Day trips away from home
THE LEAVES OF THE SESSILE OAK Earlier in July, we had a sketching day at Dartington, and I collected some "natural treasures" which I later drew and shared on this post. The sessile oak tree We had our picnic lunch in the shade of a large tree which I later discovered was a…
SKETCHING AT DARTINGTON AGAIN We were supposed to be joining up with a friend to sketch together on Thursday but unfortunately she wasn't well and had to cancel, so we will be fixing a new date in due course. We had lunch as arranged at the Green Table, and had their delicious dahl…
SKETCHING AT COMPTON CASTLE AGAIN Another afternoon at Compton Castle. This time I actually got inside the gates! I thought it would be a doddle drawing the front elevation of the Castle but it turned out to be very complicated, with lots of "ins and outs" and little bits of roof and turret…
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…
