New Laptop

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!

Another masterpiece!

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.

Living and working in the Forest

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.