Dancin’ – 4 May 2024

This morning we drove over to Brookfield for today’s dance class. The first class in about a month for various reasons.

I wasn’t really looking forward to today’s class. All those long lie ins on Saturday mornings were over today. Back to the grind stone. Actually it wasn’t all that bad, in fact I have to say I really enjoyed it.

First dance was the White City Waltz. Scamp said we knew it and I took her word. The demo that Stewart & Jane did reminded me of it, but after the first bit I was lost again. I think that maybe Kirsty goes too slowly at times, but S&J sometimes go to quickly for my wee brain to catch up. However, after two or three tracks we were dancing it like we’d always know it.

Next was the new Rumba routine. Again it looked insurmountable until you broke it down and found we knew most of the moves from previous dances and, although it took longer, it did eventually all go together.

The third and last dance was a Cha-Cha and the same as the Rumba, we managed to put all the moves in at the right time. We both made mistakes, but in the end we were dancing it fairly competently.

Drove home and after lunch we didn’t do very much. Scamp wasn’t feeling great and thinks she might have hay fever. She’s been taking Sudafed but it isn’t helping much. Later in the afternoon I went for a walk in St Mo’s and got a couple of decent photos. The PoD went to a branch of May blossom. I was intending to bring back dinner for both of us, Chicken Chop Suey and a portion of Fried Rice each. However when I phoned the Golden Bowl I was told their card machine wasn’t working and it would have to be cash. I’d only £12 in cash and that wouldn’t cover it, so I walked home, got the money and went over to Condorrat to pick up the food. I’ve now heard of a few places only dealing in cash transactions. Maybe they don’t want to pay the overheads the banks charge for the machine transactions or maybe there’s another reason. The food was good, just not as good as I remembered it to be. Next time I’ll return to my usual of Special Chow Mein.

Today’s prompt was “May the Fourth be with you” (4th of May) or a bee or a fly. I tried sketching a Lego Stormie minifig and I tried a honey bee. I tried a hover fly, but finally I settled on the flying assassin of ponds. The Dragonfly. They are such beautiful flyer. So skilful in the air, but such ferocious killers of other insects. I love them and I wait impatiently for the first ones to hatch every year. This is my sketch of a Common Darter (male).

Tomorrow we may go for a walk if Scamp is well enough.

 

Another fairly early shout – 3 May 2024

Today I was driving Scamp to her FitSteps class in Cumbersheugh and then I was off to Larky to get a second eye pressure test. I got there early and went for a walk down one side of the Main Street and then up the other side. Lots had changed. A big flash Indian restaurant had appeared next to the Coop where the bank had been (probably many years ago – I don’t go to Larky much now). Lots of shops boarded up or the shutters locked down. New houses on Academy Street. Too many changes to keep a note of. It’s a different place now.

I decided to wait in the optician’s in the hope that I’d get taken early, and for once that was what happened. The optician did a series of tests of increasing accuracy and came up with the possible solution that my right eye could have Ocular Hypertension. I would need to discuss it with a consultant at the eye hospital in East Kilbride, and if it is confirmed, it would be repaired with a laser op during an out patient’s appointment. It’s a fairly lengthy wait of 18-24 months for the consultation and it’s still in the early stages. He emphasised that it may not he that at all. It could be my sugar levels are raised as I’m described as pre-diabetic and my sugar levels rise and fall regularly, depending on how many chocolate Easter eggs I eat. So the optician has booked me for a meeting with the vampire in the health centre later this month. Oh what fun.

I drove home by a slightly different route, because the slip road to the motorway from Larkhall was closed to allow the creation of two new roundabouts. Instead I drove up to Canderside Toll and on the way found a new big Lidl. Went in and got a loaf, a mini pizza and a bag or rolls, because Tesco are not selling Scottish rolls any more! They’ve even taken out the ovens!! Cost saving, we presume. Anyway, Lidl to the rescue, and they do sell Scottish rolls. On the way back to the car I got a call from Scamp to ask me where I was. I told and she said she was just going out to the dentist. Oops, I’d forgotten all about her appointment to get her new silver tooth fitted! I apologised and felt bad all the way home.

Back home, we had our lunch and then I drove up to the town centre to get a much needed haircut. It felt so good to have got rid of that awful mop. When I got back, Scamp was chopping down the rose at the back door. I helped and we think it looks a lot neater now.

