Here is a sketch done during a brief trip to the beach in Hove. I didn’t swim, but paddled…compared to the sea in the Philippines it was like standing in ice water. The day before this I spent a quiet day finishing half done sketches and also went to Jackson’s in Hove to indulge.
Fri-31-Jul-2026
Here is another evening sketch – this time of a desk lap next to our sofa (which I seem to spend a lot of time lounging on). Whenever I look at this lamp I think of the opening to #Pixar movies.
Sat-9-Aug-2025
I had just enough time to do a quick sketch on our way back home – and I could’t help but think what a pleasant clean and spacious airport it was in South Korea – we certainly experienced the opposite when we arrived at NAIA terminal 1.
Sun-15-Jun-2025
Here is my last sketch in Canada – and the first sketch in a new Sketchbook (still using Umae hot press paper). I missed sketching the day before this as we were too busy with shopping, visiting the Esker Gallery and packing. With a midday flight it was an easy start to the day, but WestJet still insist that each bag weighs 23k or less, despite us having far less weight overall…so again we were those unfortunate people you see frantically repackaging in front of the check-in desk! That grey blob on the plane, splashed onto my painting from another sketch!
Sat-14-Jun-2025
On this day we went out for a hike with my sister-in-law (in Drumheller Valley – known as the Dinosaur Capital of the World) aiming to arrive early to miss the crowds …but then found that there was no one there and no trail either! However, we enjoyed the spectacular scenery, walked for a bit (it was super windy) and then turned round to avoid getting lost. We then spent many enjoyable hours in the Royal Tyrell Museum (@royaltyrell) looking at dino fossils.
Sat-7-Jun-2025
Here is my last sketch done on our UK trip for this year. They day started with getting up at 5am and driving 4 hours from Manchester to Heathrow through dreadful drizzly rain. We arrived in the nick of time to drop off the hire car and then had to repack our bags at check-in counter as one was over 23k (even though the other was well under!). Otherwise the flight was uneventful and we got food despite being told when we checked with a phone call the day before, that there would be none provided (so I ate both sandwiches and airline food). On the flight I watched “The Mercy” movie …which was much more depressing than I thought it would be!
Tue-3-Jun-2025
On our last full day in the UK we picked up our friend in Hazel Grove for a 13km hike starting in Edale. We had tried to hike to Mam Tor from Edale in December 2022 (see sketch No.69-2262) but never made it to the top because of the rain. This time the weather was perfect and sunny. I sketched this after a scramble through rocks to the first high point where we ate lunch. We then hiked along the ridge past spectacular rock formations and then down “Jacobs Ladder” ending at the lovely pub, The Old Nags Head, in Edale for a beer. Somehow we summoned the energy to go shopping in Lidl when we got back into Manchester, so we we were very tired in the evening.
Mon-2-Jun-2025
I did this sketch while we were waiting for our brunch at a nice little café (@idlehandscoffee) and saying goodbye to our daughter who was heading back down south to London. I had a lovely 3 cheese grilled sandwich. The waitress took a photo of my sketch and my daughter said I should make more effort to “shamelessly promote” my artwork!
Sun-1-Jun-2025
Here is the first sketch I did when we visited Lyme Park and Gardens – a stately home managed by the National Trust. After visiting the house (which dates from the latter part of the 16th century and is famous for appearing as Mr. Darcy’s estate, in the 1995 BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice), we found a spot to sit and have our packed lunch. The house has massive ornate rooms, crusty paintings, elaborate carvings, tapestries and chandeliers. I stopped this sketch (which includes a little kiosk selling ice creams, hence the title) part way through (finishing it later) to walk around the garden but then immediately realised the view from the other side was more interesting.
Sat-31-May-2025