The English Boat

'Thus sung they, in the English boat,
An holy and a chearful Note,
And all the way, to guide their Chime,
with falling Oars they kept the time.'

I've been working on an illustration for Andrew Marvell's poem The Bermudas.  Marvell's poem is a beautiful song of praise and thanksgiving by a party of 17th century emigrating puritans to the god that led them 'through the watry maze' to Bermuda, another island far kinder than England itself.

I have been endlessly drawing men rowing boats to foreign lands and, after a lot of drawings which didn't quite look right -boats that didn't look right and men that didn't look right-  came up with this sketch.  I am now working on a colour version which I'll post up soon.

(And yes, he really did spell cheerful with an 'a'.)

It's chilly, but not this chilly...

This picture belongs to the incredibly brave and stoic Gerry Clark who survived a frighteningly freezing time in the Southern Ocean on his boat Totorore in the 1980's,

...and I am worried about my washing machine;  how ridiculously petty and suburban is that?!  I think it's frozen (it lives in a shed next to the also-frozen outside loo).  At least I am not having to hack ice from my rudder so I can steer (under bare poles) and stay alive.

My washing machine doesn't look good in photos,  so here are some pictures of a mildly snowy Mersea Island instead.

If you click on the picture below (to make it bigger) you can just about make out the withies marking the oyster beds.

January

I quite like Januarys, and I had high hopes of leaping into this shiny new year full of verve and promises, but I have stumbled at the start -ugh horrid flu go away.  

All sorts of lovely people have asked to use my Sailing Into the New Year image including this lot all the way over in Australia (where is it is topping 40C - hard to imagine as I sit here with five layers on and it tries to snow outside).

As promised, my favourite Claudiaism...

This illustration belongs to Claudia Myatt, and incase you're wondering about shipping forecast protocol, imminent means in the next six hours and soon means in less than twelve hours- both of which would be a jolly long wait for supper!

RNLI Boxing Day Dip

Here I am dropping Stormy Stan ashore for the 2012 RNLI Boxing Day Dip (I think he might have got wet feet).  This is the first year I didn't swim but I had a good excuse.

...and here are some of the dippers (photo from jjdoyle.com who couldn't help dipping too);  a few people got cold, nobody drowned.

Seamagic

There are holes in the sky

Where the rain gets in,

But they're ever so small

That's why rain is thin.

(Spike Milligan) 

There are stars in the sky. 

(Leafy Dumas)

I had a lovely surprise last week when Claudia popped some kind words (and a thumbnail of my Starry Nights illustration) here.  Claudia's a clever one... and I'll show you my favourite Claudiaism later.

Happy Christmas to you all.

Last Weekend

Mentioning upcoming events before they happen is, I think, what most good business people (and shrewd bloggers) do.  It is obvious to me that I am neither a good business person or a shrewd blogger but I am hoping that posting post event news is better than posting no news at all.

It was the Mersea Island NSPCC Christmas Fair on Saturday and I had a stall -actually it was a trestle table- but after covering it with stuff and adding an easel and a washing line (complete with pegged-out cards) my little space did indeed look quite stall-like.  A huge thankyou to everyone who braved the grotty weather and made it such a jolly hub of friendly folk, especially to Jane and all the stalwart NSPCC girls for their endless organising. 

Saturday night was full of crashes, bangs and whistling rigging;  my wheelbarrow somersaulted across the garden.  I think Mr Beaufort may have described the breeze as one in which a man-of-war must carry close-reefed topsails when in chase, full and by.  Full and by-  I love that! There was still a strong gale blowing on the Sunday morning when we launched the lifeboat on exercise.  Heavy weather handling is always fun-  no more cobwebs.  

About Time Too!

Today I am delighted to announce that my brand new Snowy Sailing cards are available to buy from my website shop.

They are printed on lovely thick tintoretto gesso paper which is a new discovery of mine; textured and tactile and perfect for writing on.   I am really pleased with how they have come out, but struggling at the moment to get the pictures on my website to look as good as the real thing.