Maybe I am

The dinner party I wrote about yesterday definitely wasn’t the first social event of the week. The big event was earlier in the week. 

Two friends, Jenny and Jean, have the same birthday (along with a third fellow Jenny knows). With the exception of last year (for obvious reasons) there has been some sort of gathering at someone’s home to mark the occasion. This year they took over the lawn at the pub.

Look at all these beautiful, fully vaccinated people gathering in one spot! It was wonderful and more than a little surreal after a year and a half of lockdown and bubbles.

On Monday, the day I was planning to buy cards for Jean and Jenny, I was doing some sorting and stumbled across a number of watercolour paintings I’d done during some courses I’d taken. Some were quite small – small enough to be used as cards. So, I decided, well, why not? They might not be great art, but it was a nice, personal touch. 

I selected one, a painting of a red rose on a blue background for Jean and even wrote a little poem on the back.

The other one, the one for Jenny, was similar to this one.

Both of them seemed delighted with their “cards” and more than a little surprised that I had painted them. (Whilst there are many people known to be amateur or professional painters in our community, I am not one of them.) I explained that the only painting I ever did was when I took one of Melinda’s classes. 

The next day Jenny’s husband posted this photo on Facebook…

… with a note saying, “Jenny got a nice little set of cards for her birthday. The cool thing is these are all by local artists!” (You can probably guess mine was the one at the back on the left.) Which prompted me to comment: “Incredibly flattering (and a bit embarrassing) to be included as an ‘artist’ in this group.”

I first spotted an ad for one of Melinda’s watercolour classes more than a decade ago and pointed it out to Mike, saying it would make a rather nice Christmas present. He took the hint. 

After that (after his death) I took a couple more classes. Some of my efforts were more successful than others. I actually framed three of my favourites, which are hanging in the front room.

Rather difficult to make them out in this photo.

Oddly enough, I ran into Melinda when I was waiting in line for my second jab. Asked her if she was going to be able to start up classes again and she said she hoped to do so this autumn. Normally she runs an autumn class and a winter one. I’ve always taken the winter one before, because, well, you know, winter. It’s been a few years now, but I’d already been thinking I wouldn’t mind doing another one this winter. After the unexpectedly delighted response to my “cards” I am going to take the class for sure. (Although heaven knows how I’m going to be able to afford it after coughing up the remaining $4000 for my dental implant in December.)

Maybe I am a painter. How odd.