On this day we went into Bury St. Edmunds to buy a coat for my wife’s birthday and had lunch first. Wetherspoons is cheap and simple so we picked that – we sat in almost the same spot as when we were there in December 2022 (see sketch No.69-2267), so I sketched the same scene. My sketching style hasn’t changed a bit…though I think I captured the scene better this time?
Mon-19-May-2025
I did this sketch after we had visited Manila Memorial Park on Labour Day, when we stopped to get some breakfast. Unsurprisingly (as Mang Inasal’s speciality is their Chicken Inasal, a grilled chicken dish marinated in a blend of spices and served with unlimited rice) there was little vegetarian food for me to eat, so I had to make do with deep fried spring rolls. Sketching all these tables and chairs was a challenge I couldn’t resist.
Thu-1-May-2025
Here is the second sketch I did on World Book Day with #UskMnl in Ayala Triangle Gardens. I did this sketch of a restaurant sign that I could see, while waiting at Bacolod Chicken Inasal and drinking my “mais and banana kon-yelo”.
Sat-26-Apr-2025
Here is a sketch I did during our lunch after a fairly easy crossing on the RORO from Marinduque to Luzon (despite requirements for an island exit pass…which wasn’t needed and queuing in a holding area, also not needed). These three smartly dressed people saw me sketching them but weren’t displeased.
Mon-21-Apr-2025
Here is a sketch that has been languishing in my sketchbook for a long while, waiting for me to add a bit of colour. The ink-work was done when we went out to SM Aura (a local mall) to buy some weighing scales and art materials. We then had a nice meal in the “sky park”, where this sculpture is one a series by Filipino-American contemporary artist Jefre Figueras, apparently dubbed as “contour sculptures”. I’ve sketched the Tarsier and Carabao before, but this one is more hidden away. I drew this from where we had lunch – a place called Ramen Nagi where I had some vegan noodles…nice but a bit too much mayonnaise in them!
Sat-29-Mar-2025
The restaurant where I sketched this was out in the middle of nowhere but seemed popular – perhaps because they have a pretty good menu. My wife had crabs cooked in coconut and Bago leaves (or Melinjo leaves, from the Gnemon tree). She said the crabs didn’t have much meat on them but were tasty…I had pesto pasta. Our only problem was that the waiter said our food would take up to 1 hour to be ready, when we sat down! That gave me plenty of time to sketch this.
Sat-19-Apr-2025
This sketch was started in “Edmundo Lounge” in Bury St. Edmunds where we had lunch on the third full day of our holiday. We drove to Bury to do some shopping for camping gear, in anticipation of the next leg of our trip, when we will camp at the Womad (World of Music Arts and Dance) festival in Wiltshire. I finished off the sketch at home.
Mon-22-Jul-2024
This sketch was done while we waited for dinner at a new vegetarian restaurant (for us) that we went out to for my wife’s birthday. The waiter told us that they opened during the pandemic…they have another branch in Makati, Barangay Poblacion. The food was great, served quickly and the place has a nice atmosphere. It was strange though that there didn’t seem to be a single sign on the road to tell you the place was there – we had to ask someone in order to find it.
Sun-7-Jul-2024
This sketch is slightly out of order – but it was waiting in my sketchbook for some paint. I did this one when my wife and I went out for lunch on Father’s Day to our favourite restaurant, the #WabiSabiNoodleHouse in Makati. This place has lots of delicious varieties of (vegetarian) ramen noodle soup – plus the restaurant is paired with the Ikigai Kakigōri Cafe. Kakigōri is a Japanese shaved ice dessert flavoured with syrup and a sweetener…I had the chocolate overload variety!
Sun-16-Jun-2024