Sunday, 3rd November 2024 - Ancient Fushia My mind is like a ping pong ball. It goes from one thought to another. Sometimes I don't know what is happening but as long it is happy I am happy. I wandered into the kitchen with while my L'Oreal hair dye was cooking. Tim was making pasties. He made excess filling that he made into soup. I have been totally spoilt today. The soup was delicious for lunch and we had the pasties that had the best crispy pastry. I had an excellent husband. We are watching The Resident - not a murder mystery but a medical drama. Tim is being very patient letting me watch the series. His choice next. Today's postcard is of a fuchsia that we have in a tub on our drive. It is very old and has been with us ofr many year and been through freezing winters and steaming summers, being thrown out of its pot by reversing cars. It still comes back with beautiful ballerina flowers. - - - #katesconnectedpostcardproject #apaintingaday #katerundell #artblog #dailyart #instaart #instaartist #watercolour #artoninstagram #artofinstagram #painting #watercolourpainting #blogger #dailyblogger #winsorandnewton #instadaily #danielsmithwatercolors

Saturday, 2nd November 2024 - Happy Memories I woke up this morning still feeling full of the delicious dinner Pippa had cooked us last night. I was worried I wouldn't be feeling hungry by lunchtime. Steve and Zoe were dropping in and we had a table booked at the Bell and Jorrocks for lunch. My worries were totally unfounded. The Ploughman's was too good not to eat. Shame I wasn't doing any ploughing this afternoon to burn off the calories. Tim and I bravely left the warmth of the woodburner and walked to the end of the drive to watch the Benenden fireworks. Then we came back and had soup and toast. The soup was served in the bowls and on oval plates that belonged to Tim's Mum. We had many bowls of Brenda's homemade soup at Wendletrap. Happy memories. - - - #katesconnectedpostcardproject #apaintingaday #katerundell #artblog #dailyart #instaart #instaartist #watercolour #artoninstagram #artofinstagram #painting #watercolourpainting #blogger #dailyblogger #winsorandnewton #instadaily #danielsmithwatercolors

Friday, 1st November 2024 - Foggy Day Today's postcard is of the foggy morning we had. Later it turned out to be a beautiful day. Mostly due to it being Herbie's 7th birthday. Wow how far that little chap has come in his seven years. I am so proud of him. We were lucky that it is half term so he could come and see us. Delighted that he chose to come to us on his birthday. We had a very happy few hours. I did a simple treasure hunt in the garden. The end was his presents with balloons on the trampoline. I cleared the trampoline of leaves and debris this morning. It's a strange feeling under your feet. Not sure why the children enjoy it quite so much. Harriet made an excellent birthday cake with a candle fountain much to Herb's delight. I do love a birthday. Happy happy birthday Herbie you are a little wonder. Tonight we off out to Mike and Pippa's for dinner. Perfect to wind down after playing with the grandchildren. - - - - #katesconnectedpostcardproject #apaintingaday #katerundell #artblog #dailyart #instaart #instaartist #watercolour #artoninstagram #artofinstagram #painting #watercolourpainting #blogger #dailyblogger #winsorandnewton #instadaily #danielsmithwatercolors

Thursday, 31st October 2024 - Cosmos for Arthur I have had another day of doing 'stuff' and very important birthday preparation for Herbie's 7th birthday tomorrow. Tim continued his painting window mission. The scaffolding has now been moved to the rear of the house for the next window refurbishment. This evening I spent the evening with WOKAS. Our president Graham gave a very in depth and informative talk and demonstration on the do and don'ts of watercolour. Loved his tip on using bristle brushes for texture and splatter. It is still one of my favourite mediums to work in. Alison and I were on tea duty as Jenny-the-tea was away. There is a new grandson amongst our friends. Welcome Arthur. Today's postcard is a linocut of cosmos the birth flower for October. - - - #katesconnectedpostcardproject #apaintingaday #katerundell #artblog #dailyart #instaart #instaartist #watercolour #artoninstagram #artofinstagram #painting #watercolourpainting #blogger #dailyblogger #winsorandnewton #instadaily #danielsmithwatercolors

Wednesday, 30th October 2024 - Cinnamon Buns I met with Mercedes and Lindsey. I love listening to people's stories. They are so much more interesting than my own. We had chocolate eclairs and my favourite buns - the ones swirled with cinnamon and sugar. Herbie's birthday is on Friday. He wants to come to our house to celebrate. How lovely is that? I am thinking of doing a treasure hunt and went to this amazing toy shop in Hawkhurst and got some fun bits. There was a lady in there buying presents for her family. She had just turned 100 years old. Wow I thought as I noticed her manicured nails, she was amazing. I should have asked her what tips she had on physical and mental longevity. Now I will never know!!! - - - #katesconnectedpostcardproject #apaintingaday #katerundell #artblog #dailyart #instaart #instaartist #watercolour #artoninstagram #artofinstagram #painting #watercolourpainting #blogger #dailyblogger #winsorandnewton #instadaily #danielsmithwatercolors

