Well that was fun

[altivo]

Thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes, I really do appreciate being remembered so thoughtfully. (Especially since I tend to be very forgetful about such things myself.)

Gary and I had plans to go out for dinner to a place we like but they are on winter hours and not open on Monday, so that gets shelved for the weekend. Instead he made dinner, with several things I really like including broccoli with hollandaise and salmon patties. There's cake yet to come.

He also got me a really neat present. I've wanted one of these for ages, so long that I'd given up looking for it. They are quite expensive but he assures me he found a bargain. It's an artist's horse "manikin" (or should that be "ponikin"?) Made of polished wood with all the right adjustable joints, a flexible neck and graceful tail, it can be posed appropriately for practice drawing. I just think it's a really cool piece of art in itself. I also received a tiny plush horsie and a book on drawing horses with some art supplies and a sketchpad.

More than made up for the gray and drippy day today, and may even distract me from the predicted cold tomorrow and tomorrow night.

Then we watched Wallace & Gromit in "A Case of Loaf or Death" which we hadn't yet seen.

Comments

[lobowolf.livejournal.com]

Very nice, and belated birthday wishes! (I fail at birthdays).

[altivo.livejournal.com]

I do to, so we're even. *hugs* Thanks.

[lobowolf.livejournal.com]

Good, I don't feel so bad then :)

*slurrrrrrrrrrrp*

[merik.livejournal.com]

Happy birthday! Glad to hear that you had a good one :-)

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Thanks. Yes, it was very nice.

[atomicat.livejournal.com]

That is just beautiful! I'm sure we both know a few who would appreciate it to pieces.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

The box doesn't say where it was made, much to my surprise. I'm sure it's not American. Judging by the packing material, somewhere in Asia.

[loriana.livejournal.com]

*hugs you tight*
I am sorry that I was full of fail yesterday on getting here to tell you happy birfday. I hope a day late still works :/

*HUGS*
I hope that today is as nice a day for you as your birthday was.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Mmmm. *hugs back* No need to feel guilty, I have no expectation that anyone make a big deal about my birthday. But I'll take hugs any time. ;D

[hrrunka]

Belated birthday wishes. The "ponikin" looks cool. :)

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Thanks. Yes, it is nifty. About a foot tall, and I'm going to have to clean off my desk so I have a place to put it.

[flamekist.livejournal.com]

I hope that was real hollandaise and not the powdered kind. Huge difference! And now you've got me wanting some. Once again I feel the need to travel 1000+ miles just to have dinner at Oak Grove.

Your ponikin is beautiful! I had no idea they made them but after seeing that one I'm not surprised. So graceful!

Wallace & Gromit for the win! \o/

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Actually neither. He combines Hellman's mayonnaise and lemon to get a very creditable version.

I first saw the horse model years ago in a catalog from Flax Artist's Supplies. It was about $150 and I just couldn't justify spending that much for it. I looked for one on and off in art supply places for years after that, but never found it. I had in fact forgotten the whole thing, or at least suppressed it. I remember trying to find one on Ebay or the internet without success, because it's difficult to describe properly. This one came from a place called Cheap Joe's Art Supply according to the shipping box. Gary is good at finding odd things when he decides to do it, but also prone to spend more than he should. This time he did get it for a lot less than the original price I had seen.

[felder.livejournal.com]

Hee! I had a similar model, except mine is white wood, not treated. I should use it to draw too.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Yep, they come both natural and stained to bay. ;p

It's very well made and can execute very realistic poses. (Also some impossible ones unless the horse is double jointed.)

[herefox.livejournal.com]

Happy belated birthday! Work has still been killing me so I'm pretty behind, I'm afraid.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I've been having some interesting spinning adventures too, and need to post photos of small samples of qiviut, chow dog, and different colors of yak.

[jumpyfox.livejournal.com]

Thinking of you often. I don't go online like I used to. Happy Belated Birthday!

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Thanks. Yes, I have noticed your absence and wondered if you were OK.

[jumpyfox.livejournal.com]

Thanks for your concern. My life has been very touch and go for me lately... I hope to meet you some day.