Warmer Days

Looking forward to punting in the summer, for now snow lays on the ground round about - and maybe the river is freezing.

Welsh Cottage

Scanned direct from my sketch pad, sketched using HB to HB4 on a replica Campaign Lap Desk.

Advent Doodles

Drawn to add illustration to an Advent Service at www.stpixels.com

Bull, Ox

We hear the advent story each year, look in the gospels and see if you can find animals mentioned in the stable.
I suppose we assume because it was a barn/stable that cattle were there.
Then, look at Isaiah 1:3

The ox knows its master,
the donkey its owner’s manger,
but Israel does not know,
my people do not understand.”

Me & My House

The basic sketch done in my coffee break having seen this picture at work, then finnished at home.
Hmm, though the title is "Me & My House", looks nothing like our terraced dwelling - the thought and sentiment are there...

Beaver Scout Campfire

What memories, led a campfire this afternoon for 70+ Beaver Scouts, started by singing Happy Birthday to Gracie, 7 today. I told everyone she was 127!
We did favourites like

• Worms,
• Heads Shoulders Knees & Toes,
  
• Alice the Camel,
• Singing in the rain
  
• and told the story Cecil the Caterpillar.

Door with no outside handle

I thought I was getting sketchers block, but last night I sat and drew this picture at the local watering hole.

A key verse for me when I accepted Christ in my life and christianity as my faith, Jesus would only come in if I openned the door and invited him in.

Old Boots

To fit with my new theme of losin' a few inches off my waist,
these boots were made for walkin'!

Leaf

Though I took my sketchpad with me, my walk through the park was more of a Fat Burning exercise than pausing to sketch time.
Wondering what to sketch for todays blog, this is what appeared.
For some reason I dated it 3rd, somehow I lost 2 days as I really sketched on the 5th!

St Andrew's, Oakington

The last bus to get to the monthly healing service or celebration at Oakington each month get's me there with time to spare. I always go, hoping someone will give me a lift home.
Sketch book in hand I spent a short time doodling this flint stone Parish Church from amongst the grave stones . After 10 minutes rain drove me indoors.
It was good to hear Liesl testifying to her delivery from drugs and illness as she urged us to take on board the simplicity of our task as disciples of Christ to spread the gospel message.

Loud SCREAMING, but no SPLASH

The final punting session of the season, Fiona decided to take the pole. However with a bit of a breeze we were blown off course into a lowhanging tree. My gentle relaxation was disturbed by screams and outrageous laughter behind my head.

We did amazingly recover from this situation, bringing the punt back beneath Fiona, so no sodden passengers on the trip home.

This evenings sketch was done in the dark recess of a bar at the launch gig for Mystery Train's CD 'LET IT ROLL'
Excelent evening, thanks to you all.

Punting down the Colarado

Inspired by an email from Linda in Arizona, I have sketched myself punting the Grand Canyon Rapids. I am thinking maybe I should wear a Life Jacket.

The picture is in fact a combination of sketch and photo - just in case you were wondering.

Moored up near Granchester

I decided to combine my love of the river, bit of keep fit, catch up with some letter writing and do some painting all in one trip today.

I didn't take my phone nor a watch, and was surprised to discover I had spent almost 5 hours afloat, or sat on the bank sketching out my art work.

The original was in fact twice the size of previous postcards, this one A5. I think it will have to be posted in an envelope rather than as a postcard as all my others have been.

Now, in Lloyd Grossman style voice; "Now to whom shall I send a postcard like this?"
So if you are checking out this blog because you know me, maybe you should be watching your letterbox too.

Barges & Bouthouse

Still wanting to make the most of the outdoors in my lunch hour I cycled down to the Comon and sat by the river to eat lunch, sandwhiches, cake and a bottle of squash.
Then of course, out came the Postcard Pad.
The barge the drawing is based on was moored on my side of the bank, but I thought it would better if it was chugging upstream.

Welsh Bridge

Growing up we spent many holidays in a valley in Wales. I have revisited in the last 10 years, but memories are engrained from my childhood. I was trying to draw the bridge over the stream running down the side of the house. I showed the sketch to my brother in Holland, (Skype is good for that kind of thing), he recognised it... after a while! I get the feeling I reshaped the valley.

Picnic Postcard Take Two

I actually post most of my handsketched postcards within a day or two. I decided I wanted to send the same scene to friends in Japan, so had a go at rawing the same scene. This time I did not waterwash the crayon, I cannot quite decide which I prefer.

Autumnal Picnic

Sad, but true.
Looking outside at the sky now, and noticing the general drop in temperature, the chance to enjoy countryside picnics this year are fast dissappearing.
If you get the chance, pack up that hamper, load it onto your bicycle and pedal out into the countryside.
The added bonus at the moment there are plany of fruit laden bushes to supply you with pudding for free. When you look at the £2 punnet of blackberries in the supermarket they taste so much better free straight off the bush!

Experimenting with Windmills

I'm not going out today, so I decided to draw my own postcards, two being sent to USA and one to Canada.
East Anglia is very flat, so used to have many working windmills, either for grinding flour, oats and other foodstuffs, or for pumping water into irrigation or out of drainage ditches.
Sadly a lot of these are now in dissrepair, but more recently a few have been restored as working mills, some charging a small fee to look around them.

Punting on the Cam

I do find it very peaceful sitting by the river, today adjacent to the sluice gate bringing water from The Granchester & Byrons Pool stretch down to the level of The Backs, along which you could punt to see world famous sights such as Kings College.

In this sketch you can see Darwin College which nestles comfortably between Silver Street and the River Cam.

To the right of the sluice are The Rollers, used for transferring punts from The Backs to the Granchester/Byron's Pool level. This is not an easy job, going up takes a lot of effort of pushing, pulling and shoving, passersby often lend a hand. The downward journey can be somewhat more fun. Some will gently hold back the punt as it begins to roll downward towards the water, others board the vessel as it gains momentum down the rollers crashing and splashing into the water below.

Sadly this activity is no longer available to many members of public as the punt yard with almost complete monopoly will not allow its craft to transfer from lower to upper or t'other way round. You hire your craft for the stretch you wish to use.

Mill Pond, Cambridge

I am sat in the Granta Pub on the Mill Pond sheltering from the rain - enjoying a pint. I have just drawn the view from my stool.

Sweeny Todd of course has not been there for 20 years, or maybe longer, that is where I went for my Stag Night feast, hmm - 28 years ago.

I have missed out the large fleet of punts which are moored and drifting into the center of the pond, seemingly more a storage yard!

Today it is raining, but there seems to be an ever increasing need to include punting come rain or sunshine whilst visiting Cambridge.

Several punts have set off since I sat down, a most interesting increase in punting backwards and/or from inside the craft. In Cambridge of course, one punts from the platform on the back!