Phew feel tired today, so much needs organising when its been snowing. With 3 schools to keep track of, weather forecasts and cats its no wonder I feel worn out today. Thankfully just half a day to work and I didn't need to drag my youngests into work with me today. Although their school remains closed and my school is still open (within 1 mile of each other....mmm) a friend looked after them this morning. Had a really bad night last night. I had two very vivid dreams, one I don't really care to go into but it keeps putting a smile on my face. The other was a true nightmare. Obviously and strongly linked to the problems in my life and the latest Alex Rider book I am reading to the children, I dreamt I was in a very tall busy building. The car park was on a slight slope and for some reason I had some rather jazzy diamonds in my front blouse pocket - as you do. I needed to wait for my ex-husband (yes definitely him) to park my green Golf then I had to nip out and take the car. I can still feel the fear and adrenaline rush as I dodged him in the crowd, made it to the car and of course it wouldn't start. I had someone with me all the time but have no idea who that was and either whether it was man or woman. Luckily the car started and I drove off. Scenes quickly switched to a cliff slide. I needed to drive this car along a really dodgy pass that of course had a sheer drop and crashing waves on one side and vast cliff sides on another. The option if I didn't negotiate this pass was to return on a better route via that building that I'd just nabbed my own car from. I have no idea what happened, I can only remember the indecision. Once the dreams were over with I was awoken at 3ish in the morning to hear one of the cats rattling away in the boys room. She had obviously brought something in which had escaped and fled for its life into the boys' boxes of teck decks and plastic soldiers. The other cat kept trying to get in on the act and received a deep growl in response from time to time. Gone are the days when I'd have woken the house to shrieks and insistance that whatever it was had to be removed immediately. I turned over and left them to it only to be woken up by my alarm what seemed like minutes later. The cats were still on duty and eventually Tilly decided enough was enough, she thrashed her way through the toys like her life depended upon it and pounced on the mouse. I chased her out of the house and she took her find through the cat flap to some corner of the garden. I have added a base coat of oil pastel to my self portrait. For the base I tend to use Caran d'ache neopastel and then use Sennelier for the top coat. The photo still shows some darker areas of neopastel but I have started to apply Sennelier to the tiles and my forehead. I kind of wish that I hadn't done it on watercolour paper because I don't think I will ever fill up the pits in the paper. Still I feel quite excited about doing the portrait in oil pastel, with using the painting knife it will help with those small details around the eyes and mouth.