Dinner was a pizza from a new company in Condorrat. We had a 12” pizza with anchovies, capers and black olives. It took 10 minutes from ordering to delivery. That was amazing. The pizza itself wasn’t, at least I didn’t like it. Hardly any mozzarella and loads of cheddar cheese. A bit dodgy I thought, but Scamp was ok with it.

PoD turned out to be a photo of a pot of sunflower seedlings.

Today’s prompt asked for a bud or a bloom. This is not a flower yet, it is a bud from a Rhododendron (Nancy Evans). The red petals soften to warm pinks and golds as the flower opens to full bloom.
We almost lost it last year when we were on a fortnight cruise and there was a drought at home. “A drought in Scotland?”, I hear you say. Indeed our climate is definitely changing. Thankfully the first three months of this year replenished the water supply … and more.

Tomorrow the dance teachers are at Brookfield and we’re hoping to be there too, before they saunter off on another cruise.

Dancin’ – 2 May 2024

Another fun-filled day at Glenburn.

Actually it was quite a good day. Beautiful weather. If it hadn’t been for the cold wind, you would have believed it was summer.

In the morning I was still puzzling over that cryptic message on the iMac. I then did what I should have done in the first place and copied the first line of the message and pasted it in Google. There were a mass of complaints about exactly the same message as I had. It seemed that the problem is most prevalent on Mojave and later operating systems, including mine, Monterey. Most of the replies gave the usual ‘helpful suggestions’ like “Just do a restart, that will fix it” or “Use Disk Utility”. Neither of these work, but then I found a suggestion to dig into the Library module and search for “/Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports“ then find and delete “Sleep Wake Failure” in the Diagnostic Reports. That sounded like a solution, but we were going dancing and Scamp was getting ready to leave, so I put the idea on the back burner until we got back.

At Glenburn we were sitting at the same table as Barry and Cath, who are a laugh. We think Barry was a polis before he retired and he now does executive tours of Scotland, mainly for Americans coming off cruise ships, or flying up from London to ‘do Scotland’. He tells some wonderful stories and I think most of them are true.

We danced a bit of everything today and excelled at none. Not really surprising, considering that we’ve had about four weeks without teachers in the last two months. We did eventually manage to almost complete the Waltz Nioli, but it was a struggle. We quickstepped round the hall without bumping in to anyone, but again, it wasn’t great to watch. Our greatest success was the Tango we were learning in Kirsty’s class. We actually finished the routine and it was so good to dance on a real floor with room to move, instead of on a postage stamp.
There might be a dance class on Saturday, but we think the teachers are off again for another fortnight in the sun after that, “Working”, they call it!

On the way home, Scamp wanted to pick up her dance shoes that the woman in Fitness Fashions was repairing for her. We were late getting away from Glenburn, but we did manage to get to Rutherglen before the shop closed and picked up the shoes. Another tick in another box.

I went out for a quick walk when we got home, but before that I searched out that Sleep Wake Failure script and dumped it in the bin, then emptied the bin. It worked! Twice now I’ve started the iMac and there was no warning message. Success!
I brought back about a dozen photos from the walk and the PoD turned out to be a bunch of Cowslip flowers that had been thrown into the pond at St Mo’s. I’m guessing it was some children who did it. I thought it made an interesting photo.

Dinner tonight was Fish Fingers, Egg and Spaghetti. You just can’t go wrong with that!

The first two sketches are done and posted for EDiM. First one, Lighthouse is a bit ropey, but the second, Chicken, is quite acceptable. More practise needed.

 

Tomorrow, Scamp is hoping to go to FitSteps in the morning and I’m intending going back to Larky to get my second eye pressure test.

 

The 29th day of February – 29 February 2024

It only happens once in every four years and today was it.

Scamp was out to lunch (again) with Isobel and I was out taking photos with Alex. She drove to the Village and I took the bus in to Glasgow. Maybe we were celebrating ‘family’ because of this special day. Or may be we were just out having lunch.

Alex and I met at the bus station and went for a coffee while we discussed our outline plan for the day. I suggested taking the subway to Kelvinbridge, taking some photos, having a Paesano pizza for lunch and taking in some architecture and graffiti. I was fairly sure this would suit Alex as well as me, and I was right.

There were a few places around Kelvinbridge that met both our requirements. I always find the way the Kelvin rushes over the rapids and down under the bridge a bit strange and unnerving. I can’t explain that, I just find it a bit nightmarish and it always draws me in to watch it again. It’s something to do with a bridge above me with the water of the River Kelvin running under me.

