One Sketch #111) Afan Argoed and River Afan

On Afan Argoed's paths
I'm never lonely,
There's plenty pass on bikes
Or Shanks's pony.

The drought has seen the River Afan wane
Shrinking underneath the steelworks' cranes.

This morning I was on a bit of a time budget, scheduled as I was to look after my 3 year old granddaughter from 12. So I started off making a quick ink sketch of the River Afan. Actually I did wonder if it would be quite a bit lower, bearing in mind that it's weeks since we saw a significant amount of rain. After that though I drove up the Afan Valley to the Afan Argoed Country Park. It's a bit of a mecca for mountain bikers. I'm not, but I don't mind a nice hike, and the walk along where the old railway line up to Cymmer used to be is particularly nice.

I still made it back in time for Mimi, and we had a lovely time painting together, thanks for asking.

One Sketch #110) (Friday 13th July) Gossip Girls

One of the seaside's rather common sights
A group of ladies put the world to rights.

It was my wife who suggested this one. She saw the ladies sat on the bench on Friday lunchtime in Porthcawl and couldn't resist taking a sneaky snap on her phone. Half of me would really have liked to have known what they were discussing, and then the other half really wouldn't. Enjoy it while it lasts, ladies. I've 7 more working days, then the summer holidays from school start. Going by the experience of previous years that will be the end of the glorious weather we've been having.

One Sketch #109) The Incredible Hulk

Although, perhaps he isn't always good
He isn't evil, just misunderstood.

Ok - I don't like copying another person's artwork if I can avoid it. To be fair, this I sketched based on a CGI image from one of the films, rather than original artwork from the comments. Basically it was to answer a challenge from a class I taught today, and having made the sketch the temptation to say - that's today's sketch sketched was just too great to resist.

I'm not entirely sure why the Incredible Hulk was suggested as a subject, but ironically he was the star of the comic I used to read every week when I was a kid. Marvel comics didn't really make any kind of impression in the UK until the early-mid 1970s, when they launched a number of British comics reprinting stories from the original American comics from the 60s. I had Mighty World Of Marvel delivered every week. Headline story was always the Hulk here, whom I liked. Middle pages were Daredevil - not bad. Third feature, the Fantastic Four, whom I loved.

One Sketch #108) George Michael

Not good enough
This sketch, and what a cost
The world cup semi final -
England lost.

Right, I can't bear to watch England play football in a serious tournament. Last week I painted Laurel and Hardy instead. It was a pretty good picture, and England won. On Saturday I painted Marilyn Monroe, and England won. So I asked for suggestions who to paint during the semi final rather than watching it, and my daughter's mother-in-law suggested George.

Well, we lost.

I don't blame Angela for one minute. No, I blame myself. It's just not quite as good a painting as the previous two. I can only apologise to my countrymen and women.

One Sketch #107) Traditional Cuckoo Clock

Isn't it ironic
That a bird which builds no nest
Should find such ornate housing
Is the kind he likes the best?

Apropos of nothing my wife, out of the blue, mentioned yesterday her grandmother's cuckoo clock. As it happened I remembered this item quite well. It was very like the one in the picture - a traditional birds and leaves design, with a little blue and yellow bird which had stopped coming in and out and cuckooing before I came on the scene. They're funny things, aren't they, cuckoo clocks? I mean, they are just a tiny bit ridiculous. . . and yet, I really rather like them. As for my wife's Nan's clock, well, sadly she passed away well over 20 years ago and I have absolutely no idea where it ended up.

One Sketch #106) Dolce Gusto Coffee Machine

I'll drink another cup
Its rich and bitter virtues
Will caress my senses
Into wakefulness,
And lo, with a sublime taste
The day begins anew.

This is my beloved Dolce Gusto coffee machine. Alright, beloved is maybe a little strong. I know that there are other brands out there - I've had a Tassimo in the past - which produce coffee which tastes as good. But I do like the Dolce Gusto. This was second hand when we had it, but I tell you what, it don't half make a good cup of coffee. I've never been a tea drinker, me, always a coffee drinker, ever since my Nan got me drinking it when I was small. Back then it was instant, and I'll be honest, I was only really drinking it for the two teaspoons of sugar she used to put into it. Then, when I was about 15, I decided that all of that sugar couldn't be good, and so I gave it up, and forced myself to drink coffee without it. For 3 months I hated every cup, but by the end of that time I realised one day that I was now drinking it and enjoying the taste of the coffee, and that's when I really became a coffee lover. Since then I've graduated from Maxwell House to Nescafe to Gold Blend. Then from Gold Blend to a filter coffee machine. That was better, and I was known to use a cafetiere at times. But nothing. . . nothing I used to use ever produced a cup anything like as good as my Dolce Gusto.

One Sketch #105) St. John's Church, Cardiff - South Wakes Urban Sketchers Monthly Sketch Crawl

No Gothic revival this
It never went away.
And as it nears its millennium
Still it looks down
and down
And sees
All is well.

Yes, today was the July sketchcrawl of the South Wales Urban Sketchers chapter - Cardiff again, but this time a Sunday rather than a Saturday. This time we each of us stayed outdoors, in and around the Hayes area. This is the only direct watercolour I made, but I did make some ink sketches - here they are: -

 This is a bear from Cardiff Castle's famous animal wall. I enjoyed sketching it, and wanted to do more, but I was standing up and the sun was beating down on my bald spot.

 I broke the habit of a lifetime, and asked this chap if he didn't mind me sketching him. He couldn't really refuse - I'd just put some money in his bag. Very good he was too - a selection of Dire Straits' hits, which always goes down well with me.

 The Hayes Island snack bar.

The Old library - our meeting place. It contains shops, and a museum, and a café, which was closed, so we had our post morten session alfresco today.