Many thanks for all the good wishes I've received over the past few days: I am now struggling back to the land of the living, and currently engaged on painting my mother's birthday card: a little late this year, but she will understand that death had to be persuaded to go away and call another day first... I've been watching videos and looking at websites as I convalesce: I see that yet ANOTHER tv artist is flogging his own range of paints on the SAA site, some chirpy youth whose name escapes me threatens us with "Natural Yellow", "Natural Blue", etc; I suppose it makes a change from "Country Olive", "Autumn Gold", "Midnight green" and other totally meaningless names. How to make sure you never, ever make any progress in colour mixing: use someone else's ready-mixed colours, follow another's short-cuts, tips and tricks, and you too can produce an identikit painting looking the same as a thousand others..... These people do make me ..... cross. But then, you'll have noticed.