Happy Birthday James

Happy 18th birthday to my brother James, who got a banjo, a china blackbird for making pies, and a new woodcarving chisel. Set for life.

Nothing to be scared of

I walk past a nursery school on my way to work.

light relief

Drawings for a book I planned earlier in the summer, which has fallen by the wayside lately.

graphic novel sketchbook

Time is really running out on this project! Still working things out in my sketchbook though.

Newfoundland, again

Drawing of Newfoundland, part of summer sketchbook for a children's book.

Draft

A very rough frame from the draft of my graphic short story I am currently working on. It's based on the stories told to me by an East End sailor.

Birds of prey

Today I went to the Hawk Conservancy Centre near Andover. What an amazing place! There are vultures that fly so close over your head that you have to duck several times, black kites circling above you and catching food catapulted to them, and bald eagles swooping from the horizon back to their handlers just when they step into place. You get to hold a barn owl. Up close, barn owls look like bread rolls with poppy seeds on. And briefly, you get to hold food out for a harris hawk, which lands on your glove to eat. And also they did a duck race.

I can't imagine a better day out!