Day 0304

Reading interrupted by stressful business call, unbillable. Really hope I can get a full-time job soon so I can have structured free time; at the moment there is always the threat of an unanticipated support request or server to fix.

Pleasant walk with old school friend, for whom I enjoyed cooking a good wholesome supper. Saw two adjoining fields swathed in gossamer strands, swaying as a sea in the low October sun. Extraordinary, and invisible when not picked out by the low-angle light. Fallen crabapples scenting the air with a cidery smell.

Looking forward to a business meeting in London and some proper downtime with friends at the weekend.

Seem to switch into a different mode when I am painting in which I can't harness the careful attention and slow focus that I use when drawing. Rush everything blindly; wrong shapes, wrong colours. Need to find a way to make myself slow down and take care.