Branksome Beach – Walking with my camera

I woke up feeling quite exhausted this morning. I tried to to some writing, but didn’t seem to get anywhere. I’m staying at my Father-in-law’s in Poole, as I’m doing sessions at the new Hamworthy Library opening tomorrow. He’s off on holiday, so I’m here all on my own with Jaffa the very old ginger cat. Jaffa sleeps most of the day, but when he wakes up he wanders around the house meowing his head off, looking for someone to make a fuss of him. It’s quite endearing, but not at three in the morning!

I decided to walk the beach this afternoon. It was glorious – almost warm. Well, not cold. I found one or two shells that I liked. The razor shell had a pattern on one end which I thought made it look a bit like a Viking carving. I also found a complete oyster shell, which is really rather beautiful. There were lots of lumpy shells on the waterline. They seemed to be lots of shells stuck together. I found one I really liked. I was about to put it in my pocket, when one of the shells moved. Most of them were still alive! From one angle they looked like a paw or a fist. I’ve got a pocket full of other stuff. I was going to photograph them, but I was distracted by a cup of tea and a slice of cake!

If you are near Poole, come along for a story tomorrow lunchtime at the fabulous new Hamworthy Library.

The Viking Belt Buckle

My Viking Belt Buckle

Okay, I realised that you’d like to see my Viking Belt Buckle. It’s made out of aluminium armature wire that sculptors use, and the snakes’ heads are made out of the ever-wonderful Milliput If you don’t know about Milliput, I’d say it was almost more useful that Duct Tape. I use it all the time to fix and make all sorts of things and no, I’m not on commission.

Twitterpating

No, nothing to do with Twitter – I can feel a change in the air. Spring can’t be that far away and my pond was not looking too inviting for the frogs, so I got out in the breeze this afternoon and cleared out the gunk and detritis.. Mmm – lovely.

I have a feeling the frogs are getting twitterpated themselves and will be along quite soon to lay the frogspawn. It makes me feel quite chirpy!

Spring is in the air – Walking with my camera

The birds are singing in the Forest. It’s been so quiet since I started walking with my camera after Christmas. Spring is in the air – as you can hear by playing the video above.

I noticed quite a bit of rubbish today. Someone has been scattering their vegetable peelings on the paths! I’m not sure who they think they are feeding – the Boars? I still haven’t seen a boar – but I hope to one day.

One path I walked up was strewn about with fallen branches. Walkers have trodden on them skinning the bark down to the wood in places, making an attractive pattern that makes you feel like you are walking across the bone of a beached whale.

Two for joy

Magpies in love

“One for sorrow, two for joy…” or so the old country saying goes. These two were canoodling on my neighbours’s roof at lunchtime. Spring must be in the air – I can hear the birdies getting twitterpated all around me. I suppose the two for joy bit could be because when they are in pairs and a’courtin, it is a sign of spring and that must be joyful news in itself.

The cold weather seems to have broken, but they’ve brought a very grey, miserable rain with their joy.

How to draw a bat – 25,000 videos shown!

Here is a lesson to help you draw a bat – c’mon – you know you always wanted to! I realised that I’ve been drawing them wrong for quite some time. Amazing what a bit of research will do! As ever, if you like it, please rate it with the stars in the top left hand corner. Enjoy.

Today marks a bit of a milestone in my drawing school- I’ll hit 25,000 videos shown on youtube. I think that’s quite good – i’s not like I’m showing videos of sneezing pandas or children getting bitten. It took me a year to get 2,000 views and abut four months to get the next 23k. My viewing graphs show a really nice curve, that statisticians would find very satisfying. Many thanks for all your views.

Any ideas about how I might improve would be gladly received. I don’t have a lot of time for it, so I do tend to do it in a bit of a rush.

How to draw a Meerkat

You’ve seen the compare the meerkat and you’ve watched Meerkat Manor so now get a pencil and some paper and learn how to draw them for yourself. It’s simples, peeps!

As ever, please rate it with the stars in the top left hand corner if you like it. Many thanks. Yo can embed this in your own website if you like.

How to draw a Bulldog

With a bit of Bulldog spirit, you too can learn to draw a bulldog by following this easy lesson. Now if mega wide HD. May contain nuts.

How to draw an angry Lion

I’ve just reuploaded this lesson to youtube because it has been stuck for two months – it’s something that happens on youtube. As ever, if you like it, please rate it with the stars in the top left hand corner. Enjoy and draw — grrrr!

Under my nose – Walking with my camera

Unappealing entrance to a footpath

view from the other side

Fox in field

Frozen edge of trickling stream

ice forming on edge of stream

Ice effect on frozen grass

I sometimes lie in bed and stare out across the fields and golf course on the other side of the road. Somehow I’ve been either too busy or unable to get someone to come with me and walk around that view for eight years now.

So today I walked up the hill to find my way round the footpaths that circle the comb-like top of the valley above Coleford to get the view from the other side. I’m so glad I did. There’s nothing like knowing what’s under your nose.

The first half of the walk is across the golf course. I’ve never walked over one before. What lifeless, boring places they are! I’m sure Capability Brown could have made a beautiful golf course. The landscape is tortured into an unnatural shape that is all about function not beauty.

The footpath back was squeezed in between two house fences, ugly or what? And intimidating. You have to be quite brave to go walking on your own! Public footpaths have been sacrosanct, so building boundaries are built right up to them. Interesting, in that you get to see into back gardens and see what other people do with theirs, but the downside is that the owners don’t really want you walking past them, so they make it an unpleasant experience. Barking dogs being only one of the hazards.

I caught a glimpse of a fox running away at the start of the walk. I caught him later. I’m quite impressed with my camera – it can really get quite close up.

More ice pictures too. Different to puddles as the stream is still running so it makes the edges all crinkly, like Norway!