Just before 2am I came on deck for the 2-5 watch. I was sleepy and slightly queasy from the westerly swell coming in from the Atlantic, making it a balancing act to pull on waterproof trousers and boots by my bunk in the forepeak. Night watches on a sailing ship can be dull and cold, continue reading »
Amongst many things this pandemic time has taught us patience and flexibility. When events we look forward to may or may not go ahead, we learn to be resigned if they don’t and delighted when they do. I had been planning an exhibition of small sketches based on my year on the river as part continue reading »
The postponement of my Antarctic trip until later this year is no bad thing. It gives me time to do some research and reading, improve my wildlife (particularly bird) sketching skills and visit the Scott Polar Research Institute when circumstances allow. They have an impressive museum that I’m itching to visit. https://www.spri.cam.ac.uk/museum/ There are already continue reading »
During lockdown I re-read Elizabeth Gilbert’s ‘Big Magic’, one of my favourite books about creativity. It debunks the myth of the creative person as aloof and special, striving for perfection, and encourages an altogether more joyful and practical approach to the process of making and doing. Her phrase ‘living a life based on curiosity rather continue reading »