In the shadow of The Reek
The small chapel on the summit of Croagh Patrick (known locally at The Reek) was shrouded in mist this morning.
By the time I’d managed a truly bracing dip in the Atlantic, it was just visible from the lovely Betra Beach. 
Holy water!
Sketching in holy water today in Knock Shrine as the rain pelted down for the start of the Bank Holiday.
I persisted with wrinkled pages and a soggy bottom outside the shrine…
Dried off with soup and sandwiches and a quick sketch from a cafe.
Knock is awash with souvenir shops. You can pick up holy water bottles ranging from the full litre sizes featured above, to tiny handbag sized ones shown below. 
If that’s not your thing, maybe a tiny ‘Our Lady of Knock’ font or a glow in the dark Holy Mary.
21 today!
I finished my 21st sketchbook today with two sketches in Brighton.
First’ ‘Pen to Paper’ from the Flour Pot Bakery on Sydney Street.
Followed by Jersey Street in Hanover.
Filling a sketchbook can come with a sense of achievement, but it can also be a bit sad, filing away all those memories of the past few months.
I decided to get that difficult first page out of the way with a sketchbook trip down memory lane. The bottle of Bombay Sapphire is just for scale. Honest.
Compliments to the chef
Ever eaten so much you wish could unzip your belly and let it all hang out?
If you haven’t, head to the carvery at the Country Cousins, in Westward Ho!
Unfortunately I only had a few minutes to put in the laden sweet trolley just visible on the right, before it was whisked away!
The lovely and attentive staff did let me take a photo though.
Lazy afternoon
Who can resist a Saturday afternoon snooze?
Peewit
An old friend recently treated me to a fused glass workshop. I had no idea what to expect.
Being a bit of a swot, I was vaguely mortified when the tutor asked us if we’d brought our ‘designs’ with us.
Flushed and panicking about not having done my homework for the first time ever, I eyed the shards of broken glass laid out before us. The first thing that sprung into my head was the lovely Peewit, also known as the Lapwing. Which happens to be the national bird of Ireland.
Preliminary sketches to work out what would go on which layers:
My tutor made sceptical noises as I laid down the first layer of glass, but she seemed more convinced after the second! Before firing:
After firing:
Gymnastictastic
My niece just can’t stop cartwheeling. She’s amazing but frankly it’s exhausting!
Chattri
The Chattri sits in an unlikely location on the rolling hills above Brighton and Hove.
It’s a peaceful spot to sketch, but I had to navigate several fields of frisky cows and bulls to get to it!
Six Sails in Sussex
I took some time out from a very lazy stroll from Brighton to Lewes to sketch Ashcombe Mill, Kingston.
A finely dressed gentleman, out avoiding the royal wedding in his motor car, informed me that windmills with six sails are quite rare.
Pavilion Garden, Brighton
cmoorelife 