Up and down weather. Shouldn't complain. Pool was closed for a few days and also I had a doctor's appointment, so haven't done as much swimming as I should have done.  

Been continuing with my little oil sketches

 

Have actually managed to do about 45. Just realised pictures don't look to clear.

Yesterday we went down to Fort Victoria to see the boats go through the Needles for the start of the Fastnet race.  Some of those boats are huge. 

 and this lot were amongst the second lot of starters.  The first lot were bigger than this.  We had a picnic, and saw most of the boats go through, but then it started to rain, so we went home.

I now have to take Henry for a walk, because I think he's a bit fed up.  Muffin seems to have developed a second wind and has become lively and really enjoying his food for a change.   

 It has been incredibly hot here, which has meant a big dose of lethargy.  Perry has done a couple of jobs on the boat and |I have done some painting, even been swimming.  However, we both could have done more.

Muffin had a couple of days when he very clearly didn't feel too well.  He seems ok now, but I think both boys have suffered in the heat.

I have continued with the oil painting sketches and now also started to include water colour sketches as well. 

oil sketch
 

oil sketch

oil sketch

oil sketch.  This is not all of them, but the most recent ones.

water coloour sketch

watercolour sketch.  Again, there are a few more.

 I do feel a bit more motivated than I have done of recent months, but I do still need to wind myself up a bit better.  I have continued my morning sketch, but unfortunately it's been very confined to East Cowes.  I need to move about a bit more!

Meryel and I are getting ready for our exhibition next month at the Monkton Gallery.   

 We are home, and have been now for a fortnight.  We did end up in Dartmouth and had five weeks there.  Mostly the weather was ok.  We tried Muffin in the dinghy but he was really not very happy with it.  However, we moved up to Dittisham for an overnight, and because it involved a lot of going in and out of the dingy, it was clear that it didn't really work very well with Muffin, so we went back to Dartmouth.  Dick and Judith we with us most of the time and that was fun.

I realised I was short on medication for Muffin, so we had to arrange to go to the vet in Portland.  The trip there across Lyme Bay was incredibly rolly and I felt quite unwell, so did Henry.  He felt so bad he tried to get off! Fortunately he was tied in.  I got the medication in Portland and we had to stay 11 days there, before it was suitable to sail on to the Solent.  Unfortunately I only received 15 days worth of medication from the vet.  I did have two weeks emergency supply with me!

We then moved on to Lymington and had a few days there.  After that, two nights in Bucklers hard, where we met up with Dick and Judith again, who had finally managed to sail from Dartmouth in quite reasonable weather.

The weather now was incredibly hot.  We got back here, and the first thing I checked was the medicine store - and unfortunately I had more than a months supply!  Why on earth I didn't bring the whole lot with me, I don't know.

We were out for 7 weeks in all, and it was really lovely, very relaxing.  It's a shame Muffin was so nervous about going out the in the dingy, because that meant we really were confined to staying in Darmouth, but still, it is a very nice place to spend time.

We haven't been out since, because we had quite a few things to catch up on, but we hope to be going out again soon.

I have been spending time oil and water colour painting, and I'll put some of them up in next week's blog.

Just started last Monday to go back swimming, and to be honest it was like swimming in treacle.  What a state to be in.  So this coming week I am going to try a bit harder!