I have thousands of photos scattered across a number of computers and external hard drives. I have recently started excavating these as I work on various designs, trying to find just the right image to mesh with my collection of silhouettes. While I am still working to expand the range of wildlife designs, I am also keen to showcase local scenes.…
View Post
It was two weeks ago that I posted about watching frog eggs turn into tadpoles, and even after hatching they have been providing me with a great deal of entertainment. The pond is the first place I stop after work; before even going into the house I take a peek to see what’s going on and how the tadpoles are…
View Post
5:30am: Alarm goes off5:30-5:45am: Talk myself into getting out of bed5:45-6:45am: Dress, hair, make up, get ready to face the day6:58am: Train from Chippenham to Swindon This has been my weekday schedule for the past year or so. I am fortunate to have the flexibility to choose my own starting time at work, so these early hours are a deliberate choice. The first hour…
View Post
I have always admired people who know exactly what they want to do in life. Those who discovered their passion at a young age and did everything they could to pursue it. The musician chasing after perfect notes and converting gruelling hours of practice into muscle memory, making their playing look and sound effortless. An artist dabbling in their chosen…
View Post
Spring is a season for new life. Lambs can be seen frolicking in fields across the country, gardens are showing the first flush of colour, and birds are beginning to stake out their territory for nesting. But the sign of spring that had me most overjoyed? The humble frogspawn. Nature’s Calendar, a site run by the Woodland Trust to record…
View Post
Samuel Johnson famously declared that “When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.” What was true in the 18th century remains just as accurate today. England’s capital city is just over an hour away from home by train, and it’s a place I visit regularly for work and pleasure.…
View Post
This is Lydiard House and Park, near Swindon in the UK. While the land belonged to the St. John family for over 500 years, the present house was built in the 1740s in the Palladian style, with an adherence to symmetry and use of Classical architectural details. In 1943, the house was sold to the Swindon Corporation, and, for the time…
View Post
