A postcard from China

Well, we're four postcards in and still none the wiser as to quite who this mysterious X and Y are and why they are globe-trotting at such an alarming rate. How are they collecting their post from their mail boxes? Are they stopping off in between trips or do they have an accomplice forwarding their mail?

It seems that this week X finds herself in Shanghai, just in time for Chinese New Year. Coincidence or intentional? She doesn't so much as hint the little minx (or should that be Mingx?).

Y has been no help either. And what's with the way X keeps getting hold of these cards - ancient stores down back alleys and little boy artists giving them to her? There's more to this than meets the eye - I am sure of it.

I wonder what she's been dreaming about... Or shouldn't we ask?!

If you are entirely bemused yet still reading by this point, you may like to read the back story here, or pop over to Darcy's blog for another 50 or so postcards from China and their own unique stories.

I'm also posting to Paint Party Friday given that a) it's Friday; b) this is a painting; and c) I haven't had time to paint anything else this week!

Dragon Slayer

You might be forgiven for thinking that at last I am actually making some headway with my fantasy fiction. Well... there will be a dragon in it, which may or may not get slain but this has nothing to do with the title of this post. Dragon Slayer is the name attached to a mythical piece of armour carried by the legend that is St George. The front of the shield was embellished with precious jewels set deep into the silver plate. These shining adornments had been cut from the belly of the dragon-foe now depicted on the face of the silver shield. What you see depicted here is a true replica of the legendary defence used by the brave George to do battle with all that was un-holy and fearsome. It was with this very shield that the Saint rescued the Princess from certain death when her foolish villagers sent her as sacrifice when they needed water (when Northamptonshire had a poisoned waterhole last year, we went to Tesco which was a less drastic measure).

Truth is, this dragon actually represents my fall into 'competitive Mom-hood' as my five year old was sent home from school with a note inviting him to enter a competition to make a shield that even St George would be proud of. Well, I could have just given him a sheet of A4 paper and a couple of crayons but that's not the Wright way. I have to instill him in the creative urge! So, we sat and scrunched up tissue paper and got sticky with glue and created Dragon Slayer. He did help quite a bit - honest... even though he moaned that scunching up bits of paper was boring. Kids today eh?