I like geometry. I like things to be aligned and in rows, proportioned and accurate. Sometimes this can lead to detailing that is redundant but nevertheless it is still satisying to appreciate well considered lines either in a completed project or in someone else's work. Our first trip to the Alhambra General Life gardens in Granada was little more than a blur. I had heard about even researched a little, but the reality is astonishing. I never tire of seeing it and we try to see it as often as we can. The Moorish and Islamic geometry around which these garden are constructed is deceptively simple and very serene. My brother and I grew up, entertaining ourselves on Saturday afternoons above the shop in which our parents worked, colouring in huge line drawings of intricate patterns. These I now realise were my first experience of lattice work and from which I derived great satisfaction with my felt pens. I had wanted to try and create my own and have a few texts explaining the geometry and principles of construction. Don't bother. I came across this website and a far more patient and talented mind than mine has saved me the trouble and produced something that I wish I could. An Arabic geometric lattice creator. Its worth the effort to download. Its even more satisfying to see the tiles in situ around one of the greatest gardens in the world; word of advise, if you do go..book your tickets online before you leave as entry is restricted and you are unlikely to be able to turn up and get in.

http://www.cgl.uwaterloo.ca/~csk/washington//taprats/.