Two wonderful trips in one summer!  How fantastic!  I flew off from Dulles Airport to Heathrow airport in London, on the evening of June 1.  I arrived bright and early at 7:00 am in London on June 2, 2009.  My English friends, Rosemary and Antony picked me up, and off we drove, on the left side as is the rule in the UK.  About an hour and a half later we arrived at their wonderful home, and vision of an English garden and house.  There is a 5 hour difference in time between here in Virginia, USA, and Tiptoe, England, where Rosemary and Antony live.  I love how the homes have names, instead of numbers.  It is so much more personal!

Rosemary and I had planned to paint out a good bit.  So we painted with some of her friends in the New Forest.  How fun to not do the touristy things and rather go and do things that as “the locals”.  Painting in the New Forest, painting with a class that Rosemary taught, a week long trip, with painting to Cornwall, and sketching all over.

Our trip to Cornwall was wonderful!  Full of hills.  No matter where you go, there is a hill, so in addition to seeing so many things, we got in shape!  We stayed in Polruan, and went across the River Fowey (pronounced Foy), to the village of Fowey.  We could look out the window and see the house where the famous author, Daphne DeMauerier lived.  Cream Teas, pasties, Irish Coffee, tea time, happy hour, eating supper in the pubs, ording a pint of Guinness (I found a half pint is less filling!), listening to the wonderful Cornish accent.

So many memories….staying with great friends, meeting lots of people, never seeing another American the whole two + weeks, pubs, pasties, a day trip to Cherbourg, France, via ferry, wine in the sun in Cherbourg, castles, the wonderful New Forest, the wonderful New Forest ponies, Izzy, the New Forest pony, people riding all over the place!!!  So much more!!!

There are so many photos that are wonderful.  I have only included a few here.  Mostly painting, and being in the New Forest.  I will be doing paintings from so many, and working on many of the paintings I did there.  I took my oil paints, which was a whole new experience to travel by plane with painting supplies.  I got things paired down as much as possible, creating a painting box which my husband made to attach to a photo tripod.  It wasn’t totally weightless, but less than taking my French easel.  I hope to put up the paintings and sketches I did over there.  No horse paintings, but lots of reference photos to work from!