life beyond 40 ....

While we was away a week or so ago I 'celebrated' my 40th birthday, and with that there have been quite a few changes in my life ...

The biggest change is that I have been made redundant from my day job, so I am now totally and completely a freelancer - my own boss. Mixed feelings, but I know in the long run, no matter what happens I will come out the other end stronger and hopefully more creatively fulfilled.

Anyway - here is a collection of images from our break in Yorkshire.

On my birthday we went on the 'Eye on the Bay' - a big wheel on Bridlington's seafront - I am scared of heights so I found it a little (to put it mildly) scary ...


In the garden of the cottage we rent in Yorkshire we often see various wild animals - this time it was stoats - not a great pic - but you get the idea - they were running around like maniacs ...


Bempton cliffs seen from Speeton beach - one of the most beautiful views in the world (imho) ...


We had a trip on the North York Moors Railway as a pre birthday treat, we went from Pickering to Grosmont, where we stopped for a little picnic on the hill overlooking Grosmont, then we travelled back. It was a lovely day out ...


... a view near Grosmont ...


We also visited Sewerby Hall and Gardens, where there is a small zoo and other animals in large paddocks. I saw this sweet scene in one of the paddocks ...

and this little wallaby too ...

back from break ...

Just wanted to add a post to say we're back from our break, have been for a few days now, but I haven't got as far as downloading my photos or thinking of what to put into a full blog post. We had a lovely time which included my birthday on the 18th, so I came back a year older ;-)

Things are a bit muddeled at the moment, but hopefully they'll get straightened out soon, so hang in there I'll get a nice post with piccies sorted soon ...

getting away from it all ...

After all that's been happening here over the past few weeks (it's a long story) we've decided to take a break, so I will be away from my blog for a bit, but hopefully I'll return with lots of new things and positivity ...

introducing ...

I decided to make the most of the sunshine at lunchtime today to take some photos of some of my needle felted creations - to introduce them to the world ....









When I get things sorted out these creations will be for sale online. In the meantime ... if anyone is interested in adopting one of them before then, please just drop me an email. I will also take custom orders, so if there's anything you fancy please email me to discuss ...

one of my last bus journey's home from Kingsbridge ...

These photos were taken from the bus, so they aren't super quality, but they do give an impression ...


a view looking towards Dartmoor near Modbury


a colourful sunset over Plymouth

newly organised office

We spent a large proportion of the weekend doing a blitz in the house to create a work area for me. It looks lovely, but alas it sits there and I sit here in what's left of our old office in Kingsbridge. The working at home has been delayed ... hopefully only until tomorrow ;-)

a big change is on the horizon ...

There is a big change on the horizon in my life and I'm full of mixed feelings about it, some positive and some negative ...

From Monday I will be working from home (still employed, but home based - not office based). In most ways it's good - quite a change for me as in order to get to work at the moment I have to travel for 3 hours (yes some people in Devon do commute). Working at home will give me those 3 hours of my life back, and of course I'll save money - no bus fares and all those extras I end up spending when I'm away from home.

But then again I'm a bit concerned about being remote and isolated from the office team ... thank goodness for the Internet.

Watch this space and I'll let you all know how things go with this life change ... ;-)

Still here ...

Just wanted to post a quick update to let any one who pops by know that I am still around.

Things are fairly busy on the freelance design front, so that is keeping me very busy during most weekends and some evenings.

I've also started exploring needle felting in the little spare time that I have. Initially I thought I might be able to do some needle felting on my long daily commute (by bus), but after experiencing how sharp the needles are I've decided that's not a good idea.

Anyway - I'm still here and I'll be back soon with photos of my needle felted creations ... I will be offering them for sale on Etsy, so I guess I will have to unveil them soon ;)

hares galore

Don't ask why - because I don't think you'd get a sensible answer - but I have developed a sort of fascination with hares ...

When we were on holiday in Yorkshire in March we saw a few, but never close enough to photograph. I did take this one photograph, but the hare was so far away ...



