Wayney Goes To Heaven

I think I may have been a little harsh with the entrants of the previous competition last night - I was suffering from a bout of bad temper caused by about 30,000 gallons of water falling on my head all day, and half a gallon of beer which was taken in a vain attempt to lift my spirits.

So, as a gesture of goodwill (as my bank calls it when they reluctantly agree to refund my own money which they have quietly stolen from me), I am not only going to wipe the slate clean of all negative points, but award each and every one of you a free and gratis bonus point for having entered into the spirit of things in the first place.

Friday is the worker's 'POET'S' day here in England (Piss Off Early, Tomorrow's Saturday), and this coming Monday is - thanks to a thousand year-long struggle by the Unions - a Bank Holiday, which means that all that dancing around the Maypole naked that we should have done on Tuesday has been put forward a few days for the sake of the economy.

Yesterday was a generally sad and depressing day anyway, beginning with the news that John's beloved Mabel was no longer a slobbering, farting presence in Blogtopia, and no sooner had I read that than I picked up the catalogue for the sale of the paintings and chattels of the recently deceased British painter, Craigie Aitchison.

It was so sad to see all his brightly coloured knick-knacks put together in a heap for sale and dispersal, and then I came across the painting (in the above bad photo taken straight from the catalogue - sorry) 'Wayney goes to Heaven', made after the death of one of his beloved Bedlington Terriers, depicting the doggie as a spirit floating upwards above the crescent moon.

That has always been one of my favourite of his paintings - I wonder what it sold for.

I think I mentioned in a previous post that Craigie's surviving Bedlingtons (two, I think) have now moved to Bath and are now in the care of a gay couple who were good friends of his, and who also happen to be friends with some friends of mine - I have yet to bump into the famous dogs on the street, but I am looking forward to it.

Craigie Aitchison used to arrive in the early morning at his studio to paint, and on his final day, he was found sitting dead in his painting chair with the two Bedlingtons sitting faithfully at his feet.

So, contemplating all the bright colours on a day as grey as yesterday had an insidious effect on me which I am going to try to dispel today.  Looking on the bright side, once these colours are out in the world, they never fade so long as they are never forgotten.

Right - today's quiz is a single crossword-puzzle clue (2 down) - 3 points for the correct answer:

Over-worked postman.