The term ‘far out’ would be more than adequate description for this place which is on the route to the Old Man of Hoy. It’s situated just after you get off the ferry to the island. People climb up the Old Man of Hoy which is a tower of Rock in the sea just on the edge of this very far flung part of Orkney. People who climb the Old Man must have no sense of self preservation. Continue reading House 9. Orkney, an awkward commute.

This is above Tideswell in Derbyshire where we went for a walk last year, bright and bracing walk in a lovely part of the world. There’s a plan at the back of my head to finish all these drawings in colour in the future but I get more pleasure out of the drawing part than the colour. So it may be a while. The other obstacle to the finals in colour is a change of mind, and my constant predilection to never finish…. I’ll get back to this later. Continue reading Follow that sign

This house is in Suffolk and I just got a glimpse of it when passing through there last year. Very small bijou living. I wonder how an estate agent would describe this one? Continue reading House 7. Enough room to swing a toy mouse, perhaps.

Anyone polite enough to follow this blog, and read it, will know that I’m a keen plotter. I’ve just given up my old allotment as I’ve moved house away from the area and it seemed daft to drive to it. But I have another. I’ve been given a transfer, and have now joined the Premier league of plot areas. A smaller plot than the last but enough for me. The other plotters there, are by the evidence of a good look around, the top team. I feel like a third division player dropped into the Manchester United team. A clogger … Continue reading Lane lights in the Cotswolds and plot flowers.

You’ve probably seen a few of these in the last couple of days, looking for inspiration and not finding it. Merry Christmas and a Peaceful New Year to anyone who bothers to drop in here, and a special thanks to those who voice encouragement. Continue reading Man goes shopping…

Another French house in the same location as the previous two posted here. What to make of this? Looks like a rather elegant French birthday Cake with the max security disguised as rather elaborate over wrought iron. Again this house looks out over the Atlantic and the beach. I’ve lived in loads of houses, none like this, and am endlessly fascinated by them. The longest I’ve ever lived in one house is 14 years and that was when the offspring were young and was in the middle of lush green Cotswold countryside. My parents lived in loads of houses all … Continue reading House 5. A French neighbour, the Flying Scotsman and pastry.

Its a sort of contradiction really as a dry stone is very rarely dry in Derbyshire, especially recently. We have a fair few dry stone walls here in Gloucestershire but this drawing of one in Derbyshire just illustrates how much I like them. It’s early days with this drawing and unlike some I think this one will benefit from colour.There are times when I ruin a perfectly alright drawing by fannying about with the colour and I’m determined that it won’t happen with this one. It is lovely to see these things being built and I suspect it is very … Continue reading Derbyshire dry stone wall, usually very damp.

I’d never been to the South Downs until earlier in this year when we went down there for a couple of days walking and then strip to Southsea for a birthday party. Good time had by all and the walking was great. We chose a day when there were a fair number of runners on the route. It was hard enough for us to walk it but to run it seemed to take it to another level. It was a bright sunny day, but some of the runners looked anything but bright and sunny. Some had that look in their … Continue reading South Downs, avoiding the runners.

This lovely looking modern place overlooks the beach on the West Coast of France in the Charente area. There are a huge number off places in the area that are used just a for few weeks in Summer. I really hope that this is not one of them. This is in a row of rather grand houses of an older style but exudes confidence and I suspect is a little more efficient than the draughty looking neighbours. I suspect whoever lives here has stylish furniture in a minimalist surrounding with white walls and plain floors with perhaps the odd piece … Continue reading House 4. French Modern

I’m undecided about this drawing, wether to re-work it or to plough on and see what happens with the colour. Robin, my sometime walking companion was checking his phone making sure, no doubt, that we were not lost out there on the Cotswold Way, some months ago. That band of white behind him is a field of oil seed rape. I’m reticent about showing you the original photo as you’d probably prefer it to the drawing. The location here is on the way from Chipping Campden to Broadway, two places that are popular with tourists wanting to see some typical … Continue reading Robin and the Cotswold Way

This place is just a few doors down from the previous ones that face the Atlantic on the west coast of France, but light years away in feel. Well looked after, I suspect that it’s full of books, perhaps even has a library room. I suspect the owners take as much care of the interior as they have the outside area. I hope they have some lovely paintings on the walls and perhaps the odd family photograph on the grand piano in the sitting room. I doubt they ever have a take away meal and probably dine out regularly at … Continue reading House 6. Another French neighbour

The Cotswolds near Cirencester and a sunny day. This is not far from an ancient Roman settlement and one would think that the poor Roman soldiers sent here all the those years ago might have seen a similar view across such a beautiful landscape. A considerably better posting than Hastings Wall, which if you have not visited is many miles North and was meant to keep the unruly Scots out of England . Both places worth a visit but I digress into travelogue speak. Taken from a photo the drawing is in my usual Indian ink, applied with brush, sometimes … Continue reading This image has two lives