We left the Kelvin to do it’s stuff and walk up the hill to Paesano (West End). Fed and watered we walked down the steps that took us to the walkway above the Kelvin and over it to photograph both Mrs McChicken and also the Caledonian Mansions a restored sandstone building above us on the corner of Gt Western Road. Alex loves architecture and so do I to a certain extent. From there we returned to Gt Western Road and walked west to Byres Road.

While I was buying two books with a book token I got from Scamp at Christmas, Alex was off photographing a wee lane near the Spanish restaurant Scamp and I had visited on Monday. We met up again outside the book shop and headed towards the subway to go back to the city centre. It was there we found some lovely light on Kelvinside Hillhead Parish Church and spent another twenty minutes or more photographing it from all angles. Alex demonstrating his ability to photograph the reflections of it on car bonnets and roofs. He is one of the most inventive photogs I know.

Finally we walked into the subway and as the train came in, Alex was asked by a lady who seemed three sheets to the wind whether that train went to Glasgow. It’s a strange question, because the trains follow two concentric routes round the city. All trains go to Glasgow! He tried to explain that to them and they got on anyway. It was all part of a big adventure to them. Unfortunately we were in the same carriage as them and were caught up in their conversations which revolved around Fascinators and Hats. I sense a wedding was in the offing. When they got off at Buchanan Street I distinctly heard one ask if the train went any further. To which the answer was probably YES and NO. It’s all to do with the concentricity.

We went on to St Enoch and found some more subjects to photograph. Centered around the Metropolitan Church of St Andrew and the reflection of it on the mirror glass of its next door neighbour.

Another coffee to prepare us for the bus home and we went our separate ways. I had 105 photos with three of them rejected. Alex had a lot more. It was a really good day. Good conversation and interesting photos. I look forward to sharing them soon.

Today’s PoD was the Caledonian Mansions building.
Today’s prompt was for Gold. I’m not a seeker of wealth, so generally don’t have much gold about my person. Neither do I have any fish, although I did used to have a few Goldfish and a lovely Shubunkan until the cat found it, but I digress. I chose a goldfish as my final sketch for EDiF 2024. Such a placid fish it only needed some air bubbled through the water in its tank and the occasional flake food. This was an official 15 minute sketch with about half an hour of paint splashing later.

Scamp seemed to have a good day with Isobel who is considering whether to have another knee op. Strangely, so is Alex’s wife thinking the same thing. She has an appointment with the doc tomorrow to discuss the likelihood of it getting done. Who knows, they may end up in the same ward!

No plans for tomorrow, but I’m hoping I won’t be doing any sketching for a wee while.

 

A dull day – 28 February 2024

One of those days when it started raining and forgot to stop.

Scamp was out at midday to go to a Witches Lunch in Moira’s house so I was left to my own devices. I decided I’d spend my time gathering together bits and pieces in the back bedroom. I got about halfway down my list and decided to have lunch. I was hoping the rain would take a lunch break too, but that didn’t happen. Like me it was busy and didn’t have time for frivolous things like stopping for an hour or so. It just changed from heavy rain to light rain and then back again.

Almost every day this week I’ve been blog writing almost to midnight. The sensible thing to do today would be to start with the sketch in the early afternoon and that would let me concentrate on the posting and writing earlier in the evening. I struggled to find something that would fit with today’s prompt “Navy”. My first though was a naval ratings hat. I sketched that, but it didn’t really look like it was intended to. I didn’t want a hat that Lord Nelson might wear, then I found an advert for a child’s duck shaped toy made to look like a sailor. That would do fine. I got the sketch done quite quickly, but the painting took ages. It wasn’t possible to use my ’Splashy’ technique. It had to be painted neatly and cleanly. I did manage to finish it and that ticked a box.

That made it coffee time and it looked like the rain had stopped. Of course as soon as I took a camera out it started again. I wasn’t going far, just into the garden. Five minutes of photography and I had enough for today. The subject was a tray of purple crocuses and with the right lens and a wide aperture I could almost blur out the roughcast in the background. Dunked into a couple of processing apps and it looks good.  That was PoD catered for.

Scamp got a lift home which saved me driving over to Moira’s to pick her up. Her day seemed to go well. Dinner tonight for us was a pizza from the freezer.

Still got a bit of work to do in the back bedroom, but I’m hoping to get most of it done by the weekend.

