One of my curses/blessings is that once I get focussed on something, I just don't stop.

Take today, for example.

First, I made cupcakes (chocolate with coffee icing, and chocolate fish on top), then wiped down the table, popped in a movie, and started practicing my calligraphic hand.

Specifically, I was testing out the wording for the Valorous Warrior scroll I'm working on. I'm more of a painter and less of a calligrapher, so I'm covering almost the entire page with painting.

Which leaves me very little room for all the words (many of which are unnecessary, in my opinion, but hey, I didn't write it).

I have to make the letters five millimeters high, with three millimeters in between each line (for the stems of b's, d's, p's, y's, etc) in order to cram all the words into the tiny space I have left.

Even then, I'm a little worried about the tight space I've left for the recipient's name, and the Prince and Princess' name.

My hands are cramped into claws, and splattered with ink stains.

But really, I love my hands that way. My hands mirror my life, callouses across the palms from work, sawdust, chocolate and paint ground into the grooves, and ink smudges up the sides of my fingers.

They are hands of a good life, a useful life.

They are also hands which will get a good scrub before I go to bed. I really do have chocolate under my fingernails.

Ah, I wish my calligraphy were neater. I am doing a late period, gothic (I think) hand.

The kind where you can barely tell the difference between the letters, because a mere flick of ink is all that indicates one is different from the next.

I don't want the letters to touch, but I want them to *almost* touch. The space between words should be fractionally bigger.

Agh. Still, I don't think I will practice again. I think I will dive into the final copy tomorrow, once I've fiddled out a few more details in pencil.

It will be beautiful. I will tell you right now, it will be beautiful. I plan to knock some socks off with this scroll.

I don't mean to be cocky, or a braggart. But I *am* good at what I do. I am not the best, but I'm above average.

I am also tired. My eyes are buggy from squinting at the tiny calligraphy for so long. At least I know it all fits in the space I have, though.

I wonder how my mother is doing. Nana's funeral was today.

.

Rosie.

Before&After