Photo's on my Phone 7th August 2024 to 22nd of August

 The sun still shone (for a while).

 

We went on a family trip to Landacre. All the grown ups laid on the river bank and enjoyed the sun, except for Mummy who played in the river with the boys.

I didn't take any photo's, the ones above are of another family trip back in 2015, with our grown children (before the small boy's existed) and our beloved previous GSD Loki, I miss them all so much....

Anyway I did a very bad sketch, which I had to colour in when I came home as I didn't want it to ruin my sketch book. The only bit that remotely looks like the Landacre are the bridge arches.

The next day the sun went away and the rain arrived.

So we took the boys to soft play, which is the best rainy day invention. This was our view for 2 hours, the boys came back once or twice to demand drinks & food, we enjoyed every minute of it.

I finished my second colouring. It's an A4+ print, hand coloured with water colour pen. I've included the pen so you can see the size and depth of detail.

Last Thursday we received an official looking e-mail from our landlords solicitor, we've worried about eviction for a long time, the e-mail didn't say we were being evicted, but it made us fear what was coming next. We took the dogs up to Countisbury to try and blow some of the worries away. The colours were amazing in the early evening sun. We met a herd of Exmoor ponies and stood still with the dogs while the ponies passed us on both side. The dogs were amazing just stood still with us and watched, both Siri and Ron had a slight wobble, but didn't bark so the ponies ignored them. We were both so proud of our dog boy's, seems like all our constant training is paying off.

On Monday both us and Dais were served a section 21 no fault eviction notice. We both have 2 months to find a new home, before our landlord starts court proceedings.

At the point in time when this photo was taken both Maggie and Siri had no idea that Queenie and Grandpa were scared and angry and trying to hide their tears. I wish I could say they were still oblivious to what was happening. Mummy is doing her best to protect the boys, but it's too big a thing to hide, they know they are going to move house and maybe have to leave their friends & family. Siri is worried and stuck to my side like glue, he's scared and doesn't understand what's going on, so I'm making sure he spends lots of time with his girlfriend & her mum.

There's a housing crisis, too many houses have been sold as second homes & airbnb's, there is no where for the locals to live. 

To make a single mum with 2 small children and a slightly broken old couple close to retirement age homeless is devastating, it means our family has been broken in two and face an uncertain future.

I have no doubt our flat will be sold as a second home or airbnb and will remain empty for months of the year. 

This is the 4th time we have lost our home, the first was our house when Phil was made redundant, the sale of the house went through the day before the bailiffs turned up. 

The second was because our landlord didn't want to repair the chimney so evicted us and sold the flat so it was someone else's problem. 

The third was a bolt hole the second time Phil was made redundant. We have very kind friends who helped us out when we needed it, we knew it was only temporary and would be sold, but it still hurt when the estate agent came round to value it.

Life has kicked us so many times, I fear that if we have to leave our friends, family & village behind there won't be much left to kick.

The one thing I am adamant about is I will not give up my dogs, I would rather live in a tent and you never know it might just come to that.

We have applied to the council for help, but have been told we are in a long queue due to landlords panic selling. Labour have promised a new law making section 21 notices a thing of the past, but until it is passed there will be a lot more in the same situation as us.

On the day the notice arrived we took the boys to Dunster.

Dunster beach was grey and gloomy, but we made the most of it Grandpa climbed rocks with the boy's while I threw (and lost) balls for the dogs. Then we ate ice cream in a gale on the top of the hill overlooking Porlock.

In an effort to avoid looking at the packing boxes surrounding me and to try and take my mind off it I've coloured a second Summer print. Its also coloured in watercolour pens, so strictly no tears or the rainbows will end up running all over the page.

The photo is of it almost finished, I've finished it now and moved onto the next.

Rainbows are full of hope & positivity , if I colour enough of them maybe the positivity will rub off on us and we won't have to spend Christmas Day living in a tent.

We are off to stay with our son & his husband next week, so we can visit family and have a couple of days with them. We both desperately need this break, maybe it will help us come to terms with what's going on and help us move on to better things.

Sketch books

 

In the past I was always very precious about my sketch books. I wanted to keep them pristine, so didn't draw on the page in case I made a mistake and had to rub it out. All the drawings and images were glued in.

The one below is from 2002, the image is of the Sutton Hoo excavation and the painting is the treasure being excavated on hand made paper. I used the sketch books as diary's and filled them full of angst ridden  waffle about how I was a failing artist.

Life has taught me that I don't have time to angsty about being an artist, its who I am and I will always draw.

Fast forward 20+ years, my worry about perfection has gone, now I draw directly on the page, some of it is good, some of it is bad, but it all fits together and is a diary of my life.

The following drawings are from my current A5 sketch book, I also have an A6 and A4.

Woolacombe                                                        Lynton

 

I like to draw from life, the boys are a big part of life and watch me drawing. Of course they want to draw too and when we are out and there's nothing for them to draw on I let them draw in my sketch book. 

I would never of let them anywhere near my precious sketch books years ago.

The above drawings were drawn at half term on Dunster beach, I drew the path of the river Avill running down to meet the sea. I told Bert to draw what he could see, so he drew the nuclear power station at Hinkley Point and a container ship in the Bristol Channel.

I take my sketch book everywhere and draw when we're out dog walking. Phil has long legs and walks a lot faster than me, so at some point in the walk I will stop to draw while he carries on walking with the dogs. The drawing above is of Holdstone down,  I continued drawing and did some colouring when I got home.

The view from Daddy's garden of the hillside on the other side of the river, in Lynmouth.

Lynton, from Holman Park looking up towards Station Hill. Sketched on sports day in between races and tidied up when I got home, I might continue with this one.

Yesterday we went to Crow Point, the first time since our car disaster, this Appledore drawn from Crow Point beach across the mouth of the river's Taw and Torridge. It must be at least half a mile across the river, probably further, so it's difficult to make out details, even the close ups on my iPhone art very good.

I will tidy it up, but probably won't take it any further.

And finally the boys drawings at the back of my sketch book. 

As I said previously I've told Bert to draw what he see's and that sometimes the only place he will be able to see what to draw is inside his head, but that doesn't matter and not to listen to people who say otherwise.

A couple of weeks ago I'd forgotten what I said to him, we went to a meal with some friends, when he got bored I gave him my sketch book and he drew his food, knife and fork.  I am so proud that he remembered my advice.

On the other page Maggie drew a snake (I think) and wrote his name.

I'm so proud of both of them 💙💙