The arduous journey to school

It’s a hard life isn’t it? On the way to school last week I pointed out some clover growing in the grass and told Xavier that it almost always had three leaves but on very rare occasions it had four. I said that I had never been lucky enough to find one with four leaves, despite having spent hours, as a child, searching for one. And guess what I spotted? I excitedly told Xavier I’d been looking for one of these four leaf clover leafs all my life, to which his response (bearing in mind that five minutes previously he hadn’t known what clover was) was that he too had spent all of his life looking for a four leaf clover.
Now I wonder what effect this little incident will have on Xavier? When he’s sixteen will he play the lottery for the first time and expect to win?

Sew darn good

Those of you who visit my blog regularly may notice that there is a complete dearth of posts on sewing, stitching and all arts and crafts that involve needles. I draw, I paint, I cook – something has to give. I think the last time I sewed something was in 1980. I was ambitiously attempting to make myself a suit and half-way through this doomed enterprise I realised that the fabric had cost me more than buying something off the shelf, and I didn’t even know if my bum would look big in the finished outfit. So that was it – I foreswore sewing from that day on. However one of my real live in-the-flesh friends, Fiona, who is a published author to boot, has started a blog on stitching, crafting and sewing. So when you feel the need for art of the needle and thread variety do go and visit ‘Sew darn good.’

Hugo’s poses

Hugo is one of those boys who always seems to arrange himself into poses of tangled limbs – which however irritating as a parent – are nonetheless interesting as a sketcher. Here he couldn’t keep his bony wrists and hands away from his face, so for the few minutes I had to draw I thought I’d focus on them rather than nagging him to let me see his face.
Pencil in sketchbook

She’s interrailing

I’ve just received a text message from my darling Flo. She and her two friends are on the train to Prague after spending the last couple of days in Paris and an hour in Koln. Then it’s Vienna, Slovenia and Croatia. What an adventure!
This was drawn a couple of weeks ago – I’ve been a bit busy, so haven’t been able to scan and post. Flo was thrilled to finish her last exam. Two days later she was bemused to receive a letter from Oxford with a huge stack of difficult maths problems to work at over the holidays.
Pen in sketchbook

Feet up

Yet another TV watching picture. But in fact this man had spent about three hours kayaking first and was only sitting down for half an hour before bed. So this is giving a bit of an unfair picture.
Pen in sketchbook

The morning snuggle

Every morning Xavier creeps into our bed. And every time that Robin is not there due to leaving extra early because of work or hobbies there are cries of outrage and fury at his absence. Good thing I don’t take it personally!
Pen in sketchbook

Last episode of ‘The Apprentice’

We’ll miss our wednesday evening TV highlight of the week. Although I think that TV-watching can be the most appalling waste of time, sucking the life out of you, sometimes it can be an incredibly positive shared experience for a family. Especially when we’re all laughing at the antics of the participants. The thought that anyone would be prepared to employ any of them for a six-figure salary is so extraordinary I can only think that the salary is simply a cheap way for the production company to encourage a dozen self-serving individuals to perform for our entertainment. I’m glad Lee won, he was nice, even though he was a bit of an idiot, I hope he enjoys his year.
Pen in sketchbook

Robin in his pajamas

Pencil in sketchbook

Waiting by the side of the pool

It’s Monday so it must be swimming. Xavier and one of the girls waiting to be allowed in the pool. Mummy who luckily escaped ever having a hot flush, suddenly realising what her friends are talking about as she sat in a heated indoor swimming pool on the hottest day of the year so far!
Pen and watercolour in sketchbook

Hair tied up

I loved the way Flo’s hair looked this evening
Pencil in sketchbook

Robin concentrating

Brushpen in sketchbook

Flo again

Pencil in sketchbook

Ever-moving Flo

Unlike the drawing below (which I’m rather pleased with) this bears absolutely no resemblance to Flo. She will not take seriously my pleas to stay still just a little while. So while I drew this her head bobbed left and right and up and down. Her hair was scraped back, tied up, let down and twiddled by her fingers. She smiled, she frowned, she laughed. Me? I tried not to cry at yet another disastrous sketch.
Pencil in sketchbook

Two of my boys

Tom and Hugo watching a film. I am really starting to get to know some of the characteristics of their faces.
Pencil in sketchbook

Rufus waiting at the annual tadpole hunt

Robin has taken Xavier to catch tadpoles for the last couple of years. Personally I can’t stand watching the daily sight of tiny creatures floating to the top of the tank in my kitchen or alternatively the fear that they may have thrived on their diet of shreds of lettuce and that there’ll be a mass of froglets hopping along the kitchen surfaces. But boys wil be boys and they get such fun out of it.
Pen in funny brown sketchbook