Sensible sheep

The content of my latest painting ish!

Pain

Just come out of hospital having had a wisdom truth with a cyst on it removed and several other teeth. For some reason thought it woulnt hurt but it was like being hit in the face with a bat, so not much to say. Did anyone look up Vermeer.?

Zen

I'm quite heavily into Zen Buddhism, have been since I used to do martial arts, when I got involved in eastern philosophy. Before you stop reading because you aren't into religion let me stop you, Zen isn't a religion, it's a philosophy and you don't even need to take any notice of the philosophy to benefit.   I'm going to chat a little about meditation.


This isn't as esoteric as some would have you believe. It's basically emptying your mind of clutter. Pause now and see what's going on in your mind. I bet it's like Central Station up their. This is fair enough and quite normal. Thing is if you can calm this clutter, even just for a few minutes each day you will feel more relaxed and capable of dealing with things.


There are many forms of meditation, but the most straightforward is counting your breath. Take a comfortable seat and make sure you won't be disturbed. Let the central station clatter then start counting your out breaths. Count up to four then start at one again and if your mind wanders, which it will, jst gently bring it back, try not to get frustrated, it is after all a difficult thing you are trying to do.


Alternatively, as we use our phones for everything else, so there is an app for guided meditation and if you find one that works for you then use that. If Zen is one thing it is open to change and can bring fantastic peace. Good luck with your practise.

Vermeer

Just a quick note. Searcc out the work of Vermeer (I love his work) ans see how often he uses a very similar model and the light is usually coming from the left of the subject

Clove oil

This one is quite an important one to me. It is the oil to use if you have toothache. Pour some onto a piece of cotton wool and put it against the sore area. Eventually you'll have to swallow and the clove will fill your mouth, tasting pretty bad and making you want to spit it out. Try to avoid this and leave the oil covered cotton wool in your mouth. I once mixed eucalyptus with clove and made the whole side of my face numb! PLEASE DO NOT TRY THIS WITHOUT MEDICAL SUPERVISION. But clove can give you a bit of a break.


You can also get wheat pillows that go in the microwave. They're designed for muscle pain, but if you put one against the area of the pain on the outside of your face it can give some relief. If you can bear it slosh your mouth out, as any sugar caught in the sore tooth will make it ten times worse.

Orange

Orange oil is a beautifully tangy and uplifting oil. It's good if you're feeling a bit down or lethargic. If you burn it in the house it is a good frageriser and deodorant. 

One thing to be careful of though is that you must avoid sunbathing after using orange. This is because it increases the effects of the sun and you are more likely to burn.

You will also find orange an effective fly repellant either in the house or when it comes round to barbecue time...I can't wait...the smell of coals and charring food!

Art

Relaxation. This post kind of overlaps my art blog, but it's more about making yourself feel good. You may think an art gallery isn't the place for you, but you'never know unless you give it a try. I go to themgallery and sit, soaking up the atmosphere and everytime I see the same pictures I spot something new. The stories behind the paintings may even be quite harrowing, but just feel the piece. I bet you'll want to go back more and more. There  are also some wonderful gallery apps that collect together paintings from national galleries and you can look whenever you feel like it. The other good thinhbis the apps are free- just search for art gallery,