The Cut

This painting of a lock cottage which sold earlier this month was a 6ins x 6ins version of a previous larger painting. The Cut is a slang name for a canal I assume coming from "cutting" as in a canal or railway cutting.

Alex and I have been away for a few days in the Cotswolds. We had a good time walking, sketching and reading. We also picked a lot of apples and blackberries there so we have been living on tarts! I remember when I was young and we had a boat on the canals the lock cottages were all abandoned.  The overgrown gardens were full of fruit apples, plums berries rhubarb etc. In those days the system was pretty much neglected and it was a struggle to negotiate some locks. There were still some working barges even one pulled by a horse taking household refuse out of Birmingham.  So I have fond memories and like painting the odd canal scene.

Anyway now its back to work. Alex has a number of commissioned paintings to frame and I have a painting to finish this week and there are also the tax returns /accounts!