Nice, day 10

"Un chien" by Hilary J. England, 8" x 11" oil on hardwood panel

It's dawned to be a very nice day.  I hear that we are suffering a heat wave across the pond in the USA, but here, the temps have been holding steady in the mid 80s, the problem is it has become overcast, so the weather has become humid and sticky, which is rather uncomfortable.

I am sitting on my terrace, drinking coffee, and mulling over what I want to accomplish today.  I began working on ideas for the bigger painting, and I'm debating whether to to stay in and work on that today?  Actually, I'm feeling a bit "stir crazy" after yesterday's long work hours both indoor and out, so I'm thinking first things first, a very long walk along the shore.  Then, I'm definitely meeting up with some of the locals that invited me out for coffee tonight, so maybe I will take a bus into Antibes in the inbetween, and save the work on the big painting for tomorrow. I think that sounds like a plan.

I worked on this painting "Un chien" in the nice cool of an alley way in the backstreets of some little village we went through called "Biot."  Apparently, there is a great deal of Crusader/Templar history here, and that is very tantalizing and appealing to me.  I couldn't resist the ancient alleys and quiet corridors, and of course, the mousy, brown, little mutt of a dog just roaming about on his own.  Very old school, haha.  I feel completely at home and connected with these ancient villages...like being on a soul journey back in time to where we came from, and directly visiting the villages and towns our ancestors lived and walked and played and died in.

So, that is the sum of these middle days here.  I am still working at a furious pace, and would like to even step it up further, if I can.  I haven't been sleeping too well, since the bed is very lumpy, and my back and neck are starting to protest this (lucky I have a good supply of Ibuprofen gelcaps!).  I have resorted to pulling the window barricade down to prevent the sun in the morning, and also sleeping in the opposite direction from the foot of the bed (seems less lumpy cause it gets "less traffic").  Other than that, I am very motivated to complete the mission I am here for.  Now, off for another day of work, sweat, and intrigue.