What with the pandemic and the necessity of behaving sensibly over the festive season, I am not sure how many of us will get to church this year. But whatever you do, remember that it is Christmas when we celibate the coming of Jesus into this world, so be thankful, think of others and have a jolly good time.

Lots of Love from Charles and Liz.

 su

I am always grateful in having a patient, supportive wife, for without such my artistic efforts would would certainly be much curtailed. The reason I say that is because as well as the ongoing sculpture, my ink work is also progressing. The research into my woodland project is tricky at the moment due to mobility issues, therefore most of my thinking is done around the many thousands of photographs which I have taken over the past few years. The above, which I finished yesterday is a good example. It is of a lane in the Bocage, near to Valognes in Normandy. the area is full of tiny deep, wooded, winding lanes, which twist endlessly around equally tiny fields and hamlets. Liz and myself had a super week there a few years ago with friends.

At the same time the boats are coming along just fine and are such good fun. Above is a Star Wars X winged fighter flying above the rest of the sculpture. The fighter is held in position by fine wire, which is positioned and painted in such a way as to be almost invisible. Ridiculous yes, but I am enjoying myself

 

Well today is a sculpture day.

Over the last few days the boxes which fit behind the frames have been made, glued, clamped, primed, painted and finally sanded down. Trying to find a gap in the light drizzle to work outside was frustrating, but we managed it yesterday. So last night the first half completed boat went into the box and was firmly glued in place. Now is the fun bit of putting everything into the boat.

Sculpture two is also boxed and the base plate for the work inserted. The boat is put in place and the job now is constructing the water all around the boat. this involves heating up a large amount of glue in order to make all the textures, while not making it so hot that the boat is burn to a cinder, a difficult balance. I will add that water is on hand in case it does catch fire and the room is very well ventilated. So that needs to be left for about a week now for the glue to harden.

Believe it or not the next job is researching the Star wars x fighter and then making one about 1 inch in size. They call this work, I call it fun!

Well must get on.

Art wise it has been an exciting week, two realy good inks came to fruition and the sculptures moved on well, but first the ink work.

The one I would like to show you is of a rather remote lane at Polsden Lacey and is an exerciser in rendering the effects of light. When people think about shadows and light, the matter is normally simplified to light and dark; in truth it is normally a little more complex that When light is passing through trees, this  is a good example of how this light can work. First there is direct light and shadow, then reflected light and reflected shadow. That's not to complex, but then colour starts misbehaving as well because, as shadows often show the opposite side of the color circle to the original color; all very unbelievable, but it works. However the above is all about direct and reflected light and shadow; I didn't worry about the color. Hope you like it.

Now the boats, no exciting photo today as the work has all been on building the box frames, which does not make an exciting photo, however all is coming along nicely.

 

In the last couple of weeks, every kind of weather has come our way; snow, rain, wind sun, cold and even quiet gentle warmth; it has been a little varied. So it is time to travel again. Today is Budapest and a short tale at my expense. 

We loved this ancient city and learned such a great deal about of its culture; however one morning Liz wanted the nice touristy bit, so we walked across the city to its magnificent cathedral. In front of this splendid building is a grand square, surrounded by very posh shops, coffee establishments and places to spend a great deal; of money. Understandably I wanted to paint , So after much searching we came to the conclusion the the Subway quick food cafe offered the best view. We did enjoy a Fanta bottle of pop there as I drew the above. Maybe I should have painted from one of the rand coffee shops?You know I think that there is still a need for forgiveness for that one. Liz certainly reminds me of that on occasion.

Now the boat sculptures are ongoing, above is one of many layers of PVA  glue drying. As this happens, I heat it up with an industrial paint stripper, until it boils and slowly push it into the wave shapes using tweezers, spatulas and an assortment of cast off dental tools. Good ventilation is essential and great care constantly as to the risk of fire, but with care the process works. The above is only the beginning, it is ongoing. See you all soon.

!

 

This morning was cold, indeed exceedingly chilly, but needs be, so a walk was in order, so after saying cheerio to Liz, of I trundled into town along the canal towpath. Everywhere was white and lovely, people whom I passed all said good morning with a smile; a pleasant walk!

