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
107-3203 – Pixar lampshade
ArtistsOfInstagram
106-3159 – Reflections in Incheon
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
106-3158 – Goodbye Calgary
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
105-3150 – Horse-thief canyon
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
105-3146 – Heathrow Terminal 4
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
105-3145 – Hope Valley Edale hike
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
105-3143 – Brunch at idle hands
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
105-3140 – Lyme park ice creams
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
105-3139 – Ewloe Castle
On this day we drove to Wales for a walk in Nercwys Forest, followed by a visit to a (non) castle in Mold (there was only a mound where a castle used to be), coffee in the “Cracked Coffee House” (@_crackedcoffee), then a visit to this castle hidden in the woodland. This one was probably built by “Llywelyn The Great” around 1210 but otherwise has a “murky” history. We all sat in the bailey and I sketched this fantastic huge oak tree. Meanwhile nearby some local kids were smoking dope on the battlements and our daughter got bitten by something (probably a spider) which later swelled up into large lumps! After sketching we had our own little our own little ‘latag’ (show and tell).
Fri-30-May-2025