Lightheaded at the lighthouse

 I braved the heady heights of St Abb's and drew the lighthouse, watching the gulls and cormorants and guillemots nesting on the steep cliffs. But I more worryingly watched a young researcher walk to the edges and cling on while he counted the birds. Didn't look like he had a care in the world, whereas my palms were going sweaty just looking at his precarious positions. Just after I finished the ink one a thick ha (sea mist) came in and obliterated everything  from sight, which was a relief as I was getting almightly annoyed with the wind and trying to hang on to the paper and ink and pens and water and hair flapping in wind and.... but had a lovely day out anyway...

Literature & Lighthouses

Did these two drawings in the space of a matter of hours, and again, its amazing the variety of weathers Scotland can throw at you on a whim, from blazing sunshine to a storm in a teacup, (or whisky glass being Islay).

Painting not great as not done on watercolour paper but as had nothing else to hand, I couldn't resist trying to capture the dark clouds racing north from the Irish coast. The lighthouse is a Robert Stevenson one, built in 1825, the grandfather of Robert Louis Stevenson of 'Kidnapped' and 'Treasure Island' books. It was a family business building lighthouses, and Robert the younger bucked the trend and went off to test his literary leanings. I was actually named after one of his books, so I feel a lot of sympathy with him in doing what was definitely not expected of him. A man after my own heart...