Another visit to Park Run, Poole today. I used larger paper so I could frame it for our next exhibition in the gallery in Upton Country Park at the end of October. It was really nice that runners stopped to look at what I was doing and have a chat, after the run mostly but a couple of people stopped mid race. There is a great atmosphere at Park Run and the runners clearly have a great time.

The season for painting outdoors is nearing the end although today in Wareham was warm and dry. I sat by the river to sketch the Old Granary and pubs opposite me on Wareham Quay. Several passers by stopped to see what we were doing and were very complimentary. Lots of people tell me they wish they could draw but can’t draw a straight line, I tell them I can’t either but it doesn’t matter because with a little practice anyone can do this, you just have to be prepared to fail a few times. They wander on unconvinced and never get to fulfil their wish to be creative.

We restarted our indoor sessions at the art society today so I am back to doing weekly portraits. I am clearly out of practice as you can see from this unflattering portrait of Chris! Hopefully my work will improve with regular practice.

I had a meeting in Wimborne this morning with Bournemouth and Poole Urban Sketchers. It was a good turn out with over a dozen members sketching around the Minster. I. Chose to do a view of the High Street across two pages of my sketchbook, there was a vintage bus that went past several times but it didn’t stop long enough for me to include it.

Broadstone art society had a pop up exhibition at Broadstone Musical Market today. I was out sketching some of the colourful stalls and a couple of the performers. I didn’t get the name of the talented girl on the sax, the singer was Isaac Slade who’s effortless performance was one of the highlights of a great day.

I was out painting on Poole Quay with PEDAS this morning. It was a lovely sunny morning with plenty of people walking on the quay and taking boat trips. I was going to draw one of the queues waiting for a boat but before I could put pen to paper they were ushered on board and sailed off into the sunset ( well it was only half past ten but you know what I mean!) I had to content myself with the sculpture “Sea Music” by Anthony Caro. This sculpture has stood on the quay since 1991yet is described bu Google as a historical landmark, I have been around twice as long so what does that make me?.

Another painting from the recent Wimborne History festival although I did this from a photo. I believe he is a major on the 32 Cornwall Regiment of foot but I could be wrong about the rank. It was great to see the care and enthusiasm they put into their re enactment, a real crowd pleaser.

When I was at the Wimborne History Festival a couple of weeks ago I photographed a chap dressed as a midshipman from the Early 19th century. We had a long chat about his costume and the sort of life he would have led on board ship. I asked him if he thought he had been born in the wrong century because he was obviously fascinated by the period. No he didn’t think so, who would want to live in fear in a brutal heirerarchy without all the things we enjoy today such as health care, communications, modern clothing and basic human rights. Despite all that goes on in the world today we are better off than a midshipman in Nelson’s navy! I decided a painting with Waitrose in the background wouldn’t suit the period so I moved him to a dockside and added a frigate at anchor.

I started this painting sitting outside the motorhome on Thursday but it started raining so I have finished it at home today. The wind turbines tower over the landscape of North Devon but I don’t dislike them, better looking than a power station! I enjoy painting over both sides of my sketchbook, it is the perfect format for subjects like this.

We visited Arlington Court near Barnstaple in Devon yesterday. It’s a National Trust property that’s surprisingly dog friendly, they are even allowed in the carriage museum that houses the trust’s national collection of horse drawn carriages. No dogs in the house of course. The interior has a large collection of ship models including one of Gypsy Moth owned by a distant cousin of the resident Chichester family. As I am sure you know Sir Frances Chichester did a solo circumnavigation in the 60’s before the days of gps and satellite phones.