Sad news, Conventions, websiite and life

Greetings, salutations and small crunchy biscuits...

Sadly, my mother passed away in July last year and I have been kept busy with official paperwork, sorting through the great collections she kept of 'Things That Might Be Useful' and continuing to be Carer for my Dad.

So far we have cleared three chests of drawers full of off-cuts of cloth and sewing supplies. Progress is being made. I have also helped Dad distribute some of Mum's jewelry to friends and family.

The funeral and memorial service were difficult but both went well and to plan. It was very nice to see how many of my parents' friends rallied round and helped.

Life is slowly finding its new normal.

I am still doing two lessons a week volunteering at Dundonald School, though I'm only doing French now for years 5 and 6. Miss Davis and I seem to get on quite well and she is certainly grateful for another set of eyes and help with discipline in the classroom.

Teddy and I went to the 2014  London Worldcon last summer and it all went very well. We even persuaded  Dad to come along for a couple of days on a day membership and he enjoyed it more than he thought he might.

I sold three pictures from the Artshow. Two cartoons and a painting. An excellent result, even after commission.

We have just been to Eastercon at Heathrow. I could have done without the car breaking down on the way there. The clutch died just before we got to the M25. As we were on the slip road from the A3, the AA gave us priority and relayed us home with great efficiency. As we had all the stuff for the Chaos Costume workshop in the back, I'd decided that home was the beat place for the car and that I'd deal with getting it to a garage later.

We called the Con Chair and she arranged for John /Stewart to come and collect Chaos and me and bring us to the Con. Teddy came in the next morning by tube. Luckily, I'd been feeling coldy and had decided to only take on e costume with me, so was packed quite light. I did, however, have eighteen pictures for the artshow( The most I have ever shown).

Still, after that shaky start, the con went very well and I sold a picture. One person also ordered a print of this picture and another person might be contacting me for a print of it as well.

I had to pay the AA to relay the car to the garage when we got back from the con, but the service was very good again and I now have experienced being flat-towed. This meant that I was in the car and steering- this was only mildly terrifying and the most difficult this was not breaking.

Then the bad new: the clutch wasn't the only thing needing replacement. The repairs will come to over £3,000.00. Oh, well, that's what saving are for and this is the car's first major repair. If I spread that over the eight years I've had it, it come to about £400 a year, which is not so bad...

I have just finished updating the website ( tomnanson.co.uk) with my six most recent pictures( including the one that has just sold, which is called 'To War') and, unusually for me, decided to do this post.

Toodle Pip for now...