Party Time!

Yesterday Dona and Lynn and Nick, Lynn's son, Mary, Lynn's sister, and Sergio, a fellow from last year, came round for a party! Very kindly it was in honour of my last published book, Showtime for Billie and Coco - a book party! I hid in my room while they put up decorations and when I came out the house was transformed with animal balloons, blow-up monkeys and paper totem poles.

Outside the house, all lit up * Hermann in festive mood * the party gang - Alice, Denise, Me, Lynn, Gerardo, Nick, Dona and Sergio

Us again - with Mary too

And if that wasn't enough, with a delicious Chinese takeaway, then came.... THE CAKE!! Look at this cake! It was absolutely THE BEST. 

Gerardo photoshopped my face into the picture, feel like I should have this on all future book covers from now on. Or have books made out of cake.

Thursday

Night colours!

Outside the house at night it's very, very dark apart from our porch light which throws a diminishing light to about 10 metres out... then the trees get quickly darker where things lurk and make sinister sounds. Anyway I like the lit up colours vs the black behind. These are also pretty Tomi Ungerer, Moon Man inspired! 

Before the party...

After the party.

And then...

Tiger Eyes

Sunday

Thursday

And moving!

Monday

Sunday

Today Alice, Gerardo and I got our portraits painted! The artist Jonathan Weinberg came with his partner Nick and spent the day in the house with us, capturing our elusive essences. When the portraits are finished I will hopefully post a pic, but until then here is an action shot. 

Photo taken by Dona Ann McAdams

And here are some Mad Men cats. I can tell I'm settled in now, as the drawing pfaffing is starting to happen. Tomorrow I'm going to have to get strict with myself... or maybe Tuesday. 

Saturday

Some photos in and in front of the beautiful house we're staying in. I'm going to be spoiled forever for living in a normal flat after this guy, which is more windows than walls. 

 My bedroom/studio for the month

Alice and my washing - installation art

View from the front of the house

Another zoot suit... I couldn't help it! He followed me here! Stupid rabbit in your zoot suit...

Connecticut, first week

I'm here in Connecticut, via Boston and then St Johnsbury, Vermont for three days. We arrived yesterday so we're settling in, to the house and our routines. It's beautiful here, very wooded and sunny, though you can feel the air getting colder. This morning Alice told me there are tortoises in the woods, at which point I remembered I'd dreamt about them all night - a hopeful portent of tortoise-seeing.

View from Amy and Sandy's barn, Vermont. Before being chased in by a big storm.

Letter from the Editor

I sent my favourite reviewer, my cousin Georgie, aged 10, a letter begging for urgent reviews of Showtime for Billie and Coco and Babies Don't Bite. Here's her reply, which also contained a card with her reviews... which I am relieved to say were favourable. 

She's right, it IS inexcusable.