29/31 - We've laid the cables and the wires ...

I used to have a phone like this on my desk at work - seriously! It only had one ring tone, it couldn't take photographs, you couldn't surf the net, or download music nor text or play games on it. Useless bloody thing!

28/31 - Green Eyes 2 ...

A glorious sunny day here in Lincoln! The light is fantastic.

27/31 - Just like a bird that sings up the sun ...

Beth is off school this week, she has done two birthday parties and will be off camping with Brownies tomorrow until Sunday, then back to school on Monday - I need a social life!!!!

26/31 - When I get home ...

A quick sketch for you, There is a windmill out in Kirton-in-Lindsay, Lincolnshire that still grinds flour, a great place to stop by for a brew, pick up a bag of flour and on a rainy day like this, stay in and make bread and soup.

25/31 - See the little cloud up in the sky ...

The sun has gone and a big black cloud has took it's place ... summer is over.

24/31 - Here I sleep the morning through ...

I've been out in the garden, sketching since around seven this morning, came in to post something on the blog, and this. I might just pop out now for a doze on the sunbed ...

23/31 - Work in progress ...

I'm playing catch up with my Every Day in May postings, I'm a day behind which i will remedy by this evening! I thought I would show you where I am up to with a canvas I am doing for a friend. I am using a different approach than i normally use (my usual drawing shapes and colouring them in!) I'm 'building' the painting starting with a Yellow Ochre wash on the canvas, rough positioning of elements and then adding light, dark and then building the colour and highlights in. I need to leave it a couple of days now to live with it before putting some detail in - I'll post the results (plus the wonderful story that goes with it!) I think i'm happiest, splashing paint all over the place, when I'm using pen and ink I concentrate too hard and get a headache!

22/31 - Use me ...

Life is full of surprizes isn't it? You spend it trying to find the right words and there they are on your shopping bag! Funny old world ...

21/31 - In a cold way ...

I very nearly lit a fire this evening. Not cold enough to have the central heating on but chilly enough to chuck some logs on the burner. Opted for a jumper instead!

20/31 - Long time man ...

I love working on canvas, and I love people in my work, this guy works for North Yorkshire railways as a volunteer, he sat in the window with his brew - i snook a photo of him without flash and had to paint it, a bit more nostalgia I'm afraid AJ!

19/31 - Someday it'll rain ...

You would not believe the colour of the fields around these parts, there are lots of fields with rape seed growing, when you get poppies coming through the colour is really strong, when it rains it gets even more vibrant and the scent is really strong. Not good for hay fever sufferers but an amazing thing to see.

18/31 - I sing myself to sleep, a song from the darkest hour ...

The first lines from songs are getting a bit obscure now! Although anyone from Manchester will get it straight away, which brings me to William's hat, back in the Madchester years you had to have one. I have been out of Manchester for fifteen years but still have the accent and proud of it - 'sorted'... ( I tone it down in work, when I can) William picks up some of it now and again and it makes me smile. Big up :-)

17/31 - Nothing sweet about me ...

Sarah bought the children some sweets, she's working away this week and thought they might like them as a treat - she left at lunchtime and they are all gone! They were supposed to last all week!!! I am in so much trouble now when she phones in later - they won't be able to keep that one quiet! I'll make up for it by demonstrating my ecological skills, tonight I'll bathe the children and the dog, tomorrow I'll chuck a few clothes in with them - I refuse to bathe the children with crockery - that's so unhygenic!!!!

16/31 - I read the news today, oh boy ...

I'm in the middle of a canvas painting and not ready to share it yet. I've been working on it over a few days now and really enjoying it. I really hope I can keep with it and do the subject matter justice. We get a local paper delivered every now and again which I use to help stop the paint from dripping on the wooden floor and getting me into real bother! (Like that hasn't happened a few times!) It's printed on a wonderful glossy paper, so I sketched my brush on it - how lazy is that?! The paper holds the pigment from my pen really well!

15/31 - Through the windswept costal trees ...

It rained... and rained! It poured down today like someone up there turned on a very big tap, then emptied a bucket and then turned the big tap on again - and I seemed to pick the wrong moments because I got it every time! It has the aroma of wet coats and, unfortunatley, wet dog in this house!

14/31 - round, like a circle in a spiral ...

Always good to come back to Lincolnshire and the wonderful windmills peppered around - make you feel good inside! You may wonder why my journal is a bit blotchy on the edges.. It was in my suitcase, I was in London and got caught in the worst downpour known to man - my journal wasn't the only casualty, my shirts and suit go it worse - not a very waterproof case! Spent the evening trying to dry my clothes with a hairdryer and an iron for the next day.. lovely!

