Hi Patsy, Glad your back pain has eased, hope it continues to get better. Prescription charges have gone up here too, it's now £7.20 per item, so if you need 3 items at one go, it's very expensive. The NHS is getting worse and worse, terrible reports of what goes on in hospitals. I get very angry about it. I've decided not to do a craft fair that is being held locally on 4th April, haven't had time to get enough items ready. I'm trying to make greeting cards using pictures of my paintings which I've printed on my inkjet. It all takes time, cutting, matting, adding insert sheets, putting into cellophane bags and so on. Most of April and May will be taken up with medical appointments, so I'm hoping to start doing the fairs again after July. Funny how you can't do separate paragraphs when typing these comments! Anyway, wishing you all the best and will chat again soon.

Hi Brenda congratulations on your sale...how good to have fairs where you can have the opportunity to show and sell your work...we have a big thing in the City annually but the little people have no chance...I'm feeling much better now after a seize up of my back but lots of pills and tried to rest well I slowed down a bit and refused to do extras for anybody...have the wedding on Saturday and I fully intend to wear heels and worry about any pain on Sunday...pensions in Australia are awful and the cost of living is through the roof I'm glad my Hubby's still working for a while anyway...I will get nothing from the Australian Gov.whilst my Hubby works...medications are pricey the other week I paid $190 for 5 prescriptions I nearly choked and they weren't all mine...it is compulsory to have superannuation here but the problem is that if you get too much you don't get the health care card which entitles you to lower rates and medications etc...at the moment to get medications at pensioners rate you have to spend nearly $1400 and then you get a card...you are not allowed to stock up and they will only give them to you when they are finished...sickens me I don't know how people manage I really do think they go without...we have private cover for hospital glasses teeth etc. otherwise you have to go on a waiting list a mile long...with the other stuff we are still out of pocket...I get a small allowence for looking after my Mum-in-Law but small it is...I could go on and on and Australia is quite a wealthy country even in these hard times...greedy Governments...gee I have gone off but they expect pensioners to live on a pittance and then wonder why they get sick...well Brenda after all that I hope you are well and you get enough art work done for the next fair and sell some too

Hi Patsy, yes the more I should be slowing down, the more I seem to take on. Apparently British pensions are the worst in Europe, not good when you've paid in for decades like I did. Glad to say the craft fair turned out fairly successful, I sold out of one item completely and got lots of interest in the pet portraits (luckily I'd taken along my business cards). Thinking of booking a space at another event in June, the crafts section there is part of an annual country show run by the Council. I'd like to take just my artwork to that if I have enough ready by then. Hope you're feeling OK.

Hi Brenda how are you yes there is always something to do taking one away from painting...I thought when we got to this age I'm 63 this year that we were supposed to slow down but I seem to have more to do unless I'm getting slower...Hubby recons we are doing more probably getting more picky as we get older...I get small English pension...we don't get the indexing because we are a Commonwealth country I don't really get it I've paid the stamps...still greatful for small mercies...hope you got ready on time for your fair and it went well for you

Yes, I forgot to mention the housework, exercising the dogs, shopping........

Dito, glad you got your cat painting finished...if I was Queeen of the world I would make the day 48 hours long because that's what I need to do all the things I want to do aside from feeding the masses and keeping house

And good-luck too...