Lochaber Hall, London, 16 March 2019

The undeniable truth that I was going down with a cold had revealed itself early on the Thursday ahead of this Saturday morning session. Over the 48 hours that followed, all the usual symptoms manifested and – while nothing more than a common cold – I felt there could be arduous moments ahead. No-one craves a model with a runny nose.

The 3-hour sessions at Lochaber Hall always commence with a train of short poses, then settle into a single long pose for the remaining time. Happily when I was greeted by David, the group organiser, he said they would like a reclining long pose this week. What a relief! It meant I could tilt my head back and thereby avert a nose crisis.

We started off with seven 5-minute poses, followed by a 10-minute pose. I warmed up making all manner of shapes during this opening period and felt much better for it. An arc of easels stood before me accompanied by a larger than usual gathering of artists. When the quick work was done, I made myself a nest between heaters and lay down.

The long pose lasted 1 hour and 45 minutes with a break about a third of the way in. I was much cheerier by now, even voluntarily raising an elbow, a hand and one knee to make my body more of a three-dimensional landscape. I was comfortable throughout to the extent that, despite initial foreboding, this session proved just the tonic.