13/31 - Hey little train! We are all jumping on ...

I found this while looking through my journal, I did it as a preliminary sketch for a painting of some children watching for a train ...

12/31 - I hope you're sitting comfortably ...

The joys of spending your life on the motorways of this Sceptred isle... I enjoyed (!?!) the time spent parked on the M25 ring road around London, just the five hours instead of three and a half. You arrive at your destination crumpled and tired - a good job really, you don't notice how awful the hotel is when you crash on the bed!

11/31 - Barking at the moon ...

I'm back from my travels and thought I would share some images out of my very personal journal, not usually for sharing but carefully cropped it won't do any harm! It's Fudge the dog again ... It has bi polar tendancies, you never know what you are dealing with!

10/31 - Studio time!

I have decided that it's time to go back to painting on canvas. I've not done one for many, many, months now and have a wonderful picture to work on which I will be doing over the next few weeks. I have spent the day creating a 'studio' in a quiet corner of the house and ready to go... slight drawback in that I'm away most of the week. I promise to keep drawing/sketching daily but will have to post them when i get back!

Brothers in arms ...

I had to admit defeat and start again with a slightly different pose. I had overworked the previous one and there was no going back! I think this one flows better, what do you think?

9/31 - It's up in the morning and on the downs ...

Its poppy time in Lincoln! We have hundreds in the garden and they are all over the fields and the hedgerows. They are not up to their full capacity yet but the colour they put into the landscape is awesome!

8/31 - Come sail your ships around me ...

This is Ullswater in the Cumbrian Lake District, the brown sails are a tradition around those parts - you should read Arthur Ransomes 'Swallows and Amazons' if you ever go there, it brings the book to life.

7/31 - Work in progress ...

I'm still working on this commission. I've some work to do on bringing in some depth. This is my second attampt at this, the first one was in pencil but it became smudgy. Sometimes it's better to stop and start again, I'll keep at this one for a little while longer.

6/31 - You went looking for me, dear ...

That Stephenie Meyer and her 'Twilight' books ... I'm a real advocate for reading and stuff but someone told Sarah they were a ripping good read. I've not really held a proper conversation with her since. She was sat outside next to the river in Scotland, at a wonderful patio set made out of reclaimed wood - something you would just love to have in your garden. It seemed to grow out of the ground ...

5/31 - Through the woods, and frosted moors ...

While in Scotland we walked for miles in the mountains and forests. We came to this place where the trees thinned out and I took this photograph looking directly up... there is nothing in the world which grounds you more than standing underneath a bloody big tree! If you have a bad day, go find the biggest tree, look at it and feel small and insignificant for ten minutes. You can spend a fortune getting the same result from a psychologist! :-)

4/31 - No time to draw ...

... so I drew time instead! William's watch, which is always on the side in the bathroom or on the table or elsewhere. Never on his wrist. I've not had a watch for years and get by somehow. I hate being late for anything and would rather turn up early and wait. I find it less stressful.

3/31 - I can't stand the rain ...

Fudge the Terrier, who knows no fear, can challenge the biggest dog, relentlessly pursue anything that is faster than she, won't go out of the door if it's raining... She got up this morning, I opened the door and she sat there, looking at me and the rain and went back to bed. I'm 6ft 4in, I look stupid dragging this carnivorous, rat catching, rabbit chasing, hound from hell out for a walk, she spent the morning looking out of the window - shame on her!

2/31 Burn, baby, burn ...

Just got back from the first ( and maybe the last) BBQ of the season! Kids enjoyed the bouncy castle, wife enjoyed chatting and the one glass of wine, I say one glass, the host kept topping it up. She's now asleep on the sofa. I was the nominated driver, have you ever had barbeque food without beer? Really doesn't work at all. I've done all my jobs today so tomorrow I can start on a canvas, Wey hey!

1/31 - You can't give me the dreams that are mine anyway

So here we are. I am starting my 'Every day in May' challenge. I'm happy to share the journey with you and I'm going to use the opportunity to work through the backlog of work I have and share a bit about me. There will be work that I have to do, work I should do and (the best bit) work I really want to do - which sometimes is way down on the list of priorities! I'm not telling you which is which...

I'm starting this by excluding many of you, my apologies!, a piccie of Jim Royle from the TV series The Royle Family. I could be Jim, the series is based in my home town, Manchester. I know lots of Jims, life goes on around him, he has his seat in front of the TV and is fully conversant with the ways of the world, and happy to share his opinion on them, he's a spectator. That bit scares me, I could be too! Hence the challenge... time to get out there and be bold. Stay with me and share this journey - could get bumpy!!