That's such a sweet thing to say. Thank you.

Wonderful to hear that things are looking up. For me, the creative drive is a good indication that my mental health barometer is set fair. During my long post-covid fatigue, it was the one thing proved to me that I wasn't suffering from depression.

Oh... that mood sounds fantastic. I'm really pleased to hear about it

I should add - this is not about the novel that I've mentioned on here a number of times...

I'm sitting on some exciting news, which I can't release for a couple of weeks. Sorry, I know this is a terrible tease. But I wanted to share my excitement. The main takeaway from this is that I'm feeling happy and hopeful.

Landscape under a blue sky. A path keads away between fields towards a distant hill.

Wood Anemone flower partly in sunlight on the woodland floor. A white star with yellow centre.

A sign on a fence says 'Sanger deep water '.

A lovely walk in Swithland Woods.

But through that process, I'm actually learning. This app is working for me so far. It feels like a miracle.

#Saysomethingin #Welsh #SaysomethinginWelsh #Cymraeg #dyslexia

...going back over the modules, doing them 2 or 3 times. That is the opposite of the guidance. But when I try to go at the recommend speed I get swamped and can do nothing at all. I guess this is a 'reasonable adjustment' that I have to make for my disability.... (3)

I still can't believe I'll ever achieve a functional level. But it feels important to try anyway - one very small part of a national cultural project. My present attempt is through the language learning app SaySomethingIn. Despite the instructions to the contrary, I'm... (2)

I'm painfully slow at language learning. (This is connected to my neurological differences.) I've tried so many times to learn Welsh, the language of the country where I was born. Always I've failed. But on my present attempt, I'm making better progress. (1)

This is actually a different cat. One who occasionally visits the back garden.

At this stage, I'm just hoping it's recognisable as a cat...

Catitude

Vinyl relief print block and test print. It is an expressionist sketch of the face of all cat.

Vinyl relief print block partly cut, next to the cutting tool. It is an expressionist style image of the face of all cat

A bit of experimentation with an offcut of vinyl and another offcut of ho-sho paper...

#linocut #print

A grey cat in the grey dusk standing on the author's knee.

Attempting to get a photograph of a neighbour's cat for drawing practice. But there's very little light and she keeps moving.

This is wonderful.

So true. People lauding generative AI don't seem to understand that the process of making is the very thing we need for wellbeing and personal growth. As Yves Klein said 'My paintings are only the ashes of my art.'

Love this

Sorry to hear about the health issues. Post Covid fatigue stopped me writing for a long time. I actually started drawing because of that. I needed a creative outlet that didn't use too much energy.

It's a glimpse of my slow and laborious process. I think it's worth doing things we're not good at. Not so much for the product, initially. But for how the process can enrich us. The world feels more vivid afterwards.

Good idea. Do write it.

Sheets of A4 with lots of badly drawn can't heads in charcoal. 6 cats per sheet.

I was today trying to learn how to draw cats' faces. I am not a natural draftsperson. So this is a long process. As with any subject I tackle, the main outcome is improving my ability to see what's in front of me.

This made me smile. Thank you so much

Thank you

A pair of gardening gloves on top of a wooden stool.

These so called 'gardening gloves' are useless. I've waited and waited, but so far nothing. Do they need batteries or something? If so, they should have come included. No instructions. If I could give zero stars, I would.

Now you say it... probably not

I decline to answer...

This is the kind of insight sadly lacking in the OED.

Admittedly, I may have taken this to excess by spending the last 63 years wallowing. But look how well balanced I am now... Oh, on second thoughts, scratch that.

Occasional periods of wallowing are necessary for good mental health. Or is that just me?