Art, Love and Life

Life drawing at Poldrate Mill

2012-01-28T10:05:00.000Z

Last Saturday was typical of the sort of weather we have been enjoying in East Lothian, bright winter sun and very chilly. Just the sort of weather to get your kit off. Not me, but the model in the Life Drawing class, held in the high roofed and chilly Poldrate Mill. The temperature wasn't a problem due to the strategically placed heaters, one of which appears in the drawings. The drawings were done in charcoal and a bit of chalk. Unlike other Life Drawing sessions I have been to, this one didn't have a tutor. We just got on with it ourselves. This free approach is a good way of doing a session, but I do like to have a critical eye cast over my work and I have learned a lot from various tutors at the Pitclay gallery, Footscray Community Arts in Merlbourne and at the National Gallery. Everyone has their own approach and I would say that there is no 'right' way of drawing, but there are 'good' and 'not so good' drawings. I think it comes down to looking really deeply at the model. Getting proportions right in relation to each other and going for it. These drawings were done quickly for practice and are not the finished article. Like everything in art, practice is the route to improvement.

All Clear

2012-01-25T18:10:00.000Z

Over the last few months, my friend, Christine has been going down to the Western General Hospital to get a three weekly dose of chemo therapy. Last week she got the results back from the scan and blood test and brilliant news, she is in remission. During the time she spent getting treatment, she continued to swim and run, showing great courage and spirit in the face of adversity. Recently, she had been giving me some tips on swimming stroke improvement, to help me realise my New Year's resolution of swimming less like a snake and more like a swan, and its working. Not my opinion, a long time friend who works at the Loch Centre pointed out my snaky technique to me before Christmas. Yesterday, he said he couldn't believe how much my technique has improved. So, what I have to do now is keep on until the body memory of the good technique is laid down and I don't slip back into my bad old ways.

I wanted to mark Christine's good news in some way and she had mentioned (on the blog) that she liked one of my paintings, so I put it in a mount and gave it to her... with unanticipated results. And I mean results... yesterday, I got a real spike in the hits on my blog. Usually, the stats are between 20 and 40 hits a day. Yesterday they hit 62 and the majority of them were on the blog which included the painting that Christine liked. You've guessed what happened - Christine wrote her blog about her recent good news and mentioned the painting with a hyper-link to it. So lots of people who were reading her log popped over to take a look... sweet or what!

On the painting front, I'm in the middle of a project. I have been bowled over by the conical shaped building I came across at Hedderwick Hill Stables. So I have been back there and sketched it. I did a preliminary painting of it and now I'm doing a bigger one - 20 x 16" As usual I'm learning as I go, so watch this space.

The Fridge.

What a 'weak' end!

2012-01-22T23:37:00.000Z

Interesting week end. Went to the vet with Harvey on Saturday to get a new splint and bandage cum handle bar tape put on it, then spent the rest of the week end explaining to complete strangers that the whole thing looks a lot worse than it is. He has broken a small bone in his front toe ... not a total crush fracture of the whole leg... pass it on. The bandage lasted one and half days. He broke the splint on the East beach at North Berwick this evening, playing with friends, which includes every dog he ever meets... so another trip to the vet tomorrow looks in order . Saturday afternoon saw me joining a Life Drawing class (not as the model!) There followed by a session of drills at the triathlon swimming club. Most of them were about swimming on your side, which maybe lead to the very runny nose and all the signs of a cold this morning. This should have given me a good excuse to lay in bed till lunch time, but instead I was harried into a run with Frank along the half marathon route. I bailed out at 'Joiners Brae' making excuses about my cold. I reckon I did 8 of the 13 miles plus a mile home and unbelievably felt a lot better at the end than I did at the beginning.

Running at North Berwick and a surf drawing

2012-01-19T22:06:00.001Z

Yesterday saw me running a nice varied route starting at North Berwick sports centre. From there I ran to the North Berwick Law car park and anti clockwise around the Law. There is a narrow path which winds its way around the Law and has a tendency to fall away to the right. This is quite tricky when you have road shoes on, particularly when it is damp underfoot... there tends to be some slipping and sliding. The path levels out and runs along the top of a field away from the Law. From then on its free running down the hill through the Glen and onto the beach. The next half hour was resistance training into the strong wind. I put my head down and worked my way along the East beach and then the West beach until I reached 45 minutes, somewhere near Yellowcraig. Heading back to North Berwick was blissful, the wind pushing me along. I cut up onto the High Street and towards the Train Station. There is a steep uphill section of a path to the road where the sports centre is, so I put in an effort up it and on to the end. An enjoyable run of 1hour 12 mins.
Today turned out to be a rest day with an over indulgence of pizza... better put in some training again tomorrow!

I spotted a nice card of a surfer in a big sea in Sally and Craig's place (naturally.) Here is my take on it:

Water colour class

2012-01-17T18:20:00.000Z

First day back to Sheena Phillips water colour class today. Sheena must be doing something right because it was a full house of about 20 people. Most of the class from last term were there, but one of the men was missing, which means there are only two of us now. One advantage of there being so many women present, is that they come laden with cakes and biscuits. The Christmas cake was particularly good. The subject today was light,colour, tone. and The painting plan was to use a limited palette of Naples yellow and neutral tint (a grey colour.) I didn't have either of these colours, so I used paynes grey and yellow ochre. This is the result:

On the way back from Musselburgh, I called into the Loch Centre at Tranent for a swim with Christine. We have been doing some drills that involve swimming for six kicks on one side and then six kicks on the other side. There are some variations of this drill, all with the intention of improving the roll of the front crawl. I'm hoping that this drill and others will help me achieve my New Year's ambition of improving my swimming form.

When the sun shines...

2012-01-15T20:57:00.000Z

Maybe I shouldn't say it too loudly, but I am ENJOYING THIS WINTER! We have had loads of blue skies and sun and the cold air is revitalising. Today I took full advantage of the weather. Frank and I got our running gear on and headed west down the railway track. We got to Cottyburn and joined the road up the big hill near Bangley quarry and along to the junction of Aberlady road, instead of going down the hill to Haddington, we carried on along a track to the Dirlton road. From there it is a quick uphill to the track across to Barney Mains. Once we reached the farm we went downhill and across the A199 along the road to the river path and back into Haddy. We were running for 1hr 31 mins and I guess it was 11 miles long. I felt pretty good throughout the run with my usual injury suspects being kept at bay. The last time I remember doing this route was a couple of years ago. It is a good one for a day like today because there are plenty of different types of terrain and get some splendid views.

Later I took Harvey along to North Berwick. He has been prescribed lots of rest to recover from his broken toe and I thought the beach would be ideal for a short walk, being soft underfoot. Now if you or I had a plaster on our leg, we could be fairly certain that strangers in the street would not want to tell us what a shame it was and ask how it happened. You've guessed... Harvey got a huge dose of sympathy and people who did not stop to talk to him looked at him with big doe eyes and then turned to look at me questioningly. Call me paranoid, but I felt like saying 'it wasn't my fault honest.'
The other reason for going to the beach was to have a second go at rowing. Last weeks session had left me with sore knees from knocking the oars into them and an achy back, not to mention ham strings... don't mention them. I thought that the problem was a lack of adequate space for my long legs. This week I got a seat in the bow and put the foot rest, that you push against, to the furthest point it would go. Conditions were ideal... a calm sea and little wind. The four of us rowing and the cox, worked together well and we flew across the water to Craigleith Island. When we got there, a seal popped his head out of the water and gave us a long inquisitive inspection. On the way back I had a chat with one of the crew about the Earthwatch programme which this week followed Barnacle geese through Europe and up the east coast of Scotland, including some great arial views of Tantallon Castle and Bass Rock. If you haven't watched it, have a look on iplayer... well worth it. I was in the last boat out, which meant we came back to a magnificent sunset. My opinion of rowing so far is very favourable.

Poor Harvey!

2012-01-14T19:04:00.001Z

It can't be denied that the weather yesterday was magnificent. Clear blue skies, sunshine and cold, crisp air. The perfect day for a hike up Trapprain Law, so that is exactly what Harvey, a friend and I did. I have been up the Law a few times lately, so I know that the sheep who live there spend a lot of their time on the west side of the Law. I go up towards the east side and down on the west, which means Harvey can off be the lead on the way up, but when we get to the top, the lead goes on, in case we come across the sheep. Wonderful, as Harvey is ., his ability to resist chasing sheep is non-existent.
All was going well yesterday and as we descended from the top, after taking in the splendid views, Harvey spotted a flock of sheep and immediately tugged at the lead, which unfortunately was pulled out of my friends hand. So he was off across the rocks and back up the hill after the flock. It was obvious that he would not get anywhere near the sheep, because he had a rather long lead trailing behind him slowing him down. I ran after him shouting for him to stop, but to no avail. After about fifteen minutes of searching the top and making it over towards the east side of the Law, Harvey appeared, lead trailing behind him. It was soon obvious that he had hurt himself. He was holding his front left paw awkwardly and limping. However, as we headed for the car, he seemed to improve.
This morning the foot and limp were worse, so we headed for the vet. Sure enough, the diagnosis is a broken bone at the end of the pinkie toe of the left paw. The good news is that the bone will heal quite quickly, but in the mean time Harvey has a splint, with the splendid blue plaster wrapped around his leg. It has to remain in place for a week, after which time it will be changed and another bandage put on for another week. After that he will be healed and able to get back to normal life. Until then it is sedate walks on a lead for Harvey... quite a difference from his usual high energy performances.

Telford College, Foundation Course in Art and Design

2012-01-10T21:32:00.000Z

You may have noticed that I use my blog to discuss the things that I am interested in. Fair enough...
Running gets mentioned quite often, cycling has also featured on the higher ranks of my labels and Harvey is up there near the top, but consider this
Art has been labelled 69 times,
Drawing 13 times
Water colour 5 times
Nudes 5 times
Painting 5 times
Sketches 2
Get the picture! ha ha... I like art. I like to paint, draw and look at art. On a weekly basis, I attend the North Berwick art group and I go along to Sheena Phillips water colour classes. I am trying to make some time between other things to do some painting at home.
So what! you might ask... Well, erm, the question of what to do now that I have retired has cropped up in my mind. Let's face it I'm not going to break the three hour barrier in a marathon, so I don't have to go pounding the streets and the countryside in every God forsaken weather that this beautiful country can throw at us. I could build up my Shiatsu practice again, and I have considered that quite seriously.
The thing that really appeals to me right now is developing my skills in painting, drawing and lots of other aspects of art. Now I could sit in my house and create stuff, which would be great, but I know that there is lots that I don't know. With that in mind, I have been trawling through the courses available to some one as long in the tooth as me. The result... a nice surprise. The art teaching world out there say that they want to encourage 'mature students.'
Today, I took a trip up to Telford College. It's quite a place... opened in 2006, in the Waterside development area of Edinburgh. A helpful guy from the reception took me up to Floor 3, where Art and design is located and showed me around and one of the staff answered my questions and gave me the gen on the place. Result... I have applied for the course that starts in August. The next stage is to put together a portfolio, which in my present state of knowledge might as well be 'put together a Mars voyager.' There will be interviews in February.
It's all very exciting and a bit scary.

The SAA Society for all Artists

2012-01-05T11:43:00.000Z

I've been a member of the SAA (Society for all artists) for a couple of years. My reasons for joining were to get copies of their excellent magazine 'PAINT' and to make use of the cut price art materials for sale in the catalogue. I hadn't bothered to look at their web site until yesterday, which is a pity because I found it to be a treasure trove of useful stuff for budding artists. A couple of things that caught my eye are the 'How too do art' articles. A quick scan through these revealed some great tips and tricks of the trade that can be brought into use when painting water colour. I also spotted the competition section and it aroused my interest. There are several different competitions, including the 'Artist of the Year.' You can submit the art online, which is a good step forward from sending stuff by email or even 'real mail.' The three pieces I put forward are 'Cala Lillies, a life drawing (both in charcoal) and Tantallon Castle (Water colour). They are now on the SAA web site at:
http://www.saa.co.uk/competition/competition_view.php?competition_type=1

Last night I went to the running club's first session of the year. It was wet and windy, but when you got going, surprisingly mild. No one was up for using head torches, so we ran around the Haddington route. This is supposed to be 11km, although there is always some debate about the length of our courses. There were six runners which isn't a bad turn out for the time of year and the conditions. Everyone running was faster than me, but that didn't stop them all getting a tow up the first hill! After that they disappeared into the night. It was one of those runs where you get stuck in as the wind pushes you back. The last two or three kms, the wind was behind and I was flying. Enjoyed the whole thing in spite of, or maybe because of the conditions.

The Loony Dook at North Berwick on Ne'er Day

2012-01-03T23:44:00.002Z

If you look carefully, you can see my head sticking out of the water, to the left of the Life Boat.

Courtesy of Robbie Wightman who thought I was a grey seal

Out with the old...

2012-01-02T20:36:00.000Z

In between jumping into the sea for the loony dook at North Berwick yesterday and running along the railway walk track between Haddington and Longniddry today, I decided to declutter my kitchen. This involved removing the medals that have hung from a shelf after being brought back from various races over the last few years. Their fate is to be put in a box to be hidden away somewhere. I know I'm a sad old git and should put them in the bin but in my defence, I come from the marathon boom era of the 1980's when getting a medal still meant something. In those days, working class lads like myself did not run in marathons, we left it to the super hero's on the telly. The first London marathon in 1981 was a revelation... mere mortals like me were running in the same race as the racing elite. I remember how excited I got sitting in front of the telly and watching an American and a Scandinavian cross the finishing line together. Afterwards, I went out and ran about eight miles which was the longest distance I had run at the time. The following year I ran the mighty race in 3.22 and became a hopeless running addict. I still have the London marathon medal, along with a lot of others in a box somewhere.

The current medals have clustered around certain events. The Dunbar races feature prominently and there are a couple of North Berwick Law race medals. Loch Leven, Haddington and Jedburgh half marathon medals are in there. There's also one from the Cape Wrath marathon (relay.) To keep a bit of balance there are a few triathlon medals and one for a cycle run. There's plenty of room on the shelf for a some new medals... so watch this space.

Festive painting, running and swimming.

