Day trips away from home
DARTINGTON TREASURES Just over a week ago, we had another sketching outing at Dartington. I picked up several beautiful little natural treasures and stowed them away in my bag to take home and draw. There is such beauty in these tiny fragments of nature! I love trees We had lunch in the shade…
SKETCHING IN THE COURTYARD AT DARTINGTON Today we revisited Dartington Hall to do some more sketching. It was still very hot, but there was also a nice fresh breeze which made things more bearable. We each found a shady spot in the courtyard to sit. This time I sketched part of the west…
SKETCHING AT COMPTON CASTLE An afternoon sketching session today. It was extremely hot but I planted myself outside the main gate in the shadow of the trees and it was so cool and comfortable. My hubby took himself off inside the grounds and found somewhere to sit and sketch. Here is my reference…
VILLAGE FETE 2026 On Saturday we returned to the village where we used to live, to attend the annual village fete which always takes place on the last Saturday in June. After the extreme heat of the previous days, the morning began slightly overcast and there was a tiny bit of rain, after…
SKETCHING AT DARTINGTON On Saturday we went to Dartington Hall to do some sketching. I did two, with lunch in between. The entrance to the courtyard This has always been a favourite view of mine. Unfortunately I didn't get the proportions right in this one - as usual I squashed it! Also I…
SKETCHING AT COCKINGTON AGAIN Yesterday we had another outing to Cockington, this time to share a meal at The Drum with friends. We set off early enough to get in some sketching time before lunch. After some pretty awful and cold weather from the beginning of June, things began to pick up a…
OUTING TO COCKINGTON - MY BIRTHDAY TREAT Yesterday was my birthday, and today we visited the beautiful Devon village of Cockington, to have a meal out, and to do some sketching. Cockington is full of picturesque thatched buildings, many built in the Arts and Crafts style. We had lunch at The Drum, which…
2025 - END OF YEAR REVIEW It's been a relatively quiet year, all told. Not a great deal to report on our normal activities. Most of my activity this year has been art-related. Studio changes I got some great new shelving units for the studio and reorganised things to make life a lot…
SHOPPING TRIP TO NEWTON ABBOT - NEW ART STASH Yesterday I had my annual appointment at the bank to discuss my finances. We always combine this with a shopping trip and lunch out at our favourite restaurant - the Pizza Cafe, which has been run by the same family for 38 years! This…
VILLAGE FETE On Saturday we attended the annual fete in the village where we used to live. It's always a fun day out, and I usually find plenty of bargains on Annie's white elephant stall. This year she celebrated 40 years of manning this stall, selling all kinds of things people don't want…
