Here is another sketch done during our camping trip to Lumot Lake. I had a relatively good nights sleep – I rarely sleep well when we are camping – and after a big breakfast we all walked out on to the peninsular to sketch again. This house is on the other side of the lake and not part of where we are staying. All the trees on the island have beautiful deep yellow and cobalt green lichen on them, so I had to try and capture one.
Mon-2-Feb-2026
For this sketch I walked out onto the little peninsula on Lumot Lake just as it was getting cooler in the afternoon. The lake is a man-made reservoir in the Sierra Madre Mountains, created when Lumot Dam was built. According to Wikipedia the lake serves as an auxiliary reservoir for the Kalayaan Hydroelectric plant which I visited with Urban Sketchers Manila in 2024 (see Sketches No.2748-56). This is the view back towards the resort we stayed at – which is dotted with A-frame cottages for visitors. Next to it you can see the little boat we were taken in, from the parking lot, across the lake..
Sun-1-Feb-2026
Here is the first sketch I did when we went camping at Isla Del Antoño, Cavinti, Laguna. We got up at 5am and our friend kindly drove us for 3 hours. Then we took a little motor boat to this island to camp. My sketch is of our friends (rented) tent…which was pitched (by the guys at the resort) on a concrete slab overlooking the lake. We pitched ours (our ancient Hilleberg tent which we bought when in Bhutan – but that is still in good shape) on the shore – which seemed like a more normal way to pitch a tent to me. The campsite has toilets and a kitchen, so it was pretty easy camping.
Sun-1-Feb-2026
In this sketch I was struggling through a sketch using a dip pen and sludgy Kung Te-Cheng Noodlers ink. This is supposed to be my wife’s Kipling bag (really expensive but very well worth it) but it’s hard to make out! I sketched this while taking to my mum on the phone – a very distressing call as she seemed to have forgotten my father has passed away and talked about how she missed him and wanted to be with him.
Wed-28-Jan-2026
For this sketch I was just doodling around in the evening. This plastic bin holds our collection of freebie (mostly BDO) umbrellas, several of which we haven’t even opened! The whole thing only avoids falling over because the an ancient heavyweight socket-set (something I used in the UK when I actually did a tiny bit of car maintenance) at the bottom (why we still have that I don’t know).
Wed-28-Jan-2026
Here is a quick sketch I did while I waited for our car to have its emissions and roadworthiness test. They do it so quickly at the place I take our car to, I doubt the inspection is that thorough. Anyway it passed! Of course I have sketched here before – see No.82-2569 in 2024 and No.98-2966 last year.
Tue-27-Jan-2026
After the birthday celebration of our friend in UP, we headed to Cubao to another family gathering (of American cousins) and yet more food! We arrived with time to kill so sat outside Starbucks next to the Araneta Coliseum. The sign is for the Gateway Mall.
Sun-25-Jan-2026
I sketched this at a family gathering of a friend, for their father’s 90th birthday celebration at the University Hotel in UP. At 90 he is still walking every day, has no glasses, no hearing aid and no dentures…so I could still have another 90 good years to go. But maybe not as I ate for too much food!
Sun-25-Jan-2026
The day I drew this I spent some of my evening glueing back together various broken fridge magnets. That includes one from Jordan that has been broken so many times I have lost count and one made from a coke can. Not all of them are magnets though – the mask, which I sketched back in November 2020 (see Sketch No. 1570), often gets broken and the cat is made from two painted stones (by our daughter), glued together.
Sat-24-Jan-2026