Since then I've been sketching and doodeling hares ...

a walk on the beach

Yesterday we drove to Dawlish Warren, a lovely seaside village on the South Devon coast. The main reason for the trip was for me to judge pets at a hamster show put on by the Southern Hamster Club. In the end there were several judges for the pets so I only had to judge the rabbit class, it was a pretty quick job really as there were only 3 rabbits taking part. I had a good time, and it was a chance to catch up with some people who I don't see very often.

While we were there we went for a walk along one of the beaches to look for shells - here are some pictures from our walk ...

welcome Long Tall Sally

This week we had someone new come to stay with us - introducing Long Tall Sally ...





She was made by the very talented Gretel, visit her blog Middle of Nowhere or visit her etsy shop - Red Flannel Elephant Designs.

Gretel - Thank you so much for making Sally, she is much loved here with us and I promise she will be well looked after. Thanks too for the lovely cards you sent with Sally X

hibernating?

Well, I guess that's one way to look at the fact that I haven't posted anything for a while, but to tell the truth ... I've been really busy with my day job and the few bits of freelancing I've been doing and I haven't really had much chance to think beyond that.

I shan't make any promises about regular blogging as everyone can see from my archive of posts that I've made such promises before and not kept to them - but how about 'I'll have a go'? ;)

happy Monday

I usually find Mondays rather difficult - but today has been a rather good one - fingers crossed the rest of the week will follow in a simular vain ;)

there's a bit of spring in the air

I've just been for a quick walk up the hill to the post office, to pick up a parcel, and there was a real feeling of spring in the air.

I discovered some snowdrops in the garden and then some daffodils in bud alongside the path where I went for a walk. The birds were singing and although there's still a chill in the air there is also the feeling of things coming in to bud ... new beginnings ;)

thank goodness it's Friday

I'm so glad the working week is over - it's been a long and intense one - and I think next week will be the same. I hope to be able to post a link soon so all can see what's been using up all my time and energy in my 'day job'!

It's nice to have a weekend and 2 days with no real restrictions (other than housework that is ;) ) ... hopefully I'll get some time with my sketchbook ... and some images to share ...

doggy doodles

Here are some 'doodles' I've been doing recently. There's just something about the shape of a greyhound that appeals to me ...




Yes, those are coffee cup marks, I was using some paper that was on my desk that I had been using to stand my coffee mug on - it gave me an interesting background to start working on ;)

dead / sleeping blogs

It strikes me that a lot of people start up blogs with all the good intentions in the world, but then life takes over and the blog fizzles out ... mmmm ... sound familiar? Well that's what happened to my blog last year. It's difficult to find what to say in a blog and what direction to take it in. I have decided though that blogging can have some value for me, so I plan to give it another go ...

Good start so far, 2 post in 2 days!

Expression in Calligraphy

Yesterday I went along to the monthly Saturday meeting of Plymouth Calligraphers (a group of local calligraphers), the theme of the meeting was 'Expressive Calligraphy', it took the form of a discussion and a show of historical slides in preparation for a weekend workshop coming up later in the year, all presented by a very talented calligrapher - Celia Lister.

Calligraphy is seen by many as a craft with the strict rules of letterforms within a particular hand being the overall 'idea' behind it all. But when you have mastered the basic letterforms of the various hands (italic, uncial,round hand, foundational, ... etc.) and the rules that usually apply to them, you can take things further and add you own 'mark' and create your own calligraphic language - crossing the border between craft and art.

I think this is the same with many 'artistic' persuits, you need to learn the basic craft first (ie. how to draw, paint, sculpt ... etc.) before adding your own expression and personality ... taking things on to that other level.

Once I've attended the workshop later in the year I will post some images of my results and add a little more of my thoughts on the subject.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

I'll start with an apology to all for such sporadic blogging in 2007 and then move on to the hope and plans for better and more regular blogging in 2008 (at least that's the plan!).

I'd like to wish anyone who should stumble across this blog a successful and creative 2008!

beautiful song

I've had this song on my mind all day - I think it's lovely ...



(Sorry I can't find the 'real' video)

just a quick hello

Just a quick post to say hello - yes I am still around - I just seem to be so distracted by "stuff" at the moment and each time I actually sit down to blog I end up just wondering what to put down ... so I decided to just say hello for now ;)

NEW SHOES!!

