I take hundreds of photos a year. Literally hundreds. I know I'm not alone in this; my digital camera has turned into the most efficient sketch book of all. I carry one of those around too, but for instant recording, my camera is my third eye. Quite often I intend to blog something or just post a photo to Flickr, and more often than not I don't, as there is no time. So with some difficulty, I've trawled this year's archives for just seven favourites, starting at the top with a huge Elephant Hawk Moth caterpillar - about 3 inches long and a bit cross at being caught by one of the cats. (Also comes in pink and green)
Andy at a very isolated but lovely pub in Shropshire, the Bottle and Glass pub complete with friendly collie dog, real fire, excellent beer and local sausages on the menu.
Musician from Eynsham Morris, playing at one of our last cricket matches and beer festivals a few weeks ago.
Divine fragments of Medieval stained glass in St Laurence's Church, Ludlow. Do click on this for a larger look, they are rare and exquisite; can you find the owl head?
One of the 'golf balls' (actually a radar dome) at Clee Hill, Shropshire - they look so lonely and alien, and when the wind whistles through the wires, it is as if they are singing to each other.
Some of the wonderful topiary at the churchyard of St Mary's church Painswick; the entire grounds are crammed with these shaped yew trees, some made into covering for the paths, others just standing alone or in pairs. 
Less ostentatious but possibly my favourite snippet of these seven; a newly shed robin's egg found on a walk in mid-summer when the earth was dry and cracked.
Several weeks ago one of my collectors asked if I would consider a hare commision. Oh dear. I have been trying to design a hare ever since I took up needle felting over three years ago and have failed.
As shy and hard to catch as the real creature itself, I have been unable to visualise a satisfactory toy version, despite it being one of my favourite animals.
But I've broken the hare curse at last! Maybe it was because someone actually requested one, but I finally saw how it would be done. He has glass eyes, a waxed cotton nose and thread jointed arms -
Even underneath, where it won't be seen, attention to detail is paramount.
At my client's request, he was named Harris. Of course, now I've cracked the hare code, I have all manner of similar characters in mind, but they will have to wait until my present orders are fulfilled.
I get many enquiries about when I am going to update my Etsy shop with more needle felt things; I seem to work mostly to order now, but I have two little toadstools looking for homes and who knows when I'll have time to make more...
I am having another 'Puddletown Tales' book signing, this time in central Oxford, at Waterstones bookstore on the corner of Broad Street - very soon! In fact, this Saturday the 27th of August, 1.30 - 4.30. If it's possible for you to make it (and help me break the last record of one book sale) I'd love to see you there and put names to faces.
Returned from a break over the border in North Wales. Against the odds it barely rained (for Wales, at least). While Andy went off yomping and scrambling over mountain-y things, I amused myself. This day I was dropped off at the pretty seaside town of Llandudno, where I had a very passable time pottering about and taking photos. Firstly I quickly sketched the beach from the pier, as I had a new Moleskine sketchbook to break in.
I am very much at home in old-fashioned seaside resorts, having spent much of my childhood living by them or day-tripping at them in Devon and Somerset. And I like what other people sometimes regard as 'tacky'.
And I do love a nice pier, even on a damp, grey Welsh morning.
It did rain a little. I retreated to the town and found the charity shops. When it stopped raining, I was just in time to catch the end of this traditional Punch and Judy show, run by the Codman family, which has been performing here since 1860. The original Codman, a circus traveller called Richard, carved the first set of figures from driftwood gathered on Llanduno beach. It was extremely funny and stuck to the proper story (no PC nonsense here). Punch outwitted the hangman and did his best to outwit the Devil himself. Hurrah!
Smiling broadly as I popped my coins into the collecting cup, I realised I was now very hungry and headed back to the pier for fish and chips.
I took my feast over to the beautiful wide promenade where people were strolling and sitting, a happy atmosphere of people on holiday, the elderly enjoying the sea air and invalids being wheeled about - very gentle and relaxing. I even heard a local group of lads decide not to play football on the beach as there were too many people around. How refreshingly considerate.
I had to eat swiftly and economically as the seagulls are always on the prowl for food and are quite fearless, striding up and squawking in a bullying tone, demanding titbits with menace. They got nothing from me - fish and chips is a rare treat and one of my favourite meals. Afterwards, I spent a couple of hours drawing thumbnails - not 'pretty' sketches to be ooo'd and aah'd over, but little observational exercises to keep me amused and to register details in my mind.
Llandudno pier looked magnificent in the distance - actually, much of the Llandudno sea front houses are quite lovely, beautifully maintained hotels and bed and breakfasts, painted in ice cream colours and with their names painted above the entrance in Welsh and English.
I think perhaps the happiest people that day, apart from the children, were this elderly couple who had their chairs right at the sea's edge; I am sure their feet were in the waves.
