Wow, I did not sleep well Friday night. Sometimes my Restless Leg Syndrome actually affects my back – don’t ask me how – and I end up with back twitchies. Not sure if I was over tired or this has anything to do with B.C. In any event, I slept on a golf ball for a while and it stopped.And I spoke too soon about my thumb. Woke up this morning and first thing I was aware of…you guessed it, my thumb. But so far, other than thumb and this crazy cold or maybe allergies…no major changes.
So, off we went to play golf at The Sands just outside Gravenhurst – Joe, daughter Siobhan and grandson Jaden. Tempers were flaring by the time we were approaching the first green and I thought the day would be a disaster. Things calmed down and the boys stopped butting heads but all I was really interested in what was to come later in the day. Like a little kid on a car trip “are we there yet?”.
But first, I must bore you with some background information. Last year, I took an art class through the TDSB continuing education program, in an attempt to get over various emotional injuries from the past. I was having fun until one fateful night when the teacher (who really hadn’t taught me much) embarrassed me in front of a group of students and I walked out, never to return.
My friend, Wendie Donabie told her friend, Pat Fairhead about the disaster and Pat said to Wendie “bring her to me”. So a few weeks ago, I drove to town from the cottage, picked up Wendie and we went to visit Pat. I was SO nervous. When Wendie and I got there, we had tea/coffee with Pat and chatted a bit. Okay, I confess, I cried a bit too as I told my story. Then we moved to Pat’s studio. Next thing I knew, there was a blank piece of paper in front of me and I had a piece of conte in my hand and I had broken out in a complete body soaking sweat. But, the result was some simple pictures, in media I had never tried before. It was quite liberating as I had not touched paper, pencils or anything else since the disasterous class last fall.
What has this to do with yesterday you ask? This weekend and last weekend have been the Muskoka Autumn Studio Tourand Pat had her studio open to the public. Pat asked Wendie to ask me to come and help out for a couple of hours! Quite an honour! So yesterday afternoon, after a chilly visit to The Sands, I went and helped out at Pat Fairhead’s studio, followed by gin & tonic with two fascinating Muskoka artists. 
I even bought an original Fairhead!
A very nice way to spend a couple of hours on a fall afternoon.
- Purple Haze