plum blossom

I went to a day course on Chinese brush painting.
 I am not sure the teacher would approve of this but I tried!

I did a wall hanging for our 40th wedding anniversary. Here are some of the pics I painted - I have to reduce the sizes of the others before they will load.

Character studies 1

I am so angry at the housing situation I had to get it out
of my system...

Whenever you go to a Private View
You'll find them there!

We went to Taiwan for a holiday in 2007 - this was a
Bank Holiday festival in Dansui 
The heat was superb, the light glowing off the immaculately clean paving,
and there were boats for Charles to look at as well!

And in 2009 we went to Aberystwyth almost straight after another Taiwan visit.
The light was wonderful; the rain was epic and most of the characters in this
are real people (Charles of course)
but followers of Malcolm Pryce's Louie Knight books will recognise a few people -
Louie the Private Eye; Calamity his side kick; Sospan's Icecream van; Eeyore the donkey man and
Brainbocs being wheeled in his chair by Mrs Llantrisant -
with cagoul and orthopaedic boots!

A group of Port Madoc lads who liked each other but
whose dogs didn't get on at all!

In Mevagissey I saw the younger version
and just had to capture their cheerful companionship -
so I have Madoc Mongers and Mevagissey Matelots.

I spent years of my life moving Professorial files from one office to another -
and needed the roller skates to keep up!

The characters here are all from my Boat Show sketchbooks
over thirty years or so; none of them have ever met;
none know me; and probably none have ever been to Maldon!

Beauty really is in the eye of the beholder ...
the judge likes the dog; the man likes the girl;
the girl likes her outfit; and her dog likes the other dog!

Venice 2011

We went to Venice with Mike & Stacey (and Kai) in the summer of 2011
 and I fell in love with the light on the water

The water is different round every bend, but so is the light.

I only wish I could do it justice!

 

Taiwan - Fulin story,

I went for a walk on my own in the heat of the day, and found shade under Fulin Bridge to sit and have my lunch.  There in the cool I found two dance teachers practising for their classes, and took some pics.  I sit here in the English winter and can still feel the pulsating heat and humidity and
how glad I was of the cool shade.

They didn't mind the tourist taking pics...

Such charming people to meet -
 practising in their lunchtime

He sat and ate his lunch and then
went and posed for a pic too!

And the garbage collectors came and
 piled the bags on their scooters
climbed on top and drove away.

We went up Mt Alishan to see the sunrise and oh it was cold
while we waited for the dawn!

hospital pics

They took me in for observations,
and I took my sketch book with me

They probably won't let me back in the hospital for observations ever again!