Monday 4th January

I can still remember learning to paint at infant’s school, teacher had Kilner jars full of powdered poster paints, bright blue and red and yellow, and she would mix them up with water and pour into glasses and let us paint.  And ever since with a paintbrush in my hand I am happy.  I used to paint quite a bit with both oils and Humbrol enamels, and keep promising myself that when I retire (hahaha) I will start painting again.  But actually I am almost as happy painting walls of ceilings or doors.  There is something magical about applying paint with a brush (I really dislike using a roller); the simple repetition of vertical strokes, trying to get an even finish and watching the wall of colour emerge.  And I like to listen to music at the same time too.  Somehow the concentration needed to paint evenly and the fact that it is repetitious allows your mind to wander a bit, and I find the music keeps me focused on the job in hand.

Maybe I have been wasting my time all these years working in offices, adding numbers up, creating spreadsheets, learning Accounts.  I should have been a painter all along.  And with the new house I am certainly going to be a happy man, as the paintbrush will rarely be out of my hands….hahaha