Flashback illustrated 1)

The physio dept. dealt out a fair amount of 'no gain without pain' and has set me on a path of discipline with knee exercises before I return in one month's time. I was hoping for a more immediate path to healing but recognize some things take time. And that patience in a biblical virtue.

However, I can report on something that happened a few days ago.  On our journey to the W Country we stopped overnight at Clevedon which happens to be one of the Quicke heritage sites.  For several years my retired grandparents lived there and during the 1950's and early 1960's they lived in a magnificent stone house which seemed a mansion to us small grandchildren. With lawns on four sides especially in the rear it was our playground every summer.  Packed off to be with (long-suffering) grandparents we reveled in being at the seaside. As an impressionable child many details remain locked in my memory - of the hallway, main rooms, pictures and upstairs the bedrooms.  The gardener (yes, they employed one!) made a go-kart for my brother and me. Painted green with our names on the side we spent hours on imaginary journeys pushing each other around what seemed to be a large estate.

We continued to visit as I entered my teens. We celebrated my grandparents' Golden Wedding at a nearby hotel followed by tea in the garden. A few photographs remain but it's fresh in my recollections. And, of course, it was the base for trips to the sea and Bristol Zoon.  Great times!

Some time ago I was looking through some of my early artwork and discovered some sketches I had made when I was in my 'architecture phase'.  When asked what I would like to be when I grew up I announced: An Architect. I enjoyed sketching buildings and on one visit when I was 14 or 15 I took my pencils to Clevedon. Only a couple of drawings remain. Drawn on cheap paper they reveal the house around 1959. Below is the front of the house. It catches something of the solidity and spaciousness of Dial House.

Returning to Clevedon I had found this sketch again and pondered whether the current owner would like to see it?  It's future will be for the rubbish bin but perhaps someone would be interested? Perhaps?!