Tuesday, 29th October 2024 - Autumn in Portrait I had a charming morning with Sarah. We had coffee and a shared bacon roll - yes, with chilli jam and then another coffee as we had lots to talk about. Wendy's is our favourite place to meet in Cranbrook. After we headed into the Hospice in the Weald shop. It was packed with people. I had to queue to buy books for my granddaughters and a board game. The volunteer looked shattered and deflated as her colleague said she was off for a sit down leaving the poor woman with a huge queue to deal with. Sarah and I sat on a bench in the sun and tried to decipher how board game for seven year olds worked. It is based on hieroglyphs and has a very cute scarab beetle. I made the perfect dinner for a Tuesday evening. It was a Michael Mosely thick tasty vegetable soup recipe. Delicious with toast in front of the crackling woodburner. - - - #katesconnectedpostcardproject #apaintingaday #katerundell #artblog #dailyart #instaart #instaartist #watercolour #artoninstagram #artofinstagram #painting #watercolourpainting #blogger #dailyblogger #winsorandnewton #instadaily #danielsmithwatercolors

Monday, 28th October 2024 - Autumn Colours I love waking up and looking out our bedroom window to see how autumn is turning the trees. Such beautiful colours. Good inspiration for today's postcard. Tim has been forging on painting our windows. It's been a bigger task with rotten bits of wood needing replacing. They are looking great. I had a WOKAS committee meeting. We had lunch at The Woolpack which sounds very decadent for a Monday. The crayfish roll I had certainly was. There was an ulterior motive. We were investigating the barn behind the pub to see if would be a suitable venue for our next art exhibition. Looks like with a bit of tweeking it will be perfect. I love these evenings where we can light the woodburner. We had a new one put in about six months ago. It is going to get good use. There is something very comforting about a fire. - - - #katesconnectedpostcardproject #apaintingaday #katerundell #artblog #dailyart #instaart #instaartist #watercolour #artoninstagram #artofinstagram #painting #watercolourpainting #blogger #dailyblogger #winsorandnewton #instadaily #danielsmithwatercolors

Sunday, 27th October 2024 - Cold Cure My cold has been hanging on but I have found the perfect cure... an afternoon out with my husband, sister and friends listening to live music played by The Stings at The Printhouse in Tenterden drinking wine... I am cured and feel so much better. - - - #katesconnectedpostcardproject #apaintingaday #katerundell #artblog #dailyart #instaart #instaartist #watercolour #artoninstagram #artofinstagram #painting #watercolourpainting #blogger #dailyblogger #winsorandnewton #instadaily #danielsmithwatercolors

Saturday, 26th October 2024 - Spindleberry Tea and Lempsip have been keeping my cold under control. It is still hanging on in there and making me a little grumpy. Tim being very patient with my tetchy mood. I have a busy day filling the greenhouse with pots and pots of tulip and daffodil bulbs. Some from Tescos and the others our gift from The Netherlands. I planted them along with lots of worms. They have old plates on top to keep the mice off. Tim has been up the scaffolding painting our flaky windows. They are looking very smart ready and protected for an enslaught of the winter weather. I had a wander around the garden with my coffee and came across loads of spindleberries in the hedges. They are such an odd looking berry with their bright yellow seedy middles. Great for today's postcard. - - - - #katesconnectedpostcardproject #apaintingaday #katerundell #artblog #dailyart #instaart #instaartist #watercolour #artoninstagram #artofinstagram #painting #watercolourpainting #blogger #dailyblogger #winsorandnewton #instadaily #danielsmithwatercolors

Friday, 25th October 2024 - Ballerina and Martinette We had to move an armchair and a sofa out of the kitchen yesterday to make room for a big enough table to seat 16. It does mean that today we have been able to clean places that are hidden under armchairs and sofas. While cleaning I thought about our friends who came last night and what a wonderful group of people they are. We are very fortunate to have such lovely people around us. The postman gave me a parcel. What a lovely surprise. Guests that stayed with us back in the summer have sent us tulip and daffodil bulbs to brighten up us in the spring. What a thoughtful thing to do. The bulbs are the inspiration for today's postcard. Tonight's dinner was leftovers of pheasant tagine, coucsous (do you know how easy it is to cook?) and beans followed by stewed apples and nut brittle (eaten with care unless you want a broken tooth). Excellent when you don't feel like cooking. - - - - #katesconnectedpostcardproject #apaintingaday #katerundell #artblog #dailyart #instaart #instaartist #watercolour #artoninstagram #artofinstagram #painting #watercolourpainting #blogger #dailyblogger #winsorandnewton #instadaily #danielsmithwatercolors

