Is that a cow in the snow?

I am very happy to report that Freya had an excellent day today. She ate, she went for a short walk, she snored a lot and, best of all, she gave a short quokka dance when Mirinda came home from zumba. She was back to her normal self. I have no idea how long it will last so I enjoyed it while I could.

Given that Mirinda went into Stockholm after lunch, I had a lot of time to spend with both dogs today. Mind you, that was not the case first thing as I headed for the stuga to finish the latest draft of my book, implementing Nicoline’s editorial improvements. As the word count passed the 60,000 mark, I decided to, once more, put it to bed for a bit.

It is always best to put it aside after completing a writing stage. Rather than ploughing on, I think I’ll start work on my next book. The freshness of a new story will be a great pleasure, I’m sure. If nothing else, I’m looking forward to finding out what new adventure Suki Banes, my erstwhile heroine, will get caught up in next.

The other thing I did today was make a batch of herby crackers ahead of the Friday French Feast. I was very happy with them. Obviously, they are a Geraldine recipe and delicious. I may have had a few taste test samples. Just to make sure, you understand.

Tomorrow I will be a captive of the kitchen as I begin my preparations in earnest.

But, of course, the highlight of the day was my art class. Being a Wednesday I was once more in front of my laptop from 18:20, ready to absorb as much theory and history as I could.

Tonight’s lectures were about Naturalism and Realism and how such artists as Gustave Courbet turned the artistic cognescenti against him as he painted real people on monumental canvases in very ordinary scenes.

The Paris salon people were so unhappy with his painting of A Burial at Ornans that they refused to show it. Courbet shrugged off this snub and, instead, hired a big building and held his own exhibition.

His action led to a big change for Realist painters at the time. Before Courbet, the Paris Salon was seen as the leading arbiter of what art should be and look like. Emulating Courbet, artists started displaying their work in private galleries, believing that great art was more in the eye of the beholder rather than a bunch of snobs at the top.

We also looked at the Pre-Raphaelites and the effect they had on the British art scene, leading to the Arts and Crafts movement which, ironically, strove to create simple things for the people who, ultimately could not afford to buy them. Though they made them. Shades of The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists if you ask me.

Again, it was a wonderful couple of lectures led, once more by Dr Amy Mechowski. And I even asked a question. Again.

While discussing Courbet’s painting, The Diligence in the Snow, I asked if one of the animals was in fact a cow and, if so, why. Dr Amy wasn’t sure but said she’d check. I wasn’t being facetious. It really did look like a cow. And, given it was an example of Realism, I was intrigued to know.

But, here, you decide.

My apologies for the bad quality but, really, is that person riding a cow or not?

Oh, and Ann Blyth died today aged 98. From natural causes. She was one of the last of the Hollywood actors of the golden age of film. Her story is interesting when you consider she broke her back then got better and made lots of movies, did musicals and had time for kids.