Postcard from Cantabria

Hola , from Cantabria 🇪🇸
What with covid, homeschool, and GCSEs, it seemed this moment might never arrive, but finally we've made it off the island 🤸‍♀️

After the overnight ferry to Sandander, the whole family breathed a sigh of relief, stepping back 3 centuries to rural village life. The view from our bedroom says it all:

My first sketch started with the huge ceiling beams, their dark reflection offset by sparkling lights and white walls. Working outwards from there to the chintzy furniture until I couldn't stay awake any longer!
 

The next day I pottered up the lane to find a herd of docile ginger cows (typical of the region). Sitting on the grass, sketching them as they mooched with their calves, was the ultimate relaxation. If a cow moved, I switched and drew a different one. Eventually another would take up the original pose, so I could dip back and continue that sketch, until my page was full and my stomach empty.

On my return I met a lovely animated neighbour who (from what I could understand) asked for a photocopy of the drawing, as her vegetable garden overlooks the cows.

The sheep were harder to locate... every time I went to their field, they rushed to the opposite side or huddled, still jangling, with their noses against the shady wall. Eventually I stood on a stool to peep at them over the dry stone wall. The evening sun cast great shadows on the church, buildings and of course the sheep... 

I went back for another pop at the ginger cows, hoping to do a better sketch for the neighbour. In their place were these grey, long-horned beauties, accompanied by an imposing ginger bull and two calves. I perched cautiously on the worryingly patchy boundary, alternately sketching them and backing away nonchalantly when the bull came over. He was pretty cool though, the confident swagger of Bovine Patriarchy in full swing! (Click on this drawing to see his muscles and my furtive sketching):

Click on image for short sketching video

We went to say goodbye to our lovely neighbour, and gave her the ginger cow and the sheep drawings. She invited us in, and gave us a bag of delicious homegrown squash. What a lovely end to the first leg of our holiday. Next stop Girona!

Gail xxx

PS Leon and I attended Vespers in the Cistercian monastery - a serene, novel experience. Luckily, four part song-sheets work in any language, so we could sing with the monks and local congregation.

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