Wednesday, January 28th 2026

The rain has finally stopped; I escape from the studio and make my way via the familiar footpaths into the small wood to find my pond. It lies hidden amongst the trees; people passing on the other side probably don’t know of its existence. The ground is carpeted with decaying leaves, broken twigs, the occasional tiny red berry.  

Chaotically intertwined branches create a mass of pattern and colour – shades of brown, green, orange, yellow reflecting on the surface of the pond. Rain droplets hang poised on thin twigs; pale yellow catkins suspended in the air, a few dry red leaves clinging like washing on a line, bright green moss cover tree bark, straggling patches of yellowing grass grow up through the water and around the pond’s edge.

Unsurprisingly it’s pretty boggy; as I wade into the water to measure the depth from the centre of the pond using a found stick – it’s 23cm today.

My wellies sink deep into brown oozing mud; it’s an effort to pull them out and remain upright, so I’m glad I have the stick. Walking slowly in a circle around the pond, I stir up pale sediment, obscuring patches of light blue sky and cloud, and dark trees reflected on the surface, patterns ripple, tiny bubble rise.

Above and below merge into one

Retreating to dry land, I sit on the bank and listen

Someone passes outside the wood – dog walkers. They can’t see me. Voices fading.

Bird song  –

Common Woodpigeon

Eurasian Blue-Tit

Eurasian Robin

Eurasian Jay 

Alarm call of an Eurasian Blackbird

Apart from the birds it’s quiet.

The air smells earthy.

Mud gleams rich brown in the low afternoon light.

I make a couple of paintings gathering pond water to mix colours. The first one I ruin – far too much detail. I wash it off, find a small stick and use it to draw with paint. I make another – just washes of colour (I draw into this when I return to the studio and the colours have dried. As an oil painter I find it difficult to wait for layers to dry)

I float a strip of watercolour paper in the pond, pushing and pulling it through the mud, then bury it in earth and leaves on the bank, and wonder if it will still be there when I return?

Things I plan to do:

Photograph using a macro lens and magnifying lenses

Record sounds above and under water

Film underwater

Identify plants

Pond dipping

Water samples

More drawing

More painting

Listen

Learn to be patient

Play

Things I must try to do:

Stop trying too hard - it’s okay to just be there

Sit and do nothing (this will be tough!)