Springfield Homestead Back

I sketched the front of the 1860s Springfield Homestead (at The Old Cheese Factory precinct in Berwick, Australia) a year and a half ago and last week did a back corner. It was a hot 28 degree afternoon but sitting in the shade with a coolish breeze made for a very pleasant sketchmeet with a few friends. 

#Sailorfude pen, watercolour, #Stillman&Birn Beta Sketchbook, 7.5”x 7.5", #OldCheeseFactory

Here's a few older sketches done at the Old Cheese Factory precinct:

1) Sketch of the front of the homestead.

https://nowismystoryinsketches.blogspot.com/2022/12/christmas-sketchmeet-2022.html

2) Sketching vegetation outside the homestead. 

https://nowismystoryinsketches.blogspot.com/2022/03/sketching-vegetation.html

3) The Old Cheese Factory Building itself which is next to the homestead. 

https://nowismystoryinsketches.blogspot.com/2022/02/the-old-cheese-factory.html

Accurate!

They call themselves Accurate! They better be when they’re working inches from a neighbouring fence! 

The second drawing was just an exercise for myself done from a photo taken the day I saw this humongous piece of machinery arrive. It's done with my brand new TWSBI Eco pen! 

After several days of much noise and dust, the demolition of a nice house has been successfully accomplished.

First sketch: #Sailorfude pen, watercolour, #Stillman&Birn Zeta Sketchbook, 7.5”x 7.5”.

Second sketch: #TWSBI Eco pen, watercolour, #Stillman&Birn Zeta Sketchbook, 7.5”x 7.5”.

Lilies for Lunar New Year

I forgot to post this story in February but better late than never so here it is.

Decorating our house for Lunar New Year is not something I usually do but the Oriental Lilies from the garden bloomed profusely this year and made a nice show. This sketch is my first small step towards working (a bit) more expressively in 2024.

#Sailorfude pen, watercolour, #Stillman&Birn Beta Sketchbook, 8.5 x 5.5”.

The World's Cutest Sheep

The annual Berwick Show is held at Akoonah Park in Berwick (an outer suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia) and has had a complicated history dating back about 170 years. With its English country feel, this small agricultural and horticultural show could be the setting of a Miss Marple mystery. 

Despite its small size, the cattle exhibit is one of the largest outside of the Royal Melbourne Show. I arrived at the cattle judging rings just before lunch break and only caught one round of judging – of some large white cows. 

During judging, the handlers led their animals past the judges. When standing still, they continually scratched the bellies of the animals with a prod. This prod looked something like a golf club (and as was explained to me) the scratching keeps them quiet. The prod has a pointy tip to also prod the feet of the animals to make them stand "correctly" for judging. The scratchy bit is a curved prong and apparently some prods have a brush as well! 

The sheep shed was packed with people watching the judging area and the rest of the shed was filled with pens of different breeds of sheep. Here's a few being judged. 

What a challenge to sketch a large spirited long haired black faced sheep with spiral horns. He wouldn't keep still and the struggling handler had to be rescued by a stronger handler. Meeting its handler Darren and learning about its amazing personal story and history of the breed was the highlight of my day! 

This sheep (aptly named Ace) is a Valais Blacknose. Ace is nearly 2 and lives on Malakai Farm in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia with a flock of mates (plus some happy Mediterranean miniature donkeys and alpacas). He arrived as a frozen embryo as it is illegal to bring live sheep into Australia. He had an Australian ewe as a surrogate mother!

Here's a couple of 3 month olds. They sell for $25,000 each!!

 They might look so soft but their wool is mainly carpet grade (although it can be blended with finer wools for a softer fibre). 

Known as "the world's cutest sheep" this breed from the Swiss Alps dates back to the 1400's. Originally bred for meat and wool, today it is mainly sold as pets for hobby farms. A few pockets of this breed are now spread across the world but it was and remains today a rare breed. 

I didn't get round to seeing the alpaca, goat and poultry exhibits at the show (plus all the art and hobby craft sheds). That will have to keep for another year.

#Sailorfude pen, watercolour, #SeawhiteTravelJournal 5.5" x 5.5", #BerwickShow2024, #ValaisBlacknose.

The Berwick Inn February 2024

The Berwick Inn (which opened in 1857) houses a restaurant and bar and is a gambling facility. It has undergone a lot of changes in the past 12 months. Firstly the two imposing trees outside were removed by the local Council despite public protest. A very uninspiring sort of wall was added which blocks the original facade and previous pathway to the front entrance. The newly refurbished restaurant within has re-opened and I understand a new courtyard is being constructed. Hopefully all will be revealed in the coming months. 

This sketch was done during a sketchmeet of a very small local group I belong to (which mainly has its roots in Casey U3A). I included one of the sketchers on my page. Colour in the sky and sketcher was added at home.   

#Sailorfude pen, watercolour, #Stillman&Birn Beta Sketchbook, 8.5 x 5.5”.

