Summer 2023 Sketchbook & Journal – a little more July and August The very very end of August and I think I can feel the tip toward Autumn happening. Maybe it is more of a slip than a tip. Or a drift. I thought chilly thoughts getting out of bed this morning. There was condensation …
Summer 2023 Sketchbook & Journal – a little more July and August Read More »
Budle Bay Holiday Pages Here are my sketchbook pages from our week at the seaside We spent one gloriously sandy week in Northumberland in July. Some things about it: – you don’t need to travel very far to get that holiday feeling – breakfast on the beach is the best way to start a day …
June 2023 Sketchbook & Journal June is all about the sky. It started with a full moon. At times it has been full of thunder, other times as blue as can be. June has the most light. It peaked at the solstice on the 21st; and now slowly the days are shortening. There’s no heavy …
Half-of-July and August Review: summer ends Here we are, at the tail-end of summer, and I couldn’t be more ready to move on to autumn. I last wrote half way through July, mid-heatwave. Other than cursing the heat and sweating my way through all the baby’s naps, I was having a wonderful summer exploring with …
June and half-of-July Review: things summer should be We went on holiday at the end of June which meant I had no chance to write a review post so here it is now, half-way-through-July. Piglet is at an age now where the summer months are all about him. Summer is for kids. Long, warm days …
June and half-of-July Review: things summer should be Read More »
My bird of the month for July is the dipper. I wanted to chose something joyful and light-hearted. Seeing a dipper ALWAYS brings me joy. We’ve spent a lot of time down by the river in the past month. The weather has been pretty glorious. Sometimes we take our tea down to the river after …
The choice for my bird of the month for June was an easy one. I’ve chosen the Carrion Crow. Even before we found an injured juvenile crow in our garden last week, crows were featuring heavily in my month. In June in Scotland there is a lot of daylight. The summer solstice marks the longest …
[This year I have decided to study two big Horse Chestnut trees near our house. This is Part 6 of my sketchbook-learnings.] These are the last few weeks of the dense, dark, green canopies. Slowly, slowly the golds will creep in and the burnt oranges will light their flames. Autumn’s winds will blow holes in …
The Drygrange Chestnuts Pt.6: July, August, and the last of the Greens Read More »
We are just back from a much needed few days by the sea. I’ve always been of the opinion that the closer you are to the ocean, the better you feel. I’ve just googled “why is being by the sea good for you?” and this is what I’ve learnt: doctors have been prescribing curative trips …
[This year I have decided to study two big Horse Chestnut trees near our house. This is Part 5 of my sketchbook-learnings.] In my last update I was celebrating the new green leaves that had burst forth all over the two chestnuts. That was at the end of April. Since then the trees have been …
The Drygrange Chestnuts Pt.5: May, June, Flowers and Environmental Justice Read More »