2011-12-30T10:14:00.005Z

I've been keeping busy during the holidays with a mixture of festive running, swimming in the sea and in the pool and sketching and painting, indoors and outdoors.
On Christmas eve, Tom and Phillipa Harley organised a festive run at Pencaitland. About twenty people including a couple of Santa's and lots of tinsel took part in a relay with a Christmas cracker as a baton. It was all followed up with some of Phillipa's delicious baking.
On Boxing day, I went along to North Berwick and joined up with Saartje for a swim in the sea next to the harbour. Luckily the air temperature was unseasonably mild. The swim was great, even though we were both in cossy's. The secret is to keep your head warm... no diving under the water. I took Harvey along with me and Saartje had a brown lab called Haggis. We left the dogs playing on the beach, only to find that they came in after us. Harvey had some sense and turned back after a short while but Haggis swam around the buoys with us. We were in for about 10 minutes. When we got out, we ran up the beach... a great way of warming up. Later on I posted the work I have been doing on a portrait of Lia. I had taken a few photos of the painting process and posted them too, this is something I hadn't done before and I found it really useful, it's something I will do more of.
The next day, Harvey and I met up with Richard and his dog Sevy, a Rhodesian ridge back and went for a run from Yellowcraigs to North Berwick and back. Sevy, being a big dog lopes along with Richard and exudes a calm feeling of being in the present moment. Harvey, ran as he usually does, criss crossing the beach and occasionally disappearing over the dunes... every dog on the route is given a quick sniff around it's private areas.
On 28 December, I went along to the Loch Centre and worked on my swimming technique. I took the attitude to quantity rather than quality and did a series of sets which I was surprised to add up to 2300 metres. Since then I have come across an on line coaching set-up called Endurance Nation US. They give some great advice on their swimming clinic. I have downloaded their ebook, so New Year's resolution number 1 is to use it to improve my snaky technique and become a streamlined swim swimmer.
Yesterday, I went back to Hedderwick Hill Stables to do a sketch of a conically shaped building that I spotted on the Dunbar running club's festive run. It's a great place for dogs and a great place to do some sketching. Someone told me that this building was used to with horses walking around in circles to grind flour.... not true. I knocked on the door of a local cottage to ask about it. It's a fridge, which used to store cattle carcasses, the inside is made of slates which keeps it cold in the summer. My plan is to turn this sketch into a largish water colour painting, if I can work out how to make the reddish sandstone colour which the building is made of.

When I finished, I went along to Innerwick and had a run through the fields and along to Oldhamstocks... Stuart Hay country, got back just before dark.

Painting Lia's Portrait

2011-12-26T19:58:00.000Z

This painting is based on a photo of Lia taken at a wedding about four years ago. It shows the smiley character of my granddaughter who looks beautiful in her party dress. I just love the sense of fun that exudes from her happy smiling face.

I planned to paint this picture over a year ago, so I have had plenty of time to think about it.

I decided to use water colour paints but opted to use smooth paper rather than water colour paper. I drew the outline of picture and used masking fluid on the high visibility white areas in the eyes, lips and teeth.

Next, I worked on the background. I used Prussian blue on the bottom left and allowed yellow ochre to mix with the top section in a wet on wet pattern. I used cadmium orange on the top right and a green made of Prussian blue and yellow ochre on the bottom left. I added a couple of background details from the photo and added a pale pink wash to Lia's face neck and arms.

Then I worked on the tone of the skin with additional brush stokes in the darker areas. I used a small round brush and a rigger brush for the hair. The eyes were coloured with Prussian blue and the centre with indigo blue.

I felt that the portrait could be improved by catching more of Lia's essential joy. I decided to paint the portrait again, but this time I used water colour paper and more masking fluid, to depict Lia's fine hair. I decided to make the background more dramatic and leave out the details from the photo. I allowed more wet in wet mixture of the background colours and used salt on the left side to produce the starburst effect.

One of the wonderful characteristics of water colour is that each time you paint the same subject you get a different picture. You have to learn to live with the fact that you are not completely in control of the pigments. This is the final picture, incorporating the changes I made.

Darren Woodhead's exhibition at Waterston House

2011-12-23T16:18:00.001Z

Yesterday I took some time off Christmas shopping to visit Waterston House, the headquarters of the Scottish Ornithologists' Club. This very attractive building is perched on the edge of Aberlady Bay, in a perfect position to see the water birds that live there and in particular, the comings and goings of the geese.
What drew me there is an exhibition of Darren Woodhead's watercolour paintings which are on display until 25 January. Darren paints all his pieces outdoors, even in the worst of Scotlands weather. He has a keen eye for wildlife and his exhibition of East Lothian's wild birds in their natural habitat is first class. Darren wanders all over East Lothian accompanied by his dog paints wonderful landscapes with the bird life a natural part of them. The paintings are often large with intimate depictions of the birds. They feel close by and fully alive. Two books of paintings and descriptions of the places they were painted called 'Up river - song of the Esk' and 'From Dawn to Dusk' are available to look at or buy.

This is an excellent exhibition of Scottish wildlife, water colour painting shown is a pleasing setting... get along and see it if you can.

One of the many paintings at the exhibition

Merry Christmas

2011-12-22T09:45:00.000Z

In the deep mid-winter

2011-12-21T18:23:00.001Z

Star date 21 December 2011 and the shortest day of the year. From now on the days will slowly, oh so slowly become lighter!! In the mean time I will keep on with my routine which has been evolving over the last few weeks. The main point is that the best light of the day is often around midday till about 2.45 after which it starts to fade. So the things I like to do outside have to be organised to make best use of this time. Top of my list of things to do are painting, running and taking Harvey for a walk. A bonus at this time of year is that very few people go out into the cold to visit the beautiful beaches and hills around East Lothian. Sunday morning was an exception... Harvey and I went for a run on Tyninghame beach and bumped into two people I know who were also running but not with each other. Still I did get a nice photo of the sun rise on the way there.

I have to say that my routine isn't strict. I quite like torch light runs. Monday night was still and cold and perfect for runnig. I ran along by the River Tyne and up past Seggarsdean farm... not a person in sight for that one

. I will also be running around Haddington tonight in the Festive 5 km handicap race. It all has to be done and dusted by 7.45 so that we can go along to the Tyneside for a Christmas meal and a bit of yo ho ho.

New Laptop

2011-12-19T17:36:00.000Z

The motherboard of my previous lap top took early retirement. There wasn't any way to fix her, so here I am with a shiny new lap top. The design has moved on and I have to admit that in comparison to the old square screen, I prefer this new rectangular screen. The in-built camera is a good development... I don't have to go searching for the old web cam when I want to use Skype. However, a new piece of equipment can be tricky, for instance I'm have a few problems with the link to my wi fi printer and scanner. I find that when I try to sort these things out, instead of taking the anticipated five minutes, I end up in a maze of downloads and related complications which gobble up the time. This stops me doing the things I really want to do... running, swimming, painting etc

Just to make life a bit more complicated, I have invested in Web Plus x4, with the intention of creating one or more web sites. I'm hoping this will give me a platform to share information about Shiatsu treatments and eventually to bring together my artwork. In the mean time, I am trying to get my head around the Web Plus x4 User Guide.

Not so long ago, I went along to the National Gallery for an easel drawing session mentioned in a previous blog on: http://draft.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2808419617693976344#editor/target=post;postID=9157481213261766527
Before I used the easel, I did a couple of quick sketches of the Japanese model, sitting on the floor and using a board.

I'm intending to go back to the easel drawing sessions in January, It's a great opportunity to do some sketching in no less a place than the National Gallery!

Walking the dog

2011-12-15T08:49:00.002Z

On my recent walks with Harvey, I have been taking the camera along.

Big Moon over Haddington

And Bass Rock

Came across this amazing building on the Dunbar festive run last Sunday. Apparently it used to have horses walking around in it to turn the grinding wheel. Horses were used because the wind to turn windmills in Scotland is inconsistent... sounds familiar!

This will make a great water colour painting.

Harvey taking in the view

An Inspirational Book about Van Gogh

2011-12-14T12:46:00.000Z

Van Gogh was a creative genius and a complex human being. 'The Life and Works of VAN GOGH' by Michael Howard is a wonderful book which describes his life and art by putting his paintings into the context of his life. We find out where he was living and how he was creating his art through reference to the large number of letters he wrote to his brother Theo. There are 280 pictures of his paintings included. They show the influences of the artists who inspired him, including Rembrandt, Gauguin and Millet. Van Gogh's development as an artist from his early tonal pieces in Holland, through the influence of Impressionism and Pointillism and culminating in his rich and vivid expressive paintings at the end of his life are described along side his development as a human being. In his early life he followed his father's footsteps into religion. He became a successful art seller and had disastrous relationships with women. He exposed himself to many artistic influences in Britain, France and Holland and gradually became subject to mental health problems which led to him being hospitalised and eventually committing suicide. This book gives a really good feel of Van Gogh, the man and artist.

Another masterpiece!

2011-12-13T16:33:00.000Z

The 'Klivera Shelter,' shown in the last blog isn't the only unusal building created by Venerable Thitadhammo. If anything the building he is working on currnently is even more fascinating. Situated at the end of the long log store is a deceptive gate which looks like a part of the log pile.

It takes you through to the wee garden and a false front door.

The building rests solidly on log stilts. There are leaded windows and an interesting turret with a green pointed steeple which has stairs to lead you to a balcony. The chimmney is hidden inside another turret. The whole structure is clothed in a mystery of trees and shrubs.

This is my quick attempt at a sketch of the front of the building.

Although the outside of the building is amazing, it does not prepare you for the interior. Every wooden fitment is wonderfully crafted and unique. Each moving part makes a whoosh noise, they are so precisely made. There are more beautiful stained glass windows with an beautiful desk set in front of a clear window. Once again it is like being transported into the world of Tolkein... you expect Gandalf and a hobbit to walk in through the door.

It doesn't cost much to creat a masterpiec. All the materials have been collected or bargained for. To date the building has cost 10p.

Now that's a shelter!

2011-12-05T21:35:00.001Z

On my last day at Chithurst monastery I had some time to explore the grounds. Not very far from the main building, tucked away in a corner and camoflaged with bushes is a shelter with a difference. First impressions would suggest a run down or derilict building... as below.

That is not the case at all. When you take a peek behind the bushes you find a building that looks a bit down at heel but it has an interesting rune on the door. Just enough to make you want to take a peek inside.

This is the 'Kilvera Shelter, is a most supberly worked little building. The place is a minor masterpiece with wonderfully worked wood fittings and stained glass windows.

There is a seat that converts into a bed and a wood burning stove in the corner to keep you cosy.

In the corner above the stove are a couple of poetry books and a novel. This amazing little shelter was made by Venerable Thitadhammo who lives above a workshop, nearby.

St. Mary's in West Sussex and East Lothian

2011-12-03T13:31:00.001Z

Chichester gave me my first impression of West Sussex. The town centre is old and attractive, comprising of a lot of traditional market town architecture. I thought that this was a nice feature.

There is an inspiring Cathedral dating back many centuries. This photo is taken from the nearby gardens.

Chithurst monastery is two bus rides and about 20 miles away via Midhurst, It is a lovely rural area with heathland, forests and single track roads. The area has an abundance of ancient cottages and churches. St. Mary's is down the road from Chithurst monastery and is a fine example of a Norman Church built around 1080.

I was inspired to do a sketch painting of this church but it was a bit awkward because I had to do it crouching on my haunches.

Afterwards I remembered that this is the second time I have painted a church called St. Mary. The other one is in Haddington, East Lothian and brought me first prize in the East Linton exhibition 2010. Here is the link

http://www.triboy57.blogspot.com/search/label/St.%20Mary%27s%20Church

Living and working in the Forest

2011-12-02T11:39:00.001Z

Spending two weeks in the open air surrounded by trees gets you thinking. What must it have been like to live there all the time like a lot of our predecesors did, not so many generations ago. Life must have been a lot simpler and more in harmony with nature. There are still forests that we can visit, but living, working and sleeping in the forest is something else. For one thing, there is a lot of food growing and living there. The number and variety of mushrooms growing is amazing and there are a whole lot of nuts and root veggies to eat. When the crash comes, the forest is the place to head for. The air is very good, I would recommend anyone suffering from asthma to go and sample it for a few days. People knew about the things that live and grow in the forest and being clever types developed skills to harvest the good things without destroying them. Coppicing Birch and Hazel are a couple of ways this was done.
I did a sketch of a neat little way of using woodcraft to store the sweet chestnut logs which I think is a good example of 'bodging' - working with the raw materials in the forest.

Another thing I recommend is running along woodland tracks... wonderful.

From South to North

2011-11-30T17:51:00.001Z

Haven't been around blog space for a while due to my trip to Chirthurst monastery, West Sussex. I volunteered to work in the forest for a couple of weeks in what turned out to be glorious weather. Not having many skills in the forest management department, my job was to haul logs of sweet chestnut and neatly pile them in rows. This was hard work but it was made easier with a handy log grabber tool. Over the course of the two weeks I learned the names of quite a few trees and got to grips with brush cutting, heathland promotion and tree planting. The forest is being returned to it's original state with the replanting of oak, ash, hawthorn, blackthorn and beech. This is an ongoing process, but has already produced some good results. There are a quite a number of badgers, deer and owls around!
While I was staying in the monastery, I joined in with the routine, which involved a 4 am wake up gong and lots of meditation. Together with all the sunshine and fresh air, it was quite an experience.
At the week ends I got in some running through the woods and managed a few sketch paintings.

This is a kuti called Brahma Vihara, I stayed in for five nights, just me the badgers and the owls

A view of the grounds below Chithurst Monastery

Torch running around Haddington

2011-11-10T22:12:00.001Z

Good news on the running front. I hope I'm not speaking too soon, but I went for a run with the club last night and the signs of recovering achillies tendinitis are encouraging. We decided to go out on a headlight run of about four miles through the Lennoxlove Estate. I didn't expect to stay with the fast guys very long and I was right before we got to Burn's Well they were out of torch range. I was anticipating a solo run the rest of the way when I spotted a light ahead and it turned out to be Frank, who decided to wait for me. When we got to the turn into Lennoxlove he said
"Let's carry on to Begbie."
"Okay," I said
As we approached the corner at Begbie farm house, Frank said
"Let's go to Samuelston."
"Okay," I said with a slightly more strained voice
When we reached the cross-roads above Samuelston, he said,
"How about going on to the old A1, it's safer in the dark'"
"Okay," I said and I'm glad I did because as the ran progressed I felt stronger and ended up having a really good run. We ran about 9 miles and that's the longest run on the road that I've done this year!

The last two weeks I have been doing a regular stretching routine for the achillies and hopefully it is paying off... time will tell!

Anyone for... Chess?

2011-11-08T18:09:00.000Z

'Haven't played for years,' is the reply most people give me when I have try to pin them down to a game of chess, it was true for me too, until this year. But I am getting ahead of myself.