Top of the High Street, Berwick

During Covid in early 2021, white concrete blocks were put up in the garden median strip at the top of the High Street in Berwick (an outer suburb of Melbourne). These blocks were there to provide seating, encouraging people to spend more time outdoors. In late 2022, they were replaced with colourful blocks and matching umbrellas for shade. I can't say I like the garish colours but they have become a feature of the area. 

If you want to avoid the freeway, the High Street is a thoroughfare to the ever growing suburbs to the East, through what used to be a small quiet suburb with "an English country feel". Today the High Street is a busy road with too much traffic especially at school pickup time. There are so many schools in the vicinity it's not funny! I'm told that in the old days people from the wealthy Melbourne suburb of Toorak had country homes in Berwick (that would be north of the railway line as the area south was all farmland). Perhaps their children attended the private schools in the neighbourhood.  

This sketch was done in two sessions in the same week. I went back the second time to add a suggestion of background shops behind the umbrellas and to choose something to fill the page spread.  I decided on some plants from the nice garden area and not the statue of Edwin Flack. That will have to wait for another page. 

Here's the sketch before a suggestion of the background shops was added. I'm not sure which I like better – with or without. Both have their merits. 

#Sailorfude pen, watercolour, #Stillman&Birn Beta Sketchbook, 8.5 x 5.5”.

Crepe Myrtle January 2024

Is this an unexpected bonus of Climate Change? Our Crepe Myrtle has never been as showy in the seven years this young tree has been in our care.  We gave it an extra hard prune but perhaps it was all that rain (and floods) this past year that has been to its liking. We usually have it much drier especially in the warmer months. 

I've now drawn this tree in our garden five times in different seasons! This latest was sketched through our study window on a hot sunny afternoon. 

#Sailorfude pen, watercolour, #Stillman&Birn Beta Sketchbook, 8.5 x 5.5”.

La Baguette Cafe, Berwick

This cafe was extended and renovated about a year ago. We always meant to try it out but didn’t until January 2024 (to celebrate my birthday). The meals were good and being seniors size meant there was room for dessert! 

It's got a pleasant ambience, rather ambitious perhaps as it has extensive seating. On this day (lunch time on a Tuesday) it was reasonably full. 

You know me, I had to record the lunch with a sketch. 

Will we go again? Yes! I wish the owners well. 

#Sailorfude pen, Handbook Journal 5.5" x 5.5".

Christmas Lunch 2023

We had Christmas lunch with our son and his family in Melbourne but unfortunately it was too cold, wet and windy to enjoy their marvellous deck. The deck backs onto a stand of natural forest where cockatoos, lorikeets, possums (including one with baby) come to feed. It's only a small stand of trees and the neighbours' homes can just be seen between the vegetation but with a glimpse of the Dandenong Ranges in the distance it feels like a restful oasis far from human habitation. 

I sketched this from the safety of the dining room.

#Sailorfude pen, watercolour, #Stillman&Birn Beta Sketchbook, 7.5”x 7.5”.

Garden Sketching

I love sketching gardens and went to sketch a friend’s lovely backyard. How could I forget my watercolours! So annoying! Consequently the sketch was done on site but I added the colours after I got home from a photo reference.

Looking forward to going back to finish these concertina sketch pages.

#Sailorfude pen, watercolour, homemade concertina sketchbook.

Wilson Botanic Park Second Visit

This was my second monthly sketchmeet with friends to the same venue – Wilson Botanic Park, Berwick. 

What a challenging day to be out sketching! Certainly one to remember, with 32 degree heat, wind gusts which sent lunch and sketching tools flying (my watercolour palette kept blowing shut) and a friend using a walker got blown over! 

I just had to draw a lady in our group who wore an eye catching long white gown! 

I tucked the sketch of the lady into the space left from the previous sketchmeet and put in a view of the far side of the lake to tie the elements together. 

The lake is home to hundreds of Common Long-Necked Turtles. They're also called "stinkers" because when frightened can excrete a really stinky substance from glands in their armpits and groin! Thankfully we didnt see any.

Our sketch group had to beat an early retreat as a thunderstorm was on our heels. The sketch page looks a bit messy but I'm happy with it considering the conditions of the day. 

#Sailorfude pen, watercolour, #Stillman&Birn Beta Sketchbook, 7.5”x 7.5”.

A Buddleia Story

Each summer for several years we grew a vine tomato in a large pot in this sunny corner. After several poor harvests and battles with hungry birds I threw out this practice and instead planted the cutting I took of a Buddleia (also known as the Butterfly Bush) from Sharna's former garden. It has done well and deserves a page in this my second Garden Journal sketchbook. The butterflies love it! 

The page had been pre-prepared with a random colour swatch.

#Sailorfude pen, watercolour, #Stillman&Birn Beta Sketchbook, 8.5 x 5.5”.