A photo of a cold snowy canal bank was just too easy. So a closer look was needed and by my foot was this superb flowering clover.  It seemed to say everything about being cold and chilly. A simple photo, a lovely moment and a super walk. Remember look closer at things before moving on.

The boats and what is happening there, well progress in being made.

The rough construction of both the boats is completed, above is a harbor type of rowing boat based on a traditional craft from the Shetland Isles. You can still see the Viking influence in the construction.

 At the moment I am wrestling with making the sea waves on a beach. Remember apart from a little glue and paint, it is all paper, but more about that on another day.

 

Those of you who know me well. will be aware that on occasion I take my hand towards maritime sculpture, from the discarded scraps of paper from around my desk. So after having just recieved a commision to produce two of the sculptures, it seemd a good idea to share the process with you over the next few weeks. There are two boats on my desk, firstly in the distance is a prety usual nondiscript harbour dingy and secondly a rowing boat from the Shetlands Islands, which is a direct decendant of the Viking longships.

You might notice that the hulls are both clinker built (overlapping) plank on frame conctruction. The lower one shows the frames drying in place. More to follow.

For the purists who might be concerned that my ink work is being neglected; here is an ink of a very cold morning on Exmore, produced from a photo taken a while ago. The idea was to draw this lonely deserted tree against the sky and clouds, all in ink; so how do you draw a light cloured sky, with a black line; quite a tall order?

 

 Well maybe not the best example of scanning (the sky has reproduced a little uneven) which I have ever done, but it is of the town center in Vietese in the south eastern corner of Italy, which we visited a few years ago. The heal of Italy, as it is oftern refered to, is a much neglected area of Italy from the visitors point of view. Financialy and economicaly it is among the poorer areas of the ecountry; in spite of this it was one of the more welcoming places which we hve visited in that country. In our travels often find that by getting into the more rural and less afluent financial areas we find a much warmer welcome. Thats quite a thought and says a great deal about our society and way of life.

The painting method used was ever so simple. A few very loose washes, followed when it was dry (in that heat only a few moments) with a  very simple and basic drawing, using a pen. The whole painting took about 20 minuets.

I love England and in particular, Surrey, but I do miss the lovely warm sun.

 Sorry about the short gap in showing you all my work, but life has been a tad busy over the last few weeks. For those of you who were not aware, my wife has had a serious accident; thankfully she is now on a what will be a rather lengthy road to recovery; thankfuly everything is looking brighter. Things could have been a great deal worse, so we are grateful.

As a result of this accident, Liz and myself are to a large extent housebound, so I am working from my memory and photographs. The above ink is of a tree by the roadside at Polesden Lacey, near the Italian Bridge; a snap which I took last year. Amazingly, with my having a little time on my hands at present, commissions and other works are just flooding in; as a result I have almost a years planned work ahead of me, so bored I am not.

Well must get on or it will take me longer than a year to catch up!!!

Life is exciting on the Twigg studio desk at the moment. Over the last weekend the volume Woodlands 2 was been finished; it contains forty eight, watercolors, photographs and ink drawings and with quite a few of the pieces, I am rather pleased. So now the next step is the start of volume Woodlands 3 of which number 1 is above; of autumnal beech tree woods behind Fairoaks airport. Number 2 is an ink which is about halfway way towards completion. I am so fortunate in having this art work to do; I love being busy this way.

Am giving a talk this week to a group about my adventures as an artist, that will be fun. I love relating the tale of when  guy with a Kalashnikov rifle ran out of a building towards me in Cairo; suddenly I remembered how to disappear very swiftly, which I did. That was one guy which I had no desire to have a chat with. It is nice to realize that life is a little more peaceful around here.

See you all soon. Duncan.

 Good morning all, a photograph today, or more accurately about twenty photographs. These multi image photos are such good fun and the images they produce are rather clever; believe it or not the above image is approximately a 160 degree view, with virtually no observable distortion. Now I have a lens which will do this, but it is big and heavy: now this way is taking many shots overlapping each other. You might notice tas mentioned earlier hat there is so little distortion, which you would expect in such a wide angle shot of this type when taken with super wide angle lens. The tricks are;-

1  Keep the camera dead level, do not tilt the camera in any way at all, as if you were using a spirit level in your head.

2   And two, use the camera in manual setting, taking  the exposure from the center of where the finished image, will be, then using the same setting for all the photos.

