My Artist's Diary by Sarah Orchard: 2021

A synopsis update from October 2019 to date 30 July 2021.

Over a year of COVID-19 (worldwide) with lockdown, isolation, social distancing and MASKS!; many people struggling in one way or another over the time!

We are now coming out of it - slowly!

We have missed our family Cornwall 2019 and 2020. First in 55 years!

From this came my fifth book 'A baby comes to Cornwall'

I wrote it to connect the family together, sending them a page a day, with my daughter adding photos. Thank heavens for WhatsApp groups with 26 of us....!

The little book is a log of each day we spend together each Easter week.

What we do and our love for each other!

Copies are for sale

sarahorchard1@icloud.com

I started walking on the Purlieu nearly every day and recording the flora and fauna plus the weather, in an A6 landscape moleskin book. For me they are the best....

My platinum pen went with me and when home I added my watercolours.

I am still logging and love the fact that I have seen the seasons pass. Looking forward to seeing the variation next year!

I have made two fabulous new friends. I walk with one on Mondays and the other on Fridays.

I feel very honoured to have them in my life. We have shared sadness and pain and laughter.

Christmases and birthdays have passed with distant contact from family and friends.

My beautiful son had his 30th birthday ...

We had a quiet Christmas ,home alone. My lovely Dads had been transferred to a care home as the Alzheimers took hold! So demoralising for such a beautiful man, as with so many others. You wouldn't allow your dog to live like that! So cruel....

(Close up)

I made this board game (above) for my son as my secret Santa'

It depicts the route of one of our family Cornish walks.

I think nicely appreciated.

Valentine 2021 came and went, isolated in our properties....

My boy and I have been together for forty-one years and I feel closer to him now more than ever. We had fabulous times together in lockdown although he was also working 'saving the world...'

My lovely Dads died on 15th February 2021. It was relatively peaceful, with seven of us around his bed. No masks, no social distancing. A happy time as we laughed, cried and exchanged memories of him.

He was out of that humiliating time in his wonderful life. Adored by everyone he met!

I painted and framed eleven of these watercolour and charcoal sketches below, for all of my family to put in their homes and feel Dads with them.

I spent five days in hospital from 19th February - our thirty-eighth wedding anniversary

- with a perforated bowel.

We then both had a week, for a well needed holiday, in Bude Cornwall the first week in May, to make up for missing our Easter Cornwall again and just life really!