Mulling and Musing

Still musing on last week’s art retreat.  Trying to fit the pieces together.  Trying to figure out how it’s moved me on….what I’ve gleaned.  It’s not immediately obvious this time.

One thing I know for sure, however, is that I have a whole host of new contacts and several amazing new friends.  Kindred spirits.  Like-minded souls.  Which is, after all, the reason I go to art retreats in the first place.  And they deliver.  Every time.

So, while the rest of it mulls, I’m excited to see where these new friendships take me.  Very excited indeed!

The Landscape Played Its Part…

The landscape, of course, always plays a hugely significant role in my travels. 

The Do What You Love retreat was held in a pretty spot not far from Richmond in North Yorkshire.  The site sloped steeply.  Far more steeply than this photograph shows… 



It gave some nice views but was a killer to walk up and down several times a day!

The area was populated by hundreds of happy rabbits and the fattest pheasants you ever did see.



This was the view from my round bedroom window…



The gorse was spectacular…



and there was masses of it….



The weather was changeable…which made for interesting skies…



And the art class added their own splash of colour when they played Follow My Leader in the field at the bottom of the hill!

My Thursday...

Doing What I Love

I’m off on my travels again tomorrow and I’m really excited about this trip.  It’s an art retreat – my first ever in the UK.

No trying to squash art materials plus clothes into one small suitcase.  No long flight across the Atlantic.  No setting out days in advance of the actual event.  Nope, this one is just a short, leisurely drive away….and I can chuck stuff into the car with abandon.  Bliss!

The retreat in question is called Do What You Love and I’ll be taking a class with the amazing Flora Bowley.  I’ve wanted to work with Flora since meeting her at Squam last September and seeing the astonishing paintings coming out of her workshops there.  And not only do I have a place in her first ever class in Britain….but I get to hang out with her for three whole days!  Imagine that!

Wifi permitting, I’ll keep you posted as the week progresses.  So, more anon….

Goodbye, Baby, Bye Bye!

I’ve just waved goodbye to this lot - the ten woolly bundles who’ve spent their first few weeks of life in our croft.  Their mammas have eaten me out of grass and so it’s time to move on.  But I’ll miss them.

It’s been a joy to watch these black babies (Hebrideans) grow.  Like any lambs, they clung to their mothers at first; but soon grew daring enough to form a gang and rampage about the field, playing tig.  Why walk when you can run?  Why run when you can leap?  Sunset is the time when they go loopiest, kicking their heels in the air and tearing round like shaggy mad things.

I may be sad to see them go but I’m pretty sure the hens aren’t.  They’ll be glad of the peace and quiet.  And particularly grateful there’s no-one to nick their food anymore. 

Oh yes, I predict celebrations in the hen hut tonight!