Ow!!

I've has two injections this week - one for the winter flu, which, apart from being accidentally punched in the arm by my young friend, was no problem. But the other was a cortisone injection into my knee. Now that one really hurt. I've been suffering badly for a long time with osteoarthritis in the knee. (Mainly due to a bad break many years ago when I crashed in the Singapore Grand Prix practice, but also, I expect due to advancing age). I took a long time for the doctor to find a way in to administer the cortisone as the arthritis was solid. But when she did - ow! It's certainly done some good as I discarded the walking stick I've been using lately. 

I finally finished another boat painting the other day. I call it 'Nine Dunkirk Little Boats' which you can see by counting all the masts of those that are not featured. 


Every year a number of the Dunkirk little ships arrive in Henley for the two day Traditional Boat Festival. It's great to see them parading in convoy down the river with their flags a-fluttering as we remember the wonderful contribution they made in bringing back our exhausted soldiers from the beaches of Dunkirk. I might make this painting into my Christmas card this year. 

The Royal Society of Miniature Painters annual exhibition opened at the Mall Galleries in London on Wednesday. I exhibited 8 paintings this year, plus this one of 'Jade' for a special 'Children through the Ages' miniature portrait exhibition by Arturi Phillips. 


It's always rewarding to see miniature portraits created by the old masters, and I was honoured to have my painting included. My prize - The Mundy Sovereign Award - for the most outstanding portrait in the exhibition - I gave to Michael Coe.


The Arturi Phillips publishers produce the most prestigious books on miniature portrait painting shave recently inaugurated their special prize for the RMS called 'The Connoisseur Award', which I was honoured to win this year. It was for my miniature Sam Wilson.


And here I am receiving it from Lenox Cato (from the Antiques Road Show TV programme) who opened the exhibition this year. 


As Wednesday was the day before my cortisone injection I was still making use of my (collapsible) walking stick, which I must say came in useful on the underground when people offered me their seat. Not that I took up their offer every time. 

It's been a sad couple of weeks. My friend Jack Darrah who ran the Churchill Collection at Bletchley Park died. When the lottery funding organisation contributed money to Bletchley Park they stipulated that The Pegasus Bridge exhibition and The Churchill Collection be removed from Bletchley. Jack was distraught as it was a magnificent display of Winston Churchill memorabilia which he'd built up over very many years. 
And then Annie Hill died. She and Vince, her husband, had been married for nearly 60 years. So sad. One of Annie's wishes was for Vince to play the song which he had recorded - "I'll be seeing you " at her funeral. After a private service at Reading Crematorium for family and close friends we all went to Henley Town Hall and then on to The Baskerville Arms.

My eldest nephew Neil landed this 15lb 12oz rainbow trout from Spring Lake at the John Lewis Fly Fishing Club competition.