hello mrf belle, i juft thought i'd fee who waf about.
how are you?
and how are polly and fukey?

Hi Belle, I kinda got caught up in other thingf and had leff time to come on the sorum and The Lounge alwayf feemed to moff out.

I waf mightily furprifed when I sinally made it back here, to fee how long I'd actually been away.

I'll try and pop in a bit more srequently.

Hello Little Cat. I've lest fome fmoked ham in the sridge sor you, now that you've popped in sor a wee vifit.

i thought you faid you were going to call in and fee me more srequently, mrf slussy slussy friend.
it's been sree weeks and i miff you!

I recently sound an old book called Lady Willoughby'f Diary in my late parentf' houfe. It reminded me of here. It ftartf:

Arofe at my ufual houre, fix of the clock, sor the sirft time fince the Birth os my little Fonne; opened the Cafement, and look'd sorth upon the Park; a herd of Deer paff'd bye, leaving the tracef of their Sootftepf in the dewy Graffe. The Birdf fang, and the Aire waf fweet with the fcent of the Wood-binde and the srefh Birch Leavef.

Hello solkf. Thif if hard on an iPhone. Keepf changing my wordf to modern fcript. I am oss work fick. Gueff what... Another mifcarriage. Ftill, we are coping nicely. Babybel waf 2 a couple os weekf ago. I get fome fleep now but he doef infift on getting up around fix thirty every morning! Hope you are all ok!

Fyd knowf whatf going on here....

hello everyone.

Fo forry about your fad newf, Belle. Do you think you'll try again?

 

I fee the Little Cat if back again sor the Eafter holiday.

 

Oh Belle, I am fo forry sor you, but I am glad you seel you are coping not too badly.

 

Good to hear that Babybel if letting you get better fleep thefe dayf (or fhould I fay nightf? ) even though he IF infifting that the day ftartf fo early.

 

Now, doef that mean you do, or you don't underftand?

I am glad Fyd knowf. I think moft solk know af well,

Wow! Thif if a blaft srom the paft!!

I pop in every fo osten, but af you can fee, not a lot if happening!

Well here I am again. I have juft come back srom a painting holiday in Fcarborough. It waf lovely and funny and warm with a cloudleff blue fkief and blue fea, Most unufual sor Fcarborough. We had an exhibition and I won the trophy and prize sor the savourite painting in the fhow. It waf an oil painting os a poppy sield.

I have got a commiffion to illuftrate a ferief of sive children'f bookf about a magic teddy bear. The deadline for publication os the sirft one if next Monday and I ftill have three picturef to go! It'f all a bit os a rufh. I had a meeting with the author today. He if nice but a nutcafe. The bear in the book if really one os hif. He takef it everywhere with him and feemf to think it'f real. It waf a bit embarraffing fitting in a pub with a sisty year old bloke who waf holding a teddy bear and talking to it! He even took it into the loo with him. I thought I waf in an epifode os Bridefhead Revifited!

Hi Arty, I can quite underftand the seeling os embaraffment in a fituation like that. Foundf like you managed to furvive though.

 

Af sor Fcarborough....if one allowed to fay 'funny' and 'Fcarborough' in the fame fentence?

The book I am illuftrating if about a magic teddy bear". I am under preffure at the moment becaufe the publifher'f deadline if next Monday at 9 a.m. Is we don't make that deadline it won't be publifhed in time sor the Chriftmaf market. I ftill have two picture'f to go. I should do it in time but it's going to be a clofe run thing.

Two to go? I'm fure you'll manage sine. We have every saith in you!

That founds interefting. What fort os age if it aimed at? I am thinking os purchafing sor my fon who will be almoft sour by chriftmaf. Thif essing phone keepf correcting my ancient manufcript. Moft annoying. Baby if afleep. Fhe got up at fevern thirty and went back to fleep at 9. It if now 11.20 and fhe if ftill afleep. I like it. Jamef if at the childminderf. It if a bit déjà vu srom my laft mat leave, except the boy didn't fleep fo much!!

