There are no pigeons this year.
I think I have blackbirds nesting in the hydrangea and sparrows in the ivy, but absolutely no pigeons.
Some of you may remember me leaving my spare room window open when I went to visit my folks in Cornwall last year. Upon my return I found a makeshift nest in the corner behind the coat stand. It looked like it had been put together from my houseplants and a fair amount of additional homemade sticky matter. Two big bald babies blinked at me from the untidy pile and two proud but anxious parents flustered about on the windowsill. It was surprising, shocking, and quite exciting actually … a bit like when I found a baby fox under my sofa. And quite a talking point when I had people round: Come upstairs and visit my indoor aviary!
They took ages to fledge. I left fresh seed on the sill each day for the parents, and they came and went through a small gap I left in the window. Pretty soon the pigeonlets had built a little avenue of detritus along one wall and a second nest in the other corner under a sizeable weeping fig. A real home from home. They learnt to fly by jumping from successively higher shelves of a well-stocked bookcase, and my carpets became their safe soft landings. I’ll need to do a big tidy up of course, but instead, once my birds had flown, I just closed the door (and windows!) and left it all. What I’m thinking is, it can be an expensive job for another time and I’ll not worry my head over it. One day I’ll likely do a makeover on the lovely little room at the top of Toftie Towers. Meantime my handsome pigeons will sit tapping on my bathroom window, no doubt hoping to be let in for a rematch. Very cute.
Isn’t it funny how some jobs (new carpets, painting ceilings, cleaning books) can wait, whilst others (updating the flower boxes, trying out new recipes, painting pictures) absolutely cannot? Our lives grow shorter by the day and I’m so grateful to have the energy for long walks in dappled woods. The things I really don’t fancy doing can wait, is what I mean. Where’s the harm in that?
I’ve found my Mojo once again (what an excellent name for a wayward dog, methinks) and once more I’m back to my splishy sploshy paintings at the studio. For all of my Online Specials I’m giving a little flavour of what I’ve been up to: a mini show at the end of May. Pop over for a browse here at SamToftOriginals in a few weeks where the new work will appear as if by magic 29th May. And if you wanted to buy but happen to miss out on these eight lovely new paintings, I have a big London show at Panter and Hall, Pall Mall mid-November, and they send worldwide, so that’s a bonus.
It’s my first London show in three years and I’m really enjoying making the work. There’ll be a set of original drawings from my Big Picture project and lots of new paintings large and small. I’m hoping some of the ideas nestling scruffily in my sketchbooks will take flight at last like my fat little pigeons.
For the Panter and Hall show please join their mailing list at the bottom of their page here, mention my name and they’ll keep you up to date with private views, pre-sales and such like.
By contrast, for my own small online shows at SamToftOriginals we operate a separate priority list, comprising previous Sam Toft Originals buyers and Club members, who get access 24 hours before. Details of 2026 membership here.
For small gifts we have a separate website Mustard General Store at mustardgeneralstore.co.uk There’s lots to see but our gorgeous luxury cushions will be discontinued very soon. The current supplier is going out of business- a last-minute thing with no notice – so the final date for ordering those is 15th May. It’s a UK only service but my sister who runs the shop at samtoft.co.uk may be getting together some hampers for our US customers, watch that space!!
Thank you for reading. I know I don’t write often but I think of you a lot and appreciate you being there.
Big love,
Sam Toft
X