Sketched on a recent trip to the Lake District,in the far North-west of England. What a magnificent place, and I have no idea why I have never been there before! So much to see in all directions – not just the lakes.

There is no better way to get to know a place than to sketch or paint it. So much better than a quick unconsidered photo snapped in passing.

The only drawback is that it takes time to immerse oneself in the surroundings, and with so much to see in such a wonderful landscape, a few days, even a few weeks, is not enough. Will definitely need to go back for a longer stay…

Cumbria is as far North-west as you can go in England. Any further and you will find yourself in Scotland. ‘Cumbria’ was invented back in the ’70’s by amalgamating two long established counties, Cumberland and Westmoreland, with a little bit of Lancashire thrown in for good measure, which made absolutely no sense to anyone other than politicians.

It is beautiful though, with mountains, lakes and a coastline. Now a National Park known as the Lake District due to the large number of lakes, the largest and perhaps best known of which is Lake Windermere.

After a few months of white flowers at the bottom of the garden, the Rudbeckias are coming into their own with their Autumnal yellow and red colours, and very welcome too. There should be some Sunflowers, but at the moment they are still concentrating on growing upwards and have not yet shown their smiling faces.

moleskine 8 x 5 inches watercolour album

I went for a walk along a different route today, one which, in fact, I don’t think I have taken this side of Covid. Lots of things have changed. Trees have grown, (shocking!), and their branches are meeting either side of the path overhead. Old barns, which I have previously painted as derelicts, have been, or are in the process of being, re-roofed, smartened up or converted into dwellings. Speaking of which, fields which were just fields, now have new homes crammed into them – I almost didn’t recognize the place! Which just goes to show how important it is to sketch things when you see them and not put it off for another time. Nothing stays the same for ever.

This little sketch actually had more going on in the background, but I wanted to keep it simple – it’s easy to be distracted and end up putting too much in.

I sketched at Lower Slaughter today. Although I have sketched there many times, I have never done so from this side road where only the chimney and some of the roof of the Mill can be seen between the late summer foliage. Always a popular place to visit, today was no exception, but few people ventured along this particular stretch. A few horse riders, a man walking a dog and a couple of serious- looking cyclists in too much of a hurry to notice their surroundings. Finally a couple deep in conversation walked passed and paid no attention to me at all.

We visited the RHS (Royal Horticultural Society) garden at Wisley a couple of days ago. I thought it was going to be a washout, as we left in pouring rain, but by the time we reached there, the sun came out and the afternoon was really hot! Perfect for viewing the Bowes-Lyon rose garden, the long borders, cottage garden and the allotments. Such a lot to see and gain inspiration from.

As a rest from walking, I sat in the trials field and did a sketch looking towards the little building. I was glad to be able to include a couple of figures, but they didn’t stay sitting for long, and had gone by the time I was ready for painting. If you ever go and look at the various gardens, be sure to find your way to the cafe and try their carrot cake. De-licious!

Figs love to hide. You can search the tree and be sure there are none ready to pick. Too small, too hard, you think, but a more thorough search, lifting every branch and every leaf from top to bottom, will often reveal hidden treasures you thought non-existent. But how do they manage to hide for so long when they are so big, and couldn’t possibly remain invisible?

The lovely rose/magenta/violet against the pale lemon green rim of the inside of the fruit is a joy, and once you have painted them – you can eat them!

Coffee shops are wonderful places for sketching people, as you know they are likely to be there for a while without moving too much. If they are engrossed with their phone (younger people), reading a newspaper (older generation) or simply sitting alone with their thoughts, so much the better, as they are less likely to notice you. The last thing you want is for them to be aware of being stared at. I went straight into a small pocket sketch book with a fibre tip pen and added colour later. It’s probably best not to spend too much time on each person, and don’t worry too much about any mistakes. Some work better than others, most are complete disasters, but whatever you do, don’t give up.

They are not meant to be portraits. I am sure no-one would recognize themselves, but if I can create a sense that there might be an interesting story behind some of these figures, then I am happy!