When will bloody cold symptoms go away? I have coughed,barked,wheezed so much that Chico the parrot is copying. During the night I woke with a scratchy throat and took a Strepsil, fell asleep with it in my mouth. I have a peculiar habit of brushing my teeth first thing in the morning, when I spat out the water it was red, thought it was blood, my tongue was dyed bright red so I had to brush that also.

This is the second week of feeling crap, waking up looking like Methusalah`s mother, but yesterday decided to go to a meeting and to carry out one of my reading sessions. The group members are all willing to share a memory and these turn out to be fascinating. J`s father used to own a meat safe, which was made of wood with a lining of metal which was perforated with holes to let cold air in. He knew a man who hunted rooks, one day a sack full of them was given to J`s father. The family cooked them and took the breast off each one to eat, she said they were lovely. Now, until last night, I haven`t recalled a dream for months, but after that story I woke up in a panic, a huge crow had pecked a hole in Chico`s cage and was chasing him around inside. May have been a combination of medical remedies and the fact that I quaffed a huge glass of tequila and corky`s then brandy, all for medicinal purposes of course. Or, if I`m analysing, could be wishful thinking! D bent down near the cage last night to put a plug in and Chico pecked him viciously on the arm and drew blood. He is so territorial about his cage, but when I think back, all of our animals have bitten D, dogs in particular and P`s hamster.

I have succumbed to watching tv during my infectious phase. Adele is a multiple winner of awards, she`s fab. Watched some recorded stuff, Bob Dylan The 1966 World Tour Home Movie, documentary hosted by Micky Jones, again, Goldie Hawn and Susan Sarandon as The Banger Sisters, Eve Arnold, A Retrospective,Empire of the Seas was great, a four parter Heart of Oak, "How victory over the Armada turned England into a seafaring nation"
but the best programme was Wonders of the Solar System, unfortunately didn`t realise that it was 5th in the series. Professor Brian Cox (He only looks about 15) explored underwater in a pod, ice caps and dried out deserts with tunnels and evidence of waterfalls, similar patterns on Mars and footage of Jupiter`s moons.

Won`t be at the life drawing group this Saturday as I am attending a photography exhibition at The Side Gallery, the work of Pentti Sammallahti. A Finnish photographer who began taking pictures aged eleven.

The grant for Side has also been successful and is safe until September, the funding will enable fundraising programmes and new work to be displayed. Hope that this means Newcastle will be on the way to securing this gem of a gallery.

Monkfish Productions (The Shed, Gateshead)

The 5th birthday of Monkfish and launch of the new website went very well with a good turn out of supporters. We were treated to some of the films which the company have produced over the years, with only one which I hadn`t seen before. James served drinks and cut the birthday cake which was lovely. Well done all and looking forward to seeing work over the next five years.

Tom Kelly (Book Launch - (The Time Office -new and selected poems)

Tom Kelly`s poetry is among the best around in the region. He writes about what he knows and what is important to him, drawing heavily on his family, professions and memories of how things used to be in an industrial climate, the decline of his Jarrow. Red Squirrel Press hosted the event at the Literary and Philosophical Society. Sheila Wakefield made me laugh when she introduced Tom as chief male squirrel and Kathleen Kenny (another fine local poet) as chief female squirrel. We moved on to the Bridge Hotel afterwards for drinks and a chat.

Just watched We`ll Take Manhattan, loved it! It`s great to learn about someone who was revolutionary, a trail blazer in their own time. David Bailey, photographer, disregarded what he was told and went with his own ideas and creativity. The documentary afterwards was fascinating. "I just want the person" He`s not interested in what they are wearing or how they hold their hands. Loved his studio, a place to make a mess. That`s why I love going to High Bridge Studios once a week, charcoal, pastels, paint, coffee rings on the table, it doesn`t matter. And no distractions of home and everything that involves, peace, no tv, just by myself, me myself and I.

Just aquired a book "The World`s Best Photographs, printed in 1947 and packed with a huge range of material from buildings, onion peeling, Pics from parrots, planes and pigeons, nudes, nature and Nagasaki (1945 - atom bomb explosion on 9th August) All black and white shots which show light and dark superbly, I will use some of these to practise my drawing.

O and A are interested in seeing the studio, so maybe this week or next sometime I can take them along. O - to paint there and A - to take photographs.

Borderline Books

We now have a fridge and can keep milk for our regular cuppa`s. A continues to make the most lovely banana bread, flapjacks and corn bread to keep us going. I did try to offer the healthy option this week by bringing strawberries and cherries, but A reminded me that we are in the middle of winter, so we stuffed flapjacks and tea! I had taken advantage of 3 for 2 Cadbury`s Twirl offer and also ate one and a half of those as A wasn`t interested.

The books still keep rolling in and it`s always a surprise to open each box to see what`s inside. We now have a large selection of children`s literature in many languages, which we leave for when M brings her school children on a sorting and classifying trip. It`s great that young people can be encouraged to have a love of books, how to look after them and learn how to decipher the languages in which they are written.

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Don`t Cry For Me Argentina

What have we learned from Margaret Thatcher`s attempt to divert public attention from her shite policies. When politics aren`t working to your advantage cause a war, now it`s happening again, Cameron is following suit. Why should British people think that they can just aquire an island and live there? Maybe our colonial past tells us that it`s ok? Here we go again

Decided to pick up where I left off from my teens and get back into drawing. Have the use of a studio in town courtesy of a friend who can`t use it on certain days. Thoroughly enjoyed being part of a life drawing group in the studio last Saturday and will certainly be there again in two weeks. Not sure if there will be a female model, first one was male. The room was packed, I worked on a wooden easle and we did around 8 two minute sketches of different poses. Didnt enjoy this, and was thinking that I wouldn`t go back, but once we got into the more detailed work of 40 and 20 minute drawings I felt right at home.

New-ish tapa`s restaurant in town, Las Iguana`s is a great place to be. Been there half a dozen times and loved it. Coconut chicken and choriso sausage washed down with a Dark and Stormy cocktail, mmmm. Course the company helps. Around 20 of us and great switching seats to chat.

Jacky Pittam`s art exhibition at People`s Theatre was amazing. She works from home and has a room to make a mess in. I find too many distractions at home and enjoy the perfect peace of being in a studio.