Hello and welcome back

I have had a week where you feel a little like a rabbit at the track being chased by greyhounds, running to stand still. It has been a very, very busy, hectic week.

On Sunday, my football team won the FA Cup (just) and it was an awful game. I guess the performance was down to the pressure of expectation placed by a watching world. There was however a great goal to win the game scored by an up and coming academy  graduate that won it, well done Jessy. Sadly the Scottish equivalent won by Hibs, as with our visit lately to West Ham, was marred by violence.

Staying on a football front, Rafa is staying at the ‘Toon’ and hopefully next season Newcastle will be back into the premiership.

I watch a program recently about Bobby Moore and Jimmy Grieves, these lads and many of the England team went for a pint with their friends, walked among people and were never bothered. I don’t understand this world of celebrity, I think celebrities are the unsung heroes who go about doing amazing things every day,caring for people, running youth clubs, picking up and delivering patients, serving meals on wheels, you get the idea. Personally I think, The House of Lords and Commons should have more real people in them and perhaps the country would be doing better.

On Monday I went to Harley Davidson in Edinburgh with my mate, Craig, to drop of two bikes for service etc. I love riding my bike and can’t wait to hit the open road again.

Tuesday saw me in Strathaven picking up art work from an artist. The roadworks on the M74 were horrendous, I could not sit in that traffic every day. On Tuesday night we were
out with our mate, Gordon and his wife wife Viv, celebrating Gordon’s 60th birthday and his retirement from the Oil Rigs as an electrician.

Wednesday was a day of meetings but highlight was a visit from Oran. Oran started with us as a work placement some years ago and he has just finished his 3rd year at Uni. Oran will be helping out with Video and Photography work during the summer.

On Thursday I attended a digital training course in Selkirk, interesting stuff and I really enjoyed my Bacon Roll to boot. I had to drop some information into our web guy, Martyn on Thursday evening in Berwick-upon-Tweed so Yvonne and I took the opportunity to have a walk along the front at Spittal. It was blowing a gale and pouring with rain but very enjoyable after a couple of days being cooped up.

I was joined by Christine in the studio on Friday. Christine has had a inkling to try painting.
She and I had a coffee chatted about life in general, getting her relaxed and ready to go and then she had a days painting with me in the studio. She had a very good start to her first painting since she left school, and is going to forward me a picture of the finished painting once complete. Well done Christine a great days painting and I hope an awakening of the painting and creative senses.

Saturday is always busy in the Gallery and Yvonne and I never stopped, fantastic to see so many new faces and great to reconnect with friends and collectors. Saturday evening saw us out again, this time with Martin and Dee. We had a wonderful night eating delicious mexican food in Hugo’s. Thank you Moria and staff.

Yvonne has been in the gallery supervising and motivating our two young school placement ladies from Gala Academy. They had four days interacting and working with us and on friday, Yvonne took them to Edinburgh to visit some galleries, to enable the girls to get an idea and experience of a few galleries. They seemed to have a lovely week. It’s always great to put something back into the community. I heard one of their friends fancied a career as an accountant, and for five days the poor soul shredded documents. Really! I though child slavery had been abolished. Talk about putting someone off a potential career.

Well that’s it for this week have a good one keep smiling and chat soon.

THH