Last week I ordered myself some new shoes online from Cloggs.co.uk, they arrived yesterday and I am so pleased with my new shoes I had to share ...

I'll add a pic later...

They are DrMartens and they are fab! ;)

UK floods

Luckily we have been spared this time around and have been flood free. But I know there are lots of people out there who haven't been so lucky. I hope everyone gets through it ...

seven years and counting

Saturday just gone was a celebration for my boyfriend Rob and I as it was our "seven year anniversary" of being together. We had a quiet day and then went out for a meal to one of our favourite restaurants - The Morley Arms - nothing posh or anything, but good food and great company ;)

Here's to the next seven years ;)

my favourite song at the moment ...

Joss Stone - Tell Me What We're Gonna Do Now
A great summer song ;)

feeling a little better

After a restful weekend I am starting to feel a little better - not yet 100%, but loads better than I felt on Thursday and Friday last week ... now I need to start catching up on all I've not done over the weekend.

Wishing everyone a good week! ;)

Remember this?

I found this episode of Bagpuss on YouTube today and it brought back some memories ...

I'm still around

Just a quick post to say that I'm still around and although my blog has been resting - it's not dead!

I'm at home from work today - I've come down with some sort of fluey thing and really didn't feel up to work ... I'll be back with a proper post soon - promise ;)

colours & textures ...

I went shopping yesterday for some crafty bits and pieces - here's a snapshot of some of the things I picked up ...

It was all about colour and texture - some of this yarn is well on it's way to becoming a little creature - hopefully to be added to my etsy.com shop ...

hearts & chocolates ...

Yesterday a lovely parcel arrived - full of valentine's themed goodies - thanks to a very generous fairy ... thanks Connie ;) (I love all the little bits and bobs - you really put in some thought with all the themed goodies - I'm really looking forward to trying the chocolates - they look devine - thanks so much!)



Here's some pics of the parcel contents:

a quick hello!

Just a quick hello - I've got a hectic weekend ahead of me - loads to do ... I really want to sit down and spend some time posting on here, but there just always seems to be something else screaming for my attention.

I'm doing some "crafty" type things at the moment, my first project involves some fuzzy wool and a pair of knitting needles, which I will be progressing to the next stage this evening. Then I've got all sorts planned ... felting ... needle felting ... knitting ... sewing ... all sorts ...

More will be revealed soon and hopefully I will be able to launch my etsy.com shop with a few items in a couple of weeks or so ... I'll keep you posted!

does anyone actually read my blog anymore?
wouldn't blame anyone if they gave up popping by as I've been so bad at posting ... ;)

a long and lonely week ...

My boyfriend has been away for the week, so for me it's been a bit lonely here at home. I'm amazed how much I've missed him and how much I'm looking forward to him getting home tomorrow :) :)

I know it was over a week ago ...

Some Valentine's Day inspired paintings - done by ME! I really enjoyed myself with these ... ;)

my delightful paintbox ...

I was playing with my camera and took some photos that I thought I'd share .... my paintbox - packed with watercolours - including my very special Daniel Smith ones .... they are so lovely! ;)

sosf catch up ...

Thank you very much to Julie my SOSF swop partner late last year - finally here's the pictures of the lovely parcel ...

site launch ...

I've just finished the design and build of a small website for a villa in Cyprus, it's now online - Villa Margarita - take a look ... I'm pretty pleased with it myself!

Next job - my own portfolio web site! ;)

ebay treasures ...

I won some really special items on ebay recently, some original Arthur Rackham prints (he's one of my illustration heros) and a pair of original scraper board drawings by John Tennent, I haven't been able to find out much about him, but his work is amazing - judge for yourself ...





Now I need to find the ideal spot to hang the pair.

no snow ...

It's typical, you listen to the forecasts and gear yourself up for snow and then .... none comes :(

... we've had cold and wet ... but NO SNOW! I guess it's a bit silly, but I watch on the news and the internet, seeing the white out everywhere else and I get what can only be described as "snow envy" ...

Hope everyone who has snow is enjoying it ;)

new look ...

Following on from the last post I've decided to change a few things - step one - a new template ...

More steps to follow ...

February has arrived ...

