Perseverance

As we wander through various cities in Italy we have encountered a snag in our ambitions. Aging legs do not work as well as they did forty years ago and they require more sitting time than planned. Sitting time has transformed into sketching time for me. The intriguing part of being in old Europe is that no matter where we sit there is something worthwhile to draw. In these circumstances I found myself sitting on the steps of an ancient church in the Piazza di S. Stephano in Florence totally lost in the perspective of stonework and wrought iron railings. Drawing is not as fast as a camera lens. As the sun crept around to find me still sitting on the steps and only about half way through the drawing, a decision had to be made. Do I abandon the intention or do I persevere? A little while later my loving husband arrived with a cold beer. Leaving it on the step beside me he retreated into the shade once more. After some time again I had another visitor, a young lady, who happened to be with her parents with whom my husband had struck up a conversation. She was very curious about what I was doing and asked to see my sketch. Wonderful consideration. Awestruck, she too retreated into the shade once more. I am getting a lovely tan by the way. Life is good.