Although my job at East Lothian Council involved planning services, when it comes to my own life, quite often the big things tend to 'just happen' rather than having a long run in on the 'Planning Cycle.' It's true that I planned to retire from work and take a trip to New Zealand and Australia this year, but the amount of planning wasn't as detailed as you might expect. Part of the fun in life and particularly in travelling is letting it unfold... it's the journey, not the destination da de da. I hadn't planned getting back into chess but I found that two of my relatives, like me, felt the urge to play. So I got into a marathon chess series with my daughter's partner Vlad. At the end of series he thought he had won, but I pointed out to him that 4 - 4 is a draw... he still doesn't get it.

When I got home from Australia my sister and brother in law Terry visited me. As the visit progressed we found a mutual love of chess. It didn't look good for me when Terry took a 4 - 0 lead, but I pulled myself together and got back to 4 - 4. The final was a nail biter and I won. Not that it's the winning you will understand... it's the taking part - and winning.

So, well and truly hooked, I wanted to continue playing, but the problem was that Vlad lives in Melbourne and Terry lives in Weymouth. Everyone I asked to play had a excuse and I didn't want to resort to playing the computer (although on lonely nights... I have to admit I weakened.) Then the brilliant idea hit me of playing chess by txt. At present I have two long distance games going on against my old adversaries It requires two chess sets with pieces that won't fall over and a basic understanding of vertical ( 1 - 8) and horizontal ( a - h ) After that all that is required is a good thumb on the mobile. There have been one or two mistakes made, but we have managed to over come them. I have played two games with Terry and modesty stops me from revealling the score ( 2 - 0 to me ) When my running body finally falls apart, I know what I'll be doing!

Taking Advantage

2011-11-06T21:45:00.000Z

Harvey and I took full advantage of the good weather this week end. On Saturday we did a canter up Trapprain Law. There were some great views over to Aberlady Bay and across to the Lammermuir Hills. While we were on the top we took the a look around. Over by the quarry, where the Law race comes up, there is a new fence being built. You can imagine the Volalandi tribe living up there when you trapse around a bit. I had an ulterior motive for picking the Law for our walk. I have been painting a panoramic view of the Law from the south looking north. It gave me a chance to have a look at the point where the photo of the view was taken from!

Trapprain Law Cairn looking towards North Berwick

Aberlady Bay at full tide

Earlier today I took part in the Borders Cross Country race at Lauder. The whole race took place in brilliant sunshine and no wind... ideal conditions. Underfoot it was pretty muddy and I was glad I took the decision to wear my Ron Hill shoes... made me feel confident on the hills slippery hills. My last race was on 27 February which co-incidentally was the last of 2010/11 Borders Cross Country series. One of the reasons for not racing much this year has been a troublesome achillies ankle. I still have a problem with it, but with stretching and some massage it is being held in check. I felt great during the run and had a bit of puff left to race in at the end. Not a fast time but being able to put in a good effort and enjoying the race and the buzz was a real bonus.

Canine running

2011-11-03T12:06:00.000Z

Harvey and his pal Sebby (a Rhodesian rigde back) have started a new section at HELP running club. For the last few weeks they have taken me and Sebby's owner, Richard for a headlight run in the countryside. We start off from the Augbinny Centre, go along the path by the river and over the pedestrian bridge. Then it's along the path at the edge of the field and on to Rabbie Burns well. After that the path ends and we run along the road to the 'Titanic' bridge (built in 1912.) After that it's up through the woods and into the Seggarsdean Estate. Through there and onto the Pencaitland Road. We then follow the road into the Whimpey estate and rejoin the River Tyne pathway back to the Augbinny Centre. Last night we ran it in about 42 mins and Ian Carrick joined us , even took a short turn on the lead (holding it.) The two dogs love running together, loping along and making an occassional dart into the darkness when they smell something they fancy. I've heard that dogs have better eyesight in the dark than humans and this was confirmed by the way they avoided the puddles and we didn't. Mind you they can't hold torches so well as us!

Bishop Hill and West Lomond Hill

2011-10-31T22:12:00.001Z

I've been looking at the Lomands of Fife from my side of the Firth of Forth for a long time. It was great to get the chance to go up there and take a look from the north side. But first things first. Harvey and I met my friend Keith and his dog Alfie... a King Charles spaniel at Scotlandwell, near Loch Leven. I immediately recognised the hill where we met because it makes up a part of the Loch Leven half marathon. I've had two recent contrasting experiences on that hill 2009 I died on it and somehow dragged myself back to the finish line. Last year I floated up it and enjoyed the run in for home (got a better time too.) So I took it as a good omen that the start of the walk up Bishop Hill is across the road from the top of the hill. It is nice walking up the hill through the woods and perfect for the dogs. On the top you can see Loch Leven and all the surrounding countryside. There are some great views over the Forth to East Lothian. There is also a good view of the Lomands of Fife. Between us and the West pap lay some fairly stiff walking into a valley, around a gorge and up the side to the top. On the way there are some remarkable stony outcrops which look like puzzles that have been put together... all the big boulders stacked neatly on each other to make the perfect result. It looked more like something from Oz than Scotland. The view from the cairn at the top is well worth the effort... once again a great panorama of the surrounding countryside and over the Forth. I took a good look at the route over to the East pap in case I am ever foolhardy enough to have a go at the Lomands of Fife hill race.
The treck back didn't present any problems and fortunately Keith picked the right path out of the glen. But it was long and everyone was quite knackered by the time we got back from to the car, apart from Harvey who naturally wanted to do the whole thing again!

Back in the groove

2011-10-26T18:33:00.000+01:00

The last few weeks have seen me getting back into a few of the things I enjoy doing. I have been out running, done some cycling and splashed about in the swimming pool. I always feel alot better when I'm involved in regular exercise, with any luck, I'll keep injury free and get fit again.

I have also renewed my aquaintance with Sheena Philips. I admire her water colour paintings and it's a delight to go to her classes and learn the tricks of the trade. Here is a water colour we did in class over a couple of weeks, called 'The Garden.' On this occassion I would say that the real thing has more impact than this version taken through the scanner

Harvey and Phoebe

2011-10-11T23:24:00.000+01:00

Harvey and I went to the beach and met up with a new friend.

This is Phoebe... a beautiful deer hound with some lurcher in her. She's a bit bigger than Harvey but that didn't stop them being friends and having a great time running after the ball.

After Phoebe and her owner Duncan went home, Harvey and I took a long walk along the beach and made a bonfire (well it was me who made it!) A good setting to watch the sun go down.

On the way back we saw hundreds of geese battling against the wind... so many birds in the sky was an impressive sight

Down Sowf

2011-10-05T18:59:00.000+01:00

Got into my trusty Berlingro and headed way down south last week. Went past Luton and got into the four stream build up but luckily I got off the motorway at Hemel Hempstead, before I hit the 'Big Smoke.' My trusty Ber. started off with 200,2038 on the clock and came back with 200, 3034. The only hitch came on the M69 when a strange noise from under the car turned out to be a part of the plastic covering had moved up against a tyre... easily fixed! Apart from the accent, one of the main differences down there was the traffic.Where does it all come from? Guess which motorway was the main culprit for traffic jams out of the following M1, M69, A58, M6 and M74. Yes the M6... what a nightmare from junction 15 right up to Liverpool. The man on the radio said we were doing an average of 20 miles an hour.
Took a trip down memory lane on the way home. Called into my home town of Coventry and met up with my old neighbours (from 1956 - 1973.) Also caught up with my cousin Maureen, who lives near Loughbourough and chewed the fat over family intrigues of the past. Then it was up the Motorway to Liverpool. I was a student and worked in the area between 1973 and 1978, but I haven't been back for a long time. I went into Liverpool on the East Lancs road, avoiding the M62 which had long tailbacks.and stopped in a layby to get directions to my friends Nita and Pete. That was when I found out that the network coverage on my mob wasn't working, a state which continued till the next day. There were no phones anywhere, so I went into a rough looking shop to ask for help and directions. The Indian shopkeeper gave me his phone to use and then most of the people in the shop gave me directions in thick scouse. I eventually found my way to the house on the other side of the city in a pitiful state, needing strong, hot cups of tea.

Liverpool has changed alot since I lived there, particularly around Pier Head and The Albert Dock. This is because, Liverpool 1, as it is known has been developed. There are now lots of shops and buildings between the city centre and Albert Dock. At the river front a number of high rise building constructions are in evidence. (If you look closely you can see a grand piano in one of the upstairs windows.)

Liverpool boasts the longest established Chinese community in Britain. The ceremonial arch was built by craftsmen from Shanghai

I spent a few hours in Albert Dock. When I was a student, just up the road from the dock, it was derelict. Quite a difference now - a nice place to sit outside in the sun and have a coffee.

If you look carefully, you can see the Anglican Cathedral between the buildings!

The Tate Gallery were holding an exhibition of the surrealist artist Rene Margritte. Many of his paintings are well known, but I thought that they weren't as challenging or imaginative as Dali's paintings and although they were clever they lacked emotional depth.

One place that hadn't changed was the Liver Buildings, this photo was taken through the windows of the new museum, which is built so that at one end of it you get this view. At the other end you look along the Mersey.

All over town in a new kind of mythical beast called a Superlambabanna. These pop up everywhere in lots of different guises.

Easel sketching at the National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh

2011-09-21T22:24:00.000+01:00

I like going along to see art exhibitions, so sometime ago I ticked the box to get the National Gallery listings sent to me. Last week I had a look at it properly and noticed that every month there are free easel sketching sessions available with no need to book in advance. This looked like too good a chance to miss, so I went along. Sure enough a group of people were gathered around a Japanese lady in a kimono and were either standing at an easel or sitting with a board, sketching her. I was a bit late but joined in and produced two sketches sitting at a board and one standing at an easel. The session was run by artist, Damian Callan.The sketching of each pose lasted about 20 minutes. We were supplied with paper, charcoal, chalk and coloured pastels to work with. Before each pose Damian gave us a wee demonstration of how he tackles a sketch.

He starts off with a phantom sketch by drawing the outline of the model without putting any lines on the paper. This helps to get going and get some dimensions in the eye.
Then he draws the model in a flowing way, moving around and across the paper without lifting the charcoal off the paper and not worrying too much about the finer points of accuracy. This produces the first rough take on the model.
Next, the sketch is worked on... filling in details and missing out or changing parts which are not needed or inaccurate. The beauty of working with charcoal is that it is flexible and can be altered.
Bearing in mind tone, light and and shade and form.
Features are brought out with the use of tone and this is where chalk can be used as a highlighter.
Damian asked to look deeply at the model and the drawing will follow.

This is the sketch I did of M when standing at the easel, I worked on it for about 20 minutes, so it is a work in progress! I got engrossed in what I was doing and forgot that members of the public were wandering around the gallery. At one point I looked up and was quite surprised to see quite a large group of people watching us draw.

East Linton Art Exhibition and Gullane Beach

2011-09-15T12:37:00.001+01:00

The annual art exhibition in East Linton is on again every day this week, between 10 - 8. Went along with the Zoe, Vlad and Soli to have a look and there is a lot of good stuff there this year. I particularly like the crazy roosters by Claire Weeks and I was pleased to see that one of her pieces got a commendation. I put in a couple of paintings which I did some time ago.

and

The idea is to sell some paintings so I put a price tag of £120 on both of them, but there was no red dot on them yesterday.

I've been doing some spinning and swimming over the last few week but last night went for a run to test out the old achillies tendon. It was club night so Ian, Richard, Harvey and me went along to Gullane beach. It was great being out again with a good stiff breeze to run into.The achillies didn't seem too bad at the end of the run, but I will have to treat it gently.

Here, there and everywhere.

2011-08-24T18:09:00.000+01:00

As you can tell from the post title, I still love the Beatles.
I arrived home on 31 July and since then, I have been on a meditation retreat, had yet another birthday and been to the Edinburgh festival to see and hear the amazing Camille O'Sullivan. Her Wiki credits say that she has a first class honours in Architechture as well as being a vampish, burlesque singing star. Oh, yes I've started doing more shiatsu and hope to build up my practice again!

I started and ended the New Zealand part of my trip at Mount Eden, Auckland. There is a very nice cafe, called Frasers on the high street and this is a sketch painting I did during my last coffee there.

'Tour de France' - No worries!

2011-07-24T02:25:00.002+01:00

Just like half the population of Australia, I was up till the wee hours last night watching the 'Tour de France.' Cadelll Evans is the new hero over here and what a time trial he did. When you consided that the previous two days in mountains he had battled to stay with mountain specalist Frank Shleck and to overcome a bike failure and get back to the leading group you realise what a good effort he made last night. Cadell is the first Ozy to win the Tour. It has put the event on the map over here in a big way... no worries. The Tour rolls into Paris today for the last stage of a great event. I have enjoyed the way race has not been decided until the near the end. Much better than the usual outxome which is often decided long before the final stages.
Earlier in the day I did a cycle along Beach road on the East coast of Phillip Bay to Black Rock. It is a very popular ride with hundreds of cyclists of all levels heading out and back. My guide Micheal took me through the streets to get threre and back again - a nice way to finish a cycling holiday.

Not long until I board the plane for Edinburgh! I will be going to one more art class before I leave. Here is a still life I did a few weeks ago.

Table with cans and veggies.

Some last minute things to do

2011-07-22T07:00:00.000+01:00

I set off from Edinburgh Airport on 19 March and I'm heading back home a week today! If anyone asks me if it's good to travel for a few months I will say 'Yes... if you like travelling, meeting new people and seeing new places.' It may not be for everyone but it is for me. I've now got a whole pile of experiences which are worth their weight in gold, particularly seeing my grandson, Soli grow and develop over the last two and a half months. There as still a couple of things I want to do before I leave. The first one is to take a cycle down the coast, along Beach Road on the east side of Port Phillip Bay. I am told that there are thousands of cyclists who do this one on Saturday mornings, so tomorrow I will be another one of them. The other thing is to attend at least one more art class at Footsctay Community Art Centre. The new term has commenced and I went along to a 'Life Class' last Wednesday. The tutor really gets you to go for it during the two hour class. We start off by doing about five - one minute sketches to get our eyes in and work on proportions and angles. Then there are a couple of three minute sketches and a five minute. After that there are a couple of ten minute drawings and one or two fifteen minutes, depending on how it is going. Not only do we have a pile of drawings at the end but also some invaluable experience with tips and advice from the tutor.
This is one I did last Wednesday.

