Is it me?

Is it me......am I the only one who finds that painting with a paint roller to be the messiest business going.  Everything gets rained on by little splats of paint as I roll up and down the surface of the wall, so that it looks as if a mini snow storm has just visited.

And those little paint splatters find the tiniest bit of floor which is not covered by the dust sheet, the tiniest bit of skin which is not covered by the old clothes I am wearing for painting,

and I shall not mention the state of my hair.

 

So, with reluctance, it is time that I started painting the downstairs lounge / bedroom / therapy room, the reluctance made more so because it has been lovely weather and the urge to get outside and do outside things is flying through my veins, fuelled by the desire to warm my bones up.

 

How did last Sunday go?

Not going to say too much other than that we were parked up by the side of a road, so that a lot of the time the band felt like it was playing to passing traffic,

but the people in the cars did wave to us,

which was nice.

The sun shone a little bit, but was useless in its warmth because a chilly wind robbed it of its heat,

and so I slowly got chilled. Everyone else was alright because they moved about as they played, but I have to stay sitting down because the accordion is a heavy beast and if I stand up I am likely to topple over, especially if the ground is on an incline, and it was, not much of one, but enough to send me over backwards should a gust of wind decide to blow.
So I had to sit in one position.
The wind took much delight in sending its cold drafts of air into my bones.

And then there was the effort of keeping the music on the stand.
At one point Lester, with mandolin strapped across his chest and playing the violin meanwhile, also had one booted foot up on the music stand to stop it from blowing over.

All in all, it was a good day though,

and it was good to be out and about with our fellow musicians.

It was not the best we have played,

but it was a good exercise in being able to fit together as a team.

The band is going through changing times at the moment and needs such outings.

 

So although it was a good day, it gave me an inner chill which lasted for several days, which is why I had several irritable moments as I rollered those walls, breathing in the paint fumes, getting splashed with paint, hearing the chickens cooing outside the window. Their 'Oh this is lovely sun, and we are really warming up' chuckles between themselves not lending anything positive to my mood.

Of course I could have stopped the painting, but I had to start the job sometime, and I had promised myself to make the effort to get started......

 

This is the room....

 

 

This the wall I am working on today....

 

 

.... and I have temporarily retired the paint roller, and have found a serenity in using a paint brush.

I still get paint splots, but not many, and definitely do not get paint snow anymore.

 

 

So it takes longer to use the brush, but the payoff is my calmness of mind,

and that, for all of us living here, is a good thing.

Using the roller might be faster but my goodness me it puts me in a horrid mood,

when flashes of temper will suddenly shoot out from me,

which is not a good thing.

 

I do not think I am, by nature, a DIY person,

although DIY food is something which I enjoy doing,

and I love DIY crafts like sewing and knitting,

but anything related to DIY building stuff  is definitely not for me.

However, I shall continue on.....

With paint loaded into an old baked bean tin and paint brush in hand,

I shall be up the ladder again in a moment,

onwards, Vera, onwards.....!!!!

 

Bye for now,

Vx

 

One of the band members posted up some photos of last Sunday on FB:

 

The shearing of the sheep:

This is the man who also shears our sheep, but with electric clippers, not the hand ones he is using here.

 

 

The spinning of the wool:

.... and looking the exact opposite of how I look when I spin.

First of all, I do not wear a long blue frock and a blue hat,

and neither is the fleece I spin as clean as this lady's was.

 

 

The band:

 

Herve and Jacques wandering along the road playing bagpipes and drum.

The red building on the right is the bull ring.

Most villages have one.

 

 

And the rest of us:

 

Nellie, Jackie, me, and Lester.

 (and  a thankyou to Jackie for 'borrowing' her photos)

PS. Please excuse me not smiling in this photo, only I was busy concentrating on the music, hoping that the wind would not tip the music stand over, and thus forgot to smile!

x