-Thursday, 24th October 2024 - Dinner Party Happy 66th birthday to Tim. Now the proud owner of a free bus pass. You will see him waving front the top deck as he passes by when there is a bus as they are very few and far between. Tim's birthday present from me was to hold a dinner party. I had vowed never to host more than eight friends. Tonight we had 16 of us seated around a very long table. It was a generous gift. I love planning the menu. I love doing the cooking. I love having friends over for dinner. I love making the table look charming with ribbons on the napkins and candles. I don't even mind the clearing up. What I do not like is when they leave and I haven't had a chance to talk to them all evening. Thank you to everyone who came and shared a wonderful evening with us. I will catch up on the missing conversation soon. - - - #katesconnectedpostcardproject #apaintingaday #katerundell #artblog #dailyart #instaart #instaartist #watercolour #artoninstagram #artofinstagram #painting #watercolourpainting #blogger #dailyblogger #winsorandnewton #instadaily #danielsmithwatercolors

Wednesday, 23rd October 2024 - Turmeric Shot I am recovering from a stinking cold. Lindsey came over with restorative treats. I have healing tea, tangerines with vitamin C, a ginger shot and a turmeric shot. I was a bit apprehensive about the shots but they were surprisingly delightful. Thank you for making me feel better. Today I have been cooking in preparation for a dinner party tomorrow. I thought of my mum as I was lining the tart tins. She loved cooking. The pheasants are marinading, the coconut tarts cooling and bramley apples stewed. - - - #katesconnectedpostcardproject #apaintingaday #katerundell #artblog #dailyart #instaart #instaartist #watercolour #artoninstagram #artofinstagram #painting #watercolourpainting #blogger #dailyblogger #winsorandnewton #instadaily #danielsmithwatercolors

Tuesday, 22nd October 2024 - Pheasant It was tempting to hide in the back seat of my guests car. They were off to Dungeness. Unfortunately by the time I had dropped Tim off at the station they had left. I came home with chicken feed, bird seed and four pheasants. Lindsey was on my doorstep which was the perfect timing for a mug of tea. She has given me a book about a Hare. So thoughtful. I can't wait to start reading it. We have pheasants in the garden. We have oven ready pheasants in the fridge. - - - - #katesconnectedpostcardproject #apaintingaday #katerundell #artblog #dailyart #instaart #instaartist #watercolour #artoninstagram #artofinstagram #painting #watercolourpainting #blogger #dailyblogger #winsorandnewton #instadaily #danielsmithwatercolors

Monday, 21st October 2024 - Single Rose Monday has been a good day to catch up with what Harriet and Tom got up to over the weekend. Excellent and too much for write about. We talked about Christmas plans. I am a big fan of Christmas. We talked about Herbie's birthday plans. I am a big fan of birthdays. Happy children make a happy mother. Do you ever have FOMO. I have it today. My bnb guests arrived. I asked them as to their plans. They are spending three days visiting gardens and evenings eating at pubs. Sounds very appealing. I will get them to tell me about their days and plan my future days out. I have roses to put in the bed and breakfast rooms. I kept a single bloom for myself and it has made a lovely model for today's postcard. - - - - #katesconnectedpostcardproject #apaintingaday #katerundell #artblog #dailyart #instaart #instaartist #watercolour #artoninstagram #artofinstagram #painting #watercolourpainting #blogger #dailyblogger #winsorandnewton #instadaily #danielsmithwatercolors

Sunday, 20th October 2024 - Adam and Eve's Pears The local farm shop has its autumn apples and pears back in stock. Tim likes a soft pappy apple. I like a crisp one. There is no fighting over our fruit bowl. The pears are perfect with a chunk of cheddar cheese. Not much has been happening outside our home today. The wild wind and rain kept us inside where we have been very busy. Tim has been refurbishing our radiators. We are replacing the steel panelled ones with the older 'school' type. They look much more charming. I have been cleaning rooms, washing and ironing while listening to an audio book. Not the most adventurous day but good jobs done. We have been watching Capital. I found the finish frustrating. Too many stories left dangling. - - - #katesconnectedpostcardproject #apaintingaday #katerundell #artblog #dailyart #instaart #instaartist #watercolour #artoninstagram #artofinstagram #painting #watercolourpainting #blogger #dailyblogger #winsorandnewton #instadaily #danielsmithwatercolors