Megan

A new Life drawing

2011-07-17T10:44:00.002+01:00

Adelaide turned out to be a really good trip. My favourite area is around the North Terrace. This is the earliest part of the square mile which was planned and built by the early colonisers of South Australia. The roads in the square are wide and based on European Boulevards and there are several squares and fountains. At Adelaide is different from the rest of Oz because it was settled by free men who paid for the land and not convicts who had been sent over from Britain. Along North Terrace are the State Art Gallery, Museum and State Library. Each one is full of high quality culture and were a pleasure to visit. The east end of North Terrace are the Botanical gardens, which are very pleasant on a sunny, winters afternoon.
I got in a good day-long bike ride along the Torrence river to the West Coast and followed it to the northern tip at Port Adelaide and then down to Glenelg, where I met friends of the family. They own a Thai cafe and I was treated to a nice Pad Thai and a cup of chai... very nice!

Before I leave for home I am going to attend a couple more charcoal drawing classes. Here is one I did before the end of last term.

Ren

Adelaide - South Australia

2011-07-12T12:13:00.002+01:00

Took an 11 hour bus trip from Melbourne to Adelaide yesterday. This wasn't as straight forward as I thought it would be because the problem of getting my bike accepted onto the bus cropped up again! This time it was a bit unexpected because I had bought a ticket for myself and the bike... the bus driver thought otherwise. Not only the bus driver but his pal as well told me that they don't take bikes on the bus. I pointed out that I had a ticket and me and the bike were getting on. So he went over to have a word with the 'office' and then let me and the bike on. I don't blame him for being bolshy, because by the time we got out of Victoria the bus was full with 58 passengers and their luggage. But all's well that ends well. Travelling on a long distance bus in Oz is interesting, there were quite a few characters willing to tell you their life story and the state of the world and what is wrong with it. The journey flew by.
Today I have been checking out Adelaide and I like what I have seen. It is well laid out with broad avenues and Squares with fountains in them. I spent some time in the Art Gallery which is impressive with seven or eight galleries opening out from each other. There's a wide range of contemporary and historical art plus some very good indigenous art. They even have a few paintings by Turner and a few by a guy called Charles Hill who comes from Coventry my home town.
I went along to the market for lunch with Angie who is putting me up. There is a big area with about 15 Asian food shops with lots of delicious veggy food... spoilt for choice. Also took a look in the very interesting Museum which is next door to the Art Gallery and the State Library which is next door to the museum!! I'm pretty impressed with the resources around here.
I was looking at maps in the library (which has a statue of Rabbie Burns outside*) - getting ready for a trip down the river to the coast tomorrow when a guy decided to help me plan the route... he told me that Adelaide is the most civilised country in the world! So now I am sitting in Adelaide Uni with one of Angi's friends who has logged me on.
I go back to Melbourne on the overnight bus on Thursday night so we shall see what we shall see.

*Saw a statue of Rabbie Burns in Dunidon - South New Zealand as well!

2011-07-09T13:07:00.002+01:00

Pastel drawing of Ren

Calla Lilies

2011-07-06T23:47:00.002+01:00

Charcoal with a bit of chalk

Charcoal drawing

2011-07-06T04:24:00.001+01:00

While I've been in Melbourne, I've joined the Footscray Community Arts centre and drawn some still life and some Life. The teachers are great and the centre is a lovely resource.

Kevin

Rotorua

2011-06-20T01:22:00.000+01:00

24 March 2011

Much happier with the bike after some further running repairs and minor adjustments. Also got some Tiger Juice lube for the chain... just the stuff. One really good thing about having the bike Is the scope it gives for exploring. I went along the lake edge, the Maori village and Kuira Park nearby and had a good look at the steam coming out of the ground and the mud pools bubbling away.

The steam is used by the locals as a heating source. The meeting hall in the Maori village was my first taste of their culture. I got some more of it that night when I went on a trip to Mitai village. John, our guide kept us entertained and claimed the Maoris had found New Zealand through astral travel. We had a tasty traditional ‘Hangi’ meal, cooked on hot stones in a hole in the ground. There were a lot of people sitting for the Hangi in a large marquee including an old running pal from Penicuik over in the far corner… fancy meeting you here!. After the Hangi we went for a walk in the bush and the Maoris re-enacted a canoe scene. Canoes are an important recurring theme in their culture and are called ‘Waka.’ The Maoris navigated from Polynesia to New Zealand in their “Wakas’ by the stars and the moon. I thought the ‘Haka’ was an intimidating display on the rugby field but the welcome ceremony is much higher on the scale. Luckily for us the Chief told us that they don’t eat whiteys any more, they go to McDonalds instead. He explained about the importance of the ancestors to the Maori people and told what all the tattoos on their faces stand for.

When I was cycling along the lake front, I spotted a float plane and was immediately taken back to my childhood and comic stories of Biggles landing on the Amazon and carrying out heroic deeds.

What else could I do but book a flight the next day and am I glad that I did. The 1954 De Haviland ‘Otter’ was straight out of the past. The technology was authentic 1950’s which meant pumping up petrol up the pipe manually before take off. We listened to the pilot through our head phones as we flew over amazing volcanoes and multi-coloured thermal pools with steam rising from them.

Our destination was Orakei Korako, an active area of geothermal activity. We landed on the river and got the ferry across to the silica terraces, geysers and a geothermal cave.

I needed some fresh air after all that sulphur, so I went along to the Redwoods, a few kilometres outside Rotorua. The Kiwis know how to organise outdoor activities and this was a good example. Set in beautiful forest, there are separate areas for walking and running, horse riding and mountain biking. I had a fabulous cycle down the ‘Turkish Delight’ with lots of roots and rocks and steep descents. The bike and I held up well and I didn’t fall off. I was planning to leave the next day but the rain started and I’m glad I stayed because I made friends with Vera and Loz from the back packers and we had a good time at the night market where I met All Black Frano Botica. I also went along to the very traditionally British looking Rotorua museum and got another dose of Maori culture and local history and experienced what it is like to be in an earth quake. The next part of my trip was to Lake Taupo and I was getting itchy to get in my first long cycle.

South it is then!

2011-06-16T05:02:00.000+01:00

22 March 2011
Rain and flooding in Northland caused me to do a quick change of plan. Instead of heading north to the Bay of Islands and Cape Renga I decided to go south to the smelly capital of NZ – Rotorua. Although the idea of staying in the sulphur laced air of Rotorua sounds off-putting it is well worth a visit. To get there I cycled into central Auckland again and went to the Inter-city bus station, next door to Sky City! I was feeling a bit nervous wondering if the bus driver would let me on and I got talking to the kiwi women waiting in the queue. People always want to know where you are from and when you say Scotland they tell you that they have a grandfather from there, usually somewhere in the Borders. This woman was a bit different.

“Where are you from?” she said

Near Edinburgh is my stock reply and if they have been there I usually follow up with, ‘I live east of Edinburgh in a place called Haddington.’

“I was born there,” she said

“Left when I was two and I’ve lived here ever since.”

If I had known as much about kiwi slang then as I do now I would have said ‘sweet as…’ but instead I acted as if these sorts of co-incidences happen all the time on the other side of the earth.

‘My mother is from East Linton, but I don’t think she’ll go back to visit, there’s no one left there now” she said.

The bus arrived and I palled up with the driver (this sometimes works and at other times it doesn’t.) On this occasion it worked and he let me on the bus without having to take any wheels off. When I thought about it I realised it was fair enough to have a rule about bikes because they go under the bus with the luggage and nobody wants a dirty bike on their backpack. But rules should be applied with some common sense and this bus driver had some, there was very little luggage so he didn’t apply the rule… he was a rarity! I found out later that he was also a bit strange. He applied the rule that ‘thou shalt not get on the bus if you have a ticket with the wrong time on it,’ to a young Indian lady and it was only after much pleading that he let her on. For the next half hour he talked to himself about passengers who tell you stories that aren’t true. Every now and again he looked over to me as if I would confirm what he was saying... whoops I should watch out who I should become friends with. When the trip was at least half over, he asked me where I was from and on learning I was a tourist he decided to give a running commentary on the sights as we passed them… not just to me but over the PA. He was keen on the horses and as luck would have it we were in a stud area, so we heard all about the owners of the studs and the horses that had been successful. Every now and again he mentioned a mountain or some other site which, he thought we might find interesting.

Rotorua - the lake and the hills around it are what remains of a volcanic cone

Entrance to Rotorua museum

We arrived at Rotorua and yes it was true the place smelt like slightly of rotting eggs but I liked the look of the town centre and I headed for the Funky Green Voyager backpackers on a bike which didn’t want to change gears again.

Funcky Green Voyager

Auckland - you beauty!

2011-06-08T10:22:00.000+01:00

18 March 2011

Arrived in Auckland jet-lagged and no bike box. The nice people from Qantos must be used to this kind of thing because they gave me a little bag of toiletries and a T shirt and pants with the Qantos logo on them for sleeping in. Just as well seeing as all my gear was in the bike box.

Headed off to the backpackers wondering what they would think of a grey haired, retired cyclist turning up amongst all the gap year trendy students. I didn’t need to worry because the first person I met was the receptionist Vee, a lovely young lady from Glasgow who made me feel most welcome. If you are thinking of staying in a backpackers and don’t want to kept awake all night by partying 18 year olds, here’s a tip… pick a smallish place on the outskirts of town. Doing this stood me in good stead throughout the trip. I stayed in Oaklands House, at Mount Eden which boasts the highest volcanic cone in the Auckland volcanic isthmus.

There are 27 volcanic cones in this area which I found to be a bit disconcerting. Traveling to the other side of the world does strange things to your head. I wondered around Mount Eden thinking that I would pay a visit to the local artist’s auction which was being held on the next day…Saturday. As I was about to get on the bus, someone said I should visit the local artist’s auction which was just around the corner – I’d lost a day!

The idea was that about 20 local artists set themselves up in the park and paint Mount Eden. At the end of the day the paintings were auctioned to support the local art scene. The local artists were very chatty and quite happy to tell me about their painting process. A guy called Ewan Woodruffe told me about his way of painting resin-oilcolour on linen. He gave me his leaflet with examples and he called it ‘The Dangerous Looseness of Doom.’ There was a trio playing some laid back music so I sat in the hot sun (my first touch of sun since last October) and soaked it all in.

Mount Eden Volcanic Cone

Here’s another tip… if you want a great view of Auckland go up Mount Eden and keep away from the tourist buses which deposit their contents for a five minute look. They get off the bus and start shouting at each other… oh for peace and tranquility.

My bike arrived, I put it back together and set off down the hill to have a look at Auckland. They have a GPO tower that they call Sky City and it being NZ people jump off it on an elastic band. Visited my first ‘i-site’ and discovered just how well organized the tourist trade is over there.

The closer you get to the sea front, the more glitzy and high rise the place becomes. The place is awash with mega bucks yachts. Did a water colour of the Auckland bridge. There seemed to be a fair bit of $ around juding by the bids for the paintings of Mount Eden.

Cycled back up the hill with an armful of maps and ideas but dear oh dear the bike was in poor shape. A spoke was broken, I couldn’t get into bottom gear and the brakes were a bit iffy. Dropped it off at a bike shop for some necessary repairs.

My Watercolour painted at this scene

On the advice of Adam and Claire I decided to head north to the Bay of Islands and Cape Renga on the northernmost tip of the North Island. My cycling book had a five day trip which fitted the bill. The trip started 100km north of Auckland which meant a bus trip. In my experience bus companies can be mediocre, bad or very bad when it comes to catering for the needs of cyclists. Inter-city are mediocre. They allow bikes on at the discretion of the bus driver but want you to take off the front wheel, remove the pedals and cover the chain and oh yes loosen the handlebars!

I picked up the bike which seemed to be going a bit better, so I was all set and after a good nights sleep raring to go. Just before bed logged on for a quick update on the weather and saw the heading Flooding had hit Northland.

On yer bike or why I went to New Zealand

2011-06-07T05:12:00.000+01:00

16 March 2011
I have met a few Kiwi's on my travels and I've heard about New Zealand from Ross Hope - a fellow triathlete so before I left I had an idea that NZ is a lot like Scotland but also has volcanoes, geothermal mud, glaciers and big mountains thrown in. I hadn't seriously thought of going there until a few things came together... all of them were good.

My baby Zoe who lives in Melbourne had her own baby boy Soli... another trip to Oz was immediatley on the cards.
I decided to take retirement and thereby set myself free from the world of drudgery
Zoe's sister, Sally offered to look after Harvey (my dog) for me while I was away.
I got a lodger who was happy to keep an eye on the house and feed the fish.

Given all that, there was nothing to stop me going away for an extended break. The idea of visiting NZ before going to Melbourne stirred in me. I decided right away that I wanted to take my bike with me which isn't as tricky as it sounds. You can put your bike in a bike box (got from a local bike shop) suitably dismantled and as long as it is less than 23 kilos the nice people from Qantas let you take it on as luggage. Only trouble was that my ex tribike that I use as a touring bike had proved to be too highly geared to go up the big hills with panniers on them. I got some new gears fitted and they worked like a dream. The week end before my flight I dismantled the bike and all was going well until I tried to take the handlebars off... they wouldn't budge. Even with the help of my DIY expert neighbour, Harry I couldn't get it off. The bike shop man broke his rubber hammer on them! It looked like I wouldn't be taking my touring bike with me. I had three days to think up an alternative. It so happens that I have another bike which I took to India for the LEPRA charity ride. Although it was rough and ready and not serviced (this came back to haunt me later) I decided to take it with me. It dismantled like a dream and I fitted my panniers into the box and carried my new all weather back pack as hand luggage. I kept the amount of stuff I took with me to a bear minimum to keep the weight down but I had my 'Cycling in New Zealand' book with me and my new pair of all purpose gortex running and biking shoes bought from Joe Forte Sports at the last minute. With some useful tips on where to go from Adam and Claire who had lived in NZ for two and a half years I was cruising.When Sandy Wallace came to pick me up for the airport, I had done nearly all the 19 last minute jobs on my list and I did the last one before boarding - organising a proxy vote for the elections on May 5th. Off I went to Auckland via Heathrow, Bangcock and Sydney.

Hello Melbourne - Hello Soli

2011-05-25T10:29:00.000+01:00

I have been in Melbourne just over two weeks, staying with my daughter, Zoe, her partner Vlad and my grandson Soli. I am glad to say that Soli is a healthy 3 months old bouncing baby with lots of smiles. Here are a couple of drawings of him.

He's a cutie all right!

