Pompey grey skies for a day

I have made all my students appreciate the beautiful type that litters the wall in Savannah I LOVE it ! Much of it makes me think of the hand painted signs we saw in Liberia when working with Save the Children, there are a lot of talented sign writers out there. Savannah has their fare share and it needs to be recognised.

Its half way through the Winter quarter and I have been wading through paper, portfolios , sketchbooks, ideas and mid term grades, what pressure for everyone, students and staff alike to make the grade. I set my calendar a day early as I was not going to be subjected to the last day dash for grades to be submitted, I felt in my first quarter here teaching. I still feel very much the new girl and yet the old one ! years of experience yet trying to make it all fit in to the jigsaw here in Savannah.
Days seem to roll in to one long week, there is a ritual for the days and by Thursday its celebration night with a cocktail! The weather has shifted from blue skies to full rain clouds, monsoon downfalls and thunderstorms, I welcome the Pompey grey skies a little it suits my autumnal mood and I only wish I was in my studio painting. The one thing that is missing is a good read of the Sunday magazines in bed with a cup of tea!
Mike is always busy ! though I am uncertain what he does do for the six hours I am away at the office! I have seen sneaky packs of fudge being bought and demolished without a bite! the bat smell is subsiding slightly and comes and goes with the change of the wind.

Cats can't keep away .........

Some people say that cats follow me wherever I go, I started to believe it wasn't true when I moved to Savannah, little or none to be seen in my garden despite the large vagrant population around the town, one lady has forty out on an island nearby.
However this morning a lucky white cat was found sunning itself by the grapefruit tree, I tried to not get too excited as I have started to miss my cats in Southsea after listening to them purring on the telephone! The grapefruit are ripening and we are not getting too excited every peach we have had purchased in the county of peaches has been a dry old disgrace.
I am getting notes ready for Monday and realise that preparation has become the name of the game, such a different timetable to
Portsmouth, where ideas were paramount , will this be the way of courses in UK when fees increase, skills are on demand, a balance of the two would be a wonderful place to be in!

Drawing on a Sunday

There is nothing more wonderful than being alone drawing in my studio, it has been a long time coming and I am set up and rearing to go. The thought of an exhibition in Morris Hall Illustration School, has made me very excited to produce a few new pieces which talk about crossing the pond. The humidity has gone, Mike has crept off to the auction house and I have three hours of head space to mull ideas around.

Just can't stop looking at birds ....

I cannot stop being drawn to blooming birds these appeared on our roof at work infact

I have started noticing them as silhouettes everywhere a new collection ....

Autumn its official !

It seems extraordinary that we have now been back in Savannah for a whole month, so much has happened it feels just like yesterday. The school quarter has started and it is must be the same the whole world over, Morris Hall has suddenly come alive with the excited voices of new students, greetings of long lost friends, the chitter chatter of summer stories like the noisy little sparrows that appear in my back garden every morning. I am teaching several classes which include graduates drawing skills, it is an exciting programme , I love the classes and the variety of international students from Vietnam, Rumania, Thailand and Equador, it makes for an exciting and creative dynamic. We laugh a lot and realise language differences can prove a challenge "knackered" is not a known word!

Mike and I have been busy cleaning and clearing and making West Duffy Street spick and span and comfortable for Emily and Seth who flew in on the back of five tornados from Atlanta. We hoped they loved Savannah as much as we do, it was a whirlwind of a visit, Emily arrived with her long list of places that the Design Sponge blog recommended http://designsponge.blogspot.com and along with some of our suggestions we ticked them off at a great pace. Dolphin watching round Tybee Island, a personal ghost tour by our dear friend Louis and meeting new friends seemed to be top on the list, surpassed only by a Segway tour with Mike for Seth at the end of the holiday.
I have to admit I thought the dolphin tour would be disappointing but it was a fantastic and moving experience at least fifteen dolphins danced around the boat and drenched Seth when they came up to breathe , opening their blow holes all over him! We celebrated the experience at out favourite little bar. The one treat is a cafe cocktail given to everyone who happens to be around as the sun sets, the owner blows a conch shell and everyone toasts the planet! Before we could turn round it was time for them to go home, it was like that dreadful Sunday night feeling, preparing for school on Monday, I had when I was a child. We all tried to be jolly but tears flowed and I found myself crying on my way to teach. They are now back in UK safe and sound , waking up to find all three cats sleeping next to them, glad to have them home ! We knew they had truly gone the dozen pairs of shoes were missing ! the house suddenly became silent , no banter, no margherita partners, no chitter chatter in the morning, it was like a child leaving home all over again! We miss them.


