Hobby Horse

We sold the above painting today it was large 42ins x 27ins so we delivered it to ensure its safety. Transporting paintings is a bit of a hobby horse of mine. (A hobby was in fact a now extinct breed of horse popular in the Middle Ages).We have had so many paintings damaged that we are fastidious about packing and carrying them. I have made a set of stacking crates that interlock on top of each other. Each crate will hold three paintings safely and securely. The whole stack will hold a total of eighteen. The crates can be used for carrying or storing. Paintings of 42ins long bring their own problems. We transport them inside a duvet.

When making the frame itself frames of over 36ins are a problem because it means working with sheets of picture glass 6ft x 4ft. If you haven't tried it don't. If you work with glass you have to be very confident. I am not. Alex is.

Anyway the exhibition is finished and all put away. So today involved taking the dogs 2 walks, picking up a painting and delivering it, taking down and transporting the exhibition, collecting one of our grandaughters, fixing a still dripping connection on the header tank in the loft, picking up our grandson and tonight I have an AGM of our arts and crafts co-operative.

On the way home from school our five year old grandson asked

"Are you sad Michael Jackson died?"

Reply, "Well I didn't really know him."

"Are you glad he died?"

"No, it must have been very sad for his family."

"Why did he die?"........etc..

It was as long and difficult conversation as I have had in a good while. I did resist the temptation to fob him off but it did test my powers of communication with a mind probably a lot sharper than mine. God help me when he is six!