Photos of New Zealand Trip

2011-05-19T07:14:00.000+01:00

I have been creating an album of my trip on Facebook. Log on to http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/media/set/?set=a.10150176666770216.299797.605120215
to take a look

Heading North

2011-04-30T05:15:00.011+01:00

I am now in the beautiful 'Bay of Islands' area. Here are a few photos of the trip in the south island and coming north.
Bodhiyamarama Monastery near Wellington

The day before I crossed back to the north island there was a typhoon in Picton the town I was staying in. The passage acroos the Cook Straight to Wellington was exciting

Franz Josef Glacier

Abel Tasman Track - Apple tree bay

South Island - West Coast

2011-04-22T09:53:00.000+01:00

Since the last blog I have been busy taking lots of photos, to the extent that my SD card is now full! I will put on a special event to share the photos. I have also been busy doing some pretty 'cool' stuff which is 'sweet as...' and as you can see I have picked up some of the lingo!
I did a three day cycle along the Central Otago rail track. This involve 151 km of cycling through some amazing scenery and going over some pretty high viaducts and through some long and dark tunnels. It is a must for cycle enthusiasts. I stayed one night at a pioneer farm, which was well over a hundred years old with its own veranda and if you can imagine a wild west ranch, then this was it. There were only 2 WOOFERS and me staying so I had a brilliant night. From the bike ride, I went to Queenstown where the temperature plummeted to zero with the wind blowing off the south pole. That required a quick visit to Mac Pacs for a warm coat. I did a day trip to the amazing Milford sound and did some nice cycling around the Lake.
The last three days I have been using a car, which in this part of the world seems to be the most sensible form of transport. I have been through the Southern Alps and needless to say the scenery has been incredible. Yesterday, I went for a day hike into the Franz Josef glacier and I was lucky with perfect weather. We walked through crevasses and visited some ice caves.
I am now on my way to Abel Tasman and also plan to see Farewell Spit before returning to Picton and the ferry back to the North Island. Will post some more photos soon

Otago Peninsula

2011-04-14T07:10:00.000+01:00

Had a great David Attenburgh experience yesterday. Went along the Otago peninsula to a beach teaming with wild life. First off saw a big group of fur seals playing around in rock pools. It was a nursery and the young fur seals were learning to do what they do best... swim and have fun. A bit further along we met up with some yellow eyed penguins who were coming out of the water and walking up to their nesting site. Best of all were the Sea Lions. They were on a sandy beach and the males were squaring up to each other. There was a cute baby sea lion hiding in the grass.

Fur Seals

Cute baby Sea Lion

Some photos from New Zealand

2011-04-13T00:59:00.003+01:00

Sperm Whale Diving at Kaikoura

Kaikoura

Emerald Lakes at Tongariro Crossing

In the bush

Rotorua

Travelling in New Zealand

2011-04-09T22:02:00.000+01:00

I have reached Christchurch and there is an autumnal feel to the weather. I am staying with Ian MacLellan, a friend of Saartje's in a very pleasant area near the coast. There is a lot of destruction obvious and not so obvious all around the area. The epicentre of the earthquake wasn't very far from here and some nearby cliffs and houses took a pounding.
I arrived here from Kaikoura. It is a tremendous coastal town near to some deep ocean canyons which attract whales dolphins and seals. Yesterday morning I went whale watching on a very big sea swell. We saw two impressive Sperm whales and I got a photo of one diving.
I'm going to spend a few days in this area, doing a bit of cycling and then continue sounth to Dunedin and Queenstown

Tongariri crossing

2011-04-09T21:56:00.000+01:00

Had a great day on the Tongariri crossing. It meanders through a highly volcanic area. Got some great photoes including some of Mount Doom

Cycle to Taupo

2011-03-27T21:47:00.001+01:00

I was sorry to leave Rotorua and the Funky Green Voyager, where I had made friends with some nice people. It was time to go south to Lake Taupo after being delayed by rain on Sunday. People keep telling me horror stories about the bad drivers in NZ. The owner of the backpackers even gave me a high vis shirt to wear! The first thing to say about the ride was the humidity... I was sweating buckets after a couple of kms. The 30 kms was a long drag up through pine forest which pinned in the humidity nicely. After about 15 km I filled up my water bottles from a camper. I was on the busy SH5 but the drivers were okay and gave me space when I needed it. My bike gave me another headache because a nut and bolt had come loosed and fallen out of the pannier rack . This meant the rack rubbed against the back wheel. I took the quiter road through Reporoa which is famous for an Iron Man going through it. A man at the local shop gave me a cable tie which got me to my destination. I met 2 Germans cycling with their 4 year old daughter attached at the back. They were really laden with tents and loads of other stuff. They had been all over the south island and even over one of the mountain passes. This was a long cycle of 85 kms and it felt longer on my mountain bike. I was really glad to get to Rainbow lodge backpackers. Today is lovely, sunny and fresh.
Gerrard, Vera and Loz looking happy but efficient!

Reporoa Iron Man

1954 De Havellin - Otter

2011-03-24T07:37:00.002Z

I am a lot happier with my bike. Yesterday I gave it a good going over and sorted the brakes and the gears. I also bought some Viking lube and she went like a baby. Had a really interesting ride down by Lake Rotorua and saw the thermals steaming out of the ground. In the afternoon went mountain biking in the Redwood forest and went hairing down the Turkish Delight trail. This was a single track with lots of jumps and tree roots... it was great and the bike dealt with it no bother.
Thermal at Orakei Korako

In the evening I went on one of those cultural thingys. This was at a Maori village and they took us on a walk through the rain forest and showed us some of their culture including a show of them in their traditional canoes and a re-enactment of a traditional village with singing, dancing and chants. Luckily, they didn´t take themselves too seriously and their were some good jokes. Then it was a éat as much as you can traditional meal.
I have to admit that when I was a kid i was a Biggles fan... still am in fact. So when I saw a float plane sitting on the lake I enquired further. The upshot being a trip from Rotorua lake over the volcanoes and moutains to a river landing and then a ferry to Orakei Korako thermal park with huge areas of steaming thermal vents and water. Also a lot of boiling mud. It is a very active thermal area which has experienced many volcanoes including a huge eruption in 1886 which vaporised a lake and covered three Maori villages! The flight was awesome with the pilot in full view using 1950ś equipment to get there and back.

Orakei Korako

Tomorrow it is back on the road to Lake Tapu.

Rotorua

2011-03-22T09:26:00.000Z

Arrived in the thermal and hot spar centre of North Island today and thereś a slight niff of sulphur in the air. The original plan was to take the bus north to Brywryden and cycle a loop around to the Bay of Islands with a possible stop off for a jaunt up to Cape Reinga. It had been a bit frustrating up until today, because my bike didn´t arrive until the day after me and then it needed repairs and a good service. All the delays were to my benefit in the end because Northland and Coromandal have experience some heavy rainfall and are flooded. So a quick re-think and I decided to head south and I will keep going in that direction for the next wee while. It is all to the good, because it is Autumn here and the south will be getting colder. So if I do that first, I can come back up north and see the places I meant to see and it will still be warm up there.
I have to admit that Iḿ wondering if bringing the hybrid bike was a good idea. The back wheel is a bit dodgy and the back brake is a bit temperamental. With the two panniers on and the back pack it is pretty heavy going up some of the big hills... so maybe i will try to avoid those ha ha. The other thing is that the small cog for going up the big hills is a bit ify too, but whose complaining.
Tomorrow should see me taking a dip in the hot muddy pools around here and taking in a bit of Maori culture. Apparently they cook food in a covered pit on top of hot stones... sounds good to me. Here are some photos of Auckland.

Mount Eden, Auckland, NZ

2011-03-19T20:08:00.000Z

Mount Eden is 3km from central Auckland and boasts the biggest volcanic cone in the area. There are 27 or 40 around here, depending on what you read. Went up to the top yesterday and got a great view of Auckland on a hot, sunny day. That was a bit different from when I arrived when there was a down pour!! I am staying at the Oaklands Lodge hostel which is proving to be very friendly. Last night I was invited to join in with a bbq, so that was a good start.
But to catch up on things - since the last blog it has been a roller coaster of getting ready for the trip.About 2 weeks before the off, I thought it would be a good idea to take my bike with me. After my experiences on the hills of Shetland I decided to get the gears renewed with a granny gear for the hills. I also invested in a bike computer. Colin at Belhaven bikes was really helpful and I got my bike back with new gears... it worked like a dream. Last Sunday, I dismanlted the bike and everything was going great until I tried to take off the handle bars... they wouldn't shift even with my neighbour helping. So I took the bike alon to Colin thingking a bike man would fix it. He broke his rubber mallet on it and didn't get them off. So I was snookered and started to wonder if the trip really was such a good idea. A day before the off I decided to take a look at my dirty unserviced hybrid bike which i took with me to India. The long and short of the tale is that I now have it with me in NZ. The bike box arrived a day or so after I did and it now put together again but I think that before I tackle the hills it needs a service and the gears looking at. So that is todays task.
Oaklands Lodge

Apart from that bit of news the trip is going splendidly. Yesterday I took a walk into Mount Eden village and I was imp[ressed with the number of runners out . I sat at Fraasers Cafe enjoying a really healthy muesili and yog watching them run by. I noticed that there was an Art auction with local artists paintiing Mount Vernon and then the paintings being auctioned... the proceeds go to encouraging local arts. I thought I would go the following day andonly realised It actually was Saturaday when I was standing at the bus stop intending to go down town... jet lag is really wonderful. Anyway I'm glad i went to the art auction . I got to talk to a lot of the artists and sat in the sun listening to a trio belt out some good music. The tip into central Aucklnad is planned to happen today, on my bike this time.

Countdown to New Zealand

2011-03-07T18:02:00.000Z

Ten days to go and I will be getting on the 'plane labelled NZ. Actually, it is Qantas, but you know what I mean. I didn't get as far as I had hoped in my plan to take my bike with me. I rang up Expedia, who have given me a very good deal on the trip to NZ, Melbourne and back. The helpful lady said she would ring Qantas and ask about me taking my bike as luggage. I have done this before and what it takes is a discarded bike box, a bike suitably dismantled and other luggage stored around the bike so that it all fits neatly into the box. Anything that can't fit into the box can be put into the back pack... simple. The helpful lady got back to me after a few minutes to say that Qantas are not answering the phone and would I like to call back later? So I took a not of the number but as yet I have not had the official word about taking my bike as luggage. The next phone call was to the bike shop. I had an idea that they are not open on Monday's and I was right, which means I haven't sorted out a discarded bike box yet!
On the bright side... I had a good run in the winter sunshine and tonight I will be goint to the reconvened 'Life Drawing' classes run by Esther Cohen at Pitclay Gallery, near North Berwick :-)

Retirement and more!

2011-03-06T20:55:00.000Z

I haven’t been too active on my blog recently, but I have been busy in other areas. One thing that I have been up to is retiring from work :-) This is one of those life events that you know will happen eventually. When it arrives, you think - wow, I’m a free man, I don’t have to go into work anymore and I can follow my dreams. I can also wax lyrical on my blog if I want to. So now that I have got time to paint and write and keep fit I have decided to go to New Zealand and then Australia. Well you would wouldn’t you! The trip starts on 16 March when I head off to Auckland. I will stay in NZ till the end of April and I’m planning to do as much cycling as possible. Although the trip is nearly on me, I haven’t got a very well worked out plan of where I will go and what gear I will need. Don’t get me wrong, I have been reading about NZ and looking up cycling information on the web, but it was only this week end that I thought I would see if it is possible to take my bike with me in a bike box. I don’t know why I didn’t think of this before, because I took the bike to India a couple of years ago without any problems. This time I got some inspiration from the web-site Barry and Margaret Williamson who cycled a 4,641 mile circuit around NZ in five months a few years ago. Have a look at their web-site, its pretty impressive. http://http://www.magbaztravels.com/

I haven’t left everything till the last minute, I have tickets arranged and travel insurance and some NZ dollars ordered. Between now and 16 March, there are quite a few things to do, starting with checking about taking my bike… I will keep you posted!

Painting and drawing has taken a back seat recently, but this is something I hope to put right as I travel around NZ. But I did manage a sketch, when I was waiting for a flight from Belfast International airport at the week end.

John Muir Country Park

2011-02-21T00:11:00.000Z

John Muir Country Park is one of my favourite parts of East Lothian's coast line. It's a great place to go for a run or a walk. My dog Harvey loves running through the woods and along the sand flats. It is a place of huge contrasts. When the tide is high the place transforms for the expanse of sand and mudflats into an exciting water world. The full moon has given some very high and low tides over the last few days and the contrast between them is remarkable. The high tides and wind bring with them a fair degree of coastal erosion. About a year and a half ago, I painted a view of the coastal edge of the park. It has Trappain Law in the background. I walked along the same bit of coast a couple of weeks ago and you can hardly recognise the area, so many trees have toppled over. I could tell it was the same place below because I found the tree trunk shown in the painting.

The object of the walk that day was to paint another picture further along the edge of the park. I went armed with all my gear and sat next to a burn near a wee bridge which connects to a headland. It is not visible in the painting but there is a funky bench to sit on and look at the scene. I'm planning to go back again and do another view from in front of the headland with the bench in full view. It was a freezing day when I did this painting and it also started to rain. Some of the effects on the watercolour are due to mother nature!

The Audax Tour of East Lothian

2011-02-14T21:19:00.001Z

This wonderful event is organised by Musselburgh cycling club. Now, you might think that cycling 105 or is it 106 kms in Scotland in February is a bit silly, but even so there were a lot of people at the starting line, yesterday from 10 am onwards. This is the third year I have ridden this route. The first time was on a multi-terrain bike and I swore never to use that again on a long ride of this sort. Last year I used my road cum tourer bike and found out on the hill down to Garvald that my brakes weren't really up to the job. This year I decided to use my road bike, even if the tyres were not all that good for ify road surfaces. This time the valve on my back tyre went before the event started, so I got a new tube in and off I went. It started to get a bit windy and rainy as we got to Pencaitland and Gifford, but the real wind and rain was reserved for Redstane Rigg. The hill down to Garvald was exhilarating even without my rain splattered, steamed up glasses. As ever I was very relieved to arrive at the cafe in Dunbar and take in some much needed food and drink. The route back to Haddington and Musselburgh seemed to go by quite quickly this year, it was a matter of grinding it out. Well done to the organisers and everyone who took part.

Cycling, cross country and a Dragonfly

2011-02-06T20:46:00.001Z

It will be nice when it's warm enough for Dragonfly's to perform their dainty dance again. At least we are moving in the right direction, it has been a mild week end here in Scotland. I made the most of it by going out on a huge bike ride over the Lammermuir hills. I went through some places I hadn't heard of before. At one point my pal Frank and I were up higher than the wind turbines!! Today, I took part in the Borders cross country race at Norham and I would guess that it was the muddiest, wetest race I've been in. The organisers made sure that we got properly wet by routing us through a burn (stream) nine, yes nine times, so now I'm feeling tired but happy.
The Dragonfly was done about a year and a half ago and has spent most of it's life on the wall of the art room at Tynepark. The funny thing is it went missing for a couple of weeks and then returned to the same place. Maybe he was visiting relatives.