3   Putting the images together in photoshop is relatively simple, well not to hard.

You will also notice occasional duplication of certain parts of the image, that's ok, it adds to the ethos and fun of the shot.

Well must go, as the slave driver wants me!

 Occasionally when you are around with  cameras or sketchbook something of note happens We had just finished our recent trip in Sidmouth, just before we arrived there was a significant land slip on the cliffs a couple of hundred yards from where I was seated, just look how the land slip colored the sea. Landslips on this coast are common, having said that the sea isn't often that color.

 We  I am back and agreat deal has happened since my last posting, but lets keep it to the art world.

The workshop in Taunton Somerset went exceedingly well, they were encouraged and I certainly was.

The above watercolor is of a tiny bay near where we stayed on the Rumps Head in Cornwall. During our trip around Cornwall and Devon we visited many small inlets and bays and most resulted in a watercolor. A finished watercolor can take quite a while to produce; the above picture is a good example of this. So I have developed a system of quick watercolor painting, illustrated below, which incidentally is of Heddons Mouth.

The method is ever so simple; splash a lot of watercolor around, with a relaxed attitude to draughtman's skills. Let it half dry and then tighten it up with a pen or pencil; it works. There is another even quicker way which I will show you in a day or so.

Duncan

 Today has been a superlative early autumnal day. Very warm, but not hot, gentle breeze, but not cool; just lovely. So we jaunted off to Polesden Lacey and had a picnic looking at the above and then after about three miles. finished of our coffee flasks at the second picture, What a day.

We are so fortunate to be placed in such a wonderful world. Seeing so much more which included a massive sycamore leaf which with autumn coming had changed to all the colours of the rainbow. Then the above photograph, which in fact is five photos joined together (a cheap and easy way of doing wide angle stuff), that was followed by a line and wash, painting, which is a quick watercolor method of getting an impression onto paper; its good fun as well.

So tonight, maybe feet up and watch a DVD.

 Today we have the two other mornings in Lee Bay.

The top one, all calm, not a ripple on the sea surface; not even a proper breaker on the shore. So a gentle ink seemed to fit the order.

Then the lower image on the third morning. The wind had got up a little, the seas were rising and everything looked a little threatening.  A HB and B3 pencil in hand, then using a white soft crayon to smudge and soften the lines. It seemed to capture the impending drama of the scene.

But that little exercise of three images, shows just how varied and changing our landscape can be.

Oh well its my turn to cook tea, a curry and Liz is hungry so I must get on.

 Today we are at Lee Abbey on the North Devon coast, in the bay immediately below the affore mentioned abbey. It is a lovely if rather steep walk and climb down to the bay along decent roads/paths, then back up again; well worth the effort. It was certainly my cardiovascular work out for the day.

The method used in producing this image is the same as that used to paint the boats at Beer on the other days blog.  But what is different here is that this painting is one of three produced on consecutive mornings to capture the differing moods of the bay, by using different media. The mood of the bay on the first morning was moody and a little threatening. Over the next three blogs you will see how the waters mood change.

Oh well must run, or I will be late for church.

 Well for a few blog entries we will be back in Cornwall and Devon. This one is at Beer, just along the coast east of Sidmouth. A small deep inlet. shingle beach, cafe, pub art gallery and a few houses; we love the place. Sadly on this visit it was noticed that there were a few less working boats, the fishing industry is very obviously in decline.

But the method used, it is a very quick way of painting.which is also highly effective. A few splashes of colour in the center, let it dry for a few moments then draw it, in my case using a pen, but you could use a pencil. the advantage of pencil is that you can begin drawing while it is still wet. With the drawing go outside the colored area of the picture; it works. If everything had been painted carefully it would have taken hours; the above took about forty minuets or so.

Just to the right of this picture were a couple of young love birds, they didn't move an inch apart the whole time I was there. I couldn't resist a literal five minuet sketch of them. See you soon.

A quick jaunt to York before you see a few more from Cornwall. I net a lady in church on Sunday and we were talking about the Minster at York. I told her that an image of the minster would be posted today on my blog. This building is truly awesome and producing this painting was such good fun.

I was seated on a stone wall, not to comfortable, when a horse drawn touristy buggy pulled up. He asked if he could look at my work. Then he kindly offered me a cushion from his buggy, saying that he would be back in an hour.

