Camdenhurst St. Stepney - Tuesday 9th August 1977

Dear C , R & A, Hope you are all well. Just thought I'd send you one of my posters for your perusal, or your coal shed. At the bottom it should read "Supported By The Greater London Arts Association", but as it does not acknowledge them in this fashion I'm afraid I won't be getting the £50 grant they offered me. Very annoying. I was out in my bountiful garden this afternoon, weeding , hoeing and generally messing about. I planted some leeks but I think it's rather too late for such a move. Have to wait and see I suppose. I pulled the broad beans out and lifted my onions to dry off. The runner beans have lots of blossom and bees so I'm hoping for a bumper crop there. The sunflowers are rather stunted but beautiful all the same silent sentinels around the edge of my little allotment , nodding at each other in the breeze. Have you heard from Bill and Lynne yet? Bill scratched his phone number on my front door but that's as near as they've got to actually communicating with me. I sent them a letter as the public phone box near here is little better than a public urinal! I have a great gas cooker now courtesy of Dick's Auntie Joan. Dick came round to fix it up for me. What a kind fellow. They have also invited me to Paris for a couple of weeks to stay with Richard Bollard. I hope to scrape enough money togther to go, as I feel I've earned a short holiday after my traumatic scrapyard and beetroot experiences! "Take It From Here" is on later tonight which I am looking forward to, and I believe the Goons are being repeated next week. Hooray! I am reading Norman Lindsay's autobiography at the moment which is quite amusing ( for an Australian ). He wrote "The Magic Pudding", a lovely book, also a Tom Sawyerish trilogy that includes "Saturdee" "Redheap" and "Halfway To Anywhere", which I urge you to read if you haven't already. It's really nice not having to use that nasty camping gaz stove of my brother-in-laws anymore. Now I can cook pies, flans and baked potatoes and not end of interesting things. Cooking has become a pleasure again. I have a couple of things in the Whitechapel Open, which I've told you about I'm sure. The show itself is rather more interesting than previous years as they've tended to show work by young practicing artists from the area and not so much "sunday painters" stuff. Nothing sold yet unfortunately , not that I expect it really. I have a good organic gardening book that Dick and Cheryl gave me. I've been reading how to make effective sprays with garlic and household refuse, also what herbs and flowers keep pests away. Very useful. I do hope you are well and will write soon. Love Michael.