Self Portrait

2011-01-31T20:44:00.000Z

On Monday mornings, I go along to a day centre to do shiatsu exercises. If there is any spare time I join in with an art class. Last week I joined in and was give a small mirror. The subject for the class that day was 'self portrait.'
I do like using charcoal, it has a quality that somehow brings a picture to life. It is great to be able to use your finger to smudge in shadows. It is also a material that lets you work quickly. I drew this one in about fifeteen minutes. I did another self portrait last year, that time it was in pencil.

2011-01-29T19:35:00.000Z

Last year I painted my first 'bigger piece.' It is 7450 x 5400 and in watercolour. It was taken from a photo of David Muench in his book American Landscape. It is the Buckskin Pass, Elk Mountains, Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness, Colorado. I used some 'resist' in the form of grey crayon for some of the snow streaks on the side of the mountains. The flowers in the foreground were created by using wet in wet technique. I enjoyed exploring new techniques when I painted this piece and I am continuing to try out new approaches when I get the opportunity.

Cycling - here, there and eveywhere

2011-01-28T17:45:00.001Z

Image via Wikipedia

Cycling is on my mind at the moment. This could be something to do with the weather improving. It has also got something to do with my entry to the Audax - ‘around East Lothian’ cycle organised by the Musselburgh cycling club and taking place on 13 February. I have done this the last two years so I know what I am letting myself in for. It involves a trip through country lanes and up over the Lammermuir Hills and then along the coast back to Musselburgh. Last year I used my converted touring bike, which I soon found out had faulty brakes. The year before I used my generic town and country bike, put together by the bicycle shed. This year I am intending to use my Giant road bike which should give me a faster, but not so comfortable ride. The route itself depends a bit on the weather. If there has been snow or it is very icy the route may not go to the top of the Lammermuirs… we will have to wait and see about that.
I have also been looking at information on the net about cycling in New Zealand. It looks like an ideal location with stunning views, quiet roads and fresh air. The organised tours I have seen look a bit pricy, so maybe I should wait till I get over there and hire a bike. If anyone has any experience of cycling in New Zealand please let me know

Stuff

2011-01-27T18:03:00.000Z

Since I became involved in painting and drawing, the amount of gear I have acquired has gradually grown. It’s not only paints and paint brushes which accumulate, there are all sorts of different paper, both loose and in folders of various sizes. Then there are pencils, pens, charcoal, chalk and crayons. There are also easels and boards and containers for water. Apart from the raw materials there are sources of inspiration to collect. These could be pictures from magazines or calendars.or photos that I have taken with the idea that they might make a good painting. I have also collected birthday or Christmas cards that I likeand I have quite a number of books, magazines and catalogues which are full of tips and good ideas for developing painting and drawing skills. Oh yes, and then there notes and stuff which are the result of classes I have attended. Last but hopefully not least are the paintings and I produce.

What am I to do with all this stuff? Well, the first thing is to get rid of all the unnecessary stuff by having a good clear out. I have done this but still find that I have loads of stuff piled up and it needs some organisation.
I neded a room which I could dedicate to art. Luckily I have a spare room which is the obvious choice. But the stuff needs to be organised, so that I know where it is and get hold of it when I need to. The obvious answer is shelves… brilliant! I went along to B & Q and my luck was in. There was a universal five shelf unit (meant for the garage) some 68.5" tall and 28" wide on sale at the reduced price of £20. After studying it for some time I decided that it would be more than enough to accommodate my stuff!

Setting the shelves up was straight forward and I now feel quite organised. The stuff in my bedroom has been removed to the spare room and my bedroom has been transformed from a junk heap into a place to sleep! So now there are no excuses, I can go ahead with paintings and drawings, all I need is time and inspiration... so watch this space.

A 'light-bulb' moment

2011-01-26T18:38:00.001Z

I had one of those ‘light bulb’ moments today. It was a chance meeting which told me that a major life decision I have made is the right one!

Some former work colleagues are fun to bump into. They tend to be the people who I got on well with when I worked with them. It’s probably something to do with a shared sense of humour and a certain way of looking at the world. Catching up with the gossip on people we worked with and what has happened to them is can be great fun. So it was great to bump into Betty at the GP surgery where I was waiting for my flu-jag. I have know Betty ever since I moved to Scotland in 1978. She helped introduce me to Scottish social work. Indeed it was her job that I came up here to take over. She had decided to take a sideways move into district management and I became the social worker attached to a psychiatric day unit in Musselburgh. Betty is now 80 and still looks great. She gets out and about and is playing golf regularly. Luckily, we both had a bit of time on our hands, so we were able to reminisce about the old times to our hearts content. I overcame my reluctance to live in the past and thoroughly enjoyed the chin wag about former times. Just as the nurse came to take me through for my jag, Betty mentioned that her daughter is working in social work in East Lothian.

“Oh yeh, what’s her name then?” I asked

“Chris …., she’s working with adults and enjoying it immensely,” said Betty.

That was when the penny dropped. I am now working with the daughter of a former colleague on more or less the level as I was working with her mother.

Time for retirement… oh yes. I put my notice in on Monday and with leave to take, my last day at work is 24 February. Somehow, it just feels like the right time to go!

G'day Mate

2011-01-20T22:21:00.001Z

Some good news and some really good news. What can I say… I went for a run tonight with the group at Meadowmill. We did some fast reps and for the first time since Christmas day I felt really good. Looks like I can put the virus behind me! Yippee!

The really good news is that I have booked a trip to the other side of the world. In the middle of March I will be flying over to New Zealand to explore the North and the South Islands. At the moment I am investigating the possibility of doing some cycling over there. The web has lots of links to cycling in New Zealand, so I should be able to come up with something, but any suggestions from anyone in the blog world will be welcome. In my time I have cycled around a few islands, including Mull, Skye, Lismore and Shetland. I am sure that cycling in NZ will be an exciting way to discover the secrets of that beautiful country. After that I am going over to Melbourne to visit my daughter, Zoe, and her new born baby, due 20 February. So Grandpa is going over to say hello! A very exciting few months in prospect.

Here is a sketch of the River Esk in Musselburgh which I drew in the autumn.

Belhaven Beach and Bass Rock

2011-01-10T21:14:00.000Z

Belhaven beach when the tide is out is a huge mass of sand with stunning views of Bass Rock and North Berwick Law. It is a perfect place for Harvey to run until his little heart is content!

I painted this picture last autumn, but didn't like the result, but had a another go at it today and I think it had come out better. It is interesting how much the light affects the colours on the photo. The first photo of the painting was taken with an ordinary light shining on it. The second was taken with a flash. I can't make my mind up about which one shows the painting to best effect!

Labyrinth or maze?

2011-01-06T23:08:00.001Z

What is the difference between a labyrinth and a maze? Umm… that’s one of those questions that leave a lot of people puzzled, including me. But no longer… a member of my creative writing group has written a book about them – 'Labyrinth - landscape of the soul.' (http://www.diwilliams.com/) Now, I haven’t read the book yet, so I can’t claim to be any sort of an expert but Di tells me that a labyrinth is a single path which creates a pattern. Labyrinths have been created by humans for many hundreds of years and are sometimes used by people who wish to wander along them and contemplate. In other words they are a non-stressful environment which you can wander through until you reach the end.

Sometimes labyrinths can be complicated such as the example below

Labyrinths are a great resource if you fancy some walking meditation and getting lost in a labyrinth should not be a problem. If you keep walking for long enough you will come out of the entrance where you started.

Mazes on the other hand are made up of a lot of dead ends and do not comprise of one single path… hence it is eminently possible to get lost in them.

You can find out more about labyrinths if you go to:

http://www.labyrinth.ed.ac.uk/

The site has simple but good information on it and it also gives the location of the beautiful Edinburgh Labyrinth in George Square, Edinburgh.

And a Happy New Year to You!

2011-01-05T18:26:00.000Z

I don’t know about you, but I didn’t make any real resolutions this year. Maybe it’s the snow, ice, viruses and running injuries which have led me to believe that just surviving the winter will be quite an achievement or maybe it’s that SAD thing that makes me want to sit on a comfy sofa and read a good book. Whichever it is, life has a habit of getting you back into the swing of things. It happened today with a good dose of going back to work blues. Although it didn’t work out as bad as it might have done. Those old familiar pieces of work were pleased to see me and I was amazed at how quickly I could forget all about them when I was away.

Life is starting up again. I can even get through the snow and ice to the Dalkeith creative writing class. Even my acrylic painting teacher has been able to take her car out, ‘for the first time for five and half weeks,’ she said.

So I’m looking forward to getting back into the routine of too much to do and start to be productive again. With the new Creative writing tutor, Tom Murray at Dalkeith tonight and the new sets of paints I got for Christmas, I will have plenty of reasons to put that book down.

Fidra Light House

2010-12-27T15:30:00.000Z

This is Fidra light house and island in acryrilic. I did another painting of Fidra earlier this year. Click here if you would like to compare the two pieces

Snow and that

2010-12-22T17:38:00.000Z

Heavy, when used as an adjective often indicates that you are talking about a weighty subject or even a big person. In East Lothian heavy now means SNOW… lots and lots of it. When you have as much snow as we are getting you start to differentiate between light showers and heavy showers or even prolonged periods of heavy or indeed light snow. The snow in East Lothian has mostly been heavy and has either been the prolonged period or showery variety. There has also been the occasional light shower, just to fill in between heavy snow, a bit like a snack between main meals. All of this means that there are abundant beautiful scenes in the town and countryside to photograph. I have been doing just that with my new Cannon digital camera.

Harvey and I have been trudging through the snow and ice for weeks but the cold and atrocious conditions do not bother him at all. At some points the snow has been up above his shoulders. He just bounds over and through it and has a great time. He has also developed a habit of snorkelling under the snow and coming up with snow covered, icy bristles. Having a lot of fur helps of course.

As we have been walking through the ice and snow, I have noticed signs that the good people of East Lothian are becoming adapted to this weather. Last Sunday for instance, the snow ploughs were out and the paths were being cleared before the snow had even stopped. In the office, we are talking about what it will be like when we return to above 0 degrees freezing conditions… it’s bound to happen sooner or later.

Harvey told me that he would like to send you a Christmas message and here it is.

MERRY CHRISTMAS WOOF WOOF

A view of North Berwick

2010-12-17T22:55:00.000Z

Before the current ice age set in to Scotland, which must be about three weeks ago, I was travelling around East Lothian and drawing and painting places of interest. There is a lot to choose from!
This watercolour of the Celtic Cross and the west beach at North Berwick is quite close to the seabird centre which I sketch-painted and put on the blog a few weeks ago. North Berwick is very attractive and the area where I painted this scene t nestles between the east and west beaches. You can see the Bass Rock and North Berwick Law from there. It's a favourite place to have an ice cream and look at the view.

Jug, geranium and mirror

2010-12-07T21:14:00.000Z

Painting with acrylics is a lot different to watercolour. Everyone tells me that watercolour is more difficult... but I don't think so. Then again I've got a lot to learn about both of them. Anyway, here is my first attempt at an acrylic painting. There will be more to come!

Aberlady Bay

2010-12-03T18:50:00.000Z

Just before the snow came down!

Glow Plugs

2010-12-01T19:25:00.000Z

It’s not such a good thing when your car breaks down, but if it’s going to happen you want it to get fixed quickly. This is my usual attitude but not this time because the snow came down and I couldn't use it anyway.
For those of you who have a diesel car, you may or may not know that they are fitted with magical devices called glow plugs. Glow plugs are not like spark plugs in the sense they create a spark. They are used to create heat in a diesel engine. To understand why there is a need for a glow plug you need to understand the workings of a diesel engine. The diesel engine, named for its inventor Rudolf Diesel in 1892, is a type of internal combustion engine that uses compression to create the combustion of the fuel. The compression of any gas raises its temperature. The air is pulled into the cylinder at a much higher compression rate than spark induced combustion engines. At the end of the compression stroke of the cylinder, diesel fuel is injected into the chamber. The contact with the air (which through compression is around 1300 to 1600 degrees) causes the fuel to combust and pushes the piston down. In cold weather diesel engines can be difficult to start. The cold cylinder block and cylinder head draw out the heat in the cylinder during the compression stroke. This prevents ignition. This is where a glow plug comes into play. When starting a diesel engine you do not crank the key all the way the first time. The key is just to right before ignition to start the glow plugs. This is called glowing or pre heating. An indicator panel will light up with (wait to start) on the display until the glow plugs have sufficiently heated the cylinder. When the temperature is high enough the (wait to start) light will go off and the (start) light will come on. At this point you can start the vehicle. If you stop the vehicle for a short time and turn the key you
will usually get the (start) light as there is enough ambient heat from the previous running.

Glow Plugs

The glow plug resembles a spark plug in size and shape. They come in two types, quick-start pencil elements and slower pencil elements. It is a pencil-shaped piece with a heating element at the tip. They are housing with a screw in thread with the pencil element pushed in. When electricity is applied to the glow plug, it takes on the characteristics of its name and glows bright orange and put out a large amount of heat. The element is designed for a 12 volt current. A quick start pencil element can reach a temperature of 1625 degrees while a slow pencil element can attain a temperature of nearly 2000 degrees after 30 seconds. Quick start glow plugs are usually used in passenger vehicles while slow glow plugs are for more industrial type vehicles like semis and delivery trucks. This heat is focused on the cylinders and the engine block surrounding the cylinders. This heat keeps the block from suffering from thermal diffusion, meaning the block's heat won't dissipate. There are internal sensors that let the relay to the "wait to start" when to go off. In some vehicles it is a time frame that is reached like 10 to 20 seconds then the glow plugs will turn off and you can start the ignition. To meet emissions rating some vehicles leave the glow plugs on for as much as 180 seconds to properly burn the starting fuel. Combustion efficiency is greatly reduced when the engine is cold. A glow plug is made from such metals as platinum and iridium because of these metals, resistance to oxidation and heat.

Common Problems and Fixes

The main enemy of a glow plug is wear and tear. It is possible to start a diesel engine while the glow plugs are still glowing, but this is harmful to the plug. The heat of combustion added to the glow plug's own heat from being electrified can cause the plugs to overheat. This overheating causes the glow plug to lose some of its already limited lifespan. Since glow plugs are inexpensive it is a good idea to change them out every year or every six months or 60,000 miles in colder climates as worn out plugs do not deliver the needed heat to your engine and makes it more difficult to start.

