Meet Mini-LesleyT. She is my first attempt at making a doll (and probably my last!!). Made for Loobylu's Month of Softies, she is a portrait of myself as a child. I quite like her shy expression and her wide eyes taking everything in. I stitched and glued her out of felt. It was almost impossible turning her the right way out and I had to cut her head off(!!) so she is a bit of a frankenstein. It doesn't seem to bother her!

Happy Easter everyone! The way these chocolates are decorated reminds me of the vintage Parisian clothes that are sooo popular at the moment.

This robin is building a nest in the big plant pot on the balcony. Every couple of minutes it returns with a beakful of leaves and moss. Fascinating. My new friend is completely fearless and not especially bothered by my presence. Can't wait to see the babies!

The Cross (Cropped to 27 x 34 cm). I might crop this painting like this to improve the composition. Can't decide!

The Cross, Chester. Pastel on Wallis Paper. 43 x 34 cm.

The Groves, Chester. Pastel on Wallis Paper. 42 x 16.5 cm

Spring is definitely here at last. I went for a fab walk yesterday at a place called Erbistock on the Welsh border. We walked along the River Dee and took in wild daffodils (much more beautiful and delicate than the garden ones) and violets. The sun was beating down so hard that I started to pretend that I was on holiday. The Boat pub next to the river is also a dream with log fires burning and incredibly attentive & friendly bar staff. All in all a great day of escapism.

Beautiful Colours

The phone rang at 6.15pm last night. It was P.

'Get your shoes on! I'm just driving into the park and the sunset is beautiful.'

I grabbed my camera and this was the result.

Everything Happens At Once

It's crazy! A few weeks ago we put an offer in for the lovely cottage I wrote about. It was rejected (it was £15,000 below the asking price) but yesterday they came back to us to say they had reconsidered and would now accept!!



We have been sent into a whirlwind of activity.



I've also confirmed that I will be having my first solo exhibition of work in October/November time at Northwich Library. It's a good space - a room solely dedicated to artwork - and is separate from the library.



I really want a theme to run through the exhibition so I'm currently racking my brains for ideas.