It’s been very hot here in Cornwall this week, and my body has definitely let me know about it. 🙈 If you’re new here, I live with a few health conditions, so when the temperature climbs, everything slows down. Even the simplest jobs suddenly feel like climbing a mountain! 🫠🫠🫠 That means I’m a little behind with Around the World in 80 Sketches. If you’ve only just joined us, it’s our weekly creative adventure where we “travel” to a different country using Google Street View no passport required! We sketch, paint, write poetry, collage, or create in any medium inspired by that place. It’s become one of my favourite parts of our community because we get to explore the world together from our own homes. ✈️🌍 The good news is I have a very exciting weekend ahead! @Kane Andriunas and I are heading to St Austell, where we’ve rented a beautiful old cottage, and then we’re off to see Mika perform at the Eden Project. 🌿🎶 If you’ve never heard of it, the Eden Project is one of Cornwall’s most iconic attractions. Built in a former china clay pit, it’s home to enormous biomes that recreate tropical rainforests and Mediterranean landscapes from around the world. It’s a fascinating blend of nature, conservation, art and architecture and one of my favourite places to visit. Pic below 👌 Normal service will resume very soon. Until then, I thought I’d share a few little moments from my garden this week. Sometimes, when life slows us down, nature has a lovely way of reminding us that slowing down isn’t always such a bad thing. 💚🌸

One of my favourite little moments in London wasn’t inside a museum at all. It was walking into The Admiralty in Trafalgar Square and taking in all the history, the atmosphere, the woodwork, the brass, the stories hidden in the walls. 🥰 For many of you from across the pond, a traditional British pub is something you’ve only ever seen in films, so I thought I’d bring you along with me. It’s a lovely reminder that creativity isn’t confined to galleries or studios. Sometimes it’s in the architecture, the design, the signs above the bar, the conversations, the worn wooden tables, and the centuries of stories a place quietly holds. Curiosity has a funny way of rewarding us when we look beyond what we expected to find. So here’s a little peek inside one of London’s iconic pubs. I hope it feels like you’ve stepped through the door with me. 🇬🇧❤️ Have you ever found inspiration somewhere completely unexpected? I’d love to hear where. 🥰 https://youtu.be/XtSDrvysSTk?is=NPxmAfdRs_rN5DEq

Can I gently challenge that? You absolutely can draw. 🙌🏻 The act of putting pencil to paper isn’t the difficult part. The difficult part is expecting yourself to be brilliant before you’ve given yourself permission to learn. We don’t expect an athlete to become an Olympian without years of training. We don’t expect a doctor to qualify without years of medical school. A chef wasn’t born knowing how to create incredible food. They started by being curious, making mistakes, and practising over and over again. So why do we expect ourselves to pick up a pencil and create a masterpiece on day one? Creativity is no different. It’s a skill that grows with time, patience and practice. 🥰 So perhaps instead of saying, “I can’t draw,” try saying: “I can draw… I’m just at the beginning of my journey.” Let go of perfection. Stay curious. Keep showing up. Because every artist you admire was once the person who thought they couldn’t do it either. Keep going. Your future self will thank you. 💜🙌🏻 First two pics are from the start of my journey many years ago. The third is more recent. I will always keep practicing and I can’t wait to see what I am creating in another 20 years 🌱

Today the sea looked as though someone had ironed it flat. Not a ripple. Not a rush. Just endless shades of blue meeting the sky, with little bursts of yellow wildflowers dancing in the breeze. Nature has this wonderful way of reminding us that beauty doesn’t have to shout. Sometimes it whispers… and if we slow down enough, we hear it. I hope wherever you are today, you find a tiny moment to pause, breathe, and notice something beautiful. It doesn’t have to be grand. Sometimes the smallest moments stay with us the longest. 🌼 🌊💛https://youtu.be/_nOgiJL50nA?is=r_KiN9cy6b5gc411 🥰

Just 2 more hours. A model, and 3 hours of figure drawing. Just wish it was me doing the drawing.