Isn't everybody's inner drive to be creative amazing? I don't just mean the all singing, all dancing creativity which makes for great artists, writers and musicians but the quiet creative force that's in all of us and which bubbles to the surface in so many different ways. Looking at the children I am constantly struck by this- Hugo (aged 9) has a great writing and poetic ability, Will (aged 5) has an urgent need to draw his experiences and is a mad comic book maker and Mide (aged 3) tells stories and generally makes a mess! With them it's just there without any of the baggage grown-ups attach to being creative. Exactly when on our journey do we become afraid and stop the make-and-do? I've been busy all week making bunting and printing lino-cuts and generally getting in a flap about the Rossnaree Fair and the boys have worked around my mess at the dining room table, giving words of encouragement (thankfully). But I just had to show Will doing a spot of well, I don't quite know what you'd call it... He has all his doctor set laid out on the table and he is using his "Maltweezers" (no joke, it's darn hard to tweeze with a Malteezer!) to lift white and blue blood cells from a bucket of water. Needless to say these are not real blood cells- he used drawing pins with coloured plastic tops and I know blood cells don't come in blue but I think if you stretch back our blood lines there is royalty in there somewhere... He's wearing goggles on his head just to be on the safe side and a massive grin as he finally lifts a blood cell from the watery depths- honestly this game lasted all day-the creative mind at work! So let that bit of creative genius out once in a while-it might surprise you-and let me know how you get on...