So I carried on painting. You will have heard of Betty's Yorkshire tea rooms, well there is one just to the left of this image. Shortly a waitress came out of the tea rooms with a tray and walked towards me. On it was a lovely coffee with no charge.

The horse buggy driver returned and I gave him his cushion back.

When out painting you realy do meet lovely people.

Oh well back home again having had a super time around the Cornish and Devon coasts. 

Over the last couple of weeks I have been experimenting a little with my camera. Instead of taking straight photographs, I played around with taking many of the same subject from slightly differing angles, then stitching them together in photoshop. For example see the above of Porlock Weir, which is approximately 20 shots over about 180 degrees. What do you think?

Apart from that there were lots of water-colours and inks produced, of which I will show you a few over the coming weeks.

It was nice to be back in our own bed again last night; slept like a log!

 

A small inlet, just to the north of Polzeath which can only be reached at low tide, as a result no crowds; just one or two couples,  no rowdiness or Blackpoolities, we had walked around the headland to enjoy  this small bay of solitude for a few moments calm. We sat on the rocks which are in the view of the photograph, did a water colour, then had the obligatory picnic, whilst we relaxed and enjoyed the pure peace. A lovely young family turned up. They didn't stay long, but chatted a short while. After a while we again rounded the rocky outcrop into the main bay and enjoyed a 99 ice cream, obligatory at the sea side, before walking a mile back to the car.

Most people take images of caves looking in, so I though, why not go in and take an image looking out; that way nature gives you a natural frame to the picture.

Morning. We have just got up, done our Lateral flow tests (both negative) and after an un-rushed breakfast plan to move on north towards Parra Combe, which is near Lee Abbey.

 

 

Slept like a log, ten hours!

The weather remain wonderful, with even the gusty winds on the cliff tops being rather warm. Long sleeves and a sun hat are essential, without them you would burn very quickly.

On our walks we keep meeting interesting people. Yesterday on the tops above the Rumps we met a diary farmer from Cheshire, he had escaped from his wife and daughters, having left them ion the sands in Little Bay; he was walking to Lundy Hole and back along the coastal path; quite a walk. He couldn't bring his dog on holiday with him, because it was a working dog and needed on the farm with the staff who had remained. We met him later on in the day near Little bay. Then a little later meeting an Indian family on the tops and also meeting them again in Little Bay. They were walking back up to the car and the little girl was tired, so she sat down and refused to walk. Dad and the boys walked on, mum waited patiently.

Because of the pandemic which is very active down here, we are trying to stay away from the towns and concentrations of people, rather visiting remote areas, there is no shortage of those in this area. Above is Porth Garvin, just round the corner from Port Issac of Doc Martin fame, which will be crowded, so not a good venue to visit.

Today we plan to visit Porth Quin, another small quiet inlet and then move to Porthilly Cove, another quiet almost forgotten spot.

Lundy Hole

Today was gorgeous as was yesterday and as tomorrow is planned to be; yippee!

Yesterday we walked along the coastal path to Lundy Hole, a rather challenging walk. Amazingly we saw ravens and heard but did not see sly larks.  The views from the cliff tops were unbelievable. A truly spectacular day.

Today Daymer Bay was visited. Again amazing, blue skys, then green to blue seas and miles of sand; a water colour is painted, but it needs scanning before it can be posted.

Tomorrow Little Bay and the Rumps head, we are getting very fit with all the walking and both of us are getting rather tanned.

 

 Well we are off on our travels again and this time we have wound our way to Cornwall and a quiet house in the middle of nowhere, but to be helpful in describing our location, just north of Polzeath, will do and visually the house is about half a mile to the right of the painting.

We took our time driving down, stopping in Ilchester for the night; a quiet almost forgotten village with a long history back to at least Roman times. Judging by the considerable numbers of old but very substantial building there is also evidence of considerable wealth in the past. We found a friendly Italian restaurant where the food was good. Sleeping wise, the Ilchester arms was superb. So we were on the road by nine in the morning having slept very soundly and in the morning having feed well, arriving at the holiday destination  late lunchtime. 

For the week we are sharing the house with old friends Joan and Robert, so that should be very pleasant. All the chores shared, that sort of thing.

