stop typing. . . actually if you find one night you can't sleep then log on to me and I'll have you well away!

Sticks out tongue,

Emy x