A farmhouse in Kirby Underdale

12x10 inch - oil on canvas

I set off early afternoon and headed for Millington, just north of Pocklington thinking I could have a look at their "Open Garden" day. After walking around the village I came to the conclusion that I had got the wrong day. I spoke to a 'Wolds Way' long distance walker who was sitting outside the public house, enjoying a pint in the sun. He was from South Wales, I should have asked him if he knew Bill. He was having a great time and we talked about David Hockney and his Wolds paintings. I left him there and decided to travel to Kirby Underdale. As I dropped down the steep, narrow road, passing Painsthorpe I stopped at the Church, and went inside. It is rather beautiful, it's location, situated on a slope, surrounded by steep sided, wooded hills is idyllic. Leaving, I saw this farmhouse in the village and parked up. In an adjacent field a group of handsome young brown and white calves, with clean pink noses came over to the fence, when they saw me. I let them rasp my hand with their sandpaper tongues as I tickled their noses. They were trying to reach some low leaves of a cherry tree which I pulled down for them to grip. Leaving my audience I started to set up and quickly lay down the structure of this view. The feel of rain pushed me along and, luckily, I more or less finished as heavy drops started falling. Hope you like it.