Boat bits

The sketch above is of boats in Lawrenny Quarry on the Milford Haven Waterway. We used to keep our boat in the quarry over winter. It was a nice spot with friendly owners, Sue and Brian. The downside about having a boat out of the water is theft.
We were broken into on three occasions there and on the third occasion over £1500 worth of equipment and tools were stolen. We never did recover them.
What was more upsetting was that a great number of the tools had belonged to my father so couldn’t be replaced. In the end we had to sell the boat, as we weren’t using it due to family commitments.

Alex has been waiting to arrange another course at Rick Stein’s in Padstow. She is a terrific cook anyway but enjoys the courses. She had phoned up and left details asking to be informed of next years course dates when they were out. Today a letter arrived from Rick Steins much to Alex excitement. She was most put out to be incorrectly addressed as Mr. Alex Cox. To make matters worse they had forwarded last years calendar of courses. I am glad I didn’t receive the call from her when she complained to Rick Steins!

I started an oil painting of Whitesands in Pembrokeshire today.

Up to watch Wales in the morning so fingers crossed.

Broadhaven

It’s been a busy day. Alex has been mounting prints and making cards along with a million domestic chores. The boiler man has been. I have been out searching for a for a friends birthday present. I finally got what I think he will appreciate. I have also finished another winter landscape. I sneaked to the gym and walked the dog.

Last night we had a co-operative meeting all went pretty well. Fortunately we all get along reasonably well. No mean task for an idealistic bunch of artists and craft makers. The new gallery is keeping its head above water.
We also are doing okay but it would be nice if we didn’t have to chase the money. We have a lot of outstanding money I know it is difficult times but when you have to repeatedly ask for payment from commercial concerns it is a bit irritating. Some galleries are great, others not.

The painting above sold last week. It is the beach at Broadhaven.

Sheep and snow.

I am not a great reader of Poetry to be honest. Much of it passes me by like a random collection of words. I used to enjoy “ A child’s garden of verses,” by Robert Louise Stevenson when I was young. I remember it had wonderful illustrations by Charles Dobson.

I can manage a bit of Tennyson like:

Of old sat Freedom on the heights,
The thunders breaking at her feet:
Above her shook the starry lights:
She heard the torrents meet.
There in her place she did rejoice,
Self-gather'd in her prophet-mind,
But fragments of her mighty voice
Came rolling on the wind.

Which somehow is appropriate to the painting of the Preseli’s. The painting was sold at the Newport Exhibition and bought by Lord Tennyson (current) whose ancestor penned the above extract. Very fitting I thought.

Alex is busy mounting prints which we picked up today.

Abergwili

So despite taking and collecting the grandchildren to school doing the shopping, taking the dog for his two walks, the gym and taking the camper to Pontiets (and collecting it) for an MOT, I managed to finish “Ebeneezer Chapel”. You will note the car has been disappeared into a black hole. The car took a way the focus of the painting. There is still the one in the distance at the approach to the village. I have also finished off the values of the painting along with some detail.
We received some translations from the Welsh Language Board today. I have to say they do a terrific service. We do pretty well every thing bilingually so without their help it would be a nightmare.

Ebeneezer Chapel Abergwili

I started the painting of Ebeneezer Chapel, Abergwili today. With talk of a new ice age coming and memories of last winter I have made it a winter scene. As I have had a few other chores to do today I haven’t finished it, there is still some cleaning up to do and detail to add.

Alex is in the new gallery today in King St. Carmarthen.

Yesterday we went to Cardiff to meet a couple of old friends from Newtown for lunch. A very pleasant occasion it was too. Afterwards we went around Cardiff looking for a pair of new jeans for Alex. You would think that would be an easy task. We went to many shops but all the jeans we found were £45+. What was worse someone had gone around cutting holes in them or pouring bleach on them! Fashion! Even Alex wasn’t going to pay £45 for new jeans with holes already in them.

Cutting Brambles

I did a blog recently about optimism. Well yesterday I watched our neighbour Mr Davies working on his smallholding. I wouldn’t put an age on him but he isn’t that youthful.

He is often out on his land with a roll up hanging from his lip and flat cap down over his brow. Then he sets to on a 2-acre field with a hand scythe. The field is more like a jungle with overgrown hedges that are really trees and brambles in clumps the size of houses. After 2 hours it is difficult to see any progress but there he is still cutting away I guess that is real optimism.

I only hope I am that active at his age. I have in cluded a little sketch above.

Wales v Ireland - Celtic Cousins

Alex and I were up early this morning. I admit I wasn’t full of confidence but well what a great game. Wales versus Ireland in the Rugby World Cup. Terrific!

One son in law is Irish and our daughter in law is Irish so there is a lot of Irish support in the family but today we were right behind Wales. Heroic all of them. It was a nice touch at the end of the game between the two teams and I have recorded the essence of it in the little sketch above of Roberts and Brian O’ Driscoll.
Roll on France next weekend. A busy week next week off to Newport to collect a few paintings and also to collect another batch of our prints from the DOT Foundry.