On the fly

'If you ever get stuck for something to write about, you can tell them about my commission,' said the lovely Natalia.

So I am now going to take her up on the offer – below are paintings from Act I and Act II of La Traviata, and Natalia is the one with long brown hair, to the right in both paintings.

I haven't had much time today to plan something more organised to write to you about – I'm sorry!

Yesterday I was wrangling with a creative project. I had given myself the deadline of 9am yesterday morning, and I couldn't let it go until it was done. So I ended up going to bed at 5am, getting up late and then going straight to London.

While in town, I dropped in on TV presenter and stand-up comic Simon Amstell talking about his new book. I think he asks interesting questions that are pertinent to the current zeitgeist – spiritual awakening, mental health issues, examining the ego and what drives an aspiration for fame. If you're on Facebook and are interested, you can (hopefully!) watch some of it at this link:

https://www.facebook.com/waterstonestcr/videos/1525902510799840/

Pearl