MY GARDEN

Ink and watercolour in A6 Venezia sketchbook

“The optimist sees the rose and not its thorns; the pessimist stares at the thorns, oblivious to the rose” ~ Kahlil Gibran

Me?...I am an optimist...There are no thorns on my rose!

I was elated to be able to enjoy the garden for a spell today after the incessant rain that has tormented each passing day. Everything, including the weeds, looked luscious and green against the blues and purples flowering in the beds below them. Thistles stood proud, claiming their spot in my absence, displaying their sharpness smugly as if to realise their victory. The damp ground beneath my feet played a melody upon the soles of my old suede friends and the sky, busy with birds and a valiant butterfly, carried the sweet smell of life.

DODDINGTON HOSPITAL, Cambridgeshire. UK

A visit to Doddington hospital took up the best part of my day today so I made good use of the waiting time using my small moleskin sketchbook and Edding 1800 profipen.

I tried out a new handbag travel kit I've been considering consisting of two brush pens filled with diluted ink; one brown and one black and a pigment liner. Notice: no pencil or rubber, this is my new personal challenge 'Lead-free Figures'.
The diluted ink seems to absorb into the moleskin paper much easier than watercolour and will save me having to cart my watercolour pencils around for a hint of tone/colour required on location.



I enjoy a neutral or monochrome palette in art so I felt this new kit was worth a few test sketches. I am pleased with the results and the limited kit fits neatly into my slim Caran D'Ache pencil tin which, in turn, fits neatly into my tiny handbag...Perfect!

WIMPOLE ESTATE, Royston, Cambridgeshire. UK

I first visited Wimpole Estate while accompanying my son's class on a school trip several years ago, as we walked through some of the grounds I remember looking over at the hall and promising myself I would return to this magnificent place, on Saturday, I did just that!

Wimpole Estate is huge and it's impossible to expect to see everything on one visit. The property was bequeathed to the National Trust in 1976 by the last owner, Elsie Bambridge. Therefore, like most of the NT properties, the hall opens at around 1pm making it impossible for me to visit during the week and still collect my children from school. The park and gardens open earlier which means I will be able to return to them with ease, so I chose to visit the house on Saturday.



I could easily spend a month at Wimpole and still find little corners of interest, architectural delights, unusual plants. There is also a farm so animals are also a subject here. The stables are no longer used for horses though, they contain shops now and this is where we sat to drink our last coffee of the day before leaving. I managed to make the sketch below while we drank and then coloured it from a photographic reference on my return home.

Sadly, I do not have any sketches from inside the hall to share with you which has made me re-think my National Trust sketching kit. I currently use an A4 Venezia sketchbook for all my NT properties, stately homes and churches. It is a beautiful book and although I am very happy with it's performance it is more than a tad clumsy to carry around these wonderful houses. No seating means standing to sketch and this is impossible with the A4 Venezia which results in me leaving without any sketches from the inside. Occasionally a steward has allowed me use of their chair and on one occasion I managed to stand and sketch on the right hand side of my large book but it is a problem and one I realised I would have to resolve this weekend after wanting desperately to record some of the rooms and realising I would have to leave with none of them.

I don't want to change books, I love the Venezia, so as a resolve I have decided to take an A6 wire-o sketchbook with me on future NT visits. While outside I shall work in my A4 and while inside I shall work in my A6, directly with pen which will help in my aim to cut the pencil guide out. I will then cut out the small sketches and mount them into my large book so everything is still together, which is important to me for a reason that is beyond me!

ELY, Cambridgeshire. UK

I returned to Ely again this week and took lunch in the garden at the Almonry Restaurant where there is a fantastic view of the Cathedral and other beautiful architecture. From my table I could see this cluster of buildings clearly.
Time was limited during my visit but I am pleased to have captured at least one quick sketch in my large moleskin sketchbook.

MY GARDEN

The new steps leading up to my front door where a porch is currently being built and the little shed, where my freezer and laundry facilities live, create an interesting frame for the view across the Fens from this angle in my garden. The telegraph pole is my only obstacle for miles allowing me to view the seasons as they play with the landscape.
This is where the sun sets, delivering endless drama night after night, from pink, candy cane stripes to the roaring flames of hell itself before tucking it's weary head beneath the crops.

MY GARDEN

The weather here in the Fens has been dismal recently, making it impossible to get out on location with my sketchbooks and the forecast for today was much the same.
So, after finishing a lily study in the studio last night I decided to make a grid in my garden sketchbook and make good use of the sunny intervals between the rainfalls the next day.

Around midday I was lucky enough to capture around twenty minutes of constant dry weather and, to celebrate, threw my French doors open in the studio and made a sketch of the old barn opposite. My studio sits on a spot that once belonged to another barn much the same as this one, before we pulled it to the ground to make way for the new, thick concrete base. I have no regrets, I love my new studio, but it's nice to have one of these old characters still watching over the yard.