Well, so much for the new year's resolution of keeping my blog up to date ... where does all the time go, I just seem to be so busy, and when I'm not busy there's the question of what to put on my blog ...

The reason I started this blog was to keep track of my progress as an illustrator, well so far not much progress on that front, and my blog seems to have become more of a record of time passing in my life with the odd mildly momentous ocassion, than anything.

I think I need to re-evaluated this blogging thing and make some decisions about where this and my "illustration career" are going.

I'll be back with some answers, I hope, but in the meantime, if anyone does pop by and read this, I'm still around and still ticking and feel free to leave comments I do come by and check if anyone else has visited and left a message.

has spring sprung?

I don't think so ...

... but someone should tell my snowdrops that!

Yes, this was taken yesterday - snowdrops in flower on the 18th of January! There's a few others doing their best to get their heads up, but this one was first!

Happy New Year

Happy New Year everyone ... welcome to 2007!

I'm feeling under the weather at the moment (dam cold thingy), so please bear with me and this short post.

I plan to concentrate on my blog a little more this year, so watch this space ... ;)

Ho hum ...

Once again it's an apology for lack of posts - busy, busy, busy ...

Anyway, I just wanted to post a few pics of my Christmas cards - so here they are


Not sure what everyone thinks - but I'm really pleased with the results ...

christmas is coming ...

Sorry for the lack in posts recently - things in my 9to6 are pretty hectic at the moment - we've got a lot to get through here before Christmas.

On a positive personal front - I painted up my Christmas cards over the weekend, I've got one small bit to do on one (a bit of a shadow to lift it up off the white background a bit), then it's scanning and to the printers. I'm really pleased with how they are looking, I just hope that all the watercolour subtlety shows in the final printed cards. I hope to have some done for the weekend.

I'll post some photos when I can.

I've finally taken the plunge and bought a computer - I should have it delivered and all set-up before Christmas ... I can't wait, it will mean I will be able to do so much more online. I might even get my web site finished off and out there with a big push!

At the moment I'm in one of those "planning" and "list making" moods ... there's so much to do before Christmas ... where has the time gone ...?

back again

Well, we're back in Plymouth again after a fabulous week away.

It was an eventful week with Rob (my boyfriend) becoming an Uncle to little baby Harry who was born (3 weeks and a day early) on the 7th of November weighing a little over 5 pounds. We went to see the new family on Saturday and everyone was well ... Harry is absolutely adorable.

Now I seem to hear an incessant ticking somewhere in the back of my mind ...

here's one of the seal pics ...

I will be away from the Internet for a week - off to Yorkshire again - so I thought I'd leave with this pic...

frosty cold ...

Today has been really frosty cold here. I guess it's not been all that cold with the sunshine, but there was even a frost this morning, quite heavy in places, it looked like a fine dusting of snow in some of the fields ... does this mean winter has arrived?

last flutter ...

During my usual lunchtime stroll I was suprised to see a butterfly fluttering about - not what you'd expect on the 1st of November - even if it is a lovely sunny day.

I did a little bit of sketching while I was out (seagulls), nothing to write home about or to bother posting, but it's a little more than I've done for a while ...

I doodle all the time, working through ideas and thoughts, but this was observational sketching and it felt good! It suprised me how much better I felt in myself afterwards - calmer somehow - if that makes sense. I guess I should sketch more often ....

learning Flash ...

I really need to bite the bullet and get on with learning to use Flash - I don't really want to (I seem to have this mental block ... I hear the word Flash and switch right off ;) ), but it seems to have become a requirement in my present job ...

Anyone out there got any hints or tips, or a link to an online tutorial ... ??

music & faeries ....

For my Birthday I got several things including some chocolates, Corinne Bailey Rae's (she's amazing!) album on CD and a book about painting faeries from Rob. I also bought another book on Amazon as a present from my parents.

Those books have led me to a few interesting artists' web sites ... for example Linda Ravenscroft's Mystic Garden and Amy Brown.

It's always interesting to see work by different artists and areas of their work that inspires me.

