Blog Archive

Oceans and islands

It’s time for an adventure. Perhaps it’s always time for an adventure of one kind or another? The trouble is, many people live in my head – it gets very crowded in there. The bold, brave me makes plans to have a bold, brave adventure and then disappears a few days before it’s time to continue reading »


Sketching with a dash of salt

I’ve led two arty holiday this year, both involving a certain amount of sea travel. The first was a shore based tour on the lovely Isles of Scilly in June, travelling there on the stately ferry Scillonian. She rolls in a big sea, and the sailing time was brought forward to get ahead of a continue reading »


To Scilly with a sketchbook, and other fragments

When the world seems full of noise and turbulence, anything that is quiet, gentle and creative seems all the more precious. Since last writing, I’ve been to Cornwall for my annual sailing and teaching trip on board Eve of St Mawes (www.classic-sailing.co.uk); I also sailed to Scilly on Eve’s big sister Amelie Rose (http://www.topsail-adventures.co.uk/), where continue reading »


Updates and inspirations

Good morning all, from a misty morning on the River Deben where I am sitting up in bed, drinking tea and have told myself to stop faffing around and get this blog post finished. Trouble is, the longer I leave it, the more stuff happens and then I don’t know where to start. So first continue reading »


Sailing and sogginess

Each summer I try and have a little adventure. It usually involves messing about on the water on other people’s boats, though last year I took my home with me and that turned out more adventurous than I would have liked – remember my ‘stranded in Haarlem’ espisode? That escapade proved disastrously expensive, so this continue reading »