Sketching in Hitchin

 

Life seemed to be getting back to ‘normal’ in Hitchin with lots of people out and about shopping and enjoying the sunshine on the first Saturday after the easing of lockdown restrictions. 

Sketching in Hitchin

It was cold in Hitchin today so I wrapped up warm and did some quick iPad sketches. Looking forward to the town opening up again with more people out and about and events returning to the town centre.

 

Sketching in Hitchin

First day of sketching in Hitchin this year. Sunnyish with a cold breeze. Lots of people out and about enjoying takeaways, chatting, sitting etc. Very pleased with the results and it is good to be back in my favourite sketching environment again. 

 

Biomass

Last year, fields of maize were harvested for biomass near Hitchin and the chopped maize stored in long sealed bags at the field edge (at a guess about 15ft wide and well over 100ft + long - like an enormous sausage). Passed the site today and saw this machine, a Ropa Euro Maus, waiting to unload the bag into a large articulated lorry. Unfortunately, I didn't see it in action because the lorry it was loading had got stuck in mud. After a few attempts of using a JCB telehandler to push it free, the lorry had to empty out its load (walking floor, not a tipper) until it was light enough to be pulled out using the JCB and a heavy chain. The lorry then drove off, empty.

I had only ever seen machines like this on YouTube used to load sugarbeet from stockpiles in fields into lorries - with a different header. I decided to adjust the photo I took and make it into a rather more interesting illustration on my iPad.

 

Dog Walking, Hitchin

Sketch made in Hitchin today of a man walking a dog. Unfortunately he walked off before I could draw his large dog so I did the buildings instead.