meet the team for 2026
It has been lovely to have a few days off over Christmas, and I’ve now migrated my diary info over to this year’s Leuchtturm, and am starting to consider a soft start back to work. I have increased my birdwatching logbook prices in line with inflation, so I have updated my pricing info and new jacket images for my 13 titles on the teleordering system, and now need to inform all my stockists. Meanwhile, I have been considering the year ahead, and was pleased to find, while musing, that I don’t feel as if anything major needs a rethink. I do want to go to London a bit more and as such have organised membership of Tate, to give me a focus. It’s really easy to get to Tate Modern, and for many years it was my sort of spiritual home. Being a member means I don’t have to pay or book to go into exhibitions which means I get to see a lot more variety than I otherwise would, if I relied solely on what I think will be interesting. There’s also the Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant exhibition in the autumn at Tate Britain, and I will definitely want to have a look around that.
This Betwixtmas week is always a bit strange, and as someone who doesn’t really celebrate the New Year, I am never quite sure what to do, but I have my new paint from Little Greene (thanks mum and dad!) so I think I’ll decorate my walls and sort out the bookshelf and my desk as I make way for the new colour. I’m not a big fan of resolutions, but it is good to review the year and make sure I’m on track for the next few months, and have the big things blocked out. I don’t have the sort of life which can be planned so but I like to have a few core principles in place, and perhaps write down some intentions and ideas.
While I was waiting for my laptop to charge this morning I thought I’d swatch my <a href="http://<a href="https://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=79140&awinaffid=2698624&campaign=blog&ued=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.jacksonsart.com%2Fschmincke-horadam-gouache-paint" target="_blank" rel="sponsored">SchminkeSchmincke Horadam gouache paints, something I’ve not done before. I bought myself some new ones for Christmas, and I need to check in with what I have as I approach the Ecuadorian birds with some new-year-vigour.
I need to get another magenta, and replace my Windsor & Newton lemon yellow with a Schmincke one. The granulating watercolours don’t really do their thing on cartridge paper so I might swatch them again on Khadi or watercolour paper. I think I’ve got a good selection now.
Are you a New Year’s resolution person, or do you watch with interest as the year unfolds?
