I was really delighted when I received an invitation to take part in the 'Lost in Reverie' exhibition at the amazing Leper Chapel in Cambridge.

The Leper Chapel is run by 'Cambridge Past, Present & Future' and is rarely open but it is a magical place built c1125 and one of the oldest buildings in Cambridge. It is tiny with no electricity, heating or toilets (toilets will be hired for this event!). It comprises two buildings made into one.

Inside it is painted white over cobbled walls with a simple wooden alter and a few wooden chairs. It is a simple, magical place. I have been there several times to draw as I am attracted to the space. I have also seen 'Macbeth' played there by two actors, a box, a doll and a carpet which has stuck in my mind ever since. Another time I listened to ghost stories there read by candlelight whilst the audience were wrapped up in coats.

If you have never been to the chapel or want to visit again, please come along to the opening evening on Friday 12 May from 5.30 - 9pm or Saturday 13 or Sunday 14 May between 10am and 5pm.

There are 14 artists showing but as the venue is so small I will not be there the whole time. Please get in touch if you would like to meet me there.

Tomorrow, 12 April, I shall be giving a talk to the Cambridge Drawing Society at St John's Church on Hills Road. I was due to do this in 2019 but covid intervened. I did do a very different talk online about how I sketched every day during part 2 and 3 of the pandemic and made the drawings into 2 books. During the initial covid outbreak I did classes on zoom, managed the garden, went for walks and painted, which I very much enjoyed as I was not ill!

The event in the church tomorrow is supposed to be a demo, but I paint very slowly with so much detail I thought it would be far too boring. Instead, I am giving a talk about why I paint like I do, where my influences lie and a quick demo for everyone to join in on adding gold leaf.

It is a bit daunting! I don't know how many people will be there but I know they are all practising artists. There will be slides to accompany my talk. Writing this the day before the event, I realise I really don't know what I am going to say for 2 blocks of 45 minutes. Please wish me luck!

I always love going Urban Sketching and doing it with a group is much more fun. On the Saturday during the Easter weekend I joined the group at 11am at Quayside, Cambridge before exploring the area to find something to draw.

The Baron of Beef has such a lovely frontage and it is opposite a wall where I could sit. Bridge Street was really bustling with Easter weekend visitors, bikes, buses that stopped blocking my view and 4 ambulances attending some kind of incident. But nothing stops the attention of an ardent Urban Sketcher.

Just as I finished my drawing, the staff came out and set up tables on the street and the focus was entirely different. I am now contemplating returning and drawing the same pub with people drinking at tables outside.

After the throwdown, when a photo is taken of the people and sketches, a large number of us walked to the local pub, The Castle, to swap stories and talk sketching. A very enjoyable few hours.