Just before Christmas I woke one morning with Nellie the elephant sitting on my chest and a dark hooded figure in the corner of the room beckoning.
Anyway, seems it wasn’t my time and after a short stay at the local body repair shop and 3 stents later I was sitting at home doing what I’d been told.

With a cholesterol level of 4.5 there isn’t much to change dietary but it does run in the family.

“Get some gentle exercise” and “No stress” the doc said

Well I’d been pacing up and down feeling pretty bored, going out for my daily walkies, watching all sorts of rubbish on the TV and generally doing nothing.
“Have you tried to do nothing?
In the end I had a browse in my favourite room (the cellar).

Standing looking at my tools and after a quick fumble with my bits I realised there wasn’t much I could do so stood looking around at the manly domain of stuff hanging on nails and rusting tins balanced on shelves.
I’m sure it’s the same in most households that you hoard stuff from your children,
“Well I’m no different” and I came across some of my sons old college bits and bobs including a tin full of acrylic paint with a couple of dog eared paint brushes.

“That’s it!!” I’ll do some painting.
Gathered everything together and headed for the breakfast room.
“Paper”
“Shall I nick some from the printer?”
“Too small”
“I know, wallpaper” (Got some you know where!)
“Right what shall I paint?”
Headed into the kitchen for inspiration (maybe a still life)
Looking at the fruit bowl with 2 brownish bananas, 1 Clementine an odd shaped pear and a carton of prune juice didn’t think id bother.
If all else fails the tried and tested self portrait will do.
“I’ve never done one then again, never painted either”
How the hell do you paint yourself and look in the bloody mirror at the same time.

I gave up in the end.
I never knew painting was so stressful

So don't try something that hard- just put some paint down and let yourself be a kid again. Play with the paint, see what shapes and colors you can get and just have fun. You're suppose to be relaxing, if you don't paint anything that anyone will recognize, so what? You might even decide you like it.

   Don't paint your bits.

           Potter

Or your "Bobs" for that matter..

Lots of inspiration available but be careful too:

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I was always told that playing with my bits would turn me blind.

Charlie