More cold, painting, drumming and clock shops

Been an interesting few days - everyone seems to have been waiting for more snow, but we have somehow contrived to avoid it whilst the rest of the country is covered in a thick, muffling blanket of the stuff. What it has done, however, is given everyone that feeling that they shouldn't really be at work/school and left them slightly resentful that they have to be at work/school. Still, it's been cold enough, and I can't say I'm sorry that the risk of slipping over and ending up on your arse has gone. Maybe we'll get some more over the weekend. Been a bit crappy at work as well, due to the market - lost a couple of quite big sales just before exchange, so long faces all round and a couple of lean months to come.

Good drum class last night - continued with Garankafoli for the first half, then tea-break and after, carried on with the fab Doudou N'Diaye Rose rhythm that we started playing last week. Was a bit worried it might be a bit advanced for the folks, but they have really taken on the challenge, which is great 'cos it's complex and fast but will sound great when it's learnt, and I think they (and me, god knows) will learn a lot in the process.

The paintings are still not behaving themselves, but have decided to beat them to within an inch of their lives with large quantities of titanium white and raw umber. After all, if it's wintery outside, it might as well be inside too.

One of my xmas pressies to Janet this year was a full service for her late Dad's Tissot. For ages, I've been hoping that she gets a watch, because she's ALWAYS asking me the bloody time. So when she discovered that her Dad had left her a rather sweet Tissot gents watch with an automatic movement, I saw a window of opportunity. Spent a month or so doing some research as to where it should be fixed. One of my abiding and favourite memories for childhood was going with my Dad to see Mr Schoenwulf, the old German clock restorer who had a workshop just round the corner from where I used to live (much later) in Beulah Road. Always loads of clocks and watches ticking away, and I'm sure this is where my fascination came from. Anyway, I really wanted to find a place like Mr Schoenwulf's where I could take Janet's Tissot, and finally found one on the outskirts of Hastings. It;s called Echoes of Time, and is manned by a couple of great old blokes who, hopefully, know all there is to know. They also have a very nice collection of antique long-case and skeleton clocks to look at. Altogether an enjoyable experience which took me back a long way.

Going back to painting now - see ya.