More flaneuring

Another view at coffee time from  Palmer's café - the Eyre Arms at Calver crossroads. Wonder if we'll be taking our Ezra across to the pub sometime in the future?

Flaneuring with our grandson

Our grandson having a bit of shut eye before he joins us in Palmer's Café at Calver crossroads. We were inside the café having our usual coffee. Ezra joined me sketching when he woke up!

This is our Ezra's first attempt at using one of my watercolour brushes after he joined us inside the café - not bad for a 11 month old! Love the hand grip.

The boy Ezra

Left to right:
Ez looking cute looking left
Ez looking cute in The Pram
Ez looking cute looking right

The lamp

The centre of Old Calver Village - the lamp opposite the Post Office at the junction between High Street, Main Street and Sough Lane. The 3 carved stone plaques explain why it's there. Will Queen Elizabeth II make it to her 75th Jubilee? If so they'll have to re-carve the plaque... should have left some space below the Diamond Jubilee!
Ezra enjoys pointing at this lamp.

The pram

Ezra's usual mode of transport around Calver Village - Grannie Liz's 42 year old Silver Cross - she's been saving it that long! He has a great view from up there and likes pointing at things. Lots of people stop us to admire the pram, some even say the baby's nice as well!

Ezra's diary continues

The spring/trough at the bottom of Main Street Calver with the millennium seat next to it. The clear, pristine water is gushing into and out of it at the moment - looks better than Buxton water but don't tell them or they might bottle it!

More from our Ezra's illustrated diary

This is Stocking Farm - our usual turning back point as our little prince falls asleep! It was a beautiful sunny winter morning with dark shadows from the trees alongside Calver Mill on the right. That's Froggatt Edge on the high horizon and the caravan park field on the right which falls down towards the banks of the River Derwent.

Our grandson's illustrated diary

We've been looking after our gorgeous grandson Ezra (who's 11 months old this Thursday) twice a week whilst his mum and dad (our son) are out being gainfully employed. They live in the White Peak District of Derbyshire in the beautiful  village of Calver - just 8 miles from our home. In the morning we wheel him around the village in our 42 year old Silver Cross pram until he falls asleep - we enlighten him about the flora, fauna and limestone character of the local architecture which ensures he has a sound repose! He joins us at coffee time at Palmer's Café when he wakes up - usually with a smile on his face.
Anyway, we've decided to record our time with him in a sort of illustrated diary - Liz on Text and me on Illustrations. My first illustration (attached) shows the Postmen's bicycles leaning against Calver Post Office wall - it's less than a couple of hundred yards/metres from our starting point and it's where High Street becomes Main Street. Lots more drawings to come!

Kaleidoscope -Whitby03

The good ship Gratitude at Whitby Harbour - in acrylic

Kaleidoscope -Whitby02

Another kaleidoscope image of Whitby - this was in pen and watercolour.

Kaleidoscope -Whitby01

Messing about with a friend's kaleidoscope feature on her iPad. She had just hung 3 of my original paintings which she bought from me last summer.

That's my acrylic painting of the Abbey at Whitby, North Yorkshire

 

'omage to Van Gough & San Gim

Heeley Art Club's theme for yesterday evening was "Working in the style of an artist you admire". My effort is 'omage to Vincent van Gough, combined with a view of the beautiful San Gimignano from our recent visit to Tuscany. I arrived at the Art Club minus my acrylics, so I drove straight back home and, to save time, I spent the evening in my own little garret producing the artwork below:

Trulliland, Italy

Trulliland - houses in southern Italy. Sketchette in acrylic, collage with a bit of bucket fill for the sky.

Portrait 5 of 5

10 minute portrait at Heeley Art Club

Pen and watercolour. The Club's new President - El Presidente!

Portrait 4 of 5

10 minute portrait at Heeley Art Club

Pen and watercolour

Portrait 3 of 5

10 minute portrait at Heeley Art Club

Pen and watercolour pencils

Portrait 2 of 5

10 minute portrait at Heeley Art Club

Pen and watercolour

Portrait 1 of 5

10 minute portrait at Heeley Art Club 1 of 5

square pastel sticks!

Diwali Stage below Nelson's Column, Trafalgar Square, LONDON

Sunday, 27 October, my last sketch of our London trip from the upper level in front of the National Gallery - showing the stage for the Diwali Festival under Nelson's Column, Trafalgar Square. We were booked on the 2.30 train back to Sheffield the following day but the rails were hit by the great St Jude storm and we ended up after much wasted time and expense catching a coach back home the following day.

The Shard & Tower Bridge, LONDON

The lower image took me 4 hours on a jetty sticking out into the Thames last Saturday 26 October. I spent at least half of that sheltering from the rain and galeforce gusts. I finally packed it in when a mini tornado sucked the plastic lining out of a bin in front of me, sending 2 empty bottles of beer crashing onto the pavings frightening the b'jesus out of me! I was hiding under my umbrella at the time and didn't realise what was happening - I thought there was an express train coming. The umbrella I've had in my sketching rucksack for the last 7 or 8 years is no more, deceased, turned completely inside out.  I completed the drawing at home.