I discovered another artist/illustrator Yoshitaka Amano, some of his work has a real feel of Arthur Rackham about it. I'd never seen or heard of him before and it was such a pleasant suprise to come across his work. Visit his site for a look ...»

happy birthday to me ...

Not a lot of people know this but today is my Birthday .... so Happy Birthday to ME!! ;)

so much can happen in a week

There's so much to catch up on with everyone's blogs and the forum I regularly visit - it will take me an age to catch up ... I was only gone a week ...

I'm back!

Back in Devon and back to the usual ... more's the pity :(

We had a lovely break in Yorkshire. We stayed for 7 nights in a static caravan at Primrose Valley on the East Coast, it was absolutely lovely.

All in all even the weather was also pretty good, we even had a couple of very sunny days, which is a suprise for mid October.

We visited some of our usual haunts, but also added some new ones ... amongst them were Hornsea Mere where we went to see the migrant geese etc (we saw a Hooper Swan - I've never seen one before - he was lovely!), and we discovered somewhere where we can see wild seals, there were some young ones there - what an amazing experience! I feel so privileged to be able to see wild animals ;)

I have some photos of the seals but haven't downloaded them yet - I must remember to post some here ...

not long now ...

Yeah - today is the last day of work for me before my holiday - it's only a week away in Yorkshire - but I just can't wait! Sometimes I get to a point where I just NEED to get away from the hum drum everyday things that make up my life at the moment ...

I've been doing a bit of planning and making notes about where I want to go with my creativity. I've got several projects planned and am starting to put them into action in the background - I'm actually feeling excited and positive about things which is such a change from how I've been feeling lately!

still bob, bob, bobbing along ...

Just a quick post to say - "Yeah, I'm still here - still alive - still bob, bob, bobbing along ..."

A quick catch up too ...

3 days and 30 minutes of work (9to6) to go before we have a well earned break in Yorkshire ... as you can see I'm counting the days ... As usual I plan to do some creative "things" while away from the usual pressures of life, hopefully I'll manage to keep to it this time! ;)

I can't believe it's already October the 3rd - this year has whizzed by - and with it so many of my good intentions and plans ... I think I need the time away to re-gather my thoughts and re-assess my goals and plans to move forward ...

On a different note - I also need to get the bits and pieces together for my S.O.S.F. parcel ... I'm hoping to "find" some things when we're away - I've got loads of ideas!

wistman's wood

On Sunday we went up onto Dartmoor and walked the 2 miles from Two Bridges to Wistman's Wood, an ancient oak woodland - it was a magical place, one I want to visit again. Here's some pics from our walk there and the woods themselves ...

fishy pics

Here are some initial idea sketches from last weekend ...


Sorry the quality isn't that good, I tried for some "arty" type photos, but they'd be better scanned, oh well.

I want to see how they work with colour now, I'll post the results when I've done those.

on a more positive note ...

I've some ideas underway for my Chritmas cards - I'm really please with them at this stage, so I hope to get the time over the weekend to get the paints out and do some colour roughs. I won't post those seen as they are my Christmas cards, but I will try and work up some of the other ideas I've been working on and post those ... ;)

I'm also waiting on a delivery of some bits I bought on ebay, if those arrive I could be busy doing something else too ... I'll post some pics if the stuff arrives, all all should become clearer.

it could be worse ...

Sorry, I just had to get this off my chest some where ... I've been having some hassles recently and the final straw came this morning when I was told that our central heating / hot water boiler has been condemed! It will be replaced late next week - so a week without hot water! A nightmare for me ... I've just got to console myself with the thought that it could be worse ...

the fairies have been ...

When I got home from work on Friday, after a stressful week, I was greeted with the sight of a suprise parcel. As soon as I saw the stamps from Cyprus I knew from whence it came ...

I was so excited ao I opened it very quickly, to reveal ...

... some delicious edible treats (nougat pie, almonds in honey ...), sparkling trinkets, with glass beads and rose quartz, Greek coffee, herbs and a beautiful card with even more beautiful words inside ...

Thank you to the very kind fairy (you know who you are), it was such a touching package ;) XX

quote of the day

Haven't posted much of worth lately, mostly as I don't seem to have much to say, so I thought I'd post a quote ... here goes ...

