I have a full day of meetings today, and my parents are arriving very, very soon from America. I'm really looking forward to seeing them - it's been AGES - but I'm anticipating the repetition of this conversation:
Parents: Oh, why don't you do [insert practical household fixer-up activity]?
Me: We'd love to, I just haven't had the time.
Parents: You work too hard, we're worried you're becoming a workaholic.
Me: What do I want on my gravestone, 'Talented illustrator' or 'She kept her house in perfect condition'?
Parents: *significant looks at each other*
I do have friends who are illustrators and have balanced home-work lives, look after themselves well and have tidy houses. We have conversations over coffee about how they never seem to be able to get any work. ...Can you hear me regressing to my 17-year-old self already?
Anyway. Speaking of the macabre, I'm really looking forward to seeing the Royal Ballet version of Raven Girl, Audrey Niffenegger's new novel, illustrated with aquatint etchings. You can book tickets here, and the fabulous Hayley Campbell has published an interview with Audrey in The New Statesman. Well worth a read!
