'I'm always looking for the Hows and the Whys and the Whats,' said Muskrat, 'That is why I speak as I do. You've heard of Muskrat's Much-in-Little, of course?'
'No,' said the child. 'What is it?'
- The Mouse and his Child. Russell Hoban.

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Sunday 6 June 2010

It's



... that people who want to spend all their day painting and making art shouldn't live in 120-year old houses set on large sections with lots of trees. In autumn.

5 comments:

  1. Hmm... early summer in England can be just as bad, if you've ignored the garden for months!LOL :)

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  2. How so? (...perhaps not so _latantly o_vious after all, or do you mean there's lots of other work that needs doing besides spending all day painting and making art...rather a pedestrian point of view, though...and yet you certainly make a good point. I'm conflicted now, and it's all your fault.)

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  3. Yes Jinksy, summer and the bursting growth includes weeds too I guess! But I have a trillion leaves. Damp, rotting leaves. There's lawn under there somewhere.

    Robert, when I first saw this lovely charming villa, I knew it was 'me'. But the wise agent said 'is this a good purchase for a solo mother with three young children?'. I bought it anyway, and it WAS a great place for the kids to grow up in, and there always seemed to be time for the garden, and somehow I found the money for the re-piling and replacing the rotten boards and the paint and plaster for doing-up the rooms one by one. But now I have gone back to 'school', I seem to spend all my time and money on art-y things! And bits are starting to need doing up again...

    Actually, I don't know if I have actually mentioned this, but I have been studying the last two years. And am now *only* about 2 1/2 years away from a Masters in Fine Arts.- my goal.

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  4. Stick with it!
    We're in a similar situation too, living in a nice small house in the country with (too much) land and (too much) work but wouldn't give it up for the world - lots of our friends live in flats (with hired cleaners!) with 90% less "hassle", but, I believe, 90% less enjoyment too...... though there are days when you have to choose between painting/weeding/tidying/fixing or reading/playing/studying, but ...it's worth it.

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  5. Ah. It is indeed a good life, Brian. But I bought this sixteen years ago... now the children have one by one been trickling away each to university. I still LOVE the place, but unless I open a B&B (now that's an idea), there's just me most of the time...

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