Well what a day so far. I am very pleased with the painting up to date. I have put a slide show on my website that shows the painting being developped - looks very professional I think. I did some excellent oil pastel work on it yesterday. Although there doesn't look much progress I finished off some bits on the door, worked on some bushes around the door and worked on the climbing bush above the door. With smudging, smearing, scraping back and using the palette knife to scrap bits of oil pastel and place them has smartened it up altogether and I do like it now. The artshop was open so I purchased 2 brushes and a canvas board, I also got told by a friend that her mother would like a commission, which is super. The kids came back last night, tired but happy and I beat them on Wii golf so I thought it was a great day - don't get me started on cricket Patsy. All my children play cricket for the local club, my youngest son and daughter got helmets and pads for Christmas. Me and my daughter have been adding pads and adjusting the grill on her helmet this morning. We have given up and will try later ...maybe. I woke up this morning and phoned the garage to book the car in for a new steering rack. I've been putting it off because it was expensive but can put it off no longer so made the call. During the call I casually looked out of the window to glare at the car which is eating my back pocket only to see nothing ...it wasn't there! I ended the call with the garage and then checked and double checked the drive. Stupid really, its a galaxy so isn't easy to mislay. After checking with the boys (not really likely that they would have hidden it) a niggling doubt and though I am shamed to admit it, a complete distrust led me to text my ex husband to check he hadn't taken it as he still has a key. No reply from him so after ummming and aahing I called the police. I checked with my friend that she remembers seeing it when she called round last night and after a chat where I joked that he could have taken it and parked it round the corner, she volunteered to have a quick drive around. My elder son laughingly said it was probably on Fanny's Croft car park, which is a small car park next to the fields. In a short time I got a call from my friend, she had found the car, where?? on Fanny's Croft car park. The car is unscathed and has a nice bright shiny lock on the steering wheel for which I don't have a key. Nice one - husband dear. More fun and games, when will this nightmare end?? Needless to say we are housebound, the children have all these lovely new games to play so they are happy and I have my painting to do. Ho hum. We also have a chap round clearing out my gutters, the chap is a blackbird who has taken it into his head to ceremoniously dump the contents of my gutter all over the patio. The cats are outraged and keep glaring up at him and I have a lovely peppering of moss over my flower pots - men hey!