Tuesday, 27 January 2026

Quote Zzzzzzz 😴

"Sometimes the godliest thing you can do in the universe is get a good night’s sleep … If you are among those who become nasty, cynical or even full of doubt when you are missing your sleep, you are morally obligated to try to get the sleep you need."

~ Don Carson

Monday, 5 January 2026

'Life' drawing again

New Year, new habits...

Going to see if I can get back into 'life' drawing again. (By 'life' I mean from photos). It always helps my drawing when I do this regularly - it's like practising scales.
 
Looking at my sketchbook I don't seem to have done any for 5 years, so I was pleasantly surprised that it worked - it helped that it was an easy pose and easy body-type to draw. I used the pose app from AdorkaStock and just drew the first one that appeared.
 
Purple crayon, so I couldn't rub anything out or even smudge out mistakes!
 
A sketch in purple crayon of a fat woman sitting cross-legged on the floor. The is holding a pole-shaped weapon across her knees, and has her tongue sticking out and her eyes crossed!

 

Stone Age Smash®

The prehistoric Peruvians had instant mashed potato.

This is my favourite fact among the many fascinating facts in a book I got for Christmas.
 
 
Which, btw, means that the claim on the Smash potato packets is many thousands of years out of date.
 

Saturday, 3 January 2026

New Year Song

Last year I had difficulty thinking of a New Year song.

This year I've had one in  mind since it came out 11½ months ago!

 Where the Living is Deep from The Gray Havens

Thursday, 1 January 2026

Happy New Year!

Jesus spoke to them again: “I am the light of the world💡. Anyone who follows me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life.”
John 8:12

Wednesday, 31 December 2025

Chalet School centenary 1925-2025

So when I was a teenager I was obsessed with the Chalet School series by Elinor M Brent-Dyer.

I was in a fan club, and in 1994 I entered a competition for a new magazine cover (didn't win). I recently came across it, and thought that, as 2025 was the centenary of the first book, I might have a go at redoing it. I realise I'm cutting it a little fine...

My 1994 cover:

A magazine cover in black & white ink with grey shading. There is a giant open book with a distant scene of mountains.  In front of it are 4 girls.  On the right a 1920s girl with a pleated gym-tunic and bobbed black hair.  In the middle, a 1940s girl with a simple gymn-tunic, tie and sash.She hasa hair ribbon and glasses and is holding a music book. She has a gas-mask box over her shoulder.  Sitting on the grass at the front, a 1950s girl with a gymn-tunic and striped tie. She has short curly hair with a hairband.  On the left, a 1960s girl wearing a dress with smocking at the shoulders, wrists and waist. At the bottom are eidelweiss, and a banner reading 'Onwards and Upwards'. At the top is a logo, and the title 'Friends of the chalet School'
This was Before Computers, so I used film with a dotty pattern for the shading!

Actually, I preferred my initial idea, which back then I had discounted as 'not working', so  based my new idea on that one. 

A line drawing of a giant closed book with 4 girls surrounding it. In the middle I have written 'This idea wasn't working, so I started again.' For fuller description, see picture below (although I have swapped the 1940s and 1950s girls,)

And because it's not going to be photocopied, I decided to use colour. But, to give myself a challenge, used a limited palette: black, white, uniform colours of brown & flame, gentian blue & crimson, a pale straw colour, and green. I got variety by using paler versions of the colours - no colour mixing.

A giant green closed book with 'The Chalet School ' written on it. There are 4 girls surrounding it.  On the left, holding up the book, a 1920s girl with a brown pleated gym-tunic, white blouse, black stockings and bobbed black hair. Sitting on the grass at the front, a 1940s girl with a brown gymn-tunic, white shirt, flame coloured tie and sash, and light brown stockings. She has blonde hair with a brown ribbon, and glasses. Leaning on top of the book is a 1950s girl with a gentian blue gymn-tunic, cream shirt, and blue, crimson & white striped tie. She has short brown curly hair with a crimson hairband. On the right, a 1960s girl with a gentian blue dress. It has crimson smocking at the shoulders, wrists and waist. In the background is a distant alpine scene with a mountain and lake. At the bottom are eidelweiss, and a banner reading Elinor M. Brent-Dyer. At the top it says 1925 2025.
The uniforms are: left -1920s, bottom - 1930s/40s, top - 1950s, when the school split and we follow the new branch with a new colour scheme, and right - 1960s.

I quite like it. There's a lot of stuff that could be improved (not least the faces), but since it was just for fun and I'm running out of time this year, I won't!

Wednesday, 24 December 2025

Happy Easter 🥚🥚🥚

Was in the corner shop today, and there were creme eggs and biscoff eggs on the counter.