This morning being the first up, after breakfast a short time with the Bible awaits. At the moment 2 Chronicles awaits my attention; can't wait, its good stuff. Before that Liz will want a coffee; us men are never off duty.

Good morning everybody and now we are back home properly and getting on with normal stuff. The trees project is taking a slight twist at the moment and I am trying to think along the lines of traditional still life. Seeing texture, gettin in fairly close up, sharp details, that sort of thing. So to make me think a little more, I have changed my pen to a Muji pen (a Japaneses company) and gone in very close up. the image is A3 size, that is large for an ink, so the work was challenging. The above is an old beech tree with some ivy growing nears its base. I plan to do another similar drawing, so that they are a pair.

Our walks at the moment are fantastic, the vegetation is about as thick as it will get and with all the rain we have had this year, this thickness of the foliage is incredible.

 

Oh well back in Lymphstone in Exmouth estuary about ten days ago and I am sat amongst a whole pile of sea/fishing clutter by the quay and then the photo is a quick look over my right shoulder., and more clutter. Lovely and peaceful, if my family had agreed, I could have stayed there all day sketching, sadly that wasn't allowed. Isn't it a shame that holidays don't last for ever!

Back home and today is Sunday; this morning church was on the agenda, we were looking at Biblical superheros; it was good meeting everybody again. Old and new friends are so important, especially now as we are emerging out of the current lock-down. This afternoon we strolled into town along the canal bank to the light box where we met a couple who are old friends and then a lady who has been a friend for oodles of years; that was rather good. We walked home in a shower of rain, which was quite refreshing, although Liz did whinge a little, I wonder why? This evening a friend is coming round for supper and a DVD on the telly.

Now that is what I call a good day.

 

Well we are back home after a super break. above is a quick sketch of Lymstone a very quaint small village on the Ex estuary. As you can see the water comes right up to the houses. A high tide must be interesting.

On holiday we did plenty of walking, managing to walk in excess of three miles most days, now that we are home the plan is to keep that up. Yesterday and today the plan has worked and we have seen immature green woodpeckers, a roe deer and a buzzard take of from only 20 or 30 feet. Seeing it leap into the air and spread its wings from so close a view point gave us a super impression of this large birds power. Today we went to Polsden Lacey and saw hundreds, literally hundreds of butterflies.Tortoiseshell, Fritillary, Gate Keeper, Marbel White, Brimstone, Small White and the common Blue, we saw many more, but not those which I could identify. 

To cap it we walked five miles in brilliant sunshine, so now we are home with tired legs, but very happy Now the evening splan is a DVD probably a Foyles War. and then sleep; lovely sleep.

So we are packed, sat in Costas and enjoying an early morning coffee whilst the dreaded-mails are checked; I am always pleased when there is nothing of note.

Today on the way home we are calling in to Taunton to see Jenny and Martin, catching up with firm old friends is so important. Maybe for relationship sake, I  should replace the old friends bit, for long term friends, never mind. We have kept in touch by zoom, but face to face is so much better.

The image above is of a small dingy on the mud flats just outside the flat. I posted it so that you can see just how effective the simple Hb pencil and twenty minuets can be. For a painting photography holiday there is simply no need for lots of equipment. A decent camera with a small zoom will give far better results than all your big fancy stuff, its a lot lighter as well. Then the simple pencil and a pad of paper is all that is needed to draw, then away you go. Why not have a go.

Well after Taunton a visit to Bovington tank museum and then home. I love holidays, but it is always good to get back to your home.

 

Well the last full day, the sky is blue, a pleasant cool breeze all with a Costas coffee, not a bad start. Micheal Gill and the family came round for supper last night then the shot off up north to see Gill's mum. It was so good seeing them all again.

Yesterday we found an idyllic fishing village called Lympstone; nothing there but quaint alleys which ended at the sea and a small jetty. Impossible not to relax!

This morning we plan to drive to Teignmouth, it looks like there is a super walk along the beach there. Tonight we are eating out Italian style. Then in the morning a short drive to Taunton to see Jenny and Martin, before driving over for the boys stuff at Bovington tank museum. Then home.

 

At long Last Liz and myself are away for a few days of R and R; just occasionally we all need to put our feet up for a while. This time is rather special as Micheal and his family have just relocated from Sweden and it especially good to see the children, Aiden and Olivia. Now Olivia is still very small and this is the first time we have seen her, so that is very special indeed.

