Illustration Friday - Renewal

A brief interlude in the 12 Days of Christmas. Illustration Friday this week is Renewal. To me one of life's most perfect things is an egg, particularly a hen's egg. All that promise in cookery terms from the simple boiled, fried, poached or scrambled through glorious pavlovas, cakes, soufflés etc. There is also the potential for new life. The downside for me at this time of year is that the short days mean that my own hens stop laying for a few weeks. They also go through a moult, losing some of their feathers before they are renewed once more with shiny plumage and their combs standing up red and proud again. During this time I have to buy in eggs that come with a date stamp on the side. I also work in the library where books are stamped with their dates for renewal. This and Jack in the Beanstalk, well it is the pantomime season……….. Well you can see where the thoughts came from. I really must invest in some watercolour paper, this has come up all crinkly.