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2025
/ Apr 2025
Six colour wheels using different combinations of pink, yellow and blue watercolours by emma bolton. Watercolor brush and palette.

Reconnect to yourself with colour

I first picked up a paintbrush as a form of self-care, and it’s something I return to again and again in my practice. When I’m feeling low on energy and need to reconnect with my body, I love to play with colour.
2025
/ Apr 2025
Countdown of 15 days left of work in Hong Kong! Quote about hope by Václav Havel, Czech Dissident, Writer & Statesman.

The self-care habit I stopped to find more ease

When I worked as a lawyer I tracked my work days in six-minute increments for almost ten years. When I finished work, I had limited energy left, so I put pressure on myself to make my self-care as efficient as possible.
2025
/ Apr 2025
Whimsical watercolour painting of a large stone gate with pink tones and purple shadows. Two tiny people stand in front of the gate, which is framed by greenery.

Painting the Gate of Justice

The Gate of Justice or la Puerta de la Justicia is my favourite way to enter the Alhambra palace in Granada.  Built in 1348, it’s the largest of the four gates in the Alhambra’s walls. Like so much of the architecture at the Alhambra, its layers mix the work of different peoples, times and faiths.
2025
/ Apr 2025
A brown leather belt with a silver buckle. The leather is slightly worn. Photo by L S on Unsplash.

In which a beloved belt gets its second wind

We go to our local shoe repair store to see if they can fix my husband’s leather belt. Its buckle has retired after many years of service and it’s time for a piece from the younger generation to take the helm.
2025
/ Mar 2025
People walking across a large, busy square surrounded by naked trees and pastel-coloured apartment blocks. A fountain is featured in the centre and it's a sunny day.

In which I sketch Granada’s busiest square and travel to 1970s New York

The last few weeks we’ve had an inordinate amount of rain in Granada. So when my urban sketching group proposed a last minute outing to take advantage of the sunshine, I was in.
2025
/ Mar 2025
A black dog with brown eyes lies curled up on a blue couch and grey blanket. She is wearing a red collar and her brown eyes are staring at the camera.

In which I order two hearts and my dog learns to six

A few weeks ago we took our dog, Skye, to a café for the first time. Every time I go for coffee in Granada, I see dogs lazing under café tables or calmly waiting for snacks to fall into their mouths, but for Skye this was a big deal.
2025
/ Mar 2025
A mass of yellow and white daffodils in their prime in front of a red stone wall. It has recently rained.

Take a moment for inspiration, joy or curiosity