Point House Ridlington





Point House from the road





I have been busy in the Cabine this week painting a picture of Point House. Watercolour is an unforgiving medium and punishes the lazy artist who leaves too long his paints in the box unattended.

This painting is for Jane and Martin to hang in their new home in France, I hope they like it and that it reminds them of Norfolk! I will send it by post as is quite small.

The next challenge in the Cabine will be "Nevsky Prospekt " St Petersburgh - using pastels (a first for the artist). St Petersburgh was a real treat, packed with wonderful Art Nouveau and Moderne Architecture of real quality. The Hermitage Museum was completely overwhelming with fabulous paintings many of which I have never seen,even as prints.

Whilst in Russia, Toot and I developed a taste for Sushi. Toot is preparing Sushi for dinner tonight so I'm quite excited. What a great treat!

This week I had my first training run in preparation for the Southend Half Marathon. Oh dear! how it hurt!

Perhaps I could try something shorter? Still, I do get to dress up in skin-tight Lycra and make an exhibition of myself.

Second Star to the right, and straight on till morning.





Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are!
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky!
 

Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are!

When the blazing sun is gone,
When he nothing shines upon,
Then you show your little light,
Twinkle, twinkle, all the night.

Clear Nights in Lowestoft

Central portion of the Beehive Cluster

Part of the Pleiades Cluster

After many overcast nights, the sky cleared and the stars shone. So I seized the opportunity to view the heavens through my trusty Meade refractor! Given the chance I decided to make my first attempts at photographing stars through my telescope. Focussing was more difficult than I thought and the rate of the earth's spin tended to blur and render stellar points of light as small ovals. However, without the tracking system engaged, I managed to get snaps of the centre of the Beehive cluster in the constellation of Cancer the Crab and also of part of the Pleiades inTaurus the Bull. Clearly, I have much to learn and the attached photographs are work in progress rather than the finished article.
A real treat was the appearance of the brightest and slowest moving meteor I have ever seen. It was a large silver fireball that moved from south to north across a dark black sky! It passed directly overhead whilst I was setting up my scope. Astronomy rocks!
Toot and I did two hours "Gym and Swim" at Bannatynes and we have had two great lunches out with friends this week. So no artistic action in the Cabine.