A different coast, a different sea.

Last week I was on a road trip with my two sons through Dorset, Devon and Cornwall; never far from the sea, often on high ground (in campsites) and exposed to the elements. Sometimes stormy and very wet, there were also calm days sitting in the sunshine while they fished and I thought about images now trapped in my head which, in time, would be recorded on canvas. May is such a beautiful month. We drove through lanes of hawthorn resplendent in pink and white blossom. We walked through a country lane bordered by foxgloves, cow parsley and the delicate ragged robin. It was magical; I was back home in Monmouthshire, a child who walked lanes liked this on a daily basis and was always acutely aware of the beauty around me.

Cardiff knows how to throw a good party.

The Champions League Final comes to Cardiff next weekend and it will be immense. I have to somehow get to the studio to retrieve this and other paintings to work on at home. Otherwise it's a question of battling crowds, having to show ID and an almost impossible chance of parking or getting in on the train. All the roads will be closed in the centre and a temporary bridge will cross the street just below the studio. There's a lot going on.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-east-wales-39530585