Bakewell

                                   It's a sign...... in Bakewell

Our Ezra

                    Our Ezra in his first Welsh International Jersey!

Portland on Countryfile

Just watching the Isle of Portland on BBC's Countryfile - above my sketch of Portland Bill Lower lighthouse (the bird sanctuary) and the Main lighthouse drawn on a very windy and sunny afternoon in July 2012. Check out: https://picasaweb.google.com/117235147329899148544/2013Stuff?noredirect=1# to see my 2013 drawings of Portland, Weymouth and Chesil Beach (before the recent storms).

UK tour

Back from Llandrindod Wells, Tenby, Neath, Mumbles, Bradford on Avon, Warminster and Morton in Marsh. Gorgeous Tenby illustrated.

Roadworks at Calver crossroads

Today's sketch from coffee time at Palmers Café - the roadworks at Calver crossroads.... nightmare! Give it a miss for the next few days. Our Ezra slept through - good lad.

Venice Rialto Working Boats

It was snowing yesterday which made us late to Palmers Café so I didn't have time to do the usual sketch for Ezra's Diary. Also too wet, cold and snowy to go to Heely Art Club's Tuesday evening meeting so I roughed this out in pencil - I'm going to finish it in acrylics. Thought I'd get the bridge arch correct, so I got my drawing compass out. Must be the first time in 15 years! Good job I didn't bin it when I started doing AutoCAD in 1997. The painting will be for the Great Sheffield Art Show in July - hope it'll get selected. 5 more paintings to go by April 13! I'm going to finish it in the style of my Blog 21 August 2013.

Inside Palmer's Cafe Calver

View inside Palmer's Café - it did get busy at one stage. We were at our usual corner table - coffee, crossword and sketchette.

Calver rainbow

Oh and there was a fine rainbow over Calver Village this afternoon, photo captured during my walk with our grandpup - the dog Jasper. Sorry about the joint down the middle - need a more modern camera!

Calver cottages

Cottages adjacent the Eyre Arms at Calver crossroads looking up the Derwent Valley towards Grindleford with Eyam towards the left. Sketched (today) once again at coffee time from Palmer's Café. Met my former boss Roger Needham (1990-1992) in the adjoining Spar shop - he lives locally. Ezra slept for a record 88.5 minutes!

Coffee time again

Yet another coffee time in Palmer's Café at Calver Crossroads waiting for our Ezra to top up his batteries. The Spar delivery lorry to the adjoining supermarket pulled up outside our window and stayed long enough for this quick sketchette. It started snowing but Ez was well covered up and slept through 'til his usual time to join us.

More from our Ezra's diary

Our Ezra continues to develop.... extreme putting funny shapes through the matching funny shaped holes! Square shapes through square holes too easy for this 11 month old. He has no problem with the Giraffe Roller Slide Toy shown above - we're impressed, but then we're his grandparents.

More flaneuring

Another view at coffee time from  Palmer's café - the Eyre Arms at Calver crossroads. Wonder if we'll be taking our Ezra across to the pub sometime in the future?

Flaneuring with our grandson

Our grandson having a bit of shut eye before he joins us in Palmer's Café at Calver crossroads. We were inside the café having our usual coffee. Ezra joined me sketching when he woke up!

This is our Ezra's first attempt at using one of my watercolour brushes after he joined us inside the café - not bad for a 11 month old! Love the hand grip.

The boy Ezra

Left to right:
Ez looking cute looking left
Ez looking cute in The Pram
Ez looking cute looking right

The lamp

The centre of Old Calver Village - the lamp opposite the Post Office at the junction between High Street, Main Street and Sough Lane. The 3 carved stone plaques explain why it's there. Will Queen Elizabeth II make it to her 75th Jubilee? If so they'll have to re-carve the plaque... should have left some space below the Diamond Jubilee!
Ezra enjoys pointing at this lamp.

The pram

Ezra's usual mode of transport around Calver Village - Grannie Liz's 42 year old Silver Cross - she's been saving it that long! He has a great view from up there and likes pointing at things. Lots of people stop us to admire the pram, some even say the baby's nice as well!

Ezra's diary continues

The spring/trough at the bottom of Main Street Calver with the millennium seat next to it. The clear, pristine water is gushing into and out of it at the moment - looks better than Buxton water but don't tell them or they might bottle it!

More from our Ezra's illustrated diary

This is Stocking Farm - our usual turning back point as our little prince falls asleep! It was a beautiful sunny winter morning with dark shadows from the trees alongside Calver Mill on the right. That's Froggatt Edge on the high horizon and the caravan park field on the right which falls down towards the banks of the River Derwent.

Our grandson's illustrated diary

We've been looking after our gorgeous grandson Ezra (who's 11 months old this Thursday) twice a week whilst his mum and dad (our son) are out being gainfully employed. They live in the White Peak District of Derbyshire in the beautiful  village of Calver - just 8 miles from our home. In the morning we wheel him around the village in our 42 year old Silver Cross pram until he falls asleep - we enlighten him about the flora, fauna and limestone character of the local architecture which ensures he has a sound repose! He joins us at coffee time at Palmer's Café when he wakes up - usually with a smile on his face.
Anyway, we've decided to record our time with him in a sort of illustrated diary - Liz on Text and me on Illustrations. My first illustration (attached) shows the Postmen's bicycles leaning against Calver Post Office wall - it's less than a couple of hundred yards/metres from our starting point and it's where High Street becomes Main Street. Lots more drawings to come!

Kaleidoscope -Whitby03

The good ship Gratitude at Whitby Harbour - in acrylic