Saturday, 19th October 2024 - Hare It was our Weald of Kent Art Society open day and art sale in Tenterden today. 17 charming artists set up their wares. The event is to show the folks of Tenterden what we do and to entice in new members. The rain was incessant this morning but a sunny afternoon brought many visitors, sales and new members. A very jolly event. I did a linocut of a hare during quiet spells. I am going to ask Mike and Pippa for an invitation to their house in Fongrave so I can see a real one. - - - #katesconnectedpostcardproject #apaintingaday #katerundell #artblog #dailyart #instaart #instaartist #watercolour #artoninstagram #artofinstagram #painting #watercolourpainting #blogger #dailyblogger #winsorandnewton #instadaily #danielsmithwatercolors

Friday, 18th October 2024 - Angry Bluetit I had both bnb rooms to do today. I started with great energy and got one turned around, by the time the second room was vacated I had waned in energy. I wanted to be in my studio getting ready for tomorrow's open day. So I abandoned stripping the bed and cleaning the toilet. My day of arty creating was just what I wanted and needed. I had a sandwich in the garden. It was so warm for an October day. I watched blue tits battling with the now feisty nuthatch. The blue bits looked sooo cross. Perfect for today's postcard. - - - #katesconnectedpostcardproject #apaintingaday #katerundell #artblog #dailyart #instaart #instaartist #watercolour #artoninstagram #artofinstagram #painting #watercolourpainting #blogger #dailyblogger #winsorandnewton #instadaily #danielsmithwatercolors

Thursday, 17th October 2024 - Foraging for Sorrel My culinary skills were put to the test this morning with poached eggs, scrambled eggs, toasting bread, baking pain au chocolate and slicing fresh fruit salad. I jest. A full English breakfast is a thing of the past that I do not regret taking off my breakfast menu. And now I get to stay in bed for an extra half an hour. I have been printing lino prints in my studio. Some have been upside down and back to front. What a messy process. It's very relaxing and pleasing when they come out the right way round. It was text that I was experimenting with today. A recipe in a soup book got Tim and I on a foraging mission. We were looking for sorrel. The first field yielded very little. Nothing in the woods. A field next to lake was peppered with the delightful spear shaped plants. Our harvest is being make into soup as I type. We are testing a recipe for an upcoming dinner party. Tonight I am off to watch Tom Marsh demonstrate something in oils with the WOKAS group. - - - #katesconnectedpostcardproject #apaintingaday #katerundell #artblog #dailyart #instaart #instaartist #watercolour #artoninstagram #artofinstagram #painting #watercolourpainting #blogger #dailyblogger #winsorandnewton #instadaily #danielsmithwatercolors

Wednesday, 16th October 2024 - Sweet Chestnuts for Wisdom I woke up alone. Tim had left and gone to London before my eyes had opened. A mug of tea kept me company to start my Wednesday. I have been going through photos to make up a poster for the WOKAS Open Day on Saturday. Seeing pictures of the grandchildren as babies, toddlers and the antics they got up to and the defeats they have made me feel squeezy of my heart - I love them so much. The trees are turning and the ripening sweet chestnuts are being closely watched by the squirrels. - - - #katesconnectedpostcardproject #apaintingaday #katerundell #artblog #dailyart #instaart #instaartist #watercolour #artoninstagram #artofinstagram #painting #watercolourpainting #blogger #dailyblogger #winsorandnewton #instadaily #danielsmithwatercolors

Tuesday, 15th October 2024 - Favourite Fields I have been in my studio (I love my studio) printing linocut cards for the WOKAS open day this coming Saturday in Tenterden. We are in Highbury Hall that is not the most exclusive of venues but excellent for its location. Pop in is you are passing. I have been experimenting with our air fryer. It cooks fish tastily. I tried chips to go with our cod. They tasted more like crips. I will persevere. Today's postcard is of a view of fields that we walk frequently. Sometimes alone, sometimes with Tom and Fable, sometimes with family and sometimes with friends. I would like to show it to Tom's friend when she visits next time. - - - - #katesconnectedpostcardproject #apaintingaday #katerundell #artblog #dailyart #instaart #instaartist #watercolour #artoninstagram #artofinstagram #painting #watercolourpainting #blogger #dailyblogger #winsorandnewton #instadaily #danielsmithwatercolors