I’m intending going in to Glasgow to meet Alex tomorrow. Scamp may go and visit Isobel.

Watch for the tumbleweed – 27 February 2024

This morning we were out to visit Our Man In Falkirk.

Andrew was looking very relaxed today. No fancy shirt, but he was just as sharp as usual. He talked us through the last half year and made his predictions for the next year. He explained that the new software they are using was designed in New Zealand of all places and that it was made in the same place as the hobbits live. You have to listen carefully to his stories because he is quite adept at slipping in the occasional joke like that just to see if you are listening. We were. Apparently our previous company were using version 1 of the software, but we have the most up to date version. We both like the way he speaks. He doesn’t water things down, nor does he talk down to you. A very clever man who inspires confidence. Just watch for the jokes. He’s even a photographer who used to do his own developing and printing!

Scamp and I went for a walk when the interview was over, after being warned by him that there were a lot of good opportunities for Street Photography near Asda. That said with a nod and a wink. As we were walking up to what used to be the main street. I noticed a few worthies who fell into the category he was describing, but I did’t take any photos, just in case.

Scamp went to Bonmarche looking for bargains in the clothes. I went to Waterstones to get a couple of books. We both came away empty handed. Maybe I’ll get the books on Thursday when I’m hoping to meet Alex.

Scamp and I were amazed how far Falkirk had slid down the slippery slope. What was a busy Main Street, was now a ghost town. It’s incredible the difference in about five years. I think M&S was the first to go and from there it’s been closure after closure. I’m guessing Waterstones won’t be long before it pulls the plug on Falkirk too.

We drove home via Torwood, but there was almost no room in the carpark and we assumed the cafe would be the same. We drove home and stopped for supplies in Tesco instead.

I went for a walk after lunch and drove to Fannyside which is a great place for skies and cloudscapes. It didn’t let me down today. Two lovely landscapes with impressive cloudscapes, one mono and one in colour. Mono won PoD.

Dinner was Baked Potato and Beans. Not amazing, but yesterday’s lunch was so good, it would be difficult to beat it.

Today’s prompt was Peach
I probably should have tried painting this soft fruit in pastels, but Old Dogs and New Tricks led me back to watercolour. So here is my interpretation of Peach. I must practise more with those expensive chalky sticks. I’ll dig them out some day and make a different kind of mess.

Tomorrow Scamp is going for lunch at Moira’s house. I’ve things to do at home.

Going Spanish – 26 February 2024

Today we took the bus in to Glasgow. We were going for a late lunch.

“Late” because it should have been last week we went for lunch in Café Andaluz in the West End, but I really wasn’t at my best last week and thankfully Scamp got the date changed to today. The lunch was a Christmas gift from Scamp. Christmas seems such a long time ago now. We had a lovely lunch of five plates of tapas. Spanish black pudding, Chicken pieces on skewers, Patatas Bravas, Lamb tagine and Prawns in garlic oil, with sides of olives and bread and a glass of Sangria. Dessert was Churros for two! Just brilliant on such a lovely almost warm and very spring like day.

We had taken the X3 in to Glasgow and then while I went to get my hair cut, Scamp went browsing for sandals without success. Then we got he subway out to Kelvinbridge and I grabbed a few photos of the River Kelvin rushing over the rapids. From there we walked through the park and up the steps that led to Great Western Road. We walked past all the posh and weird shops that it’s been famous for, since I can remember. When we got to Byres Road we went looking for the restaurant which is well hidden in plain sight along a narrow lane.

We were far too early, so we went for a walk in the Botanic Gardens. We didn’t go to the Kibble Palace circular greenhouse today. Instead we walked up to the garden area which was covered with black polythene sheeting to heat up the soil ready for planting. It was when we were walking back I saw PoD which is a line of magenta coloured crocuses. They were shining so brightly in the sunlight, they just had to be the PoD.

We just had time for a gentle walk back to Café Andaluz and lunch.

When we were finished there, we walked down Byres Road checking out the shops that had changed and the ones that have been in the same place for years. I saw a couple of books I fancied, but I’d left my book token at home, so I hope I remember their names. I’m sure I will.

We had an afternoon drink in Oran Mor G&T for Scamp and an Innis & Gunn IPA for me. Quite fruity and almost floral. Worth paying extra for.

And that was us almost done. Subway back to Glasgow and a crowded X3 home. A lovely day.

