Join me on my trips

Set off 4th for Portsmouth at 11.30 arrived at Holuday Inn Express by 2.  Price £77 though the one at Gunwharf Quays was a hundred pounds more of course more to do there. This is more like a motel, but clean and nice big walk in shower. But nowhere really to eat and huge accident up the road so no chance of getting out so having chicken wings and macaroni, had hoped for a steak. Early at the ferry. Somehow others are even earlier. Then bit of breakfast and onboard for about 6 hours, need to buy  a book. Did then found a lens had fallen out of my glasses! Took this while waiting to go through passport. All the security to keep out chaps wanting to hitch a lift? My hotel in Chateau Gontier. Everything very French and the buildings creamy with slate rooves. No UK cars around. Saw this amazing motorbike outside the cafe where I ate.  Wandered along small roads until lunch in Montaigue at quite a posh plac...

No real plans and work at Tom's house is pretty much finished. Tenant supposedly moving on Sept 1. Hottest July and the sunniest. 34 as I write this on 3rd. It's quite scary where this is going. This is the painting. This view is as you come down to meet the main road at Aldsworth. Heard two days later tenant couldn"t get guarantors. New ones ok. For those of us who can remember 1976 it was a glorious summer and now 50 years later we are having another to remember. Will it be another 50 years, probably not. The lovely creamy grasses nod at you along the country roads. I love it. And this field of corn could be France. Look at all those clouds and not a drop of rain. A track I always pass. Dead tree with owl box. Nearby semi abandoned building. The road to Meysey Hampton Feelie and I drive every week to flute. Brave little daisies in the drought. The track through the...

Heading for 10 day heatwave of over 30. It gets boring. Lying down a lot, reading a bit, have sore leg still. I say reading but after about 4 pages I drop off.  So lose the thread. The view from my desk. The green bag is covering the mechanism of the bowling machine in case of rain!. England playing Argentina in semifinal of World Cup. The halves are broken by hydration breaks. This one straw bale gets caught by the early morning sun which I see from my bedroom window about 5am. Painting this scene And on paper. Today, 19th we have yet another Prime Minister. Andy Burnham. Fun with pastels. A lot of excitement among twitchers as an Asian long tailed shrike is in Eastleach. Taken by Forbes family. I'm doing a butterfly check and this red buddleia is a favourite for them as well as bumblebees and hummingbird hawk moths. Now that we are under a hosepipe ban these little daisies are a boon....