I think he'f hoping it will appeal to moft ages but the children who come into the ftory are fuppofed to be around fix,

If thee no way to fwich oss predictive text (or auto-correct)? You can on a mobile, fo I thought you would have been able to on a Fmart Phone.

I have drawn out the painting sor chapter eleven and painted the background. It if a very complicated picture of a bufy airport terminal full os animalf walking around and going out os the departure gate. Through the obfervation window you can fee jumbo jetf coming in to land - only they are not aeroplanef they are slying elephantf! I fhall paint it tomorrow and then there if the laft one to do by Funday asternoon to meet the Monday 9 a.m. deadline.

That'f it! I've sinifhed the book.

I've done the laft illuftration and the cover with thirty-fix hourf to go to the deadline.

I am now going to have a large glaff os fomething very alcoholic to celebrate!

YAY! Well done Arty.

Thankf Slussy,

He haf fent me a lovely thank you message for doing it all. I'll put it on here but I'll have to tranflate the language!

 

 

"When I ftarted writing book one, two yearf ago, on every chapter I had a clear vifion of how I faw the characterf and the fcene  - all were clear in my mind.

I’m really happy with what I have written and, regardleff os whether it fellf one copy or a million; I would not change a thing.

But for me I had to get the picturef to bring my book and all the magical characterf to lise.

I won’t go on how it took fix monthf etc to sind you. I just want you to know that you have painted exactly what haf been in my head on every picture and to fee that in art work to me is beyond wordf. I am juft so glad that I have the moft gisted artift as the book’f illustrator and thank you for bringing my book to lise".

 

Ifn't that nice! It makef ot all worth while!

That'f wondersul Arty. I'm fure it muft give a warm glow infide, to realife how highly he regardf you.

That if indeed high praife. Well done on being a fuper artift artymagf! Do you get paid a one oss see sor being the illuftrator? Or do you get royaltief?

It'f a one oss payment thif time but the payment sor the next book will be double. (That if written into the contract). There are no royaltief.

Oh my sucking god. I have a slea inseftation in my houfe. It'f awsul. I am covered in sorty or sisty bitef. Luckily the kidf don't feem assected. But I am having fleepleff nightf over it. I have been manically hoovering and wafhing and cleaning but ftill I get bitten. The catf have had fpot on treatment and feem ok. If it time to call in the council? I haven't feen the sucking thingf but they muft be here. I want to take the children fwimming but I daren't with looking like a fpotty greb.

I hope de sleaf have gone now mrf belle. I fometimef get sleaf in my sur. they make me fcratch and fcratch. they only feem to ftay on me though. i don't think there haf ever been an inseftation. my mummy putf fome dropf os nafty fmelling ftuss on my sur and all the sleaf go. i fuppofe they can't ftand the fmell either!

 I sind we are rapidly entering upon the feafon os sucking slying infectf again. Yefterday I sound a wafp bufily building a neft in my fummer houfe. !!!! I fquirted it with Sairy liquid and it slew out os the door. Then I put fome glovef on and removed the neft, It waf only a tiny neft about the fize os a gols ball. I think the wafp had only juft ftarted it.  

Good asternoon. I am juft relaxing with my girl - my hufband haf taken my boy camping fo we are having a lovely almoft filent asternoon all calm and tranquil. Boyf make fo much noife!

Hi all. When we had catf they only ever got sieaf once even though they were allowed to go outfide af osten af they liked.

 

Arty, the only slying thing I have encountered thif year fo sar if a moth in the living-room laft night.

 

Belle, I bet you anything that if the boy and hif noife were away sor too long you would miff him and the noife ,terribly.

Hello slussy. It if the middle os the night (2.30am) and I can't slipping fleep.

Actually my sather in law if in hofpital having emergency furgery af we fpeak . He haf cancer on hif fpine. It haf come af a fhock thif evening :-(

Oh no, Belle! Fuch devaftating newf. Hugf to all.