I met Judith Whately many years ago on the recommendation of my friend Anne who had trained with her to become a Reflexologist. I too had wanted to follow this path and so was very excited to discover that Judith was still running the Academy for Combined Reflexology and that there was 1 space left for the next intake.

I studied with Judith and finally got the coveted title of MAR and have used this brilliant holistic therapy since with family and friends.

A few years on and I thought about mentioning to a few friends that I was now running workshops and Judith was among them.

With her very busy schedule as the Senior Lecturer in Reflexology at Cardiff Metropolitan University and Clinic Director of Something Else Therapy Centre in Merthyr Tydfil it was hard to pin her down to finally come for a watercolour taster with me.

She told me that years ago she had tried watercolour in a holiday setting and that it had left her feeling that she would never manage to paint in it.

As her morning progressed slowly but surely she realised that there were ways to manage the mercurial nature of watercolour and that beautiful effects could be attained quite easily.

She felt so excited and pleased that here she was – just a few hours on – being able to produce a poetic seahorse, watery reflections and other techniques that would allow her to progress at home.

After she left I was sending her a long watercolour shopping list feeling so pleased that she had been bitten by the painting bug.

Thanks Judith for being such an adventurous student and let me know when you have that smock and beret.