I didn't go to work today, because it was raining. So I started sketching indoors - the image of a flower inset on the first sketch is a copy of the photo on the bookmark I'm using at the moment. Then the weather cleared up so I went for a walk down the road to Twickenham Cemetary. It's a terrible thing to admit, but I was a bit disappointed with it - my local cemetary is Kensal Green, which has some really beautiful old areas, and sadly Twickenham isn't as picturesque. I sketched for a bit, then as I finished the inkwork for the chapel I had a sudden feeling I should go home, even though I wasn't done.
I got halfway home and it started to rain. When I got in the front door the shower turned into a deluge. Ten out of ten for listening to my instincts there!
Still desperately wanting to sketch I settled down and did a view of Matt's bookshelf - which I'm particularly pleased with. It also satisfied my craving for bold colours.
I only had one short job booked in this morning, so popped into Kew Gardens on the way home as I'm still feeling very sketchy. I'm having some problems with my feet at the moment (great, as you can imagine, for someone who is on her feet all day at work!) so didn't venture as far into the gardens as I would have liked (I usually do a full circuit when I walk there). I visited the Princess of Wales Conservatory and captured an orchid that I liked, then wandered out to find what is possibly my favourite sight in Kew - the Japanese Pagoda tree (planted aroudn 1760) which is partially supported by bricks and iron struts, but is remarkably healthy nonetheless. I then wandered down to the Palm House and started sketching in there, but the pain from my feet and the incessant noise of children (lots of school groups were around today) drove me home before I was really done. I'm aiming to go back again in a few weeks.