Autumn has arrived its official but somehow 89 degrees and high humidity does not feel like the scrunchy leaf kicking experience we know in the UK . I am dreaming of a woolly jumper experience even for five minutes! Shops are full of halloween I don't quite know what to think, but our secretary at school told me to go on Martha Stewart to get all my ideas to make a beautiful display for my house.Its real business here and taken very seriously, I am determined to get the drill out and make a pumpkin lantern and I may be persuaded to the witch making workshop next Friday watch this space ! I have heard mince pies are in the shops already ? has the world gone mad...............
We have exotic fruit in our garden we are so excited ! Are they oranges or grapefruit ? we are waiting for them to ripen , we smile each time we pass them ,i t makes us feel we are somewhere truly tropical. We are cautiously observing the plant life to make sure we know what will grow and learning about new fauna and flora. There is a sophisticated water system which keeps it all alive. Mike in true army fashion has improved its performance one hundred fold uncovering inefficient and broken sprinklers.

Back in Savannah !

We are well and truly back in Savannah rattling around in our new abode in the Victorian District. The house is every bit as delightful as we remembered it, Mike in his generosity and kindness lay everything out so we would arrive back to a newly made bed and a kitchen to cook in. Days have been spent re organising the rooms , trying to put our stamp on it , rectifying some of the
bodged jobs that Mike has discovered ! For a practical man like him he has been driven mad by the previous owners silly mistakes we shall simply call them "the dallas cock up"...... blinds fitted upside down, door handles that do not fit, crazy icing grout, painted acrylic bath, fridge which leans the wrong way all small things that take time to put right, so the list continues.
These all seem small fry to me in contrast to the dreadful smell that has pervaded the top of the house, I hate to say it but all it reminded me of was what we called "dirty boy smell" when I taught at Portsmouth ! Mike eventually told me it was bat urine which explained why candles wafting bed cotton aroma burned everywhere to hide the wretched pong when we viewed the house!We are working hard on it to clear the roof, it has certainly dissipated and Emily and Seth have not noticed it!
They arrived two days ago and we have loved them being here, after a late arrival after five tornados that surrounded Atlanta they were happy to collapse with a glass of champagne.
My Dad said I write too much and so I will endeavour to produce more images and less speak !

Leaving for Home farewell 33rd Street.

We are both now home, back in Southsea after a wonderful welcome home from Emily. What a momentous occassion the l sight of an exquisite woman carrying a rose and running towards me ! I have always envied the grand moments of emotion at airports, it was overwhelmingly beautiful to be hugged by our daughter and cry , laugh and kiss all at the same time. We are a little chilly and realising we now need to wear woollies and remember what a grey sky is.
We have had an amazing adventure for three months with still more to come! Mike moved us to a new abode, ready to occupy in August, my bike was stolen from the first floor balcony at 33rd before departure, plus my wedding ring lost at the beach, not too traumatic for three months, fairly good going for us in terms of disasters, meanwhile I went to Glasgow for three days as a critical friend to the Illustration Department. This is always an honour and a treat and an opportunity to see and buy fabulous work.

Birthdays came and went and came again ! more celebrations at St Ursula , my lovely twin sister threw a party and we drank champagne in to the early hours of the morning, welcome home ! So we are here for a short while to catch up with friends and family , to let Mike go back to a proper job! for me to paint and draw and become an artist again, to just be .........
We will not miss the colour of the walls in 33rd East, the angled sitting room, the angled bedroom, the washing machine that pumped detergent out of the door , the shower with three showers put in by a giant, nor the cupboards that needed a stepladder to open! We are looking forward to life by the park and a garden to step out in to however small ! Thank you everyone that has followed this awfully great adventure which is perpetually changing, we feel lucky to be able to say that.
Here's to Summer, fabulous fun and laughter and more Savannah in September ! ...........