In the garden...

My cheap rose from Morrissions last year, has such a glorious neon colour!

wish I could remember what this was called. Has managed to survive the slugs...

The Clematis my Mam bought me in flower as is the Voodoo Lilly

Foxglove from Sainsburys I bought when we moved in flowered this year at last! (moved the pot of lillies off the steps as either the neighbours have knocked a couple of stems off or I've lilly beetles eating away at them :/ ) 

Cascading begonia thanks to Dad...

And a random Campanula started to grow in the kitchen bed which was a brilliant surprise!

@Daily__Doodle The Little Mermaid!

Love the Little Mermaid, so for todays Daily Doodle did a spot of fan art for it! :D

Hay Festival part2!

I headed back to Hay Festival for the last weekend to catch the letters event (happy coincidence Benedict Cumberbatch was reading some out *ahem*) Bill Bailey and Firefly Press's event too!
The Letters event was brilliant, all the readers bringing to life the letters compiled in the two books they were taken from "A celebration of the enduring power of literary correspondence, inspired by To The Letter by Simon Garfield and Letters of Note by Shaun Usher" Benedict Cumberbatch, Louise Brearly, Ian McEwen and Rob Brydon were among some of the readers. Rob Brydon received a huge cheer, and read out a letter by Richard Burton in the impression he does as seen on The Trip!

 Bill Bailey was fantastic as always Sunday evening, but the day before was Firefly Press's event for The Flying Bedroom and Shoo Rayners Dragon Gold. I took my nephews along who loved it! It was lovely to see how pleased Heather was with the illustrations and show my sketchbook images to the audience!

(awful pics! But trust me thats Heather!) 

Shoo explaining how to draw a Welsh dragon

And as always, time for some drawing and sunshine!

And of course, larking about with Uncle Pedro!

@Daily__Doodle Jabberwocky!

This weeks Daily Doodles are set by Top That Publishing! Their first one fitted in nicely with the Alice in Wonderland pics I've been working on! The Jabberwocky! (seems to have gone rather neon here though!)

(soggy) Hay Festival!

I was at Hay Festival this Sunday as Pedro had a Bass Workshop on. I'm up again next Saturday and Sunday to see some events this time (namely Benedict Cumberbatch!) and the Flying Bedroom one on Sunday!

These were taken in a rare moment of sunshine in the afternoon! 

and whilst Pedro was setting up for his workshops I headed over to the bookshop and finally picked up a copy of Squishy McFluff which I've been after for ages! And spied Firefly Press's books in there too!

Cheshire Cat

 "If I were looking for a white rabbit, I'd ask the Mad Hatter". 

Birthday mouse

A little doodle for dear Colin West whose birthday it is today!

Flowery textures

Finished sketch from today

Rough character sketches

Envelope duck doodle!

Allotment update!

Planted in my courgettes and three squashes and random potatoes appeared top right!

Onions are doing awesome, at the bottom are seedling carrots and leeks, which I don't hold out much hope for to be honest! Might have to grow them on at home first

Broad beans are the best on the whole allotment if you ask me!

French beans at the back, which have been eaten by something, so growing on some more at home to replace them, and again inbetween the sweetcorn, a random potato!

and wee little tomatoes. Again going to grow on another batch at home so they're much bigger then plant them in. All good learning curves!

@Daily__Doodle - Wolf in Sheeps Clothing

Off the allotment!

Broad beans are ready! (I think they're horrid, but Pedro likes them!) 

and we had a wonderful double rainbow this afternoon to top off the first picking of veg!

My banana cake over on Book Sniffers blog!

So the wonderful Book Sniffer held a virtual tea party to support the TSA, Tuberous Scelrosis Association as part of her Tea and Scones tour! There was a heated debate over cream/jam first on scones, not to mention raspberry/strawberry jam preference!
 I baked a cake especially for the high tea twittering, my delicious banana cake! (If I say so myself!)

You can see Book Sniffers's post here! 

There were many books flagged up for portraying wonderful cakes and high teas, but I think one of my fave books for cakes etc has to be Brambly Hedge. Here are some scenes from the Spring Story :) 

In the garden...

My 6ft Foxglove!

Persian Buttercups have done really well this year. Actually got two other colours other than orange!

Blackberry in flower! Can't wait to see what the berries will taste like later on

@Daily__Doodle Viking Boy!

Quick doodle for viking boy!

Actual copies of The Flying Bedroom!!! :D

Crappy laptop picture but my copies of The Flying Bedroom arrived today! They look brilliant! And the front is SHINY!! :D What a brilliant project it's been to work on and couldn't have asked for more lovelier ladies than Janet and Penny at Firefly Press, thoroughly enjoyable! :)

@Daily__Doodle Paddington Bear, Rupert Bear and Pooh Bear!

Sketched out...

...and then coloured up! :)