I’d a bit of catching up to do. Two sketches to do. One for yesterday and one for today. Thankfully the blog for yesterday was done and posted on time

Yesterday’s first:

Yesterday’s prompt was Salmon.
This one took me a bit of time. First I had to get myself a new rod and reel and also some fly fishing line. Then I had to catch the fish. It wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be, mainly because I went fishing at night. Not so many nosy folk out on the river asking if you have a license and things.
After an hour I had half a dozen decent sized salmon. I chose one the right size and got the sketch done and then splashed on the paint. Job done. Anyone want a salmon? Just don’t ask where it came from.

And today’s prompt was Rust.
I chose a rusty nail. Not the most exciting sketch ever, but it fulfilled the prompt. That’s the one on the right, by the way.
The other one is also a Rusty Nail. For those who have never heard of it, it’s a mixture of Whisky and Drambuie. Very nice!
The difference between the two is subtle. The first one is hit with a hammer. The second one, if you make it in a big enough glass, make you feel like you’ve been hit with a hammer!

Tomorrow we’re hoping to see the only man brave enough to wear a loud shirt in a built up area. Andrew.

Ah! That’s more like it – 24 February 2024

Feeling almost normal again. I’m keeping it at that. I’m not ready yet to say I feel human again!

A lazy morning today sitting in the sunshine in the living room. It had been freezing during the night and was still quite cool outside. We talked about what we wanted to do and where to go. Scamp suggested that Glasgow wasn’t really a good idea at weekends and I agreed. Her second suggestion was Chatelherault for a ‘gentle’ walk. That fitted the bill for me, so we gathered together all the things we needed for a walk and drove over to a rather busy carpark near the “Big House”. The house was the hunting lodge of the Duke of Hamilton, but is now a busy and expensive (so I’m told) wedding venue. Since a ‘gentle’ walk was to be the order of the day I suggested walking down past the steel cut out figures of William Wallace, Robert Owen and David Livingstone. Usually a good photo opportunity, if the sun is playing nice, but it wasn’t today.

The path splits after them. One route takes you to the Old Avon Bridge and is quite scenic, but you have a long slog back up the hill again. The other route takes you through the woods, high above the Avon Water and back to the car park again with the option of stopping at the cafe. We chose the second option.

There were a family in front of us who were with a man in a motorised wheelchair. He seemed to be making heavy weather of the first climb up through a muddy path. By the time we caught up with them he was stuck fast between two exposed tree roots. Couldn’t go forward and couldn’t go back. We offered to help them, but the woman who I reckon was the his daughter said thanks but they’d manage. They seemed to thing that if they got past the tree roots everything would be fine from there. The wheelchair looked really new, but if he kept trying forward and reverse he was going to flatten his battery. Eventually the woman said “NO! WE’RE GOING BACK!” I thought at that point the boss had spoken. In retrospect, it was the correct decision.

We said Good Luck and walked on. It was heavy going for a while climbing up through puddles, burns and mud, then the path firmed up and dried up too. We carried on and a couple coming from the opposite direction told us it was pretty muddy the way we were going. We thanked them, and noticed that they were wearing ordinary town shoes. Just near the end of the path we discovered what they were talking about. The path dropped away in a steep slope that was almost pure mud. The centre 400mm or so was fairly dry and navigable. How the bloke would have kept control of the wheelchair in that I hate to think. Anyway, the worst was behind us.

We got to the cafe and Scamp grabbed a table while I stood in a queue for 20 mins or more but got two scones with jam and clotted cream and two coffees. The last two scones at that. Paid for them and for a pot of marmalade I’d picked up we enjoyed our lunch.
Note to self: The coffee in the Cafe is excellent. This is not Costa coffee!! It’s safe to drink.

Drove home and parked, then walked down to the shops to get a couple of small pizzas for dinner.

PoD was a view looking up the hill at The Big House as Alex calls it with a heavy sky behind it. Partly processed in Lightroom, partly in ON1. I’ve decided it has its uses.

Today’s prompt was Ruby.
I thought a Ruby ring was the easiest and simplest thing to draw. Simplest, yes. Easiest? Nothing to do with reflections and refractions is ever going to be easy, but this is my answer anyway.

Felt so much better after that walk in the woods. They say that walking in pine woods is good for the respiration. Perhaps it is. Perhaps I was just happy to be outside in the air again.

No plans for tomorrow, but maybe Sea Bass for dinner!

Out to Lunch – 23 February 2024

We were booked for lunch today with June and Ian.

