Yesterday

 Just another lovely day. I'd done nearly 15K steps at the end of it, and wasted a lot of time in the charity shops of Crouch End as part of the walk. Walking round the neighbourhood seems to need some sort of purpose...

In the morning, though - painting a couple of geometry patterns -

Then off to the doctor for flu jab and covid booster - when I left  it was raining, so I ducked into the nearest cafe, Aladdin's Cafe, which has a junk shop attached, to wait it out. Drew a few chairs, very quickly -

Back in the studio late afternoon, greeted by a rainbow -

And later, arrival of my son after a day in the woodwork shop, using their big machines to cut stuff etc and take it all back to the next job in Cheltenham. We went to Korean/Japanese restaurant Dotori for a quick bite. Probably my last tempura, deep fry has unwelcome after-effects....

And so to bed.

Taking stock

We're about to enter the 6th, or is it 7th, week of lockdown. (Time flies.) 

Still here, getting dressed "to the shoes". Hair is growing out nicely, and this is a
good time to try the "no shampoo" experiment

This morning's photo of the sky includes the elder tree that has shot up in the
few years after the splendid, but diseased, chestnut tree was removed.
The first blossoms have opened on the elder, and there are so many more
to come. I used to make spiced elderberry jelly but have no access to this tree

"Clear surfaces" is always, always on my list....

So is "declutter the studio" but that's a vain hope. Currently it's set up for making
facemasks, and for the walk-mapping project, but on Wednesdays it gets tidied
and used for woodblock printing.

Outside, at 9 on a Sunday morning, all is quiet - no queue at Tesco

The box hedge is diseased, and needs cutting, but I can't seem to get started on this...

The lockdown notebook has lists and memorando and is sometimes to hand when I hear or watch something that I want to remember. Each day gets a double page and the book is more than half full

Daily walks get plotted onto a big map. No idea where this little project is going,
but it's encouraging me to walk unknown streets and keep my eyes open. I take many
photos ... another project constantly on my mind is "sort photos"

Current reading. Terrific. I loved these classic detective novels when I discovered them
in my youth and will have to reread a few more. Ironically, this is about loss of memory
and I had no memory of having read it, but experienced the same "vague memory"
 described in the book, which solidified as I kept reading; details are still
vague but I have the gist of the outcome

Today's instagram discoveries are the mineral pigment vivianite and
artist Iwao Akiyama, one of Munakata's pupils

The family keeps me happy!

So does woodblock printing - I'd like to spend more time doing much more
of it, but all the other things that keep me "oddly busy" get in the way

Photographing meals helps keep my food standards up, otherwise everything
would be "on toast" and eaten, without attention, at the computer, and much
more wine would be drunk inattentively. Protein, calcium, five-a-day....

As well as  grey sky hiding the sunrise, there are spectacular sunsets after rain

And sometimes there are letters (remember those?) to save to read over breakfast

Daily exercise

Minutes - or rather, 1000 steps - away from my door is a large park, Finsbury Park, which I've been using more in the past few months than in the 25 years I've lived at that address. At the moment the UK is having some rather good weather and in ordinary times people would be out there all over all the parks. But lockdown means that we are allowed to take daily exercise, but not to linger on benches or - heaven forbid - gather round a picnic blanket. 

A couple of days ago, the leaves just coming out -

I noticed that all the exercise equipment was fenced off, but hadn't noticed this - "Steel Warriors" -

 The New River Canal runs through the park. It has been carrying water to London since 1613 -

Today, with Easter weekend imminent and good weather forecast, the park is under the watchful eye of the police -

 Some parts are almost empty -

 but the main road gets a good footfall -

 

 As well as mounted police they're on foot, in pairs

The mounted ones pose for photos -

but when they clip-clop off again the birds at the lake rise in alarm -

 I'm missing the breakfast treat of bacon sarnies at the cafe -

Will it ever be the same?

Package delivery

So exciting to get a package! Oh but it might be contaminated, eek -

The virus can be active for up to 24 hours on cardboard, up to three days on plastic and steel, up to 4 hours on copper. What about wood, fabric, cork, unglazed ceramic....?

The advice is to open it at the bin and put the wrapping straight in. Take the contents inside the house and wash your hands.

 Asian ply and a porcelain palette -

 And by the time it's unpacked the sun has moved round and the secretary-bird is throwing a long shadow -

... which has absolutely nothing to do with anything ...

Blast from the past - advice to self

Admonitions, worries, moans, doubts ... 'tis always thus!

Recto

Verso

These were probably written 15 years ago, during a low point. The two sides of the tiny bits of paper seem to relate to each other.

It's interesting to find "old stuff" like this - you do wonder if you've moved on at all, if you have different ways of coping with things, if the same problems keep occurring or if new things have arisen.

There's the surface, and there's the depths, wot?

Into the bin they go!

Preparing for the heat

33 degrees? Continuous sunshine on a bank holiday? Twice in one year??

Blinds (such as they are) down, cross-ventilation established, sundress found, going barefoot on cool floor, fizzy water to hand, ice for other drinks ready - ah, forget to make espresso for iced coffee.

Holiday at home!

Sunday in the park, and elsewhere

 The windstorm dumped a lot of leaves and small branches onto the ground. Rubbings are so quick and easy ...

 While drawing in the park I got interested in the twiggyness of twigs -

 and the ropey stuff that holds the weathered seeds of London planes on the tree -

 Back home with greengages, apricots and (inevitably) tomatoes from the farmers market -

 Over the hill for more family fun -

Grandbaby and G-ma in mirror. Note the sartorial splendour of matching checks

Family feet under the table (Tom made the table)

Back home at dusk; this sort of shadow might be useful for a woodblock...

 Hello moon!

That's Jupiter off to the left

Studio Saturday - and a deficit of steps

This week I've brought my pot of coffee into the studio and sat myself down at about 7am.

Sometimes I drew, sometimes I merely looked at instagram (=research, yes?), sometimes I did a bit of mending or sewing, whatever it took to settle in to the day.

"Genghis" will be a companion for "Gung Ho"

 Sometimes I moved things around and took a photo....

 ... sometimes I looked at the sky, or the pigeons in the elderberry tree ...

 ... and once or twice I've found myself tidying away this 'n' that.

All this sitting means not much walking - not meeting the 10K steps target for the day. An evening walk around the block takes about half an hour and is about 3K steps (every little helps). Tonight, after the windstorm, I was pleased to find some new-to-me leaves and seeds that had blown off from street trees -

It was rather disturbing, though, to see this huge branch lying near the recycling bins -

 

 Evidence of its origin -

confirmed by seeing half a tree, with a fresh scar on the trunk -

Its cousin round the corner is still completely intact -