Solva moorings

The above drawing is one I used for a painting of Solva in Pembrokeshire. Solva is a lovely little Haven in St Bride's Bay. We have sailed there and anchored on several occasions.

On the first occasion we sailed there was in our 26 ft Golden Hind. This was a lovely looking boat very traditional with a lot of wood. It sailed like a bit of a pig to be honest as the rig was not properly balanced. She could have done with a short bowsprit as she had a tendency to broach (this effectively means with the wind behind or near she could without warning turn at right angles never a good idea!) . She was also very awkward to steer going particularly going astern (in reverse).

Now Solva is pretty crowded with moorings and when we first went in there we had no real idea what to expect. There was a strong tidal stream and we had to weave through several boats with hearts in our mouths. Alex was at the helm and it was my job to pickup the two moorings one fore one aft joined by a pick up rope.. Surprisingly all went well and I got them with a boat hook. But then decided it would be better if we were facing the other direction. I threw the mooring buoys back in and asked Alex to take us around again. I had a somewhat animated response accompanied by verbal abuse but nevertheless she did a good job weaving in and out of the boats and not hitting anything. When we got to the moorings again however I missed the pick up and we went over them. The rope got wrapped around the propeller. The propeller freed us as it cut the mooring rope in half.  I managed to get hold of one of the buoys and tied us up.

When the tide was out I made the best repair I could and then went to apologise very red faced to the harbourmaster for shredding his mooring ropes.

Yesterday we watched the British and Irish Lions and went to a barbecue so pretty successful all around.

Boat House Laugharne

Yesterday I had a nice chat with a lovely couple from Laugharne. The council had apparently sent plenty of workmen over to clean up and trim everything in sight as well as plant flowers for a Royal Visit.

We were wondering if the Royal family thought everything always smelt of new paint and had great rafts of flowering plants everywhere they went.
I suppose it is natural for things to be spruced up a bit when you have visitors and to my mind Prince Charles does a great deal to promote Wales and Organic Produce as well as many having many other charitable interests. Anyway it is always nice to meet new people particularly when they are good company. I have always had a soft spot for Laugharne. Shown above is a view of the Boat House from the water.

A View of Brecon

The painting above is a view of Brecon from the far side of the Usk Valley. Christ College is in the foreground with Castle behind and the Cathedral overlooking them all. I wanted a composition with all the features of the town in it. I painted this a few years ago and it sold straight away. Most paintings go within 18 months.

Brecon is a lovely market town and a great place to live. We were every happy there. We used to trek up the Beacons and I remember one day Alex and I having scrambled to the top of Corn Ddu came face to face with a unit of squaddies peeing in the wind. Fortunately it wasn't blowing in our direction. The squaddies were quick to apologise and Alex was gracious enough to pretend she hadn't noticed. When I was in Brecon I used to train with the Mountain Rescue as I was the Police Liaison Officer. This meant going out on the mountains and also training with the RAF ( a course down at Brawdy).

Anyway today I was in the gallery so no painting got done.

Churches

I am not a particularly religious person but I do like to visit churches and cathedrals. When this country was being populated and villages/ towns were being created the first stone structures were  the castles and churches. The history of a place is most often contained within either or both. 

I enjoy looking around churches and getting the feel of the place its people and history. 

There is also generally a feeling of serenity which can be a break from the frenetic world outside. I have painted and sold countless pictures of churches so I guess I am not alone in my feelings. It's a pity that many of them are going into disrepair and even being sold off or abandoned. 

The painting above is of the interior of Brecon Cathedral which is interesting for many reasons not the least being the connection to the South Wales Borderers who fought at Rorkes Drift.

I was pleased to be the first artist to be invited to exhibit in the Cathedral itself and have done so on several occasions. Today I finished a painting and went to the dentist!

Shooting Times

As Jac and I walked down the lane this morning a pheasant flew out of the hedge and startled us both. We hear them in the wood but don't often see them. I used to go rough shooting with my father and occasionally shot a rabbit or pigeon. To be truthful I didn't really enjoy shooting them (more often than not I missed anyway) but it was good to go for a walk with my father and the old dog. When the children could walk I got rid of all my guns and haven't had one since.

I do still recall pigeon sandwiches that my mother used to make, very tasty too.

Black Lab

Here is a quick sketch of our lodger dog who has been with us nearly a couple of weeks. It is an unusual pose as he is normally flat out. He is a black Labrador but not 100% pedigree I guess. He has a large wide head and is also rather rotund. Age hasn't been that kind to him either.

He is however very cute. When I take him out it is more like trying to drive cattle. He is happy to go but would rather stand and sniff for 10 minutes than actually walk. A normal 5 minute lap of the reservoir is a full 15 minutes. Consequently I have to take both dogs out then return our lodger to take Jac for a proper walk.

"Jenny Wren"

Early morning I was stood with Jac at my viewing point overlooking the valley. The sun was up and mist was lifting off Merlin's Hill. A cloud of midges were drifting over the gorse. I was listening to the thrush on the electric wire when I spied "Jenny Wren" in the hedge in front of us. She was flitting around in the hedge and was soon joined by her mate.

I medieval times personal names were given to birds and this is when Jenny was given her name.
There  are more still in use if you think about it eg.
Jackdaw
Robin
Magpie
Anyway I started a new painting today and have a fair bit to get through this week.