NORTH DOWNS & BEYOND

Part of the reason that I have taken up painting again is for the 'mindfulness' that comes from spending time applying gouache to cartridge paper. It is relaxing, you lose yourself in the process and, at the end of it, you have a piece of original artwork - it really doesn't matter if it is any good or not. Above is my latest effort. Having used trees as the subject matter for most of my previous paintings I decided to adopt the sea for this one. Colour and pattern took over, and the final result is a bit of a dog's dinner, but that's what happens when you allow your mind to wander off. I don't know if this is actually finished yet. I may well return to it at a later date and tweak...

The seas and skies at Dungeness are never anything short of inspirational. All of the following images have not been digitally enhanced at all. This is what it actually looked like. I have given them names because I am deeply pretentious. Orb Burnished Brass Torn ribbon Spun gold Here comes the calm

I lieu of anything like me going out into the field and seeing something (when did that last happen) I will share with you one of the most amusing incidents that I ever witnessed while birding. It was during a late summer, at Dungeness, and I was sitting in the seawatch hide that overlooks the 'patch'. Those that know Dungeness well will be aware that the hide is placed at the top of a steep shingle slope that rises from the sea. This is also a popular place with fishermen. Because the birders are sat high up on the shingle bank, and the fishermen are positioned low down at the water's edge, both groups can spend the whole day on the beach without being aware of the other... It was a slow sea-watch and those of us gathered were starting to get a bit bored. Then, a young lad came into view, as he walked up the slope from the beach below. He stood at the top of the ridge, facing the hide, no more than ten feet away. With almost theatrical care, he looked left - looked rig...