We are staying in Exmouth, right on the seafront part of the marina. The weather is mixed, but that is ok as it isn't stopping us enjoying ourselves. We are spending the time walking, reading, doing a small amount of painting and sleeping a lot. My book ate the moment is a history of the Plantagenet's, thats nice and light, We both love nature and there are lots of wild life sanctuaries around for us to walk to. We haven't seen anything of special note, it is just that everything looks so lovely. 

Tonight we are meeting up as a family and having a curry together, so that should be good. There is no internet in the flat so we need to visit Costas once a day to contact the outside world and force ourselves to have a coffee. But that is good as Costas seem to give a warm welcome everywhere

The exhibition at the Mill in Guildford is going very well indeed, that is from my perspective; because, up to yesterday half of my sculptures have sold and the show has six more days to run. that is so encouraging; thank you all, as so many of my friends have been to the show; we artists  (now that includes everybody) need to be told that we are appreciated; it makes a difference.

Today the sun is glorious, so after church we walked to Wolfestone from across the common keeping under the trees whenever possible. The church of St, Mary the Virgin in the above named village has such a restful and shaded church and grave yard. However to do the above sketch it was necessary to sit in the blazing sun for about twenty minuets, after which I retreated to the shade of a large yew tree to cool off for a while and have a long cool drink of water.

The meadows and woods were colorful in extremis; as we crossed the meadow just behind the church we watched for just a short time a barn owl hunting, not for long because it was so hot. 

Tonight a friend (bubble)is round for supper; now that was a super day.

 

Well we, that is Liz and myself have just had a fabulous day out at Polsden Lacey. The sun shone, butterflies were everywhere, we walked just short of five miles and it was just about perfect. The crowning point was finding Pyramidal Orchids all over the place. Knowing that they were there, we went prepared with a very small lightweight tripod and a macro lens; see above. The above plant is flowering with about a thousand others on Worzel Bank, which is very close to Yew Tree farm. They are at the top of the field near the bench, if you have a chance go, it is worth the effort.

This week also meant the end of a month working with the NHS. It was fantastic being able to be with those amazing staff who cared for us all during the past year or so of this pandemic. As wonderful as it was, I must admit that after the last month, to being a little tired, so for a few days I am easing off a little with everything.

Tonight fish and chips with friends, then collapse in front of the telly; lovely.

See you soon.

 

Just a gentle reminder that my (with others) exhibition at the Mill in Guildford starts on the 10th. I will be there on both Saturdays from 2 pm until 4 pm.

Life at the moment is rather hectic,the NHS work is running for another two weeks and with the exhibition as well, my diary is a tad bit on the full side. but it is also rather enjoyable. I am just about managing to keep up my project work, see above. However at the moment it is almost impossible to do anything on my desk as it is full of sculptures, six of them, that means a very full desk; but that lot will be removed tomorrow (hanging day), them I might be able to see my desk surface again. There will mean no more excuses for not being able to reach my computer, so I will have to answer my e-mails, oh dear.

 

Well we are back home and we have returned to a very busy period indeed. On top of the usual, we are involved in some very sensitive covis recovery work which I don't want to talk about, but it has added considerably to our work loads.

Above is a watercolor from many years ago, it was an awesome painting trip round the north west tip of Scotland.The above bay is just to the south of Cape Wrath, there is no road access to it, the only way of getting there was via a sleep climb down and then about a mile across the moors, to another steep drop into the bay. The reward was to enter one of the most peaceful places which it has been my privilege to enter. When you manage to get truly into the wilds, there are no engine noises, no vapor trials in the sky, the air smells clean and the effect of mankind is nonexistent, well almost. I spent half a day here before returning back up the climbs and across the moors to the car and it was a climb; I stopped a couple of times to get my puff back. At the end of that day I remember being totally relaxed and at peace with myself and God. We all have special days like that and it is important to remember them, as  those memories are a source of encouragement when times are hectic and tough

Well I will post this now and then get down to some project work whilst I have a chance.

 

Well we are back home after a few special days around Bosham. the weather was far from perfect, indeed we got well and truly soaked a few times, but we did see super things, met lovely people and enjoyed each others company.

