The old people used to say they grew sweet peas because you don’t have to bend far to smell the blooms. This is the first time I’ve grown some for a few years. The last attempts ended with little stems surrounded by slug trails.
Today’s drawing of the sweet peas might inspire the usual questions: “but what will you do with it when it’s finished?” etc. Well, since you ask, parts of it might be used for a family tree project. The little spirals are interesting, and could be a useful link between the names and dates of the more complex ancestors.
The winter of 1985-86 was spent discussing methods of suicide. Could he wait for ten years or so, to see if circumstances changed? No. The two years of recovery after the last episode had seemed endless to him. When I pointed out that previous overdoses had inspired vomiting, so maybe the physical body had a strong life force, I was apparently ‘sick’.
The aftermath of an overdose isn’t as calm and peaceful as it appears in novels and films.
So many options, so little time
I thought I could go out for twenty minutes at a time, and would be back with suitable first aid skills. The kitchen knives were hidden. The washing line had been discreetly removed. There wasn’t any strong alcohol around, and he hadn’t been able to get a doctor’s appointment or any useful medication. He hadn’t been outside for weeks.
Who would find the deceased? When the plans seemed to be inevitable I suggested he should be close to a hospital at the end. Other people, who wanted to live, could benefit from healthy discarded organs, couldn’t they? This thought wasn’t well received.
Mostly you are the main character in the story. Sometimes you are helping someone else’s tale to unfold. There again, you might unwittingly be in the background of a much bigger drama. Your actions might affect the audience for many years hence.
I found two offcuts from the corners of a previous linocut. Some little sketches could be tweaked to fit. The test print with an ink pad on a postcard shows there are some angles that need curving.
A few years ago I had a disagreement with some drawing researchers about erasing mistakes. They said all lines are important and should always be kept. I don’t think we were talking about the same kinds of drawings, or if they draw at all.
Yesterday I was drawing with an eraser, adding highlights not removing mistakes. That reminded me of the odd discussion. Today I’ve been moving lettering around. Lots of lines have been changing position. I’m glad I’m not forced to keep all the previous versions as it would’ve been a solid block of lines by now.
The moon had a yellow orange glow around it the other evening. I thought I’d add a similar line around a drawing. Do the stars dictate our fate? Who can tell?
This is a little drawing, about 9 x 12cm. Various colours of biro and caran d’ache crayons.
berry daines 