From my Bali sketchbook

 I am home and safely at that but it was a long day when we left and when I arrived and since then it has bucketted down with rain and I have been unpacking, washing, tidying and generally getting very tired.
I go to hospital on the afternoon of the 17th for the knee replacement op and am supposed to be first on the list in the morning.
since I came home my knee has really been giving me hell, and yet when I was in Bali I walked a huge amount, over rough pavements and it hardly hurt at all, but then I was on holidays!!
I have hardly had time to tidy up my sketchbook, as well as the photos, but thought I should at least put these pages up.
we stayed in a lovely place in Ubud called Ketut's place, and most mornings and evenings I sat out on my little undercover patio and sketched what was around me.
On my table was a little wooden ashtray with pigs heads carved around it and on top a pot with a different little arrangement of leaves and flowers every day. Of course I had to sketch that.
The frogs were quickly sketched from a watercolour painting done where we had our batik class, not at all good, but I did later encounter a long thin brown one one night in the torch light after rain.
I love frogs.
Bali was magical, I may never go back, but the tour arranged by Cynthia was really very good (any one want to know email me and I will put you in contact with her). She knows Bali and where to go for textiles and silver smiths, batik and cooking classes as well as a lovely orchid garden and the museum/art gallery in Ubud.
Where we stayed was the best, close enough to the hustle and bustle for even me to walk to but far enough away to feel like part of that mini village and Ketut and his wife and children were tops, really lovely people.
Oh and I bought on the last day in Ubud a wonderful book called Bali Sketchbook, far better sketches than I can do and lots of wonderful explanations and we saw so much of what is in there.
Enough for tonight, I need to rest this knee, more later.

Boats

 There are so many boats moored in the bay. I think this is the best  of a bad lot of drawings.
Pencil, pen and aquarelle pencils.
We go home tomorrow so had to try my hand, again at getting a boat 'right'!

Another from our window

 I did this using inktense blocks and a water brush. On my screen it looks a bit washed out which it isnt.
So many lovely views from the top floorm of this shack.
There were great reflections in the water.
The rocks on this little promontory are incredible.
another lovely day, overcast but remarkably mild.

More plant sketching

 I come home with tiny selections of plants along my walks and then try to sketch them.
Some I cant find in the book but they are a record of what is out there.
Some of the leaves are lovely but with no flowers they are not easy to identify.
I walked further this morning than I have but regretted it when I got home.
I have done another painting but am not quite satisfied with it.
Sketching and sewing at the moment and looking at the wonderful view,there was fog this morning and the clouds have been magnificent, with almost glassy seas.

Pelican

 I love our huge black and white pelicans and theren are plenty of them here.
They gather where fishermen ckean their fish and they come and look at you hopefully when you go and sit by the water.
Such fantastic birds.
I did this from a photo I took of one landing on this impossibly small rock.
Dreary sort of day, rain in the night but overcast and grey, I will go for a walk later but at the moment am enjoying the fire I have lit and catching up on my sketching and knitting.

Picked on my walk this morning

 If I dont walk in the morning my knee doesnt much like me, a beautiful morning this morning and I decided to collect a few pieces of the plants aa I walked so i could sketch them when I came home.
Not a lot being done but the fellows are still catching fish and we are eating them. No recurrence of the other night but I have been avoiding the oysters, much to the others delight and my annoyance. No wine and no oysters, very unfair!
We are enjoying the sun while we can as the next few days forcast is for cold and wet. But then they said rain today too and it id beautiful.
Off tom sort out some sewing.

Tthe view from the sitting room

 I am having a slow day, having sat on the loo for most of the night getting rid of something my tummy didnt like. (I hope not the oysters!).
M has gone walking and I sat and painted this for a lot of the morning, and have been reading.
Lovely to feel I dont have to do anything but look at a lovely view.