Putin Thanks Trump. Prime Minister Basking in Acclaim. Painting with milk.

Some constructive news out of the US today, courtesy of President Putin. he thanked President Trump Personally for the information given to the Russian security forces about a planned terror attack. Weapons, explosives and extremist literature were apparently found with terrorists planning ISIS like attacks in St Petersburg.

Closer to home, Prime Minister Theresa May is shrugging off comments by hard brexiteers on last Fridays agreement on the transition period. These included claims.of the UK becoming an EU "Vassal State" by mirroring EU regulations during that period. The dominant Tory noises were of praise for her negotiating skills, recommendations she hardens her control on the cabinet and even, that she should seek cross party support for planning the shape of Brexit. Most notable was the suggestion that she stay as Prime Minister till 2021, the subtext presumably being , let her deal with the poison chalice of Brexit and only challenge her leadership when it has been disposed of.

A busy Christmas preparation day today, packing the small gifts for our community cafe regulars. i also went out for an hour in the afternoon to sell the Milton Local History Group calendars door to door, successfully finding homes for ten.

Having been with the German restorators' delegation a month ago, the Pope caught my attention. Not that he needed restoration, rather, it was reported that milk paint was being used instead of modern paint to redecorate the papal Belvedere Palace. It dates back to 1484 and houses the precious art of the Vatican Museums.

Milk based paint was very popular before the introduction of synthetic paints. The casein protein within the milk is modified by the addition of lime and, when applied to porous surfaces, provides a very durable coating. In liquid form, the paint has to be used within a day of being prepared, but it can be purchased in powder form, to be activated by the addition of water.

To make it yourself, you curdle low fat milk with either vinegar or lemon juice and separate out the curds from the whey. The curds are then mixed with lime and dye and applied. The surface has to be porous for the paint to bind, so wood and pottery as well as presumably stone or brick walls are suitable. The paint can be applied in layers and has a translucent quality. Once dry, it can be sealed with any of a variety of top coatings. The Earth Pigments site gives a recipe here: http://www.earthpigments.com/milk-paint-with-lime/.