"So you see, imagination needs moodling - long, inefficient, happy idling, dawdling and puttering." - Brenda Ueland

That's what I'm doing - "moodling". Hopefully I'll find something interesting to share soon ... ;)

a new blog - S.O.S.F.

Take a look at a new blog - S.O.S.F. ... there's an invitation if you'd like to join in ...

Have a go - I've got a feeling this could be fun ...

time flies

Wow, I can hardly believe that it August already. 2006 seems to have gone by so quickly. I must get my skates on and get moving with some of my personal projects ... I think I need to start making lists again ...

another friday afternoon

Well, time is really whizzing by - it's Friday again ...

I've spent some time trying to jazz up my blog - see the custom header - it took me ages to get it code in properly. It's not 100%, but it's better than what was there 2 days ago!

Have a good weekend everyone! ;)

hot ... hot ... hot ...

Phew it's hot here in Devon, and in most parts of the UK by the sound of it ... it's very uncomfortable sitting in an office all day (except for the half hour at lunchtime when I manage to "escape")!

I've taken to going for a little walk at lunchtime, just around the block from the office is an allotment area and across the road a field of corn (I'm guessing there) which leads off into the distance and the rural surroundings.



It's just so peaceful to stop and look out over the fields, with the corn rippling in the breeze and the swallows diving over it, almost like a golden seascape ...

still here, still alive ...

Just a quick post to say that I'm still around - not fallen off the face of the earth or anything - although it does feel like it at times ... It's been really hectic in my 9to6 recently - no time for anything other than the project at hand!

Yesterday was a celebration in my personal life as my boyfriend and I marked 6 years of being together - does time fly or what!

I'm hoping to squeeze in some time next week to beef up my blog ...

Oh, and congratualations to my friend Rachel who I've just had an eamil from telling me that she's just passed her teacher training course! Well done and good luck Rachel!

I'll be back soon - promise ;)

soooo busy ...

Sorry about the lack of posts recently - I've been very busy in my 9to6 and therefore haven't had much time for my "own stuff" ... Also I've had a bit of a cold - that hasn't helped! Feeling a little better now - but still not 100% ..

On Saturday I went to the Plymouth Calligraphers' monthly meeting where we did some marbling on paper (something I've never done before) ... I was amazed with the results ... I must try and get some on here, but I'm not sure how they will come across as some of my favourites were very subtle. I had great fun - it was like being back at school ;)

Light into Colour - Turner in the South West

On Saturday we went to see an amazing exhibition of paintings by JMW Turner at the Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery. It was really good to see such beautiful paintings as well as some of this great artist's sketch books. The exhibition was organised by Tate St Ives.

The gallery was empty so we had plenty of time to wander around and look at all the pieces. I have to repeat myself - it was amazing. The title of the exhibition says it all - Light into Colour. Well worth a visit if you are in the Plymouth area ... It's FREE too!

other blogs ...

I've just spent about 15 minutes looking around at other artists' and illustrators' blogs, and it's amazing what's out there ... everyone seems to be at this blogging lark. It's also making me think that things here in the land of my blog are a little bland, so I'm going to try and come up with some ways to spice it up a little ... any ideas anyone?? ;)

some sketches ...

Just a couple of sketches and doodles I've done over the past couple of days ...


... I doodle when I'm waiting for things to process on the computer ...
Have a good weekend everyone! ;)

introducing Callum James Bennett

Here's one of his first photos ...

welcome to the world ...

Yesterday my brother and his wife in South Africa had a little baby boy - Callum James Bennett - born 8.12am, 3.380kg, 49cm. Congratulations Carl & Liesl and welcome to the world Callum ;)
- A Proud Auntie Gail ;)

I'm still here ...

I've been a little quiet recently - my 9to6 is keeping me very busy - just a quick catch up ... the garden is going well (and looking pretty good if you ask me!) - except for the slugs, snails and greenfly who seem intent on wrecking havoc! I'm sketching as much as I can and the web site is formulated in my mind, but not quite on screen yet ;) I'll get there - I promise!

how does my garden grow ...

