Jane Dallaway

Latest posts

  • Lino printing week 2

    21 October 2026

    A red lino print of a maple leaf, with the real leaf that inspired it beside the print

    After feeling successful in week one, I returned to Waterstones for another lino printing workshop. This week’s skill was tracing a design: we sketched it first, then used tracing paper to transfer it onto the lino. I stuck with the leaf theme, this time using a leaf I picked up at Winkworth Arboretum as my template.

    The carved blue lino block, with the leaf standing out from the cut-away background and a solid border around the edge

    A second, redder print of the maple leaf design

    Overall I’m happy with what I produced in 90 minutes. I’d like to tidy up the area around the stalk and the background. My design had a lot of background to clear before I could print, so that’s something to consider when planning my design for next week.

  • RevivR

    19 October 2026

    Screenshot from the starting point of the RevivR website

    On Sunday morning, I listened to an episode of Ramblings about defibrillators. It made me realise that I hadn’t done a first aid course in a long time and that I didn’t have the first clue how defibrillators work. I would like to do some in person training at some point, but in the meantime I came across RevivR, a short interactive course from the British Heart Foundation covering CPR and defibrillator use. It’s really easy to follow, and I was impressed by the CPR practice. You prop your phone up so the camera can see you, then “pump” a cushion in time with the music, and a little speed dial turns green when you’re keeping the right rhythm. I’ve set a reminder to revisit it every six months, as they suggest.

  • Early autumn at Winkworth Arboretum

    17 October 2026

    A grassy hollow with red, orange and green trees beneath a blue sky and big white clouds

    Winkworth Arboretum is a regular spot for us in autumn (see previous visits in 2021, 2024, 2025). We were a little earlier this year, so there weren’t as many trees aflame, but we did get to see some that are often past their best on our visits.

    Close up of autumn leaves in an explosion of red, orange, yellow and green

    Sunlit red, orange and yellow maple leaves against a patch of blue sky

    A hand in a knitted fingerless glove holding a cluster of golden oak leaves still joined at the stem

    I picked up a few fallen leaves and brought a couple home with me, but this cluster I put back on the ground where I found it. I loved that the leaves were all still attached together, and knew they wouldn’t survive the journey without breaking apart.