Sunday afternoon, late summer, the remnant of an old orchard by the little park across the road from where my mum lives. An autumn feeling with the apples already falling onto the ground.

I opened my new sketchbook and painted across the binding on the inside cover and the first page. Then it was busy, busy getting ready for Open Studios. The sketchbook got displayed in a little case, open at the only painted page, and there it stayed until open studios closed.

At last, time to go sketching again! I cycled to the Rothamsted estate, and found an old allotment I had spied before. Three lovely little apple trees.

Later I couldn’t find my paintbox but I thought I had just misplace it somewhere,  I searched high and low, days went by but then I knew I should go back and see if I had left it at the scene, and to my amazement it was still sitting on the fence post where I had left it. A bit rusty round the edges, but there! Overjoyed to find it I painted another little sketch of the apple trees!