Inn of the Wandering Dragon

I am always amazed by the power of scents and sounds to evoke memories.

I have a beautiful leather sketchbook, actually it is a removable cover made of elaborately tooled leather and the sketchbook can this way be replaced when it gets filled - not that I am yet close to filling it. But for the first time in at least a year I decided to take it out and give the cover a nice polish. This was recommended by the craftsman who made it, in order to keep the leather supple and protect the finish. So I sat down with a soft cloth, appropriate polish and the book cover and started in. What really hit me was the smell. Once the polish was in the leather the aroma was not unlike crayons! As I was polishing I was seeing - in my mind - the large box of crayons my Grandmother kept for me at her apartment. I was thinking of different colours and of the waxy texture. I was reminded of the simple joys of just drawing and colouring. I used to do that on a very regular basis as a kid. As I started painting more I drew less, I am not sure why it dropped off though. In recent years it has really seemed difficult to just sit down and draw.

I am sure that I have some crayons somewhere, although truth be told I am not in a huge rush to unpack them specifically. Instead, once I finished polishing I picked up the pencil lying on the desk and made a sketch of my sleeping cat. This time it was easy. I guess I just needed an uncomplicated reminder.

PS. in case you are wondering, the spots are actually just ink that bled through from a previous page.