I’m calling these “Blindies” to differentiate them from blind contour drawings. For a blindie, one doesn’t look at the drawing in progress, just as with a blind contour. The difference is, one keeps one’s eyes closed, looking only at a mental picture. I started doing these when my eye doc told me to sit still with eyes closed for 3 minutes after adding drops to my eyes. The results are sometimes hilarious, sometimes awkward, sometimes recognizable, but always interesting. And generally continuous line, in which one goes not lift the pen from the paper.
Full of enthusiasm after having a small art show in a friend’s coffee shop, I tried reviving a WordPress blog and web page. I’m good at starting projects, not so great on follow through. But lately I have been getting back on track with my creativity, making appointments with myself, making a little progress. Let’s see if this time it will “take”.
It had been a wonderful two weeks in London, in a lovely modern apartment about 45 minutes by public transit into the center of town. Most days we got a slow start, not leaving the flat until near noon. Sometimes this left us with not quite enough time to take in the wonders of the museums we had planned to visit. On the other hand, after about 45 minutes in any museum I find myself ready to sit for a spell, and a coffee and cake always sounds like a good idea.
When we went to the Museum of London, we thought we had about 90 minutes, so went straight to the cafe to recharge after the journey to get there, which had included a luncheon concert at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden. (Soprano Abigail Kelly, pianist Amy Hunter?) It was a treat to hear such music for free thanks to Ilena’s research. From there we went searching for Pleasant Lady Jian Bing, a Chinese street food kiosk. We found it, but it was closed. Again. Later we found that it was on hiatus at that location for a while. Missed it!
Hungry, we went looking for a meal. I had mentioned to Ilena that at 7 Dials Market there were many diverse food stalls, and we were right around the corner. Walked into Cucumber Alley and spotted Oshpaz Dumplings. Oh my goodness! Uzbeki-cuisine, dumplings just like his mother used to make. So good. We ordered only 3 each, because there were so many other tempting options, and found Bun Bun, for a steamed bun (open face—what’s with this? I like them solid) and garlic seaweed “chips” (which we all know are French Fries) served with BBQ mayo for dipping. I was so sad to be unable to finish my portion.
We did some half-hearted window-shopping for shoes for Ilena, then headed for the Museum of London, as noted above. After our lattes, we went toward the galleries—old London on that level, modern London above—and heard the dread announcement: “The museum will be closing at 5:00. Galleries will be cleared in 10-15 minutes.” Dang! We just got there. I did Old London, and Ilena went on to Newer London.
We had tickets for the Barbican Conservatory for 5:45? Just a 20-minute walk, she said. Zigging and zagging through the concrete and glass tunnels of commercial London on a late Friday afternoon. Oh my. Mostly deserted, except where pub crowds spilled into the street with their end of the week pints. All in good spirits, though.
Once we got to Barbican, it wasn’t clear where the entry to the conservatory was. Turns out there was an installation in progress that was blocking the usual route so we had to go toward the theatre, down a hall, turn right, find the lift….we got there, and it was amazing. How strange, in a way, to find a jungle inside a building in such a commercial part of a big city. I sat with watercolor and postcard while Ilena roamed, then we sat companionably people-watching.
On 12 April my friend Ilena and I boarded a United flight from SFO to LDH (London-Heathrow) and began our great adventure. The flight was my favorite kind—uneventful—and from start to finish we had great service. We had wisely ordered wheelchair transport for me through both airports, truly a magnificent convenience. Sure, I could have managed walking, and standing in line at security and customs, but taking that burden off made the long flight more bearable for me.
Still, we did have some jet lag; it took a few days to comprehend that the flight takes up a whole day of the trip! We ”lost” the 13th of April, and deciding what day of the week it is (a week later) is still a little confusing.
We left our plans open; first full day here we got new SIM cards for our phones so we could have access to data without paying through the nose. Walked 10,000+ steps, made a friend of a barista in a combo Coffee and Tattoo shop, bought groceries and ate in, a delicious meal of spinach ravioli and a simple salad. Ilena cooked, I cleaned up after. We make a good team.
Next day we headed from our suburb into London proper, to Borough Market near London Bridge. We walked around the market, visited a coffee establishment, and found the cheese and dairy place I remembered from my last visit. We sat in Leathermarket Gardens for a snack, then toured the Fashion and Textile Museum. It seems as if we did a lot more. 15,000+ steps!
Suddenly it was Saturday! We met my friend Gail and her niece Didi at Kew Gardens, and walked and walked some more! 13,000+ steps. Tea and cake, too. And Easter Sunday we took the train to Windsor Castle, and did that tour! Back at our BnB, Ilena prepared ravioli again (mushroom and truffle!), and a salad. Happy. 11,000+ steps.
It’s Monday evening; today we hopped on a bus, went to find a coffee place that used to be a public convenience! Underground. Spiffed up and tidy. We both chose the Wellness Latte: Turmeric, Mint Matcha Chai. Delicious. Then on to Liberty and ARKET, and MinaLima, slightly disappointing, as it now is only ONE floor of Harry Potter wonder, whereas in 2019 there were at least 3 floors. I waited in a tea shop (Gail’s), thinking Ilena would enjoy the Harry Potter connection more than I, and met two charming Turkish students, one in fashion, one in architecture. We exchanged instagram info—new friends! Pleasant Lady Jian Bing was closed! So on to the V&A (but wait—the art store diversion! CASS art supply) for FOOD (delicious) and Beatrix Potter. And cake and coffee. We were ushered out of the V&A around 5:30, walked to Knightsbridge Station, took underground to HOME. Stopped at Boots for essentials.
No dinner tonight; lunch at V&A was magnificent. Ilena had a vegan ”pie” and I a pork chop and 2 veg: Kale and roasted root vegetables.
Living away from the ocean when I moved to Ukiah in 2001 was a big change for me. I grew up in Eureka, in Northern California, then spent 30 years living in San Francisco. The ocean feels like part of my life. And while Ukiah is not far from the Pacific Ocean as the crow flies, it does take more than an hour to drive to it.
A friend and I were signed up to attend a quilting retreat (pack up your machine and tools and a bunch of fabric, hang out in a hotel conference room playing with them, among friends for a few days) but the retreat was cancelled. We decided to spend a couple of nights at the coast anyhow, and to bring art supplies (watercolor gear is a lot less cumbersome than sewing stuff), go to the local botanical garden, eat out, sleep in a nice motel.
And that’s just what we did. I’m happy to say the weather cooperated; it was about 57 degrees (F), and with only a slight breeze, not uncomfortable to plop down on a bench and paint the ocean view.
Art by Ginarteau 