Gradually, I managed to fill my grid. One before lunch, two after, one after the school run and another before dinner. I decided to keep them simple and add a splash of my favourite garden colours as a background to set them off.

DISNEYLAND PARIS - Day 4 - 06/05/07

Pigment liner and watercolour pencils

Our last morning at Newport Bay Club hotel was spent packing our cases and purchasing new ones to bring all our souvenirs home in. I thought the Disneyland Paris suitcase would be a nice reminder of the trip while proving useful for my future art trips. We had our final breakfast before heading into Disney Village for some last minute shopping. My Niece and my youngest had a turn on the bucking bronco machine, which was hilarious to watch and we had a last coffee before boarding the Eurostar.
I started the sketch above the previous day, a view from the balcony of Sleeping Beauty's Castle looking down into the park, and coloured it on my return from photographic references.

Below are all my sketches from the trip together, I wish I could have made more on location but I'm sure they will prove to be a wonderful reminder of the fabulous time we spent there and of my Mums very special 60th Birthday celebrations.

THANKYOU Mum and Happy Birthday!

DISNEYLAND PARIS - Day 3 - 05/05/07

Pigment liner

On the first day I was silly enough to take a ride on Space Mountain: Mission 2. Ride?...It felt more like an assault! My head was continually banged from side to side during the ordeal and I felt like I was sandwiched between Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson. It threw my head around so violently that my earring came out and plummeted into the darkness beneath, lost forever. So, you can imagine my hesitance looking up at Thunder Mountain but I decided to take the plunge and go for it. Was I glad I did?...You betcha'! It is a fantastic ride, packed with thrills and turns and I loved every minute. Using the VIP tickets, everyone decided to go again and I sat out with Mum to capture a quick pen sketch.

Later that day we bumped into the big blue guy from Monsters Inc, Sullivan. He decided to be playful with Mum, which I think nerved her a little more than she let on, he was anything but predictable but great fun!


HB and blue watercolour pencil

DISNEYLAND PARIS - Day 2 - 04/05/07

On accessing our rooms we found that our windows were blocked with plastic sheeting because maintenance was going on outside the building. I could tell my Mum was disappointed so I went back down to reception to complain. The concierge was very apologetic and agreed to move our luggage to new rooms while we were out enjoying the park the following morning, by way of an apology she handed me seven VIP Fastpass tickets - No more queuing for the popular rides!

I woke before everyone else, grabbed a coffee and headed towards the lake at the rear of the hotel. From my chair in the sunshine, I sketched the Hotel New York across the lake before capturing a quick sketch of our hotel, looking up at one of the many architectural fancies that gave it an unmistakable nautical presence.

Disney wouldn't be Disney without the many characters floating around the resort, I managed to get a couple of them to sign my sketchbook while politely ramming my Son's autograph book in their faces. They are quite amazing, not just grown ups in silly outfits, highly trained, they take on the attitude, actions and mannerisms of their character. Each experience was like meeting the real Disney character and Harry, my youngest, was in awe.

DISNEYLAND PARIS - Day 1 - 03/05/07

Pigment liner and watercolour pencil in W&N Artist journal

I finally got to bed just after 1am on Thursday morning and was woken again just after 2am by my Niece who had been suffering through the day with a stomach ache which had woken her. She settled down with me and we managed to grab a couple more hours sleep before the alarm sounded it's painful tune in my ear. I consumed as much coffee as was humanly possible and handed out another round of sickness pills before the arrival of the minibus and we set off towards Waterloo station on schedule.

The 'Joy Ride' travel sickness pills worked an absolute treat. Not only did we all travel the whole way without feeling in the least nauseous but I actually travelled through the whole Eurostar journey backwards! I couldn't believe how good they were, usually I wouldn't have lasted more than 5 seconds facing the wrong way on a journey, if in fact I had even made it though the minibus trip beforehand.

I had thought I might catch up on some sleep throughout the journey but I guess I'm just too nosey to close my eyes for long so I took advantage of some time on the Eurostar and fitted a few quick passenger sketches in between excited chit chat.

Our hotel collected our luggage from the Eurostar but checking in wasn't until after 3pm, so we wasted no time at all and headed directly towards the Disneyland entrance.
What an entrance! Stepping beyond the gates was like being zapped into another world.



Pigment liner and watercolour pencil in W&N Artist journal

Entering Frontierland was like being zapped all over again, rustic wood huts, log cabins, crates, cannons and jagged rocks created the scene and even the atmosphere and climate seemed to change. Here I opted out of yet another train ride and took a few moments to sketch a section of the Thunder Mountain roller coaster.

