[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 17 January 2024].
the fitzwilliam museum
mere mortals
[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 18 October 2023].
It might be hard to make them out online, but these photos I took of the nave of Ely Cathedral include my Mum (walking down the aisle) and my Dad (seated to the right of the frame).
The cathedral's Romanesque architecture dwarfs them.
I have a collection of photos of the exterior and interior of Ely Cathedral that I'll edit soon. But it felt appropriate to edit and share these two images for today's (slightly belated) travel photo, as next Tuesday - when I share them on social media for #TravelTuesday - will be Mum's first birthday since her passing.
ely
[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 12 October 2023].
I have so many photographs I took during a road trip with my parents in 2017 that I haven't yet had a chance to edit.
I'm trying to fix that (not to mention trying to work through editing all the other photographs I have from other holidays or day trips with them over the years).
It was Mum's last international trip. Her dementia was evident during that visit and even more jarring for me as I hadn't seen her in person since our road trip through Belgium in 2014.
a mathematical bridge
[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 30 December 2022].
toni's ices
[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 22 June 2021].
I'm looking forward to the prospect of day trips out of the city with friends this summer.
The last one with friends as a collective in the UK was to visit Cambridge in 2018.
I took this photograph in Cambridge, but it was during a road trip with Mum and Dad on their last visit to the UK in 2017.
It was definitely my Mum's last international trip but, hopefully, Dad can come back to the UK sometime soon.
That trip was stressful and emotional as it was the first time the development of Mum's dementia was unmistakable. Previous travels with my parents had been stressful and emotional, but for other reasons.
But it was still enjoyable for the places I could visit or revisit and the time spent with my parents in the calmer moments. And, obviously, the photographic opportunities.
Where are you looking forward to spending your days out this summer? Answers on a postcard ;)
054 corner house
Day fifty-four of The 100 Day Project for 2021.
Despite this being a 20-minute sketch, it was possibly one of the most hastily executed for the project so far.
After sketching over 50 of my photos - both those specifically shot to sketch and others from my archive - finding the next one often takes as much or more time than drawing it.
There are plenty of my photos I want to attempt to draw. But how much time I have to draw each day generally dictates what I take on. Often more macro/abstract elements can take as much, if not more, time than photos of a wide vista.
Yesterday it took me almost 30 minutes to find a suitable photo. That meant I started sketching about three minutes before I was due to have a Skype call with my friend Erin. Despite allowing myself about 45 minutes after finishing some client work. My sketch delayed us starting our chat until almost 30 minutes after our planned timing.
Obviously, I didn't like being late to the call but, given we can talk a lot when we do have a chance to Skype (we clocked up about three hours last night!), I didn't want the sketch hanging over me while we chatted, putting a time limit on our catch-up.
Thankfully, Erin understood. And it was a good thing I completed my sketch before we spoke, as we didn't finish up until almost 23:45. Allowing for the image search would have meant I missed a day of my project, officially, if I'd sketched post-chat.
And then, as I was closing off this post, my Dad became free for a "short chat", which turned into an almost 1.75-hour chat. So my sharing of yesterday's sketch has come even later. No regrets, though, as it's always good to natter with Dad.
My sketch of a tall thin building on a curved road in Cambridge from my travels with my parents in 2017 (my Mum's final overseas trip) was executed initially with a 4H pencil. I then hastily drew over the darker elements and shaded them with an HB pencil. I then went over the outlines of the lighter areas with the 4H more heavily.