Border Country – mists and magic It’s decades since I visited the Borders but it’s always been an area very close to my heart and feels like a home-coming, so I was thrilled when my daughter invited me to join the family at a truly beautifully restored mid-19th century coach house in the middle of nowhere. It was the perfect location for outdoor sketching – hills and valleys, lakes and moorland punctuated with isolated farms and hamlets. The weather was challenging at times, but the atmospheric mists and early autumn colour were more than compensation. My first foray, before the rain really moved in, was the view from the Rectory Garden over rolling farmland and woods, with a really interesting sky as the weather blew in (see the image uploaded). We travelled in the van this time, which meant I could bring a slightly larger range of watercolours than my previous trip, as well as a selection of other mark-making possibilities. I managed to sketch out all the essential features and do the sky, wet-in-wet, plus the distant hills before the blustery wind and spots of rain forced me indoors to complete the sketch from the window. Earlier in the day we took a walk in the woods along a nearby riverbank. This certainly required stout footwear and a good sense of balance, so I took photos with my mobile and uploaded them for future reference. Again, back at the house I was able to lay down the first washes for the sky and reflections in the river while my visual memory was still fresh. I put in the details of foliage and foreground later, although it wasn’t easy to match some of the colours under artificial light, so I waited for a sunny morning when the quality of light was close to the original photo. It's amazing how being in such an inspirational environment stimulates creativity in all sorts of ways; during our visit I also jotted down all sorts of ideas for my creative writing. I was delighted to see that my attempts encouraged a lot of painting and drawing from my grandchildren. They seemed to appreciate being able to use my artists’ quality materials rather than the ‘bargain’ pencils and felt pens, something that always concerned me in my teaching career. If as mature artists we need good quality equipment to achieve the results we desire, why should be expect young artists to put up with anything less? It also seems to me that engaging in creative activities across the generations might be a good way to encourage potential artists of all ages (and I firmly believe that we all have the capacity to produce art), and also create stronger community links. Maybe something I need to explore further back home? For me, too, having the luxury of a whole week of uncommitted creative time without the constraints of everyday life was a welcome blessing. Happy painting to you all.