annanotbob2's Diaryland Diary
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Collage and Starlings
Friday night and all's well. Or well enough, at any rate. I still kind of miss the Friday writing group but I can't go back to it and feel OK to write freely so I'm done with it. Instead I mooched about at home till Friday art group at the museum. They're between exhibitions which is strange but cool - our art room is on the ground floor at the back of one of the bigger spaces, currently closed to the public and empty apart from a few piles of white cloths and cleaning materials. I love being behind the scenes anywhere so that was pleasing. I'm still doing pictures of my house - I did this one just in indigo last week:
and I started this one today, collage. What I like about collage is remembering when I was teaching and sometimes we were all tired, me and the kids, so we'd do cutting and sticking. I always had a big box of old magazines and assorted crap and I could always think of a theme for a collage, especially if really we were only doing it as a soothing thing, not an educational thing as such. Though everything is educational - what they learned in these lessons is that the sky doesn't fall on your head if you sneak a break in when you need it. Anyway, I worked slowly today and got this far:
After the class I went to the pier to see the starlings. I can't believe it's mid February and I hadn't seen them yet. I did go once and the fuckers were at the Marina, but they were there today. I was early so sat at a bar with a coffee as the sun got it's vibe on and people started to gather:
then the starlings started to appear. I took a million photos - I love how it starts with a tiny group but more and more tiny groups keep coming and joining in till there's a massive murmuration. There's far fewer this year than last.
and they're hard to catch with a phone camera, but there they are.
I also found time to type some more Bella, and to have a long text chat with N, the ex-manager of the care home. We're going to have lunch in a couple of weeks. I tell you what, I am so glad my retirement is shaping out like this - my diary is full till the week after next, full of things I want to do with people I like. Tomorrow I'm due a walk on the beach with my pal D from Glasto, down here staying with her sister, then a sunset silent disco. I have to work out what to wear for that, not in terms of looking hip and groovy, but in terms of layers to take off as I get hotter. Exciting.
Today I am grateful for a few hours home alone.
Night night xx
12:39 a.m. - 12.02.22
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