Manchester - fruit and veg on the Curry Mile.

A quick nip down to Manchester to visit Molly for the day. Rotten weather on Shap. The usual display was on show though, in supermarket on the Curry Mile; stocked up with spices, lentils and beans. Looking at the carrier bag it says ' BBC Food Awards 2015 Best Food Retailer ...the North's largest ethnic food and drink retailer'.

 

Pow Gill, nr Wigton, Cumbria

A nice day for a change so chance to get out and about!

A fabulous yellow slime mould.

Scarlet elf cups, yellow brain and Jew's ear fungi.

Snowdrops.

Across to Criffel.

Binsey - an oil painting

Another painting of this popular view - from our closest 'peak' - Binsey looking down Bassenthwaite.

High Cup Nick shrew update....

I've just been to a Carlisle Naturalist's Society meeting and the shrew we saw at the weekend was a pygmy shrew! So I ought to update the blog that I published to 'Rocky and the Pygmy shrew'! It is the smallest native British shrew and has a pale underside and a long, hairy tail.

Lady's slipper orchid .....drypoint.

After our visit to Gaitbarrows to see the Lady's slipper orchid last year, Tom did this gorgeous drypoint.

Great Gable oil painting - step by step.

I've just sold two big oils of Great Gable which is great as it gave me the opportunity to paint my favourite mountain again! Several people said they liked my previous post showing the development/progress in my painting, so here are some of my step by step pictures.

Great Gable from Innominate tarn.

Swansea University Botanical Gardens

Some photos from Tom of his walk out yesterday .... robins, skeleton leaves and treecreepers.

Rocky and the shrew....

While we were having the last piece of Christmas cake at the top of High Cup Nick I suddenly noticed a shrew running around under our feet ...bless! I just hope it got back into/under the snow and kept warm! Rocky was well behaved and wanted to chase it but didn't - needless to say he had a fabulous time in the snow!

Various pictures of the shrew ...top - in the distance ....bottom - rather closer! 

Top right: fascinated by the shrew ...and bottom right: asleep in the Stag Inn in Dufton.

High Cup Nick in the snow

I can't believe how lucky we were to get another day out in the snow with no wind and on a weekend! A superb walk up High Cup Nick. It was clear enough when we started...and a blue sky developed as we reached the top in the direction of Maize beck ....we could go further I was thinking; lovely crunchy snow underfoot and a path to follow - then we turned round and saw the approaching low cloud! Best stick to plan A!

The walk up from Dufton....

There are two pictures above when you look carefully ....the top one - incoming low cloud ...the bottom one - blue sky over Teesdale.......which was soon to disappear under the cloud!

The Nick itself and the bottom two are of Blencathra and the Eden valley when the sun came out.

Oil painting ....a progression

People often ask 'What do I do first and how does that develop? ' So I thought that I'd photograph my painting of 'The Watches' as it developed. The Watches are a group of stones on the way up Ullock Pike before ascending to Skiddaw.

News from Swansea...

Tom's been for a walk in the sun - with cracking views of goldcrests - which I am reliably informed aren't that easy to photograph! I'm thinking they might make a good drypoint.

Grey squirrels in the University botanical gardens.

Goldcrest at the back of the beach. 

Views through 180 degrees - Mumbles and Swansea. 

More textile cards ....

As I have said previously I'm trying to get a stock of these so I don't run out ....they are  barely profitable, but hopefully people buy the paintings and photocards beside them. This time colourful tulips and a batch of teasels.

Derwent Water oil painting

It's been a while since I've done an oil painting - too much christmas stuff and cards! It's strange how reluctant to start I am after only a couple of months off, but I thoroughly enjoyed doing this one from our walk on Sunday. As I said - it was an atmospheric day!

Teasels ...a new textile

I've been wanting to do something based on teasels for a while - and it took me a while to get there! Initially I had a blue background for sky and the teasels were too straight. I changed the background and curved the stems to give some movement. ....and enjoyed the free drawing with the sewing machine.

Derwent Water round walk.

A fairly dismal day, so we set off round Derwent Water. Some very 'atmospheric' views across the lake. The lake itself was quite low, which was good, and the path easy to find - although thanks to the developments at the Lodore Falls Hotel you can no longer skirt round the back of it - instead there is a very short stretch on the road. Nice to see the National Trust's centenary stone, which I have never seen before. The far side of the lake was relatively quiet and a late lunch in 'The Chalet' at Portinscale was very tasty.  About 10 miles in total and a good walk out.

Looking up the lake towards Borrowdale.

Heron; one of several coin-studded fallen trees; Lodore Falls - not exactly in spate! 

Looking back down the lake towards Keswick.

A very obliging robin - Fawe Park. 

Valentine's Day cards ....

I'm actually vaguely organised this year ...some new cards for Valentine's Day. Now to work on some 'Love Bird' designs.

New and old elephant cards...

The traditional 4 elephant cards continue to be popular, but I wanted a new twist, so tried the 3 elephants holding tails.

A clattering of jackdaws ....

Thanks to Tom for the photos - I love the silhouettes and movement. They congregate in a particular tree on Singleton campus in Swansea at about 4:30 pm at the moment, before flying of to roost. The noise is spectacular!

Coledale round

How lucky were we to have a second consecutive Sunday with perfect high-level walking in the Lakes! The roads were slippery first thing so went down to Braithwaite rather than travelling too far afield. We were rewarded by another classic day - crunchy snow on the tops - paths not too bad and no wind to speak off. The Coledale round is a superb walk - 11 miles and cracking panoramic views - interesting coming off Causey Pike mind!

Left: early morning over Skiddaw; across to Helvellyn; towards Crag Hill
Right: towards the eastern fells; Blencathra; Sail 

Left: towards Grasmoor and bottom towards the Langdales
Right: back towards Coledale Hause; from Eel Crag and Causey Pike. 

Lovely icy snow on the tops.

...and who had the best of days? ....

Crinoid drypoint using the Xcut xpress.

Following our finds on Aughertree Fell Tom did this charming little drypoint print.

Inking up...

The exposure ....

The crinoids ....