Last night when I got home I checked on the seeds I'd planted in pots in the garden I was pleased to see that some of all the different types have started to surface - from the corn field mix to the giant sunflowers ... it's sad I know, but I find it exciting to see the little plants poking through the soil ... fingers crossed they'll all grow and grow ... ;)

fishy tales ...

Just something I did the other evening, playing with colour ...

under the sea

my first attempt for "illustration friday" - not my usual style, but I thought I'd post it ...

the weekend

It's been a long and fairly eventful week for me, but now I can relax for the weekend and concentrate on some portfolio work and web site building for freelance illustration. I've got loads of ideas it's just a case of getting them from my head onto paper and screen.

I'm also inspired by the Illustration Friday topic ... so I might give that a go ... "under the sea" ... I feel a visit to the National Marine Aquarium coming on ...

Have a lovely weekend all ...

good news

I know this hasn't really go anything to do with my usual blog topic - but it has been on my mind (therefore having an effect on my creativity I guess) and I just wanted to "get it out" ... my boyfriend had an interview this morning (basically for his existing job, but recognising it at a new level due to re-organisation) - and he's got it!

I'm so pleased and so very proud of him. It's been a stressful few weeks while this has been going on (it's been hanging around for months really). I feel like we can now breathe and get on with our lives ...

setting goals

I need to start setting myself some goals and deadlines, I seem to've let things on the "freelance illustrator" side of things slide, there's always something more pressing! It's a problem I have, when I have tight deadlines at work I'm fine, but with personal "work" the deadline's down to me ... and well ...

But if I don't sort this out, I'll only have myself to blame. So here goes ...

My new schedule starts on Monday the 1st of May and includes (this is rough mind you ...):
- Getting my portfolio site up and running properly - goodbye holding page!
- Posting blogs more regularly
- Promoting my web site & there with, my work (links and listings on other sites)
- Start building a mailing list
- Sketching/drawing (at least something) everyday
- Working up portfolio quality pieces

Any other ideas ...?

pencil finally meets paper ...

I finally did it, I sat down on Saturday in the garden and forced pencil to meet paper! The results ...





What do you think?

I must force myself to pick up a pencil ...

I've been so "lazy" as far as drawing goes lately. While we were away in Yorkshire I relied on my digital camera to capture things rather than sketching. With the warmer and brighter weather I really must force myself to get that sketch pad and pencils out and do some drawing and sketching ...

Hopefully I'll have some results soon to post here ;)

and I think to myself ...

I note the passing of the seasons partly by the change of the look of the countryside on my long journey to work and back. It's better at this time of year as I get home in the light rather than the pitch dark, this makes it a more pleasant bus journey with lots to see.

I often see buzzards and rabbits, yesterday I saw a dead badger, which is really sad, you only seem to get to see them when they're dead!

This morning there were so many primroses about with patches of violets, creating a pale golden carpet dotted with purple ... what a wonderful world

wish we didn't need to come back ...

Well we're back, and it will be a while until we get a break away again. I think we both wished we could've stayed away, but such is life ... ;(

Archaeological dig

When we were in Yorkshire, we happened upon an Archaeological dig, it was really interesting and the Archaeologist in charge, Luigi Signorelli, was good enough to show us around and explain what was found. I've just found the following report in the Bridlington Free Press telling all about what they found, it's interesting to follow up on something you've seen ...

... it was just like Time Team!

I'm back ... but not for long

We had a lovely week in Yorkshire - totally relaxed and chilled out. I took loads of photos (which I'll post some of when I get them sorted out), but alas did very little sketching ...

We're back off up to Yorkshire on Thursday afternoon for the Easter weekend.

The cottage we stayed in was so lovely that we enquired if it was available again and thankfully it was, so we'll be staying there again this time, anything to make the most of our time off work! It's a lovely place with fields all round, the next door one has 2 horses in residence, at the back of the cottage there's a conservatory/dining area which is lovely to sit in with a coffee and watch the weather ... Sorry I've gone all dreamy ... wish I was there now! ;)

I'll do my best to get back into this blogging lark soon. The good news is we're looking at a computer for home, so I wil then have more time for this type of thing, rather than just rushed posts during my lunch. It was great to see everyone else's blogs and all they've been up to while I've been "off-line" ;)