Sometimes life has a way of just getting in the way. I can't complain, we had a lovely summer with the Olympics and visitors, then down to some house redecoration and room reorganization, I now have my studio... although it's taken some time for me to actually sit down and do some work in it. 2 boys leaving home for uni, a sudden family death and another family member recently had open heart surgery has meant that it's been a very busy couple of months. I continue to visit hospital every day to see my recovering relative, what wonderful care she's receiving! I did manage 4 days in Venice earlier in October with my husband, and took a ridiculous amount of photos...I can't wait to start. One thing I'm learning to do is paint in 1 or 2 hour bursts, as I did in my recent gallery posting, Suspended. I simply can't do what I've thus far done and paint for a day uninterrupted. It's either a couple of hours or no painting at all, and it's no bad thing for me to be pushed out of my preferred comfort zone and to try a different way of working. Now that I'm able to leave my mess out, it's easier to come and go but I'm aware I have to take a few moments to reconnect with the work each time I come back to it. On occasion I've read comments on what people like to listen to whilst working, which has mainly been favourite music. Whilst I paint I like to listen to audio books. One of recent ones I listened to was 'The Lacuna' by Barbara Kingsolver, and read it or listen to it I can't recommend it highly enough. The story includes a period when the fictitious central character lives and works as cook in the household of Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, and includes a visit from Trosky! I like to find audio books loosely connected with an arty subject, and have listened to 'Headlong' by Michael Frayn, 'The Hare with Amber Eyes' by Edmund de Waal, 'The Da Vinci Code' by Dan Brown and so on. Quite often I can look at a past painting and remember what I was listening to whilst I painted it. I'd be interested to know what you listen to whilst painting and grateful for any recommendations of books with arty themes.