Learner's Licence

After saying I wouldn't have time... yesterday I had plenty of time to draw people waiting in queues at the Traffic Licensing Centre. My son was booking to take his Learner's Licence next month. We had tried the day before and I had been reduced to a gibbering frustrated wreck by conflicting instructions on what to bring, where to go and what the opening and closing times were. But yesterday we got there early and a mere three hours later we were able to go home.

I'm so glad I've got into the habit of taking sketching stuff with me wherever I go. As always, the time went quickly (not for my son, for whom it stood still!) and I felt a productive sort of morning had been spent.

Knitting & drawing, drawing & knitting

I don't know what possessed me to draw my knitting - after those brushes I've become a sucker for punishment. This is my load-shedding jersey (or sweater to any American visitors popping in). When electricity cuts became a regular feature of our evenings, I thought it would be something I could do that I wouldn't need to see too well for... which is probably the reason I suspect I may prefer the look of the knitting-in-progress itself rather than the end product. All the lovely nubbly textures, the uneven meandering ribby lines, the interesting lacy holey bits - look so compelling bunched and draped around their needles - but extended over my (non load-shod) upper body... well, might just not come up to original expectations. And, wouldn't you know it, the powers(ha!)-that-be have announced that there will be no more load-shedding, as the poor old substations were collapsing under the strain of all that mass switching off-and-on again. So this may be as far as my jersey gets, though it is also a very good thing to do during rugby season...

Some of the family

Right. Must Do Better. I have not been sketching and journalling (but I have been painting and cleaning my house). Here are two oldish pages from my journal of my son Ali, and my eldest daughter Dominique, and one I did today (hooray) of my husband in his Saturday position - after he has made breakfast, done the shopping and fixed the pool of course. He is a good man!