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!