We saw so much on our walks, including, avocets, cuckoos, small terns, shell ducks, shoveler ducks, corn buntings and much more.  The young teasels (above) were prolific and amazing, as was all the vegetation. The bird sanctuary at Pagham harbor  was terrific.

Now have you ever gone into a pub to eat and as we were lateish, they had stopped selling food. that happened to us yesterday and to our astonishment the landlord said, go and get a takeaway and bring it back here to eat. which we did, he gave us knife and forks, then even clearing away the packaging afterwards. Now that is what I call a friendly local pub and it is called the Rose Tavern in East Preston.

 

Having a good time in Bosham, woke up this morning to rain, rain and more rain, so we went for a brisk walk around the estuary bay of Chichester harbor in the afore mentioned rain. Surprisingly it was invigorating and the views of Bosham stunning, see above. Liz is still waterproof, but only just; she told me that!

We took a short cut back to Bosham as it was low tide; straight across the muddy estuary, the path was a little wet but ok, From this walk I feel that Liz has much stored up ammunition to hurl at me in the future. Never mind, its all part of the fun.

We are now drying out in the B&B, before our next jaunt. We found a friendly pub with good food called the Berkeley Arms last night, we are eating there again tonight.

 

Well yet again we have gone away. We seem to have developed a tradition that we go away for a few days over my birthday, so here we are in Bosham on the coast in Sussex in a pleasant B&B, to rest, sketch, sleep and eat for a day or two.

I love history and Bosham holds a truly ancient place in our nations story. When Hathacante (I thing that the spelling is correct), King Canute's son, was king he invited Edward the Confessor over from the continent to rule Britain for him, because he had to go home to Denmark to sort them all out over there. Well when Edward landed in the UK it was at Bosham at the very quay which is shown in the sketch above, 

You can stop yawning now and we are thinking about going out to a pub for supper, maybe a walk on the front and then sleep.

 

Just to let you know that I am exhibiting with the Surrey Arts in the Mill during July, there is an open invitation for you all to come and see my own and others work at this event. Entrance is free, but you do meed to book on the internet before hand. The e-mail address is in the flyer above. Six of my sculptures will be on show and I will be there on both Saturdays.

Lovely summer days are with us again so in my mind a trip to the Camel Estuary is in order; I can't remember if it is Cornwall or Devon. Whatever we had a few super days there a couple of years ago with two dear friends The above picture was a special moment, I was seated on a grassy bank over looking the estuary near to the Methodist chapel, it was warm and sunny, but not to hot, the sea breeze was gorgeous. It was a pity that days like that come to an end.

 

Firstly a very big thank you to all of you for your get well wishes and prayers for the last couple of weeks. Yesterday I walked four miles over the fields behind Ripley, then today I walked three hilly miles around Polesden Lacey and Ranmoor. After each walk I was tired, but well, so that is rather good.

We met a lovely Japanese family, mum, dad and two lovely young girls. Two pictures of Polesden Lacey were drawn, the above one of the house and another of Blagden farm. It was lovely and warm, reminiscent of all that sun last year. So after the walk Liz and myself sat near the hall and had a well earned ice cream; Liz read and I sketched; a rather nice way to end a walk.

Collected a tomato plant from a friend on the way home, so that has been potted, it looks happy, cooked a pan full of beef bolognese which is for Sunday nightt, so that means that I can now sit down for a while. What will Liz find for me to do next? I wonder.

 

This morning Liz is in the midst of a church zoom meeting, so that means a coupe of hours for me to do just what I want to; you will understand that that is within reason! So this morning finds me in the studio, first my e mails, to be honest I don't like that very much, however it then gets better, so a little ink work; at present work is progressing with an A3 ink depicting how everything changes as a wooded area is left, as we move to more open spaces and at about twenty hours in, it is going well, but when working on a work of this sort there is a need to regularly rest your eyes and concentration: so now, I will catch up with my blog and tell you what is happening in my world.

I am now back on my feet and walking again, not going very far and it is hard, but I am on my feet and the woods are reachable again, so that is very good indeed. The other day we drove to St. John's and walked a short distant in the woods; recently it has been wet, so the colours were marvelous. We passed these silver birch trees up near the railway line. They seemed to shout, "Paint Me", so being a good little boy I did. Its a very sketchy water colour and I hope you like it.