How spicy is cinnamon?

I had an intriguing email from a newish acquaintance this week, who I know reads my blog, and who surprised (and delighted!!!) me by telling me that he is "living vanilla and hiding spice" - (which I think is a gorgeous phrase) - and that the spices he is hiding are not much more exciting than say cinnamon. So now, I'm wondering ...... how spicy cinnamon is? If I was to consider cinnamon I would say that its a very sensuous spice, full of deep exotic flavours, with rich undertones and a longing desire for more of its subtle tastes. A spice that adds a lot of pleasure to a forbidden fruit........

I've finished the commission of the house painting that I was asked to do a couple of weeks ago, and need to get some more paintings done for a small exhibition I've got at the end of this month. Not many ideas yet for what I'm going to do - but since its not an erotic exhibition, I suppose it'll be mostly landscapes. I need to get a couple of paintings done this weekend, and have a basic idea for one I want to do of the Charles Bridge in Prague. I've got a lovely photo, from when I was there, taken in low afternoon sunlight, pointing the camera directly into the sun, which leaves the buildings, and people and their long shadows, almost black with subtle greys and the rest of the colours are washed out creams and rich golden yellows. The photo inspires me, so it should motivate me to paint a decent picture of it - possibly in mixed media? I don't know.... maybe I'll start it in watercolours and see how it goes, but I don't think I'll get the depth of greys and black deep enough just in watercolours, so perhaps inks might be the answer, as they are still translucent, and won't deaden the blacks leaving the painting lifeless. Or perhaps I'll start with a totally black background and paint the "light" onto it instead... a sort of negatively painted painting, using acrylics as they will achieve the depth of colour I'm after.