My new glow plugs are now installed and the Berlingo is dancing through the snow in style

Lennoxlove Book Festival

2010-11-27T12:26:00.001Z

I Spent a fair bit of time at the Lennoxlove Book Festival last week end. Unlike last year I had an inside job and the car parking was left to someone else. On this occasion my job was to help out at the events in the Chapel. So I reported to my boss Gavin, a young man of at least eighteen years and over the two days I helped to move furniture, usher people, read out the health and safety announcement and listen to about six talks from various interesting authors. For some people this may sound like too many authors, but for me it was enthralling. Having tried my hand at a bit of writing I am intrigued to hear authors talking about their work and giving insights into how they wrote their book and what inspired them.

Judy Steel started the ball rolling for me at 12 noon on Saturday. Her talk and her book are filled with stories from her life, both before and after she met David Steel. She told us of her links to South Africa and of her years of involvement with politics. Judy had lead an interesting life and she recounted how she witnessed the fall of the Callaghan government by one vote and the birth of the Scottish Parliament. She gave insights into David Steel’s brave private members bill and the introduction of the 1967 abortion act. But for her politics is about the local connections more than the Westminster scene. Judy is talented in the arts and drama, but did not have time to tell us many stories from that part of her life. My abiding memory of her talk is her account of how she stepped down from the ballot to be selected as an MSP, so that her husband and daughter could go forward as nominees for the constituency place with her backing.

Tom Pow gave an entertaining talk about the death of many villages in Europe. He has travelled across Russia, Eastern Europe, France and Spain and has brought back photos, stories, poems and a point of view which gets us to look at Europe as a continent which will loose a significant percentage of it’s population while other areas of the world grow. The talk was set up as an interactive event with objects and pieces of art being passed around the audience. I enjoyed Tom’s enthusiastic presentation and it clear why he is a successful poet and story teller.

In the afternoon James Macaulay spoke about Charles Rennie Mackintosh. His newly published book is packed with information about this famous architect and artist. I have visited the Glasgow School of Art which Mackintosh designed and I have seen other examples of his architecture. Macaulay described Mackintosh as an important figure in the development of Scottish culture. This is hard to argue with that when you look at the influence that he and his group of fellow artists have had on fashion, jewellery and design in the past and still in the present. I felt that Macaulay did not give sufficient weight to Mackintosh as an artist. I have been inspired by the watercolours he produced towards the end of his life when he was living in France. These works of art are a testament to his creative genius.

On Sunday the rain was still pouring down, but this did not dampen the enthusiasm of the hundreds of people who attended the book festival. At 12 noon I and a large number of small children were entertained by the writer and illustrator (Corine V Davies and El Ashfield) who showed us that Ralph is not a Vampire/Superhero, but of course most people think that he is.

Roy McGregor owns and runs the Gullane Art Gallery, he is also a poet and he has produced a book about the artist Jack Morrocco. Roy brought along several fine examples of Jack’s work. It ranges from superb landscapes set in the South of France through portraiture and life painting to some thought provoking abstract work. Roy told us about the influence of Jacks family, including his famous uncle Alberto, which influenced Jack as he matured as an artist. Roy showed us examples of his early work from the age of seven and took us through to the present day. I found it interesting to discover that Jack is a skilled photographer and uses this skill to record scenes that he later paints in his studio. He takes a lot of notes at the scene and plans his painting meticulously. He then produces the painting quickly. Jack’s still life paintings capture glass and silver with a remarkable clarity.

James Douglas Hamilton returned to his childhood home of Lennoxlove to present a thoroughly entertaining account of his time as a MP, MSP and now Peer of the Realm, taken from his book After you Prime Minister. James has a wealth of stories about his aristocratic family’s experiences during the Second World War. This included the surrender of the deputy to Hilter, Hess, who flew over to Scotland and gave himself up in a failed attempt to broker a deal with the British government. James was a member of the cabinet in Margaret Thatcher’s government and that is where the title of the book comes from. He tells the tale of how he stood up to the formidable lady over the placement of an order of arms parts and lived to carry on in government.

Alastair Moffat is a founder of the Lennoxlove festival and a well know author and presenter. His book A Faded Map is a delight to people interested in the history of Scotland way back in antiquity. He gave an informative and entertaining talk about the kingdoms which held sway in the land now called Scotland and how these were influenced by the landscape.

The speakers in the Chapel may not have been the headliners of the event but each one was thoroughly entertaining in their own right.

Sara

2010-11-17T19:31:00.000Z

From my 'Life Drawing' Class

North Berwick Seabird Centre

2010-11-16T23:00:00.000Z

I spent some time at North Berwick today. Had a nice walk along the East Beach with Harvey and then retreated from the rain into the cafe at the sea-bird centre. They do a good corriander and carrot soup. My intention was to sketch-paint a view of the Centre, but when I got out it was still raining so I went up to dear old Tesco's. I was there to redeem a 5p/ ltr off ticket at the the petrol station. While I was there I decided to redeem another little present for the wonderful retail outlet and took my £1.15 off nescafe 100gm coffee. There was no sign of the coffee, so I asked the happy , smily staff how I could use my voucher.
'Sorry, but we don't have the 300 gm, Nescafe coffee.'
'Oh, but you gave me a voucher with money off the last time I was in here.'
'We don't stock it in this store.'
'So you gave me a voucher, but you don't store the coffee.'
'That's right it's company policy not to stock 200gm Nescafe.'
'But you have lots of other 300gm coffee.'
'I know but thats what they say at headquarters.'
'Do I have to go to headquarters to get the coffee?'
'The thing is we don't keep 300 gm Nescafe in small stores like this.'
'Well, why do you give out vouchers then?'
'Company rules, you could try Haddington.'
'Thanks very much.'

The good news is that it had stopped raing by the time I got out of the shining example of retail heaven and I was able to do the skech drawing after all.

Inspirational Van Gogh

2010-11-14T16:24:00.001Z

Two Poplars by Vincent Van Gogh

Having some time off work with labyrinthitis has given me an opportunity to do some reading. I have nearly finished Hans Bronkhorst’s book on Vincent Van Gogh. It is a really good insight into this complex man. The book has numerous examples of his work and the author gives a knowledgeable insight into Van Gogh’s life and paintings. He puts Vincent’s life into the context of the time he lived in and the influences that shaped the way he did art. Van Gogh was a man ahead of his time but he was also of his time. Bronkhurst tells us of the influences behind some of the great works. The part the Impressionists played, the painters who inspired him and the friends he made as well as the use of colour theory are good examples of this. He also gives a vivid description of Van Gogh’s troubled life, his difficult personality and the people who were close to him. I find his paintings and technique inspirational.

The fact that I haven’t been able to do any running lately worked in my favour today. I went along to the start of the Goat’s Gallop annual race and was surprised to see a large turn out. Considering the Siberian weather it was very impressive. For once I did not miss the rain and penetrating cold and gave the runners a hearty cheer as they ascended into the mist of the Lammermuirs.

A very strange day!

2010-11-10T20:58:00.000Z

Woke up this morning and thought I was on a fair ground ride. I turned over and the whole room span around and around. I was looking at it but it didn't stop for what seemed a long time. So I got up and found that if I bent down or stretched up I lost my balance! So I popped in to see the doc and he has diagnosed labarynthitis which means I am going to be more scatty than usual for a few days.
I knew I would have to wait to see the doc so I took my sketch pad to fill in the time.

2010-11-09T15:45:00.000Z

My Uncle Ray was born 86 years ago today, on 9 November, 1924.

Uncle Ray was close to his mother Olive Harris, who the family called Mam. I remember her as a white haired, gentle old lady who loved to play cards... my grandma. Raymond's father and my grandfather was called Amos and he had two older brothers, Sidney, and John (my dad) and a younger brother Theo.

When he was young, probably in 1936, Uncle Ray spent some time at Corley Open air school. Between 1932- 35 he attended St, Mark’s Junior School, Coventry. From 1935 he attended Wheatley Street Senior Boys’ School, Coventry. From 1937 to 1938 he attended John Gulson Senior Boys’ School. also in Coventry. In addition Uncle Ray attended a junior evening course in art and another in technical studies. Some of the cartoons and drawings he left behind show that he was a skilled artist.
Uncle Ray joined the R.A.F. and became a flight engineer. At the time he was living with his family at 8 East Parade, Barnoldswick, Lancashire, where the family had moved from Coventry. He also had a girlfriend - Phyllis who lived at 7 Lower West Avenue, Barnoldswick.
Between January and October 1943 Uncle Ray sent letters to his family and particularly his mother nearly every day. He died, aged 19 in a flying accident in Lancashire and is buried in London Road Cemetery, Coventry. We are very lucky to have many of his letters were saved by his family. They provide a portal into another time and show how the every day things in life were just as important then as they are now.

Over the coming weeks I will be posting Uncle Ray's letters on a blog called Sgt. Raymond Albert Harris. The letters are a portal into the past. They show how the ordinary things in life were as important then as they are now.

Oil Pastels

2010-11-07T21:15:00.001Z

I have been planning to try out some drawing with oil pastels for some time. Today I had a little spare time and gave it a go. I like the way they feel and there is no mucking around with preparation. The drawings are rough and ready and taken directly from the subject in a short space of time.

Cyclamen in a bowl

Pat reading the Sunday Papers

Headlight running

2010-11-06T13:21:00.000Z

Harvey and I went along to the HELP running club on Wednesday night and joined in with the headlight run. This was successful on at least two levels:
• My achillies tendon stood up to it, even though I haven’t run for a few weeks, although it was not put under a great strain.
• Harvey took to night running as though he had been doing it all his life.

Headlight running has taken off at HELP this year. After years of moaning about running around the Haddington winter route, we runners have finally snapped and you can find a bunch of headlight attired runners in the scaring passing motorists in darkest recesses around the countryside of East Lothian. I have done it twice this year and also went headlight running several times the winter before last. It is exhilarating and as long as the headlight is strong and working properly, there is no reason why you can’t have an excellent work out.
To start off with Harvey gave me a look, which might have said ‘ What the heck are we doing.’ But pretty soon, he was hauling away on the lead and keeping pace with the other guys.
We took off from the Augbiny Centre and across the footbridge into the fields and along to Burns’ well. About half way through the run, Harvey and I went our own way over the Titanic bridge and up through Clerkington estate and away through to the Pencaitland road. After that we headed back to the river and followed it along it’s bank next to the weir and along to the West Haugh and back through St. Mary’s church and Neilson park. At the end we were tired but happy.

Yesterday Harvey went on his first doggy day care at West Barnes, but i'll let him tell you all about that later.

Pradelles en val

2010-11-01T18:01:00.000Z

Last week I braved the strikes and spent just under four days in South West France. Rob Mulholland, a fellow cyclist and a proper artist and I flew from Prestwick to Carcassonne on Mr. O’Leary’s bargain basement flights. Rob hails from Glasgae and a fellow Wegie picked us up at the airport and took us the to the medieval village of Pradelles en val. The village is about thirty minutes from Carcassonne in a wine growing area set between the Montagne Noir and the Pyrenees. At this time of year the vines are an amazing mixture of green, yellow, brown and red. These colours contrast to the back drop of the villages with their ancient brown stone and the wild country beyond the arable fields which harbour truck loads of boar. We were there during the hunting season and ‘truckloads’ isn’t just a fancy phrase.

The idea of the trip was to get in a spot of cycling, maybe some drawing and shut down the maison chez Rob for the winter. The house is wonderful, having been made up from a wine making ‘Cave’ and some other buildings. It’s a bit like the Tardis, with two stairs and rooms all over the place. There is a tremendous garden which backs onto an eighteen century church, built around the time of the French Revolution. The houses and Chateau are ancient and quite a few of them are falling down.

We were invited into one of them and low and behold, there were another two Wegies living there.

Le Jardine - Chez Rob

The highlight of the trip for me was the cycle to LaGrasse. We were lucky to get some nice sun, but the wind was just like the one I had left behind in Scotland, only colder. It was worth the effort, LaGrasse is a really beautiful small town with amazing bridges, buildings and a wonderful Abbey. It also boasts a boulangerie with pattiseries to die for. The cycle back was along a river gorge, with some beautiful views and incredible river sculpted cliffs.

The Cite in Carcassonne is a UNESCO heritage site with fortified battlements all around. As in LaGrasse, there are lots of windy streets with artisans working at the back of galleries. The atmosphere is truly medieval and reminded me of Kate Mosse’s story ‘The Labyrinth,’ which tells the tales of the Cathars and religious wars of the fourteenth century

Poldrate Mill, Haddington

2010-10-21T22:05:00.000+01:00

Poldrate Mill was built on the site of the mediaeval Kirk Mill. The present buildings are largely 18th Century and include the mill itself reconstructed in 1842, the granary, maltings and a range of workers' houses to the rear. Their conversion for use by the Lamp of Lothian Trust began in 1968, and the 19th century iron wheel and some of the machinery have been preserved on the site.
Milling operations ceased in 1965, but what remains is the only one of Haddington's three mills, which still displays much of its traditional form. The Mill is located at the southern boundary of Haddington on the River Tyne and provides an important community facility, providing arts, crafts and youth club facilities run and owned by the Lamp of Lothian Trust.

'The Complete Maus'

2010-10-18T18:50:00.000+01:00

‘The Complete Maus’ (a winner of the Pulitzer Prize,) is an extraordinary graphic novel written by Art Spiegelman. It depicts the horrors of the holocaust in an imaginative story which also explores the difficulties that can occur in family relationships. The sub-plot of Art’s relationship with his father gives the story a strong grip on the human dimension of this horrific tale. The story starts in

Poland

and follows the history of a family of wealthy Jews from the early 1930’s until the end of the second world war. The harsh reality of life for Jews under the Nazi’s is illustrated and all the horror of concentration camps is unveiled for us to see. Such an awful story may not seem to be a good fit for a comic book format, but the depiction of Jews as mice, Germans as cats and Poles as pigs works very well. It is a story of one man’s tenacity in clinging on to life in the midst of death and it is clear that this experience shaped the rest of his life.

‘The Girl who Kicked the Hornets Nest’

2010-10-15T18:19:00.000+01:00

Finished the third book of the Millennium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson, and thank the Lord for that. As with the other two books, I found ‘The Girl who Kicked the Hornets Nest’ difficult to put down. This led to some late nights as I continued to plough through the story. Anyway, now I have got my life back, I can give a subjective comment on the story.

