Illustration Friday: Resolutions (and happy new year, and a salad)

Elizabeth, feeling really anxious, was determined to go to her, though the carriage was not to be had; and as she was no horsewoman, walking was her only alternative. She declared her resolution.
“How can you be so silly,” cried her mother, “as to think of such a thing, in all this dirt! You will not be fit to be seen when you get there.”
– Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen

Happy new year! Here is Lizzie Bennett, jumping puddles.

I have been largely out of action for the last two weeks, but have several projects to do, so I’m warming up on some Regency sketches (pen with quick digital colour) based on a variety of fashion plates from the era:

The January blog header is in keeping:

In other news, Christmas was merry. I have been between jobs for 2 weeks and would have been climbing the walls if I hadn’t hurt my back. I started my new job today (yay!), but yesterday I twisted my ankle. I have at least been writing – it is easier to do at odd angles – and my short story “Mouseskin” has gone to Fablecroft’s After the Rain anthology! The rain has slowed down here – in fact, after a cold November and cool December the sun is blistering – but flood waters are still rising across Queensland. If you want to give to the Salvation Army, they accept specific donations, but Red Cross do not – they are instead in charge of distributing the Premier’s Disaster Relief Fund.

Here is an easy, very Queensland salad which people seem to like (at a neighbourhood Christmas party, one of my neighbours sat down with the serving plate and a spoon and polished it off). It is also very fast:

Prawn, Mango and Fetta Salad

Buy cooked peeled prawns and chop them into 2 or 3 pieces, pile them on a pretty glass plate with diced fresh mango and diced Danish fetta, drizzle liberally with sweet chilli sauce.

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