A coffee in the morning to wake me up and for some reason I didn’t feel as good as I had. No reason, I just didn’t. I was messing around with stuff on the computer and then realised I’d been awarded Explore for a B&W photo looking down the boardwalk at St Mo’s. That brightened things up.

Before we knew it, it was time to get the heavy coats on and head off to Brodens for lunch. June and Ian were already there. Scamp ordered Mac ’n’ Cheese with a side of skinny fries and a glass of red. June and Ian had Fish ’n’ Chips with a lager shandy. I had Steak Pie with mash and my usual pint of Guinness. We had long ranging discussions about family and friends. I found out that Ian had tried for Glasgow School of Art when he was much younger, but didn’t get in. Who knew that? Certainly not me. We must have sat there blethering, eating and drinking for two hours at least, probably nearer three. That’s the great thing about having a local restaurant, there is no “We need the table back in 90 minutes.” You can relax in a local place.

As usual Scamp and I walked back home. She went straight home, but I went for a walk in St Mo’s hoping for some decent photos. The first shot I took was today’s PoD. Lovely light on the Campsie Fells with the Meikle Bin just showing white through the trees. The snow must have come when we were in Brodens. We were too busy to see it. Not much else worth posting, but the lighting on the hills and the clouds made one shot good enough.

When I got home Scamp said she didn’t think I was fit to go to dance class tomorrow and I had to agree. Yesterday I’d have said I was fine, but not today. I feel better now, but I didn’t when we discussed it. It’s a strange thing this cold/flu. It really gets a hold on you. Scamp did the needful and wrote the apology to S&J. Sorry we’re not going to make it tomorrow.

The prompt for today was Khaki. That’s an old man’s colour. But I have to remember … So I drew a portly gentleman wearing a pair of khaki shorts. Knee length!
It’s what the well dressed man is wearing to the beach this year. Generously cut to allow for air circulation and enough pockets to carry insect repellent, sun cream and and perhaps a small bottle each of Burgundy and Chartreuse. Or maybe a refreshingTangerine or some Plums. This well tailored garment lends itself to all tastes.
If you’ve been following the sketches you’ll understand the meaning.

Tomorrow we have no plans. Maybe we’ll drive somewhere nice. Don’t know where. Scamp fancies a pair of sandals, but hasn’t seen any yet.

Feeling better – 21 February 2024

A hot shower this morning definitely helped dispel the blues this cold was bringing down on me.

The shower combined with a dose of cough medicine and a couple of paracetamol brought me back to life again, almost ready to face the day ahead, despite the rain outside. I think it had been raining all night and it wasn’t due to disappear until at least midday. For once they got it almost perfectly right. As the morning wore on, the rain became lighter and then traces of blue sky could be seen. The day was improving.

In the afternoon, after lunch, Scamp was on the phone to her sister in Skye hearing that the weather was just February dull there. That gave me the chance for a walk in St Mo’s with the possibility of some photos in the sunshine. I did get a few, but I think the land is waiting for a week on Friday when Spring will arrive. Meteorological Spring at least, but we’ll take that as SPRING!!
Probably the best picture I took was one looking along the boardwalk into the sun with a big threatening bank of dark cloud looming overhead. It became PoD.

It may have been bright today, but it was certainly cold and the breeze from the west was cooling things down a fair bit. I didn’t notice until I came back home and felt my cheeks chilling in the warm air of the hall.

Scamp suggested Fish Risotto for dinner and I agreed to make it. The simplest risotto ever because the oven does most of the hard work and a couple of spoonfuls of crème fraîche adds the creaminess that would otherwise be lost.

We watched Landscape Artist of the Year semi-final tonight but were both disappointed with the overall quality of the work and certainly with work of the chosen three who will go on to the final. It left us wondering what they would produce in the final!

Today’s prompt was Chocolate.
However it would appear that the pristine bar of Choco chocolate has been investigated and partly digested by a Turquoise Tortoise. I didn’t know tortoises ate chocolate! To understand the story you had to have seen yesterday’s prompt.
Not a drawing or a painting I was particularly proud of, but it fitted the prompt and it didn’t take too long to do.

I was struggling to get the photos and the sketch finished tonight. Too much time reading tutorials on ON1 2024, that might go back within the 30 day cut off time. Not sure it really works for me. Anyway, that’s why this is a catch-up.

Tomorrow we may be going dancing at the Glenburn Tea Dance.