Swanning around

I have long had a fascination with the reign of Henry VIII, so much so that a couple of years ago I dragged my dear friend to a short course on the Henrician Reformation and subjected her to hours of 'The Tudors' series on DVD.

So last week I went to the Hampton Court Palace, where the king himself spent many of his debaucherous days. Walking through the castle and the luxurious gardens, I got a real sense of the splendour of the times, but also an understanding of how COLD it would have been back then, with barely any heating around the palace I was freezing my socks off!!

It was the gardens and the long lake that impressed me most in my visit, especially as the vast 750-acre park stands in stark contrast with the neigbouring built-up city of London. The lake itself was starting to freeze-over, yet there were still beautiful swans, ducks and other water birds swimming around. I jealously watched them, wishing I could grow some feathers for warmth and float around all day. I sketched one of these peaceful-looking, magnificent swans and drew it up in ink and have included it above.