We had our evening meal at Planet Hollywood where I indulged in the largest rack of ribs I have ever seen. When we ordered dessert I asked the waiter if he could pop a candle into the selection as a celebration for my Mums 60th birthday...a little white lie as her Birthday wasn't until the 5th but I wanted her to celebrate each day we were there. Shortly after my request, a waitress appeared and stood my Mum upon a chair in full view of the whole restaurant before screaming...yes literally screaming ...Happy Birthday to her.
Mum turned a little scarlet in the cheeks but deep down I think she rather enjoyed it!

DISNEYLAND PARIS - I'm Back!

"I don't want the public to see the world they live in while they're in Disneyland. I want to feel they're in another world."

- Walt Disney

~

For me, Disney succeeded in his wish.

Entering through the huge iron gates, face to face with the pink fairytale architecture, one would find it difficult to recall anything but dreams and fantasy. I've spent a magical 4 days in Walt's creation and my face aches from smiling as much as my legs do from walking.

My sketchbook made it back safely with me and I plan to start scanning images from it tomorrow to share here with you.

Thank you all for your patience!

DISNEYLAND PARIS - Countdown Day 1

Just one more whole day left until my Disneyland Paris trip...So excited now!

Mum has organised a minibus to collect us at some unearthly hour Thursday morning, which presents a challenge for me in itself as this is usually the kind of time I go to bed...not get up!
My youngest, Harry, myself and my Mum do not travel too well. I am absolutely fine if I am driving but a good passenger I am not! So, I've stocked up on some travel pills and plan to pass them around before bed Wednesday night, then again before we leave Thursday morning, Hopefully they will make our journey more pleasurable.

I had to laugh at the name of the pills, I feel I should be wearing a hoodie and travelling at 60mph through a shop window, in a stolen car, while taking them!

DISNEYLAND PARIS - Countdown Day 6

Part of our Paris trip preparations included applying for new passports because our others had expired. What a nightmare that turned out to be!

Firstly, time flew by and I had left the applications later than I planned to which made the whole process a little more traumatic. So, I decided to use the post office's 'check and send' facility. For the sum of £7 per person, the post office staff check over your applications prior to sending them out in priority marked envelopes so they are dealt with more quickly. They claim the process will take approximately 2 weeks but the small print cautions you NOT TO BOOK YOUR HOLIDAY UNTIL YOUR PASSPORT ARRIVES throughout the form.
I had ages....No problem!

They were rejected TWICE!
On my second visit I was reminded that I would need a FULL birth certificate for my eldest Son as this was his first passport...He had previously been on mine.
By now I was waking in the middle of the night with visions of ruining my Mums Birthday simply because we had no passports to leave the country with. I was a wreck!
I managed to obtain his certificate online but at a cost, paying over £30 for a 3 day postage service. I had no choice, time was ticking and new laws meant that from April each of us would have to attend an interview for a passport application, we needed them quick!

On 27th March, they finally accepted the applications on my third visit and for a moment I felt relief but soon realised I would not be able to relax completely until our new passports were in my hand.
On the 3rd April my Mum called me in Heacham to say they had arrived and I was finally able to witness it for myself on my return the next day.
I can't tell you how relieved I was.

The check and send service turned out to be a very reliable choice, they had detected problems with my applications and saved me a lot of time waiting for returns in the post. My passports arrived in under the quoted 2 weeks...Well worth the extra expense!

DISNEYLAND PARIS - Countdown Day 7

On 5th May my Mum will celebrate her 60th birthday and her wish was to spend it in Disneyland Paris, with her family creating memories that will last forever! So, she booked 4 days and 3 nights at Disney's Newport bay Hotel, ordered a heap of travellers cheques and has paid for everything!
I was not entirely comfortable with my Mum paying for her own Birthday, let alone everyone else's expenses, but she has stood firm and insisted it is what she wants to do and I have now given up trying to persuade her differently.

2007 is also the 15th anniversary of the Disneyland Paris resort and, if their advertisements are to be believed, will contribute towards making our break very special indeed!

DISNEYLAND PARIS - Countdown Day 8

In just over a week I will be in Disneyland Paris and I am taking a sketchbook!



The sketchbook I have decided to take is the Winsor & Newton Artist's Journal, a gift from my eldest Son on my Birthday. The soft leather cover holds 48, A6 (4x6inches) pages of 150gsm pure white paper, held secure by a flap and tie that winds around two colour coordinated buttons.
The journal is available in 3 sizes (4x6" ~ 6x8" ~ 8x8") and can be purchased at the Heaton Cooper Studio online shop.

I have already began making entries into the journal, logging my preparations for the trip and, of course, creating that all important first page. I thought I'd share them with you during the countdown to Disney Day.


Disneyland Paris Journal 2007 - Page 1