As thrillers go, this is another good ‘un. We once again follow the life of Lisbeth Salander as she overcomes all manner of problems. One of the things that makes her into an irresistible character is her unique sense of what is right. She does not compromise on her principles even when they lead her into trouble. At the start of this story, she is struggling to survive in a hospital after having a bullet removed from her brain. She makes friends with her doctor and recovers, only to be taken to prison and from there to face a law court. This time her lawyer is her best friend. She always beats the odds due to her intelligence and quick reflexes. I have particularly enjoyed the scenes where she takes on macho men and makes mince meat of them. This occurs in the dénouement of this story in a very surprising way.

So what now? I’m looking forward to films two and three.

Tynepark Renga

2010-10-14T22:17:00.000+01:00

Tynepark Resource Centre, Haddington, is a day centre for people recovering from Mental Health problems. The centre offers a selection of activities, which people can join. There is a large ex-Manse with a lot of space in it and a newer annexe with a high tech drama room and a bright activity room where art, crafts, cooking and other activities take place.
This year an open day was organised to coincide with the Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival. The programme of activities included, Shiatsu exercises, massage, a relaxation session, drama, music and poetry.
One of the morning sessions was devoted to a form of Japanese poetry called a Renga. This sort of poem has the following characteristics:
• It is usually written by more than one person, there can be as many as you want.
• The process of writing the poem is as important as the poem which results at the end.
• It can be written in one session.
• The number of verses or stanzas can vary. The ‘Kasen’ renga is popular and uses 36 stanzas.
• Each verse should be inspired in some way by the one that has gone before it. However, it should not be too obvious a link. The subject matter should leap from one stanza to the next.
• Verses are in the present tense, but avoid using ‘I’ or ‘we.’
• Verses are very direct and use as few words as possible to create a vivid image. The verses don’t speak directly of feelings but the image conveys the emotions and feelings of the poet.
• The leader writes the first stanza and this is called the ‘hokku’.
• Each stanza alternates between three and two lines.

Seven people took part in writing the Renga and the feedback at the end was that people enjoyed the session which promoted a sense of sharing

Here is the TYNEPARK RENGA written by Ray, Harry, Duncan, Andrew, Rick, Karen and Anne.

Oban in the sunshine!

2010-10-12T21:58:00.000+01:00

Oban was at it’s best last week-end. There was an Indian summer on the West Coast and Pat and I were lucky enough to take full advantage of it. The unseasonably good weather meant that it was t-shirts all the way. There one or two things that immediately impressed me about the Oban area. The sea and the islands which surround the Bay were top amongst these. Large Cal- Mac ferries sailed by the bedroom window at regular intervals, taking customers to the string of West Coast Islands that make it the doorway to the Isles. The seafood dishes were another delight and as one of the many French visitors sitting in the out door café said ‘C’est delicieuse.’
The highlights of the week end were:
• A seafood dinner, in the ‘Coast,’ restaurant.
• A trip to seal island to watch the pooches sunning themselves on the rocks.

Image via Wikipedia

• A trip to Kilmartin, south of Oban, which boasts more prehistoric sites of interest than almost anywhere else in Europe

• A trip alongside the Crinan Canal to the sea loch (no 15) This must be a canal junkie’s dream

• Crinan Hotel had an exhibition of the art of Frances MacDonald (Ryan.) I have to admit that I had not come across her before, even though she is well know and successful. She produces wonderful acrylic paintings of the local beaches and mountains, as well as paintings of horse racing and many other subjects. All of them completed with a Pallete knife. There is great texture and life in her paintings.
• Another gem I found in the tourist information was a book by Mairi Hedderwick called ‘An Eye on the Hebrides.’ It is an illustrated account of a trip she took around the Hebridean Islands in 1981. Her sketches and descriptions of the places she visited are wonderful.

I had some spare time to sketch a famous landmark, next to Oban harbour

Drawing

2010-10-06T17:45:00.000+01:00

I bought some willow charcoal recently and I've been experiementing. I love the texture you can get and the tones that can be made by smudging.

Here's a good tip - Tesco value Hairspray is a cheap fixative and it works well.

Zoe thinks that I have made her a bit scary in this one. It's all to do with proportions. In my life drawing classes, I am finding out that I tend to draw on the big side. The rather slim male model who we used at the class on Monday turned out to big and muscular in my non-representational drawing. I had not checked enough comparisons between head, neck and torso when drawing, which was why he got to be so big. It all come s down to practice, practice... practice.

Fidra

2010-10-03T22:16:00.001+01:00

Image via Wikipedia

I’m two weeks into my acrylic class and one week into my Life Drawing class… phew! It’s all very different from watercolour painting. For a start, we stand to paint, using easels. That’s something I haven’t done before and it takes a bit of getting used to. The same is true of using acrylic paint. We have been using it straight, and not (as is possible,) like watercolour. So it is like starting over again and I am making lots of mistakes. A lot of people have said to me that using watercolour is difficult, but I don’t agree. It the only paint I have used up to now, so for me it much more natural.

The Life Drawing classes have got a lot of potential. Our teacher, Esther Cohen, is enthusiastic, with a sense of humour and knows her stuff! The class is a sell out with sixteen of us crushed into a room. I am learning the basics, using non-representational drawing of line, shape and proportion.
Both lessons are on Monday – a good way to start the week.
Today, Harvey and I went for a great walk along the coast from Yellowcraig towards Gullane. I tried to light a bonfire, but the grass and wood was too wet. On the way back I did a sketch of Fidra and South Dog, (this is some of it.)

The Girl Who Played with Fire.

2010-09-24T21:04:00.000+01:00

Lisbeth Salander continues her battle against the world in the second story of the trilogy. The story contains the powerful themes used in the first book. There are several realistic characters for the reader to identify with. Lisbeth is the main character. She is clever, violent to people who deserve it and has a strong set of rules for life. In this story we learn more about her background and wonder at how she has managed to survive. The story contains elements of the cold war, sex trafficking and hacking. There are intriguing relationships and Lisbeth is left in a life threatening situation. All in all a very good read, which I found difficult to put down

Action Medical Research – Cross Border 100 mile bike ride

2010-09-23T17:50:00.001+01:00

When I heard about the Cross Border 100, I was intrigued. Action Medical Research descibe it as a brand new ride with a difference, offering a choice of starting points, one in Scotland and the other in England. The Cross Border Scotland stared in Haddington and a fantastic new 100-mile circular ride offered some of the best cycling terrain through the challenging Border region including some truly lung busting climbs. At the half way point you cross the border and meet with fellow riders who have started their 100-mile challenge in Alnwick, Northumberland. Further information on the site described the ride as 'Grade 7 hilly route with some testing climbs, training required!'
The group of four local people who had planned to take this on whittled down to Frank and me. We started the ride, late and in pouring rain. By the time we got to Gifford my rather flimsy rain jacked had soacked through, but I didn’t notice this because the hills above Gifford into the Lammermuirs took up all my attention. But I did notice that East Lothian Council have been busy in the hills and the roads are newly tar-macked. We cycled up through the switch back hills and on to the crossroads and headed for Longformackus. This is when I realised that the back up team were doing a splendid job. There were two motorbikes on the road and an ambulance with paramedics, plus a bike repair van. Each turning was well signed and there were other helpful signs such as ‘Pot Holes’ or ‘Single File.’ The other major attraction was the feeding stations and lunch stop, which were first class and very welcome and .

When we reached Duns the roads became a lot flatter. We took a circular route to Coldstream. This is where the riders from the south joined us and where the weather took a real turn for the better. Replenished by a fantastic lunch we set off again and had to take off our rain tops!. The circular route continued to Norham and then back to Duns. This marked the start of the trek back over the Lammermuirs, this time taking in Whiteadder reservoir. We were told by one of the back up staff that it was all downhill from there on, but I knew better, having ridden this route before. The last range of hills was over the B road to the Catholic monastery and Garvald. From there we travelled down to Morham and back to Haddington to a round of applause, a medal and a goody bag. It took us nine hours to do the route and I have to agree with the description of the route, it has some fantastic scenery and some lung busting hills.

The charity helps to stop suffering in children. Every tmile ridden helps fund medical research to treat sick babies and tackle premature birth, to make life better for children with disabilities, and to target a group of rare diseases that together severely affect many forgotten children. One of the leaflets in the goodey bag described a Cycle from Lands End to John O'Groats next May, now there’s a thought!

Balnakeil bay, Durness

2010-09-18T15:43:00.002+01:00

From a trip to the Cape Wrath marathon in May (sorry it's lop sided)

Ten kilometres and a classic car

2010-09-16T21:57:00.002+01:00

A belated club championship 10k handicap race took place last night on the railway path at Haddington. About eleven club members turned up and Paddy worked out a handicap for each of us based on races and training runs this year. It was good to see Keyliegh back again from South Africa and a big surprise to see Jimmy on the start line for the first time in many months or perhaps years. Claire was off first with other runners chasing her and each other over the following 15 minutes. The course was straight out to the 5km mark, just past Cottyburn car park and back again. I made a late decision to run to test out my fitness, after a week of a very strange allergic skin rash, which had taken its toll. I also wanted to find out how my Achilles injury was holding up. I was given a not very generous 9.30 mins slot and set off in pursuit of Ian Murphy and the new boy John. I started off at a steady pace and I could see Ian and John having a chat and ambling along in front of me. I caught them at 1km and had intended to run with them, but Ian immediately upped his pace and I followed him. We left John behind. I felt strong and was going along well for the first 5km, although I was falling progressively further behind Ian. After the turn I had problems. I could feel my Achilles hurting and the power that I had in the first half started to fall away. A procession of runners started to pass me. First it was Paddy at 6 km, then John whom we had left in the dust. He had waited until the half way mark and then really turned on the speed. Then Frank, Sandy, and Ian Carrick all zipped past me. I managed to catch Keyliegh and Claire and came in on 48.16… not a good time considering I was 23.something at the half way mark. So the allergy thingy had taken its toll and I’m left with a painful Achilles. It was good to see Jimmy performing well after his long absence. He came in first and took home the trophy. Frank was fastest on the night in 40+ minutes. It can’t be long until he gets under 40.

On a brighter note, I picked up a painting from the framers today. It is a painting of a classic car that I bought on my holiday in Cuba. I like the painting a lot because it somehow captures the spirit of classic cars. It is painted in vibrant colours with a sort of abstract background. I met and talked to the artist a couple of times. He has been painting for 20 years and has a degree from the university in Havana. I reckon that he is a very talented man. I met a few other artists during my stay and I gained the impression that it is difficult for them to make a living, but that doesn’t stop them from trying. Anyway the painting was a very reasonable price and I picked up the frame in a charity shop, so I’m pleased with the purchase.

Amazed, astonished, astounded, shocked, stunned, startled, surprised, flabbergasted, dumfounded, staggered, dazed, speechless, incredulous, overwhelmed, bowled over, staggered and taken aback

2010-09-12T19:31:00.002+01:00

Amazed, astonished, astounded, shocked, stunned, startled, surprised, flabbergasted, dumfounded, staggered, dazed, speechless, incredulous, overwhelmed, bowled over, staggered and taken aback are a few of the words and expressions which best describe some news I received on Saturday afternoon. When I got back home, Pat sat me down and said, ‘I’ve got some good news for you.’
Mmmmmm
‘You’ve won first prize in the East Linton Art Competition.’
‘Oh, aye, who’s having some fun.’
‘No, honestly, it’s true.’
‘This is a wind up.’

‘No, honestly, it’s true..'

After a lot of persuasion I believed Pat enough to turn up at the award ceremony today to receive my prize. The winner had been selected by Ian Paterson, an art teacher from Edinburgh School of Art. He chose my painting of St. Mary’s Church, which is enveloped by menacing clouds and a blanket of snow. He asked my if I had been inspired by Van Gogh’s painting of the ‘Church at Auvers,’ which I had to admit wasn't the case The inspiration came from a very good photo taken by Harry at Tynepark. Ian said a couple of things about painting that I will keep in mind.

• Always paint from the place in the painting that inspired you. If you start somewhere else, you might loose it.

• Don’t be formulaic, it is spontaneity that creates good art.

Harvey Here #9 - 100 Not Out

2010-09-11T17:46:00.000+01:00

I am sitting on Ray’s lap and I am very pleased with him, woof
He has written 100 blogs and that is quite a mile stone, arrf
Ray and I have had our ups and downs, but I think he looks after me well, woof, woof.
A lot of his blogs have been about art and writing and running and I like these things too, arrf, arrf
I have to say that running is the thing I liked the best, especially at Tyninghame beach, woof, arrf

He can surprise me at times. Recently he had a birthday party with a bbq in the back garden. There were loads of people there and I went around hoovering up the tasty bits that people dropped on the floor. It was a bit of a surprise seeing so many people in the garden. Someone left a tuna steak in a basket on the floor of the kitchen, so I helped myself, woof, woof.

Ray had some good news to do with his art today, but I will let him tell you about that himself, later, arrf

Art, Love and Life

Life drawing at Poldrate Mill

All Clear

What a 'weak' end!

Running at North Berwick and a surf drawing

Water colour class

When the sun shines...

Poor Harvey!

Telford College, Foundation Course in Art and Design

The SAA Society for all Artists

The Loony Dook at North Berwick on Ne'er Day

Out with the old...

Festive painting, running and swimming.

Painting Lia's Portrait

Darren Woodhead's exhibition at Waterston House

Merry Christmas

In the deep mid-winter

New Laptop

Walking the dog

An Inspirational Book about Van Gogh

Another masterpiece!

Now that's a shelter!

St. Mary's in West Sussex and East Lothian

Living and working in the Forest

From South to North

Torch running around Haddington

Anyone for... Chess?

Taking Advantage

Canine running

Bishop Hill and West Lomond Hill

Back in the groove

Harvey and Phoebe

Down Sowf

Easel sketching at the National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh

East Linton Art Exhibition and Gullane Beach

Here, there and everywhere.

'Tour de France' - No worries!

Some last minute things to do

A new Life drawing

Adelaide - South Australia

Calla Lilies

Charcoal drawing

Rotorua

South it is then!

Auckland - you beauty!

On yer bike or why I went to New Zealand

Hello Melbourne - Hello Soli

Photos of New Zealand Trip

Heading North

South Island - West Coast

Otago Peninsula

Some photos from New Zealand

Travelling in New Zealand

Tongariri crossing

Cycle to Taupo

1954 De Havellin - Otter

Rotorua

Mount Eden, Auckland, NZ

Countdown to New Zealand

Retirement and more!

John Muir Country Park

The Audax Tour of East Lothian

Cycling, cross country and a Dragonfly

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