Saturday 21 November 2015

Fact or Fiction?

My trip to the library the other night got me thinking.  I almost always choose factual books. I can't get in to fiction. It's not that I don't want to, but I have this feeling of guilt if I sit down to read a book for any length of time. Instead I should be up and doing something.
On the other hand, my husband can sit on the sofa reading for hours, and doesn't seem to feel one bit guilty that he hasn't talked to me all evening!
When he starts reading a book he can't put it down. Whereas the books I read, they can be dipped in and out of anytime.
Books are great for keeping you occupied but they can be anti - social too!
I'm looking forward to reading my books. My husband said, "Why is your pile of books always heavier than mine?"


Here are a few of the reasons why I chose them.

  1. The Art of Mindful Walking by Adam Ford.  Because I've always loved walking. My mum tells me I always wanted to walk, while my sister, who is four years older than me, would climb in to my pushchair at any opportunity. I don't know what the book is about and doesn't that word 'mindful' seem to be cropping up all over the place? I think it means that when you're out walking you should be mindful of all the things that can trip you up.  On the road and in life.
  2. Little French Kitchen by Rachel Khoo. Because I like cooking but I don't like recipes that have great long lists of ingredients ( I'm thinking Jamie Oliver here). Rachel cooks in her tiny Paris apartment with few ingredients.. I first saw her on BBC2 in 'The Little Paris Kitchen'. What's more - she has an arty side to her and is a graduate of Central Saint Martin's College of Art and Design in London. 
  3. the modern preserver by kylee newton. Because I grew up in a country village and we had a garden where my mum and dad grew fruit and veg and preserving was a way of life.  I love making chutneys and pickles. My husband hates the smell of boiling vinegar with a vengeance, see here, so for now I've given up making chutney and just read the recipes and make jam instead.
  4. Compendium of Drawing Techniques by Donna Krizek.  Because I wanted to learn the basics of drawing - what pencils to use, or how to draw a line or even hold a pencil. I didn't know there was more than one way.
  5. Drawing Nature by Agathe Ravet-Havermans. Because she is a botanical illustrator and her drawings of nature are exquisite. I want to be able to draw like that!
  6. Handmade Interiors, a DK book. Because I've got a bare window that's been waiting ages for a new set of curtains.
  7. The Fundamentals of Drawing Still Life by Barrington Barber. Because he has a brilliant name and for last Thursdays drawing class the scary subject was the bust of an African woman. I need inspiration.


                              Unfortunately the photo I took is blurred, and so is my mind.
                                       Here's my drawing - to be continued next week.


Does her cheek look like a breast and her mouth a